New Star Trek

[Doctor Strange]

No, I haven't seen the remastered episodes. A combination of not having whatever channel(s) they're airing on and simply having no desire to see them.

The truth is, aside from a few minutes now and then when I run into them on TVLand, I haven't seen any TOS episodes in years. I don't have them on DVD (I do have some eps on VHS from a while back), and I have no desire to acquire them. Frankly, I've spent far too many gazillion hours of my life since 1966 watching Trek - I had those episodes virtually memorized before many of you were born.

Understand that my feelings about this issue are much more about my own 40-year relationship to Trek than any "objective" reasoning. For ME, it's a no-brainer: 60s Trek is perfect as it is and requries no "improving". But I suppose if it makes the show more accessible to today's audience and keeps the series "viable", then fine. If you enjoy it, great. But I am just not interested.

BTW, don't kid yourself that the series won't be Lucasized. Once you've redone the effects work, there are all those "obvious" stunt double shots to clean up. Then those instances of overdone-by-our-current-standards lighting and music. And those nasty little politically incorrect moments... It's a slippery slope once you begin "improving" things. (Come to think of it, this is kind of a Kirkian speech, isn't it?!?)

 

[MrBern]

BTW, don't kid yourself that the series won't be Lucasized. Once you've redone the effects work, there are all those "obvious" stunt double shots to clean up. Then those instances of overdone-by-our-current-standards lighting and music. And those nasty little politically incorrect moments... It's a slippery slope once you begin "improving" things. (Come to think of it, this is kind of a Kirkian speech, isn't it?!?)

OK, I think here youre starting to anticipate problems & issues.
The Trek HD Remastering team have been very adamant about maintaining the style & integrity of TOS. Some fans have pointed out some missed details & they have been corrected. But pretty much they have been spot on about recreatign the old fx in a clean matter that translates into HD broadcast quality.
old:

new:

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[MrBern]

ryan reynolds

Anyone hear a rumor that canadian RyanReynolds is up for Kirk role?

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Ok, now tell me that those grabs aren't bleepin' awesome!

Am I ever buying it on DVD!

 

[Doctor Strange]

They're lovely. But I'm still not interested, believe it or not.

Where original 60s Trek is concerned, I'll take the old physical model work with the visible matte lines from optical compositing, thank you. I loved 'em then, and I love 'em now.

Call me crazy, but I prefer my Star Trek to be just as Roddenberry, Coon, Fontana, Justman, et.al., originally made it.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Hey Mr. Bern, we should start a poll on how often "you" watch Star Trek, any incarnation. Then we can see who the truest fans are. I myself started watching when it was originally broadcast and I was in elementary. I've never really stopped. I've been to conventions, I bought all the novels, tons of toys, I still have a phaser, communicator and tricorder. I built this when I was 10,

it's in sy studio still. I watched every incarnation of the show, even the cartoon and to this day if I'm flipping around it will still stop me dead in my tracks. I probably see something Star Trek at least every week. So as a self confessed Trekker, I am just fine and dandy with the new effects!

This has no effect on my vintage obsession .

Next.

 

[MrBern]

Talaxians...i hates dem to pieces...

BTW, there was Comic-con talk of Remastering ST:TNG.

I'm hoping they will remaster ST:Voyager...and delete Neelix. He's the JarJarBinks of startrek.

 

[Atomic Glee]

That is an AWESOME floor, JMS.

The bridge is cool, too.

 

[MrBern]

Nice model! Glad to see no one blew it up w/ firecrackers.

 

[MrBern]

Call me crazy, but I prefer my Star Trek to be just as Roddenberry, Coon, Fontana, Justman, et.al., originally made it.

Justman interview

Actually R.Justman had this to say about the Remaster:

RJ: I have seen it and I'm thrilled. Because for the first time since its first release, the film, the individual cells look the way we envisioned them when we first shot the show. It is the closest thing to the original dailies, because they are fresh and pristine. I had this discussion with Jerry Finnerman that I wanted a strong key light. I said ‘Jerry ever been to any of these planets and who knows what it is like, I don't want to be like it is in this room...I want to see color where you least expect it'.


TM: How do you feel about the new CGI shots, some of which are different than the originals, are you concerned they are making changes?


RJ: No, as long as it makes the show better I would be happy. It is like it was with Next Gen. We were able to do things we couldn't do before and I was all for it. It is like being in a candy store. So if you are not harming the show it is OK. I guess some might say "you are harming the show for me." Well I can't help that. Anything that makes the show better is better for the show and is better for the viewer.

 

[Nick D]

I guess some might say "you are harming the show for me." Well I can't help that. Anything that makes the show better is better for the show and is better for the viewer.

When the Remastered comes out on DVD, I'll just have to own the Original Series and the remastered. At least I don't have to choose one or the other. I've only seen the last few seconds of a couple of the Remastereds on CBC, so I can't really make any judgements yet.

 

[Hondo]

I'm with you 100 percent, the original 60s StarTrek, as for collecting models, toys from tv shows just doesn't do it for me in an adult world, I could think of better use but to each his own, its your money.
And remember to Doc that color tv was really just beginning, also cable tv.

They're lovely. But I'm still not interested, believe it or not.

Where original 60s Trek is concerned, I'll take the old physical model work with the visible matte lines from optical compositing, thank you. I loved 'em then, and I love 'em now.

