CIC Video (sometimes pronounced "kick video") was the licensed international distributor of Star Trek home video releases in foreign territories such as the British Isles, mainland (Western) Europe, Australasia and Japan in the 1980s and 1990s, predominantly on their VHS and initial DVD home video format releases and intended for both the retail as well as the rental channels. On VHS, CIC Video released episodes of The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, typically in a two-episode-per-tape format. It also released all the Star Trek films up to and including Star Trek: First Contact in "complete" boxed sets, as well as on individual tapes.
The company also produced themed VHS box sets, including:
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Q Continuum
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Borg Box
- Star Trek - Crossovers Set
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Data Box
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition
- Star Trek - Greatest Battles
Shortly after the end of the Next Generation, a set of TV movies was released, for which all the two-part episodes of that series were edited together to produce feature-length episodes. The last in this set ("All Good Things...") featured the uncut version of the episode. While it had been previously released as a limited edition video, this was the first time it was on general release as the original (as part of the series) was the two-part syndication version, which had had some scenes removed (e.g. the meeting between Picard and the elderly Q in the future timeline).
Originally created as the home video division of Cinema International Corporation in 1973, CIC Video became a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios in 1981, following the reorganization of CIC into United International Pictures. North American home market distribution of Star Trek on home video remained the purview of Paramount Home Entertainment.
In the latter half of the 1980s, during the early film, and The Next Generation rental days, CIC Video entered itself into a relatively short-lived joint venture with Swedish distributor Esselte Video for several northern European countries, which included the Netherlands and the Nordics. And while the earliest released rentals were based off CIC's own sleeve design, they did sport a somewhat revised redesign. This was especially evident on the covers of the Norwegian and Swedish [1] The Next Generation Volume 4 rental which featured a photo-shopped image of the USS Enterprise-D battling the USS Reliant from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan aside from sporting the hyperbolic "Starfight" title.
The joint venture was dissolved in 1999 after Universal acquired the assets of PolyGram Films and their international distribution arm, with foreign Star Trek releases being taken over by Paramount Home Entertainment in December 1999; the new company maintained catalog number continuity across the titles. And it were they who released the last Star Trek VHS home videos, which included Star Trek: Enterprise's first season (albeit it in Europe and Australia only), Star Trek: Insurrection, as well as the very last Star Trek production to see a release on VHS, Star Trek Nemesis.
Star Trek staff
- Brian Bysouth – VHS and DVD Cover Artist (subcontracted by Paramount Consumer Products)
- Stuart Clark – Text Editor (for the cover episode synopses and home video format booklets, was recommended for the position by Richard Arnold to then-CIC Creative Service Manager Andrew Hinton)
- Andrew Hinton – Creative Service Manager (Trewren's predecessor)
- Robert Hollocks – Star Trek Product Manager, UK branch
- Peter Tishma – Cover Designer
- Tracy Trewren – Creative Service Manager (Hinton's successor)
Further Reading
- Nikki Harper, "Watching Star Trek for a Living", Star Trek: The Official Fan Club of the UK Magazine issue 8, p. 11