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"Star Trek " is going where it's only partly gone before.

Tuesday heralds the debut of the long-running sci-fi franchise on Blu-ray, with the release of the seven-disc "Star Trek DVD : The Original Series -- Season 1" (Paramount, $130). It's not the first time the beloved TV show has appeared in a high-definition format -- it hit the now-obsolete HD DVD in November 2007 -- but it's much better this time around.

The release is part of the high-def hoopla surrounding the May 8 theatrical release of the new "Star Trek " film, directed by J.J. Abrams. Coming just after that, on May 12, are two Blu-ray collections devoted to the films featuring Capt.

James Kirk, Spock and the rest of TV's original Star Trek Enterprise DVD crew.Like the old HD DVD, the Blu-ray version of "Star Trek The Original Series Seasons 1-3 DVD Boxset " contains revamped episodes with updated visual effects. In nearly every instance, they are immeasurably superior to the space-bound and planetary images created for the 1966-1967 series.

Lovingly overseen by producers who are also fans, such as "Star Trek DVD "-lore experts Michael and Denise Okuda, the new effects are seamlessly integrated into the classic episodes. Now, the Enterprise looks as if it is orbiting living, breathing planets, not cardboard globes. Cheap on-set murals and mattes have been replaced by digitally created backgrounds that look like real, populated worlds.This isn't a case of using today's technology to rewrite past productions, as George Lucas did with the original "Star Trek The Original Series Seasons 1-3 DVD Boxset " films -- restoring deleted footage, manipulating characters and doing other shenanigans. Only the special-effects shots have been changed, and they remain true to the source material. The Star Trek Enterprise DVD looks the same from a design standpoint, just more believable in its mission to seek out new life and new civilizations.

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