Call me crazy, but I prefer my Star Trek to be just as Roddenberry, Coon, Fontana, Justman, et.al., originally made it.

 

[Jovan]

BTW, there was Comic-con talk of Remastering ST:TNG.

I'm hoping they will remaster ST:Voyager...and delete Neelix. He's the JarJarBinks of startrek.

From what I understand, they don't have the means to convert the prints to HD.
Doc: I still think you're overreacting. They've been sticking pretty close to everything and even correcting things such as the missing beam from Scotty's phaser in "The Naked Time." That level of fixing is pretty miniscule... on par with things like removing matte lines, adding a missing lightsaber effect, etc. which were among the positive aspects of Lucas' revamps. (Yes, there were positive aspects.) How many episodes have they done now? About half of them I think. I still have yet to see the woman in "Spock's Brain" shoot first before Kirk stuns her, among other such things, so I'm pretty confident they're on the right track. They didn't even make CGI characters of Korob and Sylvia's real forms in "Catspaw." I highly recommend you watch an episode. It should be on local CBS stations everywhere.

http://trekmovie.com/tos-in-hd/hdtv-star-trek-tos-channel-list/

 

[Jovan]

BTW, there was Comic-con talk of Remastering ST:TNG.

I'm hoping they will remaster ST:Voyager...and delete Neelix. He's the JarJarBinks of startrek.

From what I understand, they don't have the means to convert the prints to HD.
Doc: I still think you're overreacting. They've been sticking pretty close to everything and even correcting things such as the missing beam from Scotty's phaser in "The Naked Time." That level of fixing is pretty miniscule... on par with things like removing matte lines, adding a missing lightsaber effect, etc. which were among the positive aspects of Lucas' revamps. (Yes, there were positive aspects.) How many episodes have they done now? About half of them I think. I still have yet to see the woman in "Spock's Brain" shoot first before Kirk stuns her, among other such things, so I'm pretty confident they're on the right track. They didn't even make CGI characters of Korob and Sylvia's real forms in "Catspaw." I highly recommend you watch an episode. It should be on local CBS stations everywhere.

http://trekmovie.com/tos-in-hd/hdtv-star-trek-tos-channel-list/

 

[Jack Scorpion]

You can't convert anything done pre-21st century to HD. They just didn't film at that resolution back then! That's why you don't buy HD DVDs of movies pre-21st. They are simulation, not really high definition.

I loved Neelix. Tom Paris on the other hand...

 

[J. M. Stovall]

as for collecting models, toys from tv shows just doesn't do it for me in an adult world, I could think of better use but to each his own, its your money.

Actually I haven't bought any toys and models since I was a kid, I just still have it all.

I have a little on display, but mostly I'm into my vintage collecting.

 

[Doh!]

I'm late to the party (fashionably, I hope), but I'm with Doc on this one. People who are into the updated effects on Trek and Star Wars are basically saying that the originals committed the great sin of looking like a product of their time. When I see the original versions of either franchise, I can appreciate the effects on the level of anything else from the '60s and '70s -- the artists did the best job with the materials at hand. In some cases, they had to invent materials. Deleting their handiwork decades after the fact is mighty insulting.

The only difference with Trek is that -- luckily -- Paramount already released the untouched versions onto DVD. They aren't out there stating that the tweaked versions are now the "official" ones because that's what creators "intended."

I've recently been enjoying the hell out of the new Popeye DVDs. They tracked down the original prints and cleaned them up -- but didn't touch them otherwise. Using your logic, they should've colorized them and added CGI backgrounds because those are "better" now. Don't you think if the Fleischers had the budget for such cool effects they would've used them? Let's update EVERYTHING because we can!!

Rant over. I'm gonna go watch Bluto get what's coming to him. Again.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Why are you watching Popeye on TV! It was created to be watched in a theater on a big screen. I can't believe you are disrespecting the creators intent by watching on such a small format.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Well, I've been watching my 16mm Popeye prints on the big screen for many years now, but I digress...

You know, as Khan would say, "I grow fa-teeged" with this bickering. As I said about five pages ago, this "remastering" is totally *business-driven* to give cable stations a reason to flog Trek some more, and for folks to buy yet another set of DVDs, at a time when the franchise is dormant. There is no compelling *artistic* reason for doing it. (This doesn't mean that the new effets are not well done - but that's not my point.)

Star Trek - in the 60s - was never about jaw-dropping effects work, it was about imagination and solid, human storytelling. The now-clunky effects work was state of the art in its day, especially on the snowy-antenna-reception-b/w-TVs that those of us who watched it back then used. And the reason that we're still watching a 40-year-old show is for the stories, not the effects. At least, I think that's the reason. In today's increasingly style-over-substance world, it's hard to tell...

Anyway, I'm done here. I've stated my own position over and over. I don't expect to change anyone's mind. If you like the new effects, great. If it means more people will watch the episodes now, I guess that's a good thing. But I'm not interested in watching them. I've been a Trek fan since Day One, and I *like* the old effects.

To paraphrase Kirk in the mostly-lousy Trek V film: "No, don't take my old effects away! I want my old effects... I NEED my old effects!"

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I didn't think we were bickering, just having some good old fashioned nerd debating . But you are right, I'm done now and it's time for me to go hang out in the hat threads for a while.

Adios!