Star Trek films on Blu-Ray... what we know so far (2 Viewers)

[Nelson Au]

I wonder if 5 months or less, it is possible to remaster Star Trek The Motion Picture Directors Cut for the December anniversary.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I think those long fx sequences were in there because the shots came in so late there was no time to cut them down to what they should have been length wise, and then the music was written to that, and then later when it could have been corrected, they didn't want to affect the music as has been noted.

 

[Tom St Jones]

I wonder if 5 months or less, it is possible to remaster Star Trek The Motion Picture Directors Cut for the December anniversary.

How do we know they haven't already secretly begun doing so or better yet, are more than half-way done? Hard to believe, but studios are still capable of successfully keeping something under wraps, once in a VERY great while. (Not that i know something I don't. I live out in the sticks, since birth, and have zero to do with Hollywood [other than being a consumer, of course] ). I remember when the studio revealed they had secretly been remastering TOS with new CGI effects, which I think took many a Trekfan by surprise.

 

[Camper]

I think those long fx sequences were in there because the shots came in so late there was no time to cut them down to what they should have been length wise, and then the music was written to that, and then later when it could have been corrected, they didn't want to affect the music as has been noted.

That's exactly what happened. They got the FX sequences at the last minute and slipped them in, in their entirety and then it was scored.

Then the score became one of the most iconic parts of the movie and when it comes time to re-edit the movie they can't edit it the way the would have in 1979 because they'd have to alter the now classic score too much.

Main fault of the Director's cut is that they didn't edit down more of the "non-dialogue"--"non-score" scenes. I understand folks not wanting lines cut and folks not wanting the majestic score cut, but there is easily 10 minutes that could go without changing the score or cutting another line.

It would still be a leisurely paced 1979 style edited movie--nothing like a modern edit and it just wouldn't be so numbingly slow to get to the point.

There are several shots where the actor just walks across the set and presses the comm button and says something like, "best I can do sir." they could haves cut several seconds each time something like that happened and it alone would have saved 4-5 minutes. And believe me---give Wise two more months back in 1979 and he would have done that.

and it still would have been the movie that we look fondly back on as we do today.

 

[Nelson Au]

Tom, I remember in 2006 being taken by surprise by the remastering! And I saw a preview of the new CGI and live action at a Star Trek convention. I wasn't sure what to expect! So I agree, sometimes it's really nice to get surprises like that.So when Bill Hunt spoke to Paramount, the person he spoke to could have been playing dumb when he actually knew the movies were being remastered. I hope there is a slight chance for a big surprise. I really do.I have never spoken ill will towards any studio on this forum and I am not starting now, it's possible there is once again a new set of young management who kinda know what Star Trek TOS is, but only knows JJ Trek. So their understanding of the original films may be limited and they may not realize the fans would like them remastered. Or I'm totally wrong and they are aware of what we would like to see released and hopefully are thinking about doing it. Regarding the long effects shots, they were delivered at the very last minute as mentioned above. But according to the liner notes of the La La Land release of the 3 disc set of The Motion Picture soundtrack, I recall reading Goldsmith had months of time to score and fine tune and rework the score without seeing any film. So he scored it with long sections knowing that the music can be edited to fit later. Though they must have had the film for the infamous shuttle fly-by as the music fits just right. But the music used in other places sounds like it can be edited either by Goldsmith or Wise in the editing room. Such as the orbital office shots I mentioned earlier. Just supposition on my part based on some things I've read. I could and probably am wrong.

 

[Tom St Jones]

By the way (slightly off-topic), I said "Trekfan" because I've never been truly sure which term most Trek-goers prefer best - Trekkie or Trekker? I've asked a fellow fan or two now and then, but no satisfactory answer as yet.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I remember one SNL appearance where Nimoy says "Trekkie" and quickly corrects himself to "Trekker"

 

[Sam Favate]

I hope you folks are right and that just maybe work is progressing as we speak. But I doubt it. Paramount would want to create awareness as soon as possible, and would surely have told The Digital Bits in their most recent interview. I wouldn't discount the possibility of 2016, but I see that as the earliest possible date for release. Hopefully Paramount is taking notice of the great job that CBS is doing with the Next Generation blu-rays and all the positive responses that project has gotten.

 

[Osato]

It looks like the Star Trek III podcast will be uploaded today..

http://www.missionlogpodcast.com/

 

[andySu]

Currently listening too STAR TREK II pod, while watching (again) STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE on the CRT this afternoon.

I never thought Ricardo Montalban, had fake chest expect a friend that seemed so back around 1983 when watching STAR TREK II on VHS rental.

