Some sci-fi fun in a so-so DVD set.

October 31, 2005 - The more you think about it the more it becomes obvious that the ’90s was an amazing time for science-fiction & fantasy television. It was the decade that Star Trek: TNG became a phenomenon, it brought us such intelligent shows as Star Trek: DS9 and Babylon 5, it saw rise to Hercules and Xena, and it finished off by dazzling us with Buffy. At the time it all seemed like everyday stuff, but only in today’s reality TV-based landscape do I see how good we had it. Earth 2 was one of those ’90s SF/F shows; while I wouldn’t put it beside any of the series previously mentioned in terms of quality or influence, I will say that it was a nice contribution to the genre. Long-time fans will be happy to see that the complete series can now be found on (a so-so) DVD set.

So what made Earth 2 special? Did it take place on a space station or feature a warrior princess? To answer both questions: not much, and neither. I suppose that part of the reason Earth 2 fell off the map was because it was never good enough to stay on in the first place. It isn’t a bad show - it certainly has some nice qualities - but after watching the entire series on DVD you can’t help but shrug it all off with a "meh."

The show followed a group of deep-space workers who were sent out to begin the settling procedure on a far-off world. They aren’t colonists themselves, just the set-up crew. Unfortunately for them, things go bad and they crash-land on the alien planet - one that looks surprisingly like the wilderness of Western America, but we’ll give them that one.

The goal of the colonists then becomes to survive the harsh wilds of the planet and to do their best to fulfill their mission: prepare the planet for colonization. Along the way they must contest with the indigenous life-forms and be wary of mysterious hazards that they encounter on their journey.

Much like Star Trek: Voyager, this sounds like an interesting premise - put people in the middle of nowhere and see what happens to them - but sadly, just like Voyager, it fails to live up to its potential. Only two of the characters are memorable, John Danziger (Clancy Brown) as the tough-as-nails mechanic with a heart, and the guest player Gaal, played by none other than everyone’s favorite transsexual transvestite from you-know-where, Tim Curry.

Curry’s Gaal makes for a fun villain whose both enjoyable to watch and who adds much needed conflict to the show. Alas, the writers ushered him off very early on in the series. What could have turned into an entertaining, albeit unoriginal, nemesis is instead just a guy that pops up in the beginning and then fades away. The show’s weakness is the lack of interesting characters and its unimaginative writing. If you’ve ever seen any episode of any Star Trek then you know what you’ll get here.

The two things that I enjoyed most about the show were the technology of the world they lived in and the alien life-forms found on the planet. The tech looks cool (especially the gorgeous starship models in the pilot episode) and seems more functional and realistic than your standard Star Trek stuff.

Secondly, we’ve got the native life-forms and the mysteries of the planet. This is what kept me coming back episode after episode; I wanted to know more about the Native American-like aliens that the settlers encounter. The scavenging Grendlers were also interesting; if sort of gross to watch. I suppose that it is a credit to the showrunners that they somehow managed to give their very Earth-like planet an alien feel. I was impressed at some of the original-looking vistas that they found.

A word of warning to those who go into the show cold: the episodes are presented on these discs in the order that they were aired, not their chronological order. That means that the series finale is the third-last episode as opposed to the last.

There are a few things to the show that add dimension and create wonder, but in the end the cliched writing and boring characters don’t give you much reason to come back. If you’re into sci-fi you’ll probably be entertained by the show enough to see it through to the end, but beware: as is often the case, the show’s cancellation kept it from coming to a fulfilling conclusion.

Score: 6 out of 10

The Video I don’t think it would surprise anyone to hear that the show is presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen and that the quality isn’t so great. Fine detail won’t impress and backgrounds are rather blurry. Additionally, there are some scratches and bits of dirt in the transfer.

To its credit, the show doesn’t have a problem with colors, nor are there any interlacing problems as you’d expect from a show over ten years old. It looks slightly better than you’d see on TV and is probably a big improvement for long-time fans who could only watch taped re-runs.

Score: 6 out of 10

The Audio Presentation As with the video, the sound is somewhat dated, but not a problem. Voices come through nicely, as do effects, but given that it’s a Dolby 2.0 track you can’t expect too much. I was happy with the bass levels.

Whether you’re on Earth 1 or Earth 2, you can read this show’s subtitles in English and Spanish. Personally, I prefer Earth 2.

Score: 6 out of 10

Packaging and Extras The series is spread across four double-sided discs which are all stored in a thin, in-set case which can old two discs per side. The outer flap has episode listings and sports some relatively attractive box art.

It seems that Earth 2 fans will be let down here as we don’t have much. First up is Deleted and Extended Scenes (7:31) which feels as if it was just thrown on because there was nothing else around. Normally, deleted scenes can be a nice compliment to an already full collection of extras, but when they’re the back-bone to the set you know something’s wrong.

You’ve also got Outtakes (6:15) which is your standard gag reel. I will say that it was nice getting to see the actors "behind the scenes" and seeing who they really are.

Finally, you’ve got perhaps the "best" extras on the whole set: episodes of other shows! You’ve got the Cleopatra 2525 (three women keep hope alive!) premiere, "Quest for Firepower" and the Sliders episode, "Rules of the Game." Neither of the free episodes are that great, but I do think it’s a good idea for studios to fill up empty disc space with promotional episodes for other shows. Who knows, someone may discover a show that they wouldn’t have otherwise this way.

Overall, this is a sorry collection of bonus features. Some sort of retrospective featurette, or at least some information as to where the show was headed (i.e. what was behind the planet’s mysteries) would have been nice.

Score: 4 out of 10