Scott Atwell Star Trek Discussion thread (Series and Films) (7 Viewers)

[bmasters9]

THE X-FILES, a relatively contemporary show, needed minimal work for its HD release. On the other hand, I LOVE LUCY, decades older, needed more extensive restoration work. It simply cost more to produce it. Same with TAGS season one.

Could it be that the older the film, the worse the condition, and subsequently the more work needed?

Their technical and creative people did unbelievably brilliant, top notch work, but the marketing deparrment’s decisions ensured that few would see that work in all its glory.

By pricing one season's worth on Blu as if they were selling the whole series? If that's the case, I can't help but agree!

 

[Osato]

I just want the Special Longer Version in widescreen!

I just need ilia in 4K.plus the directors cut of course.

 

[Nelson Au]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Directors Edition, Theatrical cut and TV cut in 4K all the way! Just the film, no extras necessary.

 

[bmasters9]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Directors Edition, Theatrical cut and TV cut in 4K all the way! Just the film, no extras necessary.

In other words, you think the film will speak for itself if it has a great transfer on Blu?

 

[ScottRE]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Directors Edition, Theatrical cut and TV cut in 4K all the way! Just the film, no extras necessary.

Paramount would just port over the existing extras anyway.

Considering how good the DNR’d blu ray looks, a truly well done 4K of the original film elements would be insane.

 

[John*Wells]

Since 4K players are ceasing to exist, I wouldn't touch it

 

[Nelson Au]

I just meant that the cost of restoring the film is a significant investment. For all six, maybe except Star Trek 2 which is already ready, that’s a big investment. If a new remastered Blu Ray came out without any extras, beyond maybe some liner notes about the restoration, or a simple introduction by one of the cast, I’d be happy. It could be like a new premium line of releases beginning with Star Trek The Motion Picture. It could have simple packaging, nothing fancy but nicely done art.

If a 4K restoration is only available for streaming that might be the only way it gets done. If like on iTunes they let you download the HD version, but can only stream the 4K, that might be a compromise.

 

[Nelson Au]

Speaking of the films, last night I saw Leonard Nimoy speak about the first film in an interview given to the Archive of American Television. It was on YouTube. It’s interesting as he’s talking from the perspective of an actor. And that the script has to be good and serves the story and appropriate for the character. In that regard, he wasn’t happy with the experience of making Star Trek The Motion Picture. That’s a shame. The producers put the emphasis on the visual effects over character where as the series focused on the characters. For me as a fan and as an audience member, I only see what I see them presenting. I think the first film does let the characters down. I love the bigger story they tried to tell.

As he says, the actors did try to add bits of humor and character but were cut. And those scenes made it back in the DE and TV cut which to his surprise, the fans say much improved the film.

 

[John*Wells]

Paramount would just port over the existing extras anyway.

Considering how good the DNR’d blu ray looks, a truly well done 4K of the original film elements would be insane.

IN watching my blu Ray releases the films, and TOS, I see thats what they have done

 

[BobO'Link]

In the Star Trek: Discovery thread Josh had mentioned he somewhat wanted to pick up a copy of the VHS "Black box" TOS set. Because there are people in this thread I don't recall seeing post in that one I thought I'd quote him here as I think you'd all be interested:

Remember how I was saying a couple weeks ago that I had always wanted the black cover VHS versions of the original series? My Discovery enthusiasm got the better of me after If Memory Serves aired, I found a seller on eBay with a complete set at a very good price, and they got here super quick - more than half are still sealed. I reorganized everything to make a Trek shelf. Yes, I know I’m crazy.

View attachment 56495

*i have the DVDs for the films with the unique cuts of TMP, TWOK and TUC Frankenstein’d into the Blu-ray cases. And I have S6 of TNG, it’s just next to the TV cause my wife and I are watching it currently.

So, umm...what to follow Discovery with next?

Several of us either had or still own copies of that VHS set. I do - and his post has me wanting to get mine out of storage to make a similar display with all of my Trek collection in one shelving unit.

 

[ScottRE]

In the last couple of years I have also replaced my Star Trek VHS collection. I have, mostly still sealed, the Black Box series and the CBS Video library set (before they became Columbia House and got cheap with the box materials).

Also have a set of the lasers. All the same prints but here and there some episodes have little edits that aren’t consistent among them. Where No Man Has Gone Before is cut on CBS but not the Black Box. All Our Yesterday’s and Let That Be Your Last Battlefield are similarly cut on one set and not another.

Best discovery: at the end of The Omega Glory on the CBS tape, there is the 1968 Paramount “rising stars” logo with the Desilu music. It is the only episode that has it and it’s only on the CBS tape. It’s not on the black box or the laser.

