Star Trek TOS Special Edition Starts Sept 16th. (1 Viewer)

[Zack Gibbs]

This is cool, I've DirecTV and Trek comes on late Sunday nights in my area. I was flipping through the over air broadcast channels today though and found an extra CW station that I pick up. I don't get it with my local channels on the satellite so never new the listings, but they run Trek Remastered at 6pm AND it's in HD!. I'm kicking myself for not knowing this sooner, what with the run almost over now. :frowning:

 

[Nelson Au]

I was out when this aried, but I did see my recording of Assignment: Earth on my computer.

I'm a little disapointed they didn't chage the Apollo rocket, but at the same time, it probably would be quite an effort to have replaced all those shots. The episode did look really good. All the live action was so vibrant, as usual. The Apollo footage did look pretty good. I'll have to rip it on disc and see it on a big screen, or wait till August for the Season 2 Remastered DVD set.

 

[Nelson Au]

Well, I neglected to post the paste two weeks. The remastered shows that aired were Whom Gods Destroy and The Mark of Gideon. Not my favorites and light on effects remastering.

This weekend, June 6, 2008 will air The Lights of Zetar. This will be interesting to see how they do this one. It's not one I see a lot, but IIRC, the Lights of Zetar effects do occurr during live action sequences with Lt. Mira Romaine in the sickbay chamber and we see it as an optical in space. I have a feeling this one will be mostly hands-off.

On a related Star Trek TOS note, there's an interesting piece on NPR you fans should find interesting about the Spock character called The Mystery of Maculinity. There's an audio too with comments from Nimoy and DC Fontana. This was reported on trekmovie.com too.

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

And to think we just mentioned Shari Lewis a few posts ago (in another thread).

The music we hear as we approach Mira Romaine's close-up of her eye is also heard in the second pilot (Where No Man Has Gone Before) as the ship approaches and is enveloped by the barrier. It's not heard all that often in TOS. The gradual build-up and burgeoning crescendo is well worth the price of admission.

 

[Nelson Au]

Well, Trekmovie.com has some preview images for The Lights of Zetar. Looks pretty good. Interesting how they built a huge Memory Alpha complex too!

Another image has been promised to appear later tonight at Trekmovie.com. If I catch it, I'll add it here.

Scott, I can hear the music now!

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[Nelson Au]

Ready to step out onto Eden?

This weekend, I'll be giving this episode a view. It's one I've not seen in years!

Here's an advanced image of the new CGI Aurora spacecraft. It appears to be based on an earlier design concept that Matt Jeffries had done before they finalized the design of the shuttlecraft. It's all cool as it's sympathetic to Jeffires' design aesthetic.


Trekmovie reports that Mike Okuda paid tribute to Jeffries by adding the registry numbers of his private airplance he had restored shortly after the cancellation of TOS onto the engine nacelles of the Aurora.

 

[Ockeghem]

Yeah, isn't it a wonderful segment? What's odd, is that I believe it was used in only two episodes: Where No Man Has Gone Before and The Lights of Zetar. The odd thing for me is that the episodes are so very far apart (beginning of season one and near the conclusion of season three). I have to think it was used elsewhere. I will have to make a mental note to watch (and listen) for this.

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott- I think you're right, that segment of music was only used twice. But I can't be for certain.

What's cool is there is a short segment, as I can recall, that sounds almost Western in theme that you only hear in the CD and on the unaired version with the alternate opening for Where No Man Has Gone Before.

If you really saw Irina G in that shot above, I would have been amazed!

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

Now you've got me curious. The first thing I thought of was Capt. Pike, when he's back in his country town on the grass (with Vina); his horse, Tango, is also there. I will have to watch Where No Man Has Gone Before soon to listen for what you've described.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Wow - that ship is way cool!

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott-I don't have the CD yet for Star Trek:Original Series Soundtrack (The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before). I have the vinyl LP! Amazon couldn't get the box set for me. But the track to which I refer to that sounds Western is called "Additional Credits", track 35. The last 1/3 or 1/4 is the part to which I refer. The entire track is very short.

Is that a cool design Lou! Makes me want to watch The Way to Eden!

 

[Ockeghem]

Agreed! Stop posting such great pics, BTW. It tempts me to want to go out and get the remastered edition....

