The Complete Series also drops alongside season three tomorrow.
Trekkies have been counting down the days until they can get their hands on the final epic season of Star Trek Picard, and starting tomorrow, September 5th, they finally can. Season three comes out on Blu-ray, limited edition Steelbook, and DVD tomorrow. And for those who have been waiting extra patiently, all three seasons of Picard drop in one box set tomorrow as well.
What's in the Box?
Depending on which set you get (we're going to be focusing on season three here mainly), you'll either be receiving a three-disc set (standard Blu-ray will set you back $34.96 on Amazon, and $43.99 for the Steelbook, which is currently sold out just about everywhere) or a nine-disc complete series set if you're going all in (that may have been a final poker scene reference) for the complete series set, which comes in at $59.95 on Amazon for the Blu-rays.
Don't hold your breath if you're looking for extra bells and whistles on the complete series set. You'll get the Captain Shaw treatment, as the collection is just the discs from the previous seasons thrown into one box. That's not to say it's not a good buy; you're just not getting anything extra if you already own the previous two seasons.
With that said a lot of that could be because of the massive Picard set releasing next month with every season of TNG, the TNG films, and, of course, Picard with a bunch of extra goodies in there.
Video:
Picard season three is nothing short of gorgeous on Blu-ray. These days, with affordable 4K sets, many folks who pick up the final season will probably have the episodes upscaled to 2160p. Otherwise, it's coming in at the 1080p ratio shown on Paramount Plus. The cinematic quality of this season of Picard was already amazing. Still, the difference between streaming on a service like Paramount Plus and popping in a physical disc is more than you think. The colors are richer, and the picture is clearer.
For example, when the Titan leaves Spacedock for the first time, it's breathtaking. Honestly, between the music and the above and beyond special effects, I felt something watching the opening episode, "The Next Generation," on Blu-ray that I didn't quite get watching it on streaming.
The U.S.S. Titan Leaves Earth Spacedock
Of course, the elephant in the room is the lack of a 4K release. Why Paramount chose not to do a 4K UHD release of Picard season three is a bit baffling. The way the series is presented in such a cinematic fashion, one has to assume it was at least talked about. Still, Strange New Worlds season one was given a 4K release, and season two is following suit. It would not be a shock to see a 4K steel book in a few months. Fans generally make these things happen, so keep making noise.
Sound:
Even without a 4K release, Picard season three has a respectable DTS 5.1 Master Audio track. Not everyone has a home theater system, but you're in for a treat if you do. Stephen Barton and Frederick Wiedmann's masterful score booms through sound systems, and every portal weapon thrown at the Titan and photon torpedo slamming into a hull will make you lunge like you're sitting on the bridge of the Enterprise-D.
Special Features:
I was floored by just how robust the special features are on the Picard season three Blu-ray set. The last two seasons' features were fine, but between all the commentaries they put into the set, along with a handful of amazing featurettes, Paramount really is sending off Picard with all the pomp and circumstance the final season deserves.
I started with two of the audio commentaries, which made me feel like I was part of the Picard family. These companions to the episode showed just how close this cast and crew got during production. Terry Matalas also calling out a variety of basement trolls for their Twitter attacks on him, and the plot of the show never got old.
But Terry and the cast and crew also answer some burning questions about characters, set pieces, etc., that you may have missed, all while cracking jokes and playful jabs at each other. Of the ten episodes, half have commentary tracks, which is a truly immersive experience.
For the features, I planned to split them up over a couple of days, but a couple of hours later, I had watched through all of them. And these aren't just short, two minute behind the scenes videos. Each feature was as long as it needed to be to tell the viewer what they wanted to know.
"The Gang's All Here" is a great look at all our beloved TNG character's return and how they all wind up aboard the Titan by the end of the eighth episode. And for anyone like me who grew up with the crew of The Next Generation in their living room, "Rebuilding the Enterprise-D" is a nostalgia-filled dream ride on how the production department, Liz Kloczkowski and Dave Blass in particular, brought back the Enterprise-D bridge down to the littlest detail like carpet on the walls.
I have one bone to pick on the special feature front: I think it's a missed opportunity not to add the extended IMAX edition of the final two episodes on the Blu-ray set. Not everyone got to go to those screenings, and it would have been a bonus to see "Vox" and "The Last Generation" as one feature-length episode.
Overall:
If Picard season three was everything you had hoped for and more, the Blu-ray set, especially the gorgeous Steelbook that features the Enterprise-D, is a must-own for any collector of physical media. That's for the special features alone. If you're more patient than most, the complete series is also worthy of your hard-earned latinum, though I would still say a little bit more pageantry and care with that set was maybe deserved. Both collections drop tomorrow, September 5th.