Transporter storage? Whoa at the cost I head the prices at. I think I'll stick with Cloud or V'ger Cloud for less and more storage, "12th power energy"

Makes sense that if maybe Chekov, was on lower deck and Khan happened to walk in and see him and remembers him, when he mentions it in STAR TREK II.

 

[Paul_Warren]

Watching original version with Dolby Stereo mix on Laserdisc transferred to DVD-RW on the projector. I like the massiveness of the shuttle pod moving around the Enterprise.

I'm not keen of the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 remix as it has several sound effect and dialogue issue/mistakes and I prefer original mixes.

Scotty, over intercom on stage right, just before Enterprise goes to warp speed. The voices echoes and sounds annoying and distracting. Also a single sound effect as been removed when Kirk, gives Sulu, orders to bring Enterprise "500 meters" above intruder and pressing a button on the helm that should sound on stage left, but its missing.

The laserdisc is where I get the 1979 flashback as all the sound is there and even the matrix surround is a great one for its time, like when the kirk and others exit the saucer with V'ger electrical energy lighting striking across LCR and around on the surrounds, wow that is one many cool scenes in the film and Jerry Goldsmith score is fantastic.

If I was using the laserdisc, I don't mind disc change with disc 2, as the player is auto reverse Pioneer DVL-909, but the transfer is decent enough and the Onkyo TX SR-875 up-scales to projector so I'm pleased.
Colour tones I like skin colours and all the blinking coloured lights on the bridge. The scope width thou its cropped with small degree over the bluray, but I'm not grumbling at least its got a gritty and not some superDNR to make me think it was filmed yesterday. I'd prefer f they kept scratches and reel change dots intact at least it would make believe its 35mm.

What cinema did you get the audio equipment from

I used to have the 143 min P&S NTSC LD of STMP the sound was decent for the time but the PQ on my old CRT projector was pretty poor even upscaled it was a shoddy transfer. Paramount used to dump a lot of shoddy LD's on us like the TWOK P&S sound dropped to mono in several places or the ROTLA P&S LD had terrible video crossnoise issues some were the macrovision but the masters they used to use were from really old elements.

Like so many of us I bought the P&S LD's then got stiffed for the 1-5 Widescreen anniversary boxed set as well as multiple VHS/DVD then BD's etc etc

Paramount do not understand what they have if these movies are given the deluxe treatment they will sell well & no need to revisit if you do it properly just get the people behind the recent Blade Runner Bluray project to do this project

 

[Joel Fontenot]

For fun, I was watching a few scenes in TMP last night. And if we were to for fun imagine being the editor sitting next to Robert Wise, what scene would we cut or trim for the DC?One scene I thought of was when Kirk tells Sonak he's headed to the Enterprise and then we cut to the orbital office. There are those long shots of the model from a few angles. After years if watching, it's clear those are shots the effects team made so they could pick what to use. But they edited them together before they were adjusted for time. I think they could have just shown the office in orbit for a few seconds, then cut to the close up of the office window we see the transporter where Kirk beams in to meet Scotty. Because there's Goldsmith music there, maybe eliminate that bit of music. But I could hear it's possible to edit the music to work.What do you guys think? What else?

I never directly compared, but the DC does trim a bit from one of the long cloud fly-through sequences - I think, fairly early on when they first go into the cloud. there is an edit in the music that I noticed the first time I watched it since I have been very familiar with the music. It probably wouldn't have been so noticeable if didn't already know the music so well. There may be even shorter edits elsewhere, but I only noticed that one I mentioned.

 

[Kevin EK]

A few quick notes:

Robert Wise's cut of TMP removes a few moments of the trip through the Cloud and the voyage over Vejur. He also trimmed out what he felt were duplicative reactions that he had shot in case the effects didn't work and that sort of thing. He would have done this in 1979 if he had been given the time. Unfortunately, they were in a dead sprint to get the movie into theaters and he never had the chance to finish his work - until 2001. (Rather ironic, when you think about it...)

Regarding laserdiscs - I still have my DVL-909, but I rarely use it anymore. It's not the sound quality - it's the picture. Trying to watch a laserdisc image on a 65" HDTV is pretty grim. I continue to have multiple lasers due to the content that never came over to DVD. Sometimes it's a movie (like 100 Men and a Girl) but mostly it's for extra content I can only find on those lasers. (Criterions that didn't come over, commentary tracks that only exist on laser, etc.) I've never thought in terms of using a laserdisc as a preferred visual option to a Blu-ray disc.