Runner up: Mirror, Mirror on laser has the sponsor card after the main title. No sound, just a billboard of the Enterprise in orbit around Alfa 177 with the series logo below the ship.

Oh, the little things that make me smile...

But the Paramount logo was a major one.

 

[TJPC]

I have always sold or donated previous formats of anything as it was superseded by new formats.

I had a huge Beta library. All were recorded from cable because you really had a hard time buying pre-recorded Betas here. These were sold for blanks to a friend and replaced by VHS blanks and pre-recordeds.

All my VHS were again donated or chucked and replaced by DVDs. Anything I couldn’t find was dubbed from VHS to DVD-r. (Hollywood series).

Now I replace DVDs with Blu rays. I usually keep the DVD discs, put them in envelopes in the Blu ray case and chuck or recycle the DVD case.

Oh, I also spent 4 or 5 years replacing my LP collection with CDs. I made a lot myself by playing them into the computer, making wave files, depopping, and burning to blank discs. I scanned the covers and made CD booklets. I sold my original collection of records for pennies on the dollar to a second hand store.

This left me with basically a one format household.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Thanks for quoting that over here - this is probably the better place for TOS observations anyway.

The VHS tapes both do and don’t take up a ton of room; they take up less than one of my wall units, but it’s crazy to think that my TOS Blu-rays take up as much space as just three episodes on VHS.

I can’t honestly say that I’ll have them out on display forever, but right now, it feels right. I’ve only had them for two days but they make me smile when I walk past the shelf.

Watched the first part of The Cage late last night, with the Roddenberry intro that I haven’t seen in forever. This is gonna be fun.

 

[Carabimero]

Thought you guys might enjoy this. Thanks to Mike Okuda.

 

[bmasters9]

But the Paramount logo was a major one.

The closer it is to authentic, the better, I take it?

 

[ScottRE]

The closer it is to authentic, the better, I take it?

QFT

 

[Josh Steinberg]

And just so my craziness is more complete... a copy of the all-color version of The Cage on VHS has just arrived!

 

[Osato]

And just so my craziness is more complete... a copy of the all-color version of The Cage on VHS has just arrived!

I remember being so excited getting the cage on vhs for my birthday. This was the original half and half one.
I only have 2-4 Star Trek vhs tapes left. Most of them are the films. Sold it gave away the others.

 

[Nelson Au]

Alan, thanks for the link to the Doomsday Machine Music documentary. I’ve seen that guys earlier video about this epsode. I guess he like it a lot!

I decided to watch The Doomsday Machine this morning, I had not seen it in a while. I usally watch it with the enhanced effects and the DTS audio option engaged. Though I’ve been watching TOS with the original effects the last couple of years, I’ve come to prefer it. For The Doomsday Machine, i can watch either way because the new effects are pretty good and better tell the story visually. But this time I found the audio quite distracting, for one, I’ve noticed during the titles, when Shatner does the Space; The Final Frontier monologue, the center channel seems really low and his monologue is almost all drowned out by the new music. Maybe because I was near the back of the room and the surround channels were drowning the center channel out. Secondly, the new enhanced visuals added enhanced sound effects. On my first few viewings when the discs came out, it’s cool. But now it’s just drowning out the great music! I noticed it especially during the sequence when Decker flies the shuttlecraft into the Doomsday Machine. So I backed it up and used the original audio and it was so much better being able to hear the music and original audio mix. What surprised me again, was that the audio was only from the center channel. I knew it’s the mono mix. But for some reason, before when I watched the Blu rays in the mono mix, the audio usually came out of the left and right channels. At least I thought that was the case. Maybe I’m thinking of the older DVD’s. It seems anemic too. But it could be I was just too used the 5.1 audio. So this time with the mono audio, I turned up up a bit and I found the last 15 minutes was so much better with the original audio. Watching with the enhanced effects, I see the original audio still matches up. The original effects for this episode was crude, but the original Doomsday Machine model still looks better, though the CGI version isn’t bad, I’d call it a reimagining. I grew up with the original effects, so I think I still prefer it.

 

[Nelson Au]

Regarding Josh’s VHS collecting, I pulled out my laser discs, what a nostalgic moment that was too. I have the Space Dock set for the individual discs for each film, so the box houses the films on laserdisc. I bought that box from the local laserdisc shop who ordered it for me since I already had each film in that set. I Also have a black box set. Speaking of double dipping, there is a laserdisc set called the Captain’s Edition with one episode from TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager! They were really working it back then and I feel for each release! . I also found I had bought about 4 epsodes of TNG on laserdisc. And I had a similar number of Space: 1999 episodes on LD.

I pulled out one of the TOS laser discs, The Man Trap. I played the teaser only. Good to see the disc still plays. But the video is pretty muddy. It’s watchable of course, but the DVD and blu rays are just plain better.