The second season of “”Star Trek: The Next Generation”” proved to be a critical stepping stone to what would become one of the best syndicated series in television history. With a few minor changes in the cast and production, “”Star Trek: TNG’s”” second season produced memorable characters and storylines that were later revisited.

Continuing with the momentum of the first season, Paramount has released a six-disc DVD set of the second season for the most discriminating fan. Season two was shortened due to a writers’ strike that year, but the quality of the episodes did not diminish.

Some secondary characters who made their first appearances include the infamous Borg in the episode “”Q Who?”” and Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis, Professor Moriarity, in “”Elementary, Dear Data.”” Although these characters still don’t have much in terms of character development, they create an atmosphere and environment that is more complete and diverse.

The episodes also deviated from a general introduction a la season one and started to have episodes focusing on a single character. It creates a chronological, methodical look into the entire seven seasons of “”Star Trek.””

Similar to the first-season DVD set, the second season is also a high -quality, top-notch DVD set. The set may be of interest to the casual viewer, but the collector’s set is clearly intended for the most rabid of fans. From a unique, space-age box to the screen menu, the DVD set will whet the appetite of Trekkies.

Five featurettes are part of the extras included in the DVD set. Although they provide further insight into the development of the series, an episode-specific commentary is sorely needed. However, the extras are better than the season-one set. Hopefully, this is a good sign of what is to come in the remaining seasons.

Although video quality is not reference quality (after all, this is television), it is still pleasant to watch. However, the audio quality is superb with Dolby Digital sound, making all the various sound effects sharp and detailed.

The season two DVD set of “”Star Trek: The Next Generation”” continues to go through new frontiers. Devoted fans should look for the set in stores before they disappear as fast as Romulan Ale.

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