Star Trek: The Next Generation Season One Beams Up to Blu on July 24th

Just in time for San Diego Comic-Con, the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is finally ready to hit warp speed onto your local store shelves. Packed with new special features like a gag reel, and a brand new documentary on the genesis of the series, the set promises to be an upgrade for existing owners as well as more recent converts.

Reconstructed from the original negatives, and with all the original effects recomposited in full HD quality, all of TNG’s 176 episodes will be hitting Blu-ray over the next several years.

Entertainment Weekly has all the details, and an exclusive clip.

And here’s the full scoop from the press release:

04.30.2012

CELEBRATING ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY, LEGENDARY SERIES MAKES ITS FULL-SEASON BLU-RAY™ DEBUT – STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: THE FIRST SEASON BLU-RAY

THE FIRST SEASON BLU-RAY

New High-Definition Transfer With Staggering Before/After Results Boasts Exclusive Special Features Including Never-Before-Seen Archival Footage, Brand New Interviews With Key Players, Gag Reel And More!

Available July 24, 2012

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (April 30, 2012) – The enduringly popular sci-fi favorite STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – THE FIRST SEASON makes its Blu-ray debut on July 24 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2012, the beloved series continues to enthrall fans with its exciting and socially relevant tales of space exploration in the 24th century.

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – THE FIRST SEASON has been retransferred from original film elements to produce stunning high-definition images, including amazing visual effects that have been painstakingly recreated from the source material, creating before/after results that fans will love. The six-disc Blu-ray set also features 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and a wealth of exclusive bonus material, such as archival footage, a gag reel, and an inside look at taking The Next Generation to the next level of high-definition. Featuring numerous behind-the-scenes interviews, the new material also features Star Trek experts Mike and Denise Okuda, consultants throughout this ongoing project, who offer special insights into the countless man-hours dedicated to the upgrade of The Next Generation.

Featuring one of the most endearing ensemble casts in television history, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION took fans on the remarkable continuing voyages of the Starship Enterprise with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton).

The STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – THE FIRST SEASON Blu-ray set will be available in 1080p with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo Surround, French Mono, Japanese Mono and German Mono (with the exception of “Encounter at Farpoint” which is in German Stereo). The discs also include English SDH, French, German, Castilian, Italian, Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles. The Blu-ray is not rated in the U.S. and rated PG in Canada. The disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc One:

Episodes:

Encounter at Farpoint
The Naked Now
Code of Honor

Special Features:

Episodic Promos
Energized! Taking The Next Generation to the Next Level (HD)
Star Trek: The Next Generation Archives: The Launch
Introduction to the Series (1987)
Promo #1
Promo #2
Promo #3
Season One Promo

Disc Two:

Episodes:

The Last Outpost
Where No One Has Gone Before
Lonely Among Us
Justice
The Battle

Special Features:

Episodic Promos

Disc Three:

Episodes:

Hide and Q
Haven
The Big Goodbye
Datalore
Angel One

Special Features:

Episodic Promos

Disc Four:

Episodes:

11001001
Too Short a Season
When the Bough Breaks
Home Soil
Coming of Age

Special Features:

Episodic Promos

Disc Five:

Episodes:

Heart of Glory
The Arsenal of Freedom
Symbiosis
Skin of Evil
We’ll Always Have Paris

Special Features:

Episodic Promos

Disc Six:

Episodes:

Conspiracy
The Neutral Zone

Special Features:

Episodic Promos
Stardate Revisited: The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation (HD)
Part 1: Inception
Part 2: Launch
Part 3: The Continuing Mission
Gag Reel
Archival Mission Logs
The Beginning
Selected Crew Analysis
The Making of a Legend
Memorable Missions

Runtime: 1,184 minutes

And if you’re planning to upgrade to the Blu-ray, you can sell your old DVDs now.