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Help get Star Trek: The Animated Series on dvd... (1 Viewer)

Eugene Esterly

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Done. I just sent an email to the email address listed at the news item on Tvshowsondvd to have Star Trek: The Animated Series on DVD.



Maybe they are embarrassed because the cartoon was animated by Filmation. Filmation is known in the animation industry as being one of the animation companies to use cheap animation.
This is why certain people don't like Filmation.
 

Dewitte

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Owning several Filmation series on tape (Superman, Batman, Justice League of America, etc.) and yeah, they are crappy compared to Looney Tunes and pretty much any Disney offering.

In all honesty, was the Filmation product of the time any worse than many of the DePatie-Freleng offerings of the era (Return to the Planet of the Apes, Fantastic Four, etc.)?

De
 

Stephen_J_H

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Not really, and let's not forget Filmation's best-known series: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, an equally cheap-looking show.
 

David Lambert

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I think the Filmation animation quality might have been an issue, but let's face it - these guys aren't THAT bad. Don't forget that they did Fat Albert, He-Man, She-Ra, Ghostbusters, Bravestarr, Tarzan and the Super 7, and others. :D

I guess I didn't convince anybody? Hello? (crickets chirping)


The real thing to keep in mind is that Roddenberry himself "disowned" the animated series, saying it was not part of the "canon" of the Trek universe. He did this around the time of the first motions pictures, because he was basically in a bind that some of the things portrayed in the cartoon - aliens with 3 arms (Lt. Arex), feline aliens (Lt. M'Ress), certain types of equipment introduced in the animated show ("glowing forcefield" environmental belts, replacing the suits seen in "Tholian Web" and other TOS eps) - were problematic in their ability to be portrayed in a live-action film.

The special effects weren't completely up to it at the time. So he wanted to distance himself from the need to recognize those events, and simply dismissed them altogether. It was initially a matter of expediency, and one that might have been resolved later on as special effects abilities improved and came down in price.

However, that wasn't the only reason in the end. Later, after TNG started up, and Roddenberry soon had a falling out with his "consultants" from TOS - Gerrold and Fontana - and so he stiffened up even more on his resolve to dismiss TAS from canon. Since those two in particular were so involved with the animated show, and since he was on the outs with them, there just wasn't any desire on his part to acknowledge their previous contributions. TAS was distanced even further, and he indoctrinated his new followers with that philosophy (Berman among them).


It's funny to note that in one of the films - The Search For Spock, I'm pretty sure it was - there was a scene in a bar-like setting that had an alien in the background who quite clearly was from the same race as Lt. M'Ress. So someone slipped that in there to acknowledge the past. :)


Canon or not, decent animation or not, it's really simple: this is part and parcel of Trek history. It happened, and there were some really good episodes in there. There were some losers, too, but if "The Way To Eden" and "Suddenly Human" and "Move Along Home" and "Voyager" can all make it to DVD, then there's no reason to keep this from making it as well. It's better than Enterprise, that's for sure. And, quite simply, it WILL sell.


When the VHS releases of the first 5 films came out, their spines - when assembled - formed a picture of the Enterprise-A starship. After Trek 6: TUC came to VHS, they added it to the picture by making it's spine include additional starfield on it.

A thought would be to release the TOS season sets with an assemble-it picture on the spine, in a similar manner. It could be complete by itself, like a 1/3-angle shot of the Enterprise orbiting a planet.

Then a TAS release could tack on to the same picture, adding something neat to it, such as a Klingon Cruiser sneaking up behind it, or a Galileo shuttle exiting from the rear. The add-on picture could even be "TAS-style", to give it more of a kick. But there would be a few extra sales right there, just from completists who need to "complete the picture". :wink:


Just some thoughts.
 

Jough

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Why would the stewards of the Star Trek franchise be embarrassed by the animated series? It features all of the original cast doing voices, and it's much better than Voyager or Enterprise has been (IMHBAO).

Yeah, I'd be all over this. It would be nice to have the entire series in a single boxed set like the other Trek series season sets.
 

Grant H

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I don't know much about the animated series.

Did the original cast members supply the voice work?
 

Eugene Esterly

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I got nothing against Filmation but there are a good amount of cartoon experts who really hate Filmation. Filmation was one company which reused a lot of their animation. But Filmation bought out some good cartoons such as Star Trek: The Animated Series, Archie Cartoons, Sabrina cartoons (Sabrina: The Teenage Witch & Sabrina & The Groovie Goolies, He-Man, Fat Albert), et al.

I really can't wait for this cartoon to make it onto DVD.
 

Dewitte

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I don't disagree in the slightest. Unfortunately, Berman doesn't see it that way. Reading any of the recent interviews, he seems pleased as punch as to how things are going. I know it's not in his best interests to say, "This show sucks" but there has to be some kind of happy medium. Ron Moore seemed able to be candid and even humble about Deep Space Nine while it was still airing (answering questions on AOL's Trek forum).

As for DVDs, I've sent my e-mail to [email protected] and sincerely hope TAS makes it to DVD. I'd prefer a series set with some additional material featuring D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold.

De
 

Greg_S_H

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They won't make sense to me, since I've only seen one episode of TAS, but do you have any examples--particularly from DS9? I'd like to know what sailed right over my head. :D
 

todd s

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All of the main cast, except for Walter Koenig(Checkov) did there voices. Although, Walter did write one of the episodes. They even got the original actors to do their animated characters for episodes that had Sarek and Harry Mudd.
 

David Lambert

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Yes, it absolutely did.


Dewitte, I possibly was thinking of the Trek V "table dancer who attacked Kirk". It's been a while now since I've que'd up the Trek films, so I don't recall details like that. I also share Greg's question about where in DS9 and STE such references were made; I would think Berman would have forbid the latter! :eek:


Greg, my thoughts about Ric were that Paramount should HIRE him to do it! :D


A quick note of mine about the fact of the voting, sent to someone Dewitte mentioned as hoping would be involved with such a release, garnered a one-word response: "Fascinating..." :laugh:
 

Dewitte

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Here are a few that stick out in my memory (Geek Alert!):

The sixth-season DS9 episode "Change of Heart" had Dax and Worf mentioning Vulcan's Forge as a possible honeymoon spot. Vulcan's Forge is where the Llangon mountains are located in the TAS episode "Yesteryear."

The sixth-season finale for DS9 ("Tears of the Prophets") had a starship named for Spock's hometown, ShirKahr. We saw parts of ShirKahr in the aforementioned "Yesteryear."

In Enterprise's second season, there was an episode called "The Catwalk." Dr. Phlox mentions his Edosian eels, a reference to the planet of origin for Lt. Arex. Malcolm Reed mentions Lunaport, the site of a shuttle accident and Amanda Grayson's untimely demise in the alternate history in "Yesteryear."

There have been others, but I don't remember what they are off the top of my head. While it's not constantly occurring, it is occasionally on the minds of some of the writers of modern Trek.

And Dave, please call me De :)
 

Jeff Jacobson

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I read (I think in George Takei's book) that Koening wanted to be a voice actor on TAS, but wasn't allowed to for some reason. (I don't remember the reason though.)
 

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