How I Accidentally Bought Fake Star Trek Box Sets (And How to Spot Them)

Introduction

I recently went down an unexpected rabbit hole trying to verify the authenticity of a few complete series box sets I picked up, and what I found was a bit frustrating. I picked up my copies of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine just a few days ago in April of 2026, and both unfortunately turned out to be counterfeit. In contrast, my copies of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Frasier, which I purchased closer to their release around 2016, appear to be authentic, with proper dual layer discs and consistent manufacturing quality.

In this review, I’ll be comparing not just the discs themselves, but also the packaging, including the external box and the plastic disc holders inside. Given the amount of time between the original release dates and now, counterfeiters have had years to improve their copies to the point where they can look nearly identical at first glance, especially if you don’t have a real version to compare against. However, once you start looking a bit closer, some pretty clear issues begin to show. For me, it started with the packaging quality. On the Voyager set, the image looks noticeably faded and lacks vibrancy. On the Deep Space Nine set, the issue was the outer box itself. When you look inside, it doesn’t appear fully finished, as it is not properly double layered. You can see the white backing of the outer box as well as the embossing impressions, which immediately made it feel incomplete.