Regarding blu-rays - I'm happy that Bill Hunt was able to once again mention to the guys at Paramount that people would like to see new transfers and releases of the movies. I'm happy that they answered that they would keep that in mind. But that doesn't mean that they'll do anything. It just means that they said "Yes, we hear you." If Paramount were seriously considering making new Blu-rays, say of the Robert Wise cut of TMP, they wouldn't be trying to keep it a secret. They'd want to publicize that idea and maximize their sales. If they were to ask someone like Daren Dochterman to upgrade his work to 1080p, you'd be seeing all kinds of updates from him as he did the work. The fact that they aren't saying anything means simply that they aren't doing anything and have no plans at this point in that area. If people actually think something will come out this year, they're setting themselves up for a disappointment.

It's very possible that Paramount will do something for 2016, for the 50th anniversary of the original series launch on TV. But that's two years away. We'll just have to see if they do, and what choices they make about it.

 

[Nelson Au]

Oh Kevin, always the pessimist.

 

[RJ992]

Oh Kevin, always the pessimist.

Ha! I thought he was being optimistic in speculating that Paramount would do anything with TMP for the 2016 anniversary!

 

[Dave H]

A few quick notes:

Robert Wise's cut of TMP removes a few moments of the trip through the Cloud and the voyage over Vejur. He also trimmed out what he felt were duplicative reactions that he had shot in case the effects didn't work and that sort of thing. He would have done this in 1979 if he had been given the time. Unfortunately, they were in a dead sprint to get the movie into theaters and he never had the chance to finish his work - until 2001. (Rather ironic, when you think about it...)

Regarding laserdiscs - I still have my DVL-909, but I rarely use it anymore. It's not the sound quality - it's the picture. Trying to watch a laserdisc image on a 65" HDTV is pretty grim. I continue to have multiple lasers due to the content that never came over to DVD. Sometimes it's a movie (like 100 Men and a Girl) but mostly it's for extra content I can only find on those lasers. (Criterions that didn't come over, commentary tracks that only exist on laser, etc.) I've never thought in terms of using a laserdisc as a preferred visual option to a Blu-ray disc.

Regarding blu-rays - I'm happy that Bill Hunt was able to once again mention to the guys at Paramount that people would like to see new transfers and releases of the movies. I'm happy that they answered that they would keep that in mind. But that doesn't mean that they'll do anything. It just means that they said "Yes, we hear you." If Paramount were seriously considering making new Blu-rays, say of the Robert Wise cut of TMP, they wouldn't be trying to keep it a secret. They'd want to publicize that idea and maximize their sales. If they were to ask someone like Daren Dochterman to upgrade his work to 1080p, you'd be seeing all kinds of updates from him as he did the work. The fact that they aren't saying anything means simply that they aren't doing anything and have no plans at this point in that area. If people actually think something will come out this year, they're setting themselves up for a disappointment.

It's very possible that Paramount will do something for 2016, for the 50th anniversary of the original series launch on TV. But that's two years away. We'll just have to see if they do, and what choices they make about it.

Paramount - by and large - has been a poor supporter of Blu-ray in terms of quality and quantity. Universal gets blasted a lot, but Paramount is at least as bad.

I would not expect any new transfers of Star trek either from this studio.

 

[Tom St Jones]

I remember one SNL appearance where Nimoy says "Trekkie" and quickly corrects himself to "Trekker"

SNL fans need to get a life lol (hope you get the reference :>] )

Seriously, you never know with SNL. Especially if it was part of a sketch. (I'd look up the footage on Youtube but I'm too lazy right now)

 

[FrancisP]

As I recall they barely made it. I remember seeing pictures of the film cases in a hangar making it look like a graveyard. The films were taken out of the soup, out in cans and flown out. I also seem to recall that Wise had to hand deliver a still wet print to its Washington premiere. Also the rushed schedule created a iconic pairing. Trumbull took over from Robert Abel and due to the rushed schedule, he had to bring John Dykstra in. You had the special effects wizards of Close Encounters and Star Wars in the same picture. Ironic since the success of Star Wars and Close Encounters convinced Paramount to do a movie instead of the tv series they were working on.

 

[SilverWook]

By the way (slightly off-topic), I said "Trekfan" because I've never been truly sure which term most Trek-goers prefer best - Trekkie or Trekker? I've asked a fellow fan or two now and then, but no satisfactory answer as yet.

IIRC, most fans were cool with Trekkie until the media began using in a negative way, then Trekker took precedence. In the 1988 tv premiere of The Cage pilot in it's uncut form, host Patrick Stewart briefly mentioned Trekker was the preferred term.

 

[Tino]

I personally prefer Trekkie. Old school baby!