Best of Both Worlds: In A Movie Theater

A few months ago it was announced that, in anticipation of the Blu-ray release of TNG Season Three, that Fathom events would be showing "The Best of Both Worlds" in theaters across the country. I bought my tickets the day they became available. I couldn't wait for the showing and finally, last night, I sat in a huge room full of Star Trek fans and watched what is often considered the best episode of The Next Generation and one that is particularly meaningful to me. It was pretty amazing.

I went with my friend Jim who, while being a casual fan of Star Trek, wouldn't be considered a Trekkie. He asked me tons of questions about TNG the whole way there (for the record I only live a couple miles from the AMC but in LA traffic it took 45 minutes to get there--a world without warp drive basically sucks) and once we got into the theater I spotted a familiar face. I turned to Jim and said, "Oh hey, there's Michael Okuda."

Jim's response:  "Who's that?"

I replied with a brief answer about who Okuda is and the guy in front of  me (another Trekkie with an obvious "OMG I can't believe we get to watch BOBW on a ginormous screen in five minutes" gleam in his eye) asked who I'd seen. I told him and he gasped and grinned at the same time. We shared a knowing nod.

Jim and I got to our seats and I noticed as a few more familiar people came through the door. "There's LeVar Burton. There's Denise Okuda. There's Ira Steven Behr," I said.

My friend seemed a little unnerved and asked how it was possible that I recognized them all so quickly.  In answering his question I realized that, in addition to being a lifelong fan, I'd been staring at all of these people for months. I've been living and breathing Star Trek every single day since January 1st. I don't just watch the episodes. I read about almost every story on Memory Alpha. I look up who wrote what and what the design elements were, what went into the production, and what the impressions of the episode were when it first aired. I take notes. I think about the impact that that episode had on my life, whether I can remember seeing it for the first time, and whether it's important to me. I talk about the episodes with friends online and then I come over here, open a new post, and start typing. I can pick Denise Okuda out of a crowd of hundreds because for four months, Star Trek hasn't just been a part of my life, it's taken over.

But, what you really want to read about is "Best of Both Worlds" so here are some of the things I noticed about the new version:

First of all, everything (really EVERYTHING) has more detail. You can see the seams in the sets and costumes. You can see what kind of material everything is made of. Did you know the purple trim on Troi's costume is textured? I didn't. You can see Brent Spiner's pink, lower eyelid skin under the Data makeup. You can see Patrick Stewart's skin creases under his Locutus makeup. Did you know that their Starfleet Uniforms have made-on belts? I always guessed at that but never really saw them. Belted unitards! Seriously. There is a science officer with a long, blonde ponytail standing at the science station in the back of the bridge like the ENTIRE TIME they're fighting the Borg. This woman is a tireless officer. The new CGI effects are gorgeous. The new Borg viewscreen is beautiful and fits the already established design of the Borg cube. And the shots of the cube and the Enterprise in front of Earth are absolutely breathtaking.

Basically, it was awesome. I normally watch Star Trek on a 23" screen in my tiny living room. I don't have the blu-rays so I'm watching everything on Netflix thus--not in HD. I watch it by myself or with my husband. Watching Next Gen in a huge room, with tons of other fans, on a gigantic screen, in HD was pretty much the opposite of what I do every day. The thing is, it didn't feel that way. It felt just as comfortable and homey as if I were watching in my living room. Yes, it was huge. Yes it was packed. Yes I could see the defects in the resin that comprised the entryway arc of Picard's ready-room. But, watching the episode still pretty much felt like it always does--just right, familiar, and comforting. The audience laughed with/at the same places that I did, they reacted the way I did, we all cheered together as the credits rolled. I realized that it was the same experience I have every day--just amplified. And, being surrounded by other people who appreciate it just as much as I do, made me happy. It was like being at a family reunion except I felt like I actually knew these strangers.