I thought I’d share a bit of nostalgia on what is dubbed as #StarTrekDay (the original show debuted on Sept. 8, 1966)…
The past month, Bridget and I have been helping my dad clean out his home to prepare for sale as he downsizes and simplifies his life.
As you might imagine, we have gone through all sorts of random items in boxes, stored away long ago in dusty nooks and crannies.
Among the items I found were some of my old “Star Trek” (the original series) episodes that I purchased on VHS many moons ago.
That might seem like a commonplace activity in 2020, but in the 1980s home video was a different beast.
The idea of “owning” a “complete season” of any TV show seemed sort of insane back then.
Most TV series never saw the light of day on home video during the VHS/Betamax era. Every so often you’d see a studio release a pilot episode or two-hour episode on VHS and market it as a “movie” (as MCA did with the pilot episode of “Miami Vice” and the season 2 premiere episode as “Miami Vice II: The Prodigal Son”).
If you wanted to have a complete series on home video, you recorded it during a broadcast (generally in EP or SLP mode so you could fit the most episodes on a tape).
I recorded many episodes of the 1960s-era “Star Trek” on our Panasonic VCR during the 1980s. It aired Sunday nights at 11 p.m. on KMTV in Omaha. The quality resulting from recording episodes on VHS was so-so, but it was all we had at the time.
I was 12 when we purchased our first VCR (1985), and I wasn’t allowed to stay up and pause recording during the commercial breaks.
Not only that, KMTV didn’t always broadcast the episodes in order, and certain episodes were rarely broadcast.
In February 1985, Paramount Home Video tried to remedy that situation when they released the first slate of “Star Trek” episodes on VHS and Beta.
I really wanted to purchase those episodes. I recall that our local Applause Video chain had them in stock the day they released.
Unfortunately, the episodes retailed for $14.95 each. That meant you’d spend around $1,200 if you wanted all 79 episodes of “Star Trek” — and that price wouldn’t even include sales tax.
When I started earning my own money (from a paper route I had), I purchased a dozen episodes of “Star Trek” on VHS. The price point meant I had to “pick and choose” the episodes I liked the best.
One of the episodes in the photo above — “The Trouble With Tribbles” — debuted at #20 on Billboard’s list of “Top Videocassette Sales” for the week ending Nov. 29, 1986. By all accounts, the episodes sold well.
I purchased my episodes at Musicland at Crossroads Mall. They had a couple shelves that housed all the episodes. We lived two blocks from the mall, so I was a frequent visitor.
The VHS episodes didn’t have any special features. They were uncut (episodes broadcast in syndication are trimmed to accommodate extra commercials) and they included the original broadcast spot for the next episode.
A few years ago, Bridget bought me “Star Trek — The Original Series” on Blu-ray during Prime Day on Amazon. It includes all 79 episodes (the original broadcast versions are there, along with remastered versions that have enhanced visual effects). In addition, the 20-disc set includes a variety of bonus materials strewn throughout.
If I recall correctly, the entire series was sold on Blu-ray for $59.99. That’s a far cry from the $1,200+ you would have spent collecting individual episodes on VHS.
It’s fascinating to see how TV on home video has evolved, and how much easier it is to access content. It’s also interesting to note that the “archival” qualities of VHS weren’t particularly robust (or long lasting).
You can stream all three seasons of the original “Star Trek” on various VOD platforms (such as Netflix, Prime Video, CBS All Access, and Hulu).
It is all so much more convenient than the 1980s… and much more affordable.
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