DVD

DVD (short for Digital Versatile (or Video) Disc) is a home media format. Developed in the early 1990s, the format gives higher resolution picture and sound than VHS, and allows for special features to be added alongside the main feature. These advantages over VHS ultimately led to the decline of that format.

Regions
DVD releases are divided into separate regions, to restrict the areas specific discs can be played. The following is a guide to the regions and which areas of the world they relate to:

History of Star Trek on DVD
Star Trek DVDs first emerged in in Region 1, when Paramount Home Video began releasing basic, 'vanilla' releases of the first nine  – usually containing the film and its associated trailers. The films were released in a mostly reverse chronological order, starting with. saw release during this time (slotting in between and ), and  was released in, with some limited special features.

The following year, a release of Star Trek: The Original Series began, in a two-episode-per-disc format. These releases had limited bonus features, and were presented in a cardboard sleeve. The episodes were released in production order, with (in both black & white and colorized versions) being included on the final volume. These releases were Region 1 only; the rest of the world would have to wait until for an Original Series release.

In, Paramount released on DVD. For this release, the company decided to reappraise the film as a whole, introducing new CG special effects, and re-cutting the film to better reflect Robert Wise's original intentions. This "Director's Edition" was a two-disc release with extensive special features. (As a result, the theatrical cut of the film was not released on DVD until the Region 2  Original Motion Picture Collection.)

Following the enormous success of the Director's Edition of, Paramount re-released the other nine films in two-disc special editions with added features.

The next phase of Star Trek DVD releases saw the focus shift from individual volumes to season box sets. These box sets contained a number of special features, including documentaries, galleries and 'easter eggs'. Each series would be released separately, with one series release finishing before the next would begin.

The first series to receive the box set treatment was Star Trek: The Next Generation, which began its release in.  Deep Space Nine followed in, with  Voyager being released in. A re-release of The Original Series in season box sets was intertwined with the Voyager release. Complete collections of all seasons were also released.

In Region 2, two special box sets were released in : the Jean-Luc Picard Collection, and Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete TV Movies were unusual, in that they collected 'themed' episodes together. The sales of these led to Paramount announcing in that it was considering releasing DVD boxed sets containing episodes from any of the live-action Star Trek series, and polling fans via StarTrek.com as to the episodes to be released. The result of this was the Star Trek: Fan Collective box sets.
 * The TV Movies release is also unusual in that it has yet to be released in Region 1.

The series release of Star Trek: Enterprise in saw commentaries, bloopers and deleted scenes included as special features on a series release for the first time.

The final series to be released was The Animated Series, which received a release in late.

Following the success of the season box sets in Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment chose to re-release the sets in new, "slimline" packaging at a much lower price - Next Generation in, Deep Space Nine and Voyager in , and Enterprise in.

In, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Next Generation, a special complete series box set was released, containing the original discs released, plus a special retrospective bonus disc.

The Original Series Remastered project saw the first release using next-generation optical media. The first season release was designed as a DVD/HD DVD combination, allowing it to be viewed on players of both formats. However, the collapse of the HD DVD industry meant that the remaining two seasons were released in DVD-only format throughout.

Outside of episode releases, DVDs are also used as components for board games. The game/toy companies Screenlife and Mattel co-released Star Trek Scene It?, an all-Trek edition of the trivia game series.