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What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Blu-ray Review

“What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” is a love letter to the underrated series.

Directed by David Zappone and Ira Steven Behr (the DS9 showrunner), “What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” is a retrospective documentary film that explores the legacy of the overlooked and ahead of its time Star Trek series that ended its run 20 years ago. In addition to containing clips of the show (in HD!) and interviews with tons of cast and crew members, the film explores the initially mixed reaction of the series, the progressive elements of the series, the cast and characters, the production design, behind-the-scenes stories, footage of fans, and so much more.

When it comes to documentaries about Star Trek like the 2 “Trekkies” films, “The Captains,” “Trek Nation,” and “For The Love of Spock,” they are all memorable and rewarding experiences (especially for fans of the sci-fi franchise). “What We Left Behind” follows suit. As a DS9 fan myself (it’s my favorite of the Trek series), it’s nice to see that the cult series is given its due here. Many people seem to forget (or not realize) how groundbreaking of a show this truly was. It deviated from the standard Trek formula, it had a drastically different and refreshing dark tone, the show itself evolved in ways that many series don’t, the ongoing story arcs were epic, the huge cast of unique ensemble characters is among the best in TV, and, along with shows like “Babylon 5,” DS9 brought serialized storytelling into the forefront. Of course, all of this is touched upon in the documentary as well.

Perhaps the most enticing aspect of this documentary (especially for DS9 devotees) is the writer reunion in which they break down what a season 8 premiere would be like. The episode concept is also accompanied by animated storyboards! It’s a fun sort of “what if?” inclusion that will undoubtedly have fans talking.

If I had any criticisms about the doc, I’d say there isn’t a ton of new revelations here. Much of what is said is relatively well known by fans. There’s also a few corny humorous moments or asides that kind of stop the movie in its tracks at times. With all of that said, it’s still a joy to see DS9 get the spotlight like this.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? A solid transfer although not quite up to Blu standards. Some of the lighting is far too bright here.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? It’s not going to wow anyone but it’s adequate.

Extras:
* Theatrical trailer
* An intro by Ira Steven Behr and the gang
* 17 deleted scenes about everything from Vic and baseball to tribbles and onesies.
* “Filmmaker HD Discussion”- The team behind this documentary talk about how the project came about, remastered scenes, among other topics in this 15 minute extra
* “More From The Fans”- A near 13 minutes of additional interviews with fans about the series.
* “Behind The Scenes On The Variety Photoshoot”- The title says it all.
* “A Brief History Of DS9”-An amusing near 3 ½ minute recap of DS9’s history by by Professor John Putman to a certain individual (no spoilers here).

July 21, 2019 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | documentary, DS9, DS9 Documentary, Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, What We Left Behind Blu-ray Review, What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Blu-ray Review