Star Trek FX Collection: Would you buy this on DVD? (2 Viewers)

[Nelson Au]

Just to satiate my curiousity, I found the video clips I downloaded in 1998 of the Doomsday Machine footage that the then company, Digistream Special FX had done to sell the idea of creating new effects for Star Trek TOS. They are in Sizzle format, but play in Quicktime.

I'd love to try to post them, but I don't want to violate any rules here and also I would rather have permissions to do so from the creators and Paramount.

I am editing this post after I made a further search and actually found a server that has the clips I found in 1998, plus several others that I've never seen before! This link is to a server that has what looks like all the video clips that were created to show what The Doomsday Machine could have looked like. If there are any issues the Moderators have with this post, I'll delete the link.

There is a new opening title. There is a new opening credits sequence, and many other surprises. If you look, spend about a half an hour to see them all. Of note are the following files titled: Newtrek 98, Trek B, 94A, 94B and Trek I. I think their CGI model of the Enterprise looks overdone, too much texture mapping. But for it's day, it must have been pretty cool.

 

[Dewitte]

Check out the Star Trek: New Voyages site for a fan series using some decent CGI and new actors playing the parts of the TOS crew. Though I wish the acting were better, the stories are kind of neat and there's a lot of nice CGI eye candy.

De

 

[Luc_M]

I downloaded all the files, and all I can say is: WOW! Digistream made it almost the same way I envisioned it myself! I'm not too sure I like the way they "redesigned" the Doomsday Machine (I would have kept it mostly the same, personally), and I actually started laughing when I saw how they implemented the impulse engines on the Constellation as rocket boosters! I mean, come on!

But aside from that, the remade CG footage is really good. The opening credits alone are worth the detour! If Paramount never gets around to remaking those 8 episodes on DVD like I proposed at the top of this thread, then these MPEG files definately make a great consolation prize of sorts. Thank you so much, Nelson!

 

[Seth--L]

I wish they'd do this for TNG, especially expanding the scope of alien planets a la Star Wars Special Edition. For the entire series run, when the crew beamed down to a planet, they kept reusing the same set that was an arrangement of rocks and cheesy backdrop for a sky. Occasionally you'd get a pull back to a well done matte painting. Or, when they'd be on a planet with vast cities, they'd spend the entire episode someone's 10x10 office which has no windows. The Enterprise flybys hold up quite well, but most other exterior shots, especially battles, could be redone. Ironically, the lack of good special effects is what helped the writing. It kept the crew on the ship resulting in character driven episodes.

 

[Seth--L]

Someone needs to tell the director and editor about the 180 degree rule.

 

[Nelson Au]

Your welcome Luc. It was fun to see those clips! Some of the shots that were pretty fun was the shuttle leaving the Enterprise and the fly-by.

Agreed that the New Voyages CGI Enterprise whipping around like an X-Wing went too far and the dodgy acting. But those folks have one thing, a lot of heart. Their efforts are so sincere and have enough quality that they've now got the support of Gene Roddenberry's son and most recently actor Walter Keonig with D.C. Fontana writing a Chekov story.

Also the folks in Texas doing their Exeter series of TOS films have been doing as much of a heartfelt effort.

 

[Luc_M]

Oh goody! More fan-made goodness! Thanks, I'll have a look at that real soon!