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I'm surprised by the shift in opinion since this thread began.


I've decided that I would finally like to own the '66 series on DVD... but I'm not down with this CGI revisionism which has been a major concern for similar releases in high-definition that I've projected since before the format was launched. Would I do best with the previous season sets packaged in the plastic containers? Is the a/v up to 'realistic' standards on these SD-DVD releases without the unnecessary upgrade and tweaking of the new sets?

Please advise!

 

[Ockeghem]

Marco,

For my own part, I am entirely satisfied with TOS on DVD in its current form (meaning the 'regular' edition). But, I can completely understand why some (or many) would want to snatch up the remastered episodes in whatever format(s) they end up being released (soon and down the road). It's somewhat of a treat seeing the pics that Nelson has been posting, but I am not one who necessarily needs to own the CGI revision either (mostly for purist reasons, however).

If I understand you correctly, I would have to say that I believe the a/v on the 'previous season sets' is excellent (with the exception of the trailers, which are not digitized). Then again, I am one who loves the series on DVD and VHS. I own it three times: the entire series on VHS tape, and twice on DVD: 1) distributed in the two episodes per disc packaging (40 vols.); and 2) in the boxed sets released somewhat later. I purchased the latter edition so as to have the special features included in that set.

 

[Nelson Au]

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!

 

[Nelson Au]

I just saw The Way to Eden. Pretty cool new Aurora, the engines nacelles pulsed blue and then when trying to flee the Enterprise tractor beam, parts of the ship started to glow red as before before it blew up.

One cool surprise was the new matte painting of Eden, it looked an alien Yosemite. Plus 2 moons in the sky. I know it's not enough to save the episode, but some pretty good work here by the new Remastering team.

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

I actually like The Way to Eden a lot. I think it's a great episode for teaching us somewhat about cults and the harm they can do if left to their own desires. Dr. Sevrin (Skip Homeier) is really good in his role. I really like the segment where Rad and Irina are on to him, especially the part about the books (Dr. Sevrin says he's gone beyond those texts); and also where Rad says something like "it does kill"--Dr. Sevrin again has to cover up the holes in his teaching, filling their minds with nonsense that they (tragically) buy hook, line, and sinker. (I think he was telling them mostly what they wanted to hear.) And Adam is quite funny in this one, too. He played the space hippy role to the hilt.

One of the more intriguing parts of the episode has to do with Spock and his interrogation of Dr. Sevrin. For some reason, Spock knows that Dr. Sevrin is insane (he tells Kirk that he has yet to consult McCoy, but that he has no doubt of it); what is interesting to me is that if it were not for the music cues at this point, I might not have suspected anything. If you listen to the segment closely, the music is introduced right at the point where the thought processes of Dr. Sevrin begin to come across as erratic. Granted, I don't know how Spock deduced he was insane, but somehow he knows. This to me is the intriguing part.

 

[RickER]

I put this episode right above Spocks Brain, Platos Stepchildren, and, And the Children Shall Lead. I hate to see Spock so "hip" and "cool". I always wonder if Nimoy cringed at jamming with his harp? With a chick playing a bicycle wheel at that! Most of all i hate how the songs stick with me for about a week after i see it. Anyone notice the Galileo II?

If you think about it, and its best you dont...its really the Galileo II/7.

 

[Colin Davidson]

So, I swear I was sober when I watched this on Saturday but it appeared to me that there were I believe 3 reactions shots with Kirk where the image was backwards. The shirt insignia was on the left not the right. I cannot tell you where exactly time wise in the show but I do know that at least one, if not two, were on Eden at the end of the episode. I usually DVR these but didn't on this one due to some scheduling conflicts. Can anyone confirm that I wasn't just seeing things (again) - (sigh).

I always wondered too why they take the people off the shuttlecraft and set them on the acid grass. Seems pretty cruel when they would be safer in the ship. I too noticed the Galileo naming convention.

 

[RickER]

They flipped the film Colin. Capt Kirk needed to be looking to his left, and to make that happen they took a piece of film from a few minutes earlier and used it. But had to flip it since the original shot had Kirk looking right. I read the director was so far behind in this episode the cast was setting up shots, and so on, just so they could finish on time. It was near the end, bet not many gave a rats ass if they had to use a flipped shot to get what they needed.