What just happened? Star Trek aficionados got a great reason to celebrate this month with the launch of all four Star Trek: The Next Generation films in 4K HDR. The full set includes Star Trek VII: Generations, Star Trek VIII: First Contact, Star Trek IX: Insurrection, and Star Trek X: Nemesis, marking the first time any of these four movies have been available in 4K resolution, HDR and Dolby Vision.
All four films are currently available for purchase on Amazon in Blu-ray, either individually or as part of a box set. They are also available through the Apple TV app. The Blu-ray collection comes with plenty of special features, including text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda, a four-part feature titled 'Brent Spiner: Data and Beyond,' Industrial Light and Magic - The Next Generation, and more. Buyers of the new 8-disc 4K Blu-ray set will also get a complimentary digital version, which can be accessed by redeeming a code included in the product packaging.
For those unaware, the four Next Generation movies show Picard, Riker, Data, LaForge, Worf, Troi, and Dr. Crusher embark on four iconic adventures. The journey begins with Kirk, Scott, and Chekov in a story that spans space and time in Star Trek: Generations. In Star Trek: First Contact, the crew has a terrifying face-off against the Borg, while Star Trek: Insurrection shows a dangerous plot against a peaceful planet. The final film in the series is Star Trek: Nemesis, which shows the protagonists deal with a clear and present threat to the United Federation of Planets from a clone of Captain Picard named Shinzon.
The release of The Next Generation films in 4K HDR completes the process of upscaling the entire Star Trek series to UltraHD resolution. While the three reboot films, including Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond, have been available in 4K since 2016, all six original Star Trek movies were remastered and released in 4K between 2021 and 2022.
In 2021, the first four classic Trek films, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Star Trek: IV the Voyage Home, were released in 4K UHD, followed by Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 2022.