Re: Star Trek TOS Special Edition Starts Sept 16th.
Marco- If I understand your post correctly, it sounds like you are surprised the opinion of this thread has shifted from concern and a feeling that this remstering effort of TOS with CGI effects was perhaps an ill-advised one to that of mostly embracing it, or at least accepting it.
Like many, I am a purist of TOS. When this was first announced and I saw the new CGI Enterprise, it excitied me. Though I had concerns we'd see effects shots that had the ship flying too dynamically and I wondered how they'd handle certain very iconic effects shots. Like the Immunity Syndrone and The Doomsday Machine. On the whole, I thought it was an exciting idea that started many many years ago by a few other people who wanted to see if they could update Star Trek with CGI as far back as 1997, IIRC.
What I thought was a reasonable aspect of the project is the insistance of the producers Michael and Denice Okuda and Dave Rossi to adhere to a design aesthetic that matches what could have been done in 1966 and not make it to modern as far as the effects shots go. And they also saw this as an opportunity to fix some gaffs that were a result of early days with Trek production and add things like phaser beams in live action shots that weren't there, or fix some mistakes, and most importantly in their mandate, to make the effects clearly show what the plot was intending so it was clear to the viewer instead of the re-use of stock shots in the original. I think that was wise in theory. (But I understand all this is part of the charm of the show)
In retrospect, now that we have almost come to the end of the project, the decision to go withn CBS and use CBS Digital to do the work with a very limited budget and schedule has undermined a lot of the results. Time that could have been spent doing better quality renderings of the ships would have eased a lot of criticisms of the early work. Though there are some pretty sexy looking Enterprise shots that have been done. So it's been uneven.
Sorry if I am repeating what I said a couple times in this thread, the main benefit of this remastering is the live action footage clean-up! In both the HD-DVD and SD-DVD side, the benefits of the digital cleaning of the film restoration are obviously much higher resolution of the image. Contrast and color really pop at you like never before since the 1960's at the film labs I'm sure! When the HD-DVD's first came out, we had fun looking at thee seem lines for Leonard Nimoy's ears and I marveled at the very fine detailing and patterns on the costumes. Heck, it was amazing to see pores on Shatner's face and the paint strokes on the surface of a food dispenser set. (The Naked Time)
But in the end, if the stories and characters don't get you, then the remastering won't help at all. So to finally answer the question Marco posed, you can be pretty happy with the last generation DVD season box sets. They cost a whole heck of a lot less now too. You see the series look quite good, good color and image quality and with the original effects.
Ultimately, many of us here on the HTF and other sites hope to see this remastered version on Blu-Ray, with and without the CGI effects. Then you get pristine picture and original effects. That's the way to go. The CGI version is a fun curiousity and may ultimately be the way it's preferred to be viewed. I am surprised at myself when I look at the original now because I am now spoiled by the new CGI and how in a lot of cases, not all, it's an improvement. (The Doomsday Machine and Amok Time are the high water marks for improved effects shots that follow the dialogue and terrifically integrating new matte paintings of Vulcan)
One small note, for those OAR purists, I notced that the Remastered Trek has the frame pulled outward a bit, so in some instances, you see the edge of the set!
