Remember the good ol' days when you could wake up at the crack of dawn dressed in your finest pair of Shazam Underoos, pour yourself a heaping bowl of multicolored crusty sugar cereal, plop your young bones in front of the boob tube, and engage in an American ritual known as Saturday Morning? From Hong Kong Phooey to Land of the Lost and all the Bugs Bunny in between, Saturday morning in the '70s was the true golden age of kiddie entertainment. Sadly, however, most of these fantastically campy shows have disappeared (can't even find 'em on The Cartoon Network). Except one: Filmation Associates and Paramount Pictures have released a laserdisc collection (23 episodes from the '70s cartoon treasure) called The Animated Adventures of Gene Rodenberry's Star Trek.
Plug in for nine hours of mindless TV ecstasy. Although Spock looks remarkably like Jughead from The Archie Show, Star Trek is strangely enjoyable, rife with authentic transporter noises, phaser bursts, and original cast member voices from the live-action program of the same name. Written by some of the same people who wrote for the original television series, plots of the animated series contain fairly sophisticated (at least compared to most cartoons) moments and a spooky Star Trek soundtrack full of oh-so-futuristic "space instruments" - definitely not standard Saturday morning fodder. For example, in "The Magicks of Megus-Tu" episode, the Enterprise ventures into the center of the universe -�"the heart of creation" -�and is captured by a Satan-like character named Lucien. And several "sequel" episodes to the live-action show feature well-known characters, such as Tribbles and Harry Mudd.
Hardcore Trekkers, cartoon enthusiasts, and pop culture vultures will all enjoy this collection (though perhaps for completely different reasons). The US$150 retail laserdisc price is steep, but aren't your memories worth it? - Kevin Burke
The Animated Adventures of Gene Rodenberry's Star Trek: US$149.95 for a six-laserdisc set. Pioneer Corporation: (800) 746 6337, +1 (310) 835 6177.
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