So, I've finally made my way through my new Blu-Ray copy of TNG S1, and enjoyed it immensely, far more than I thought I would. The look of it is impressive, and I'm looking forward to S2 that much more, since I feel that it's the best looking season. Anyway, I have been impressed by the majority of the cleaned up film and recomposited f/x. We've known since TNG debuted that they were doing near-feature quality work on the show, and now that we can see what they actually filmed, it shows. The space exteriors always had that look, but one f/x sequence in particular really impressed me in a way that it never had before. I'm talking about Remmick's death in "Conspiracy". It's not that it holds up all that well today, and I'm not here to debate the merits of Trek going that graphic with the gore. In fact, I'd just watched an episode of The Walking Dead prior to "Conspiracy" which was far more graphic than anything Trek ever even hinted at. What impressed me was the sheer number of f/x techniques that was used to make that scene happen. It had stop motion (the parasite critter crawling across the floor and up Remmick's leg). It had puppetry (the mother creature). It had make-up effects (the expanding neck). It had practical effects (the exploding head). It had composites. It had animation (the phasers, the disintegrating chest, and the skin on the face being burned away). I mean, none of it was "cutting-edge", but the fact that they did what had to be a huge amount of work for a 30 second sequence for an episode of a TV show in 1988 is really impressive. The visuals wouldn't have been out of place in a sci-fi/horror movie of the time. Sure all of it could be done easier today and with better results, but the fact that they used so many different techniques is really impressive. So what do you think?
Great topic! What we're getting in TNG bluray right now is pretty darned unprecedented - lossless composites of high quality miniature photography. It's a fantastic melding of new compositing techniques with traditional FX shooting techniques. For Season 1, I tend to agree with your assessment of the Conspiracy climax as a real tour-de-force. Season 1 has lots of notable honourable mentions though - it saw the creation of all the "stretch" warp FX shots, plus the animated characters in the conference room windows that still looks completely real today. I'm also a big fan of the last shot of When the Bough Breaks. I know it was simple to do, but it's a very effective shot. The Last Outpost also has a lot of FX with clouds and animation and optically panned Vistavison shots - Riker composited against a miniature background which in turn had cloud FX in it.
Though it was far less flashy, my favorite effect shot was also from "Conspiracy". I have always found the shot of the Enterprise floating over the moon on its way to Earth to be a lovely shot. It slows down the narrative for a beat and allows the tension to build and the music coupled with it gives the anticipation that "something is coming".
Another vote for a "not-too-flashy" fx - I love the Enterprise approaching Starbase in 11001001. The extra's in the blu-ray have helped me realise that this is not as simple a shot to compositie as I had imagined.