Surprises and Fun New Things You Saw in TOS-Remastered

[cooleddie74]

For me part of the fun of watching TOS-Remastered both when the episodes were new and now is to spot both new additions as well as things I may have overlooked the first time around but spotted during later viewings. There were frequently new little details retconned into the classic episodes that were exciting to see added and other tiny little things that completely went over my head for years afterwards.

One example would be something I don't consciously recall seeing until very recently. In the Remastered version of "The Cage" the CGI team added LCARS to the inside of the bridge turbolift that you can see for a brief moment as the doors open at the beginning of the episode. They appear to be bridge station-type displays with red and green lights and there seem to be three of them on the left-hand side of the turbolift car. It would appear that the turbolifts of "The Cage" may actually have more visually-complex and -sophisticated details than the regular series turbolift cars which is a fun little thing to take into consideration. Since there don't appear to be twist handles for controls inside this turbolift it makes me think that they were controlled by buttons near the doors like we saw in TSFS or even by touching the LCARS displays.

What are some of your favorite additions and surprises from the CGI Remastering team?

 

[Maurice]

[...]One example would be something I don't consciously recall seeing until very recently. In the Remastered version of "The Cage" the CGI team added LCARS Jeffrigrams to the inside of the bridge turbolift that you can see for a brief moment as the doors open at the beginning of the episode. They appear to be bridge station-type displays with red and green lights and there seem to be three of them on the left-hand side of the turbolift car. It would appear that the turbolifts of "The Cage" may actually have more visually-complex and -sophisticated details than the regular series turbolift cars which is a fun little thing to take into consideration. Since there don't appear to be twist handles for controls inside this turbolift it makes me think that they were controlled by buttons near the doors like we saw in TSFS or even by touching the LCARS displays.

You mean when the CGI crewman enters the lift and before the other CGI crewman steps to screen right for no reason before he's dissolved into the live action guy.

 

[cooleddie74]

There are the LCARS.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

The first time around, I was surprised to see the Gorn blinking. Altering a live action scene was going a little beyond what I thought CBS Digital would do.

 

[cooleddie74]

I didn't realize that the Constitution-class U.S.S. Intrepid was orbiting the planet where Starbase 11 is located in "Court Martial" until a later viewing.

 

[johnnybear]

As an original effects man I was very surprised at how many bits of live action from the series like a nod from Kirk or Sulu looking tense at his desk have been cut down in time to increase the new special FX at the end of a scene!!!
JB

 

[cooleddie74]

It doesn't help that the series ran only 43 minutes or so in syndication and thus lost about 7 minutes of content that could only be seen in its entirety once the Remastered episodes were released on DVD. Some of the transitions and commercial breaks were jarring even in scenes that didn't feature any new effects.

 

[Maurice]

As an original effects man I was very surprised at how many bits of live action from the series like a nod from Kirk or Sulu looking tense at his desk have been cut down in time to increase the new special FX at the end of a scene!!!
JB

Part of the problem was some of those transitions were dissolves and you can't dissolve a new shot in over an old one cross-fading so they had to make their new shots dissolve in earilier and out later. :\

 

[Ssosmcin]

It doesn't help that the series ran only 43 minutes or so in syndication and thus lost about 7 minutes of content that could only be seen in its entirety once the Remastered episodes were released on DVD. Some of the transitions and commercial breaks were jarring even in scenes that didn't feature any new effects.

Even back in the syndication glory days, when they only cut them down to about 45-46 minutes, the commercial breakes were killer. When Paramount did them in studio and sent them out in the late 80's, the created some new breaks with fades and music stings that just stood out like crazy.

 

[cooleddie74]

Yeah, the longest any of the early syndication edits were was about 46 minutes or so. They've always been chopped up pretty badly and the edits are glaring if you've seen the uncut versions of the episodes. Entire scenes vanish from some episodes and you lose some good character moments.

 

[Methuselah Flint]

Even back in the syndication glory days, when they only cut them down to about 45-46 minutes, the commercial breakes were killer. When Paramount did them in studio and sent them out in the late 80's, the created some new breaks with fades and music stings that just stood out like crazy.

I'd love to have seen the Journey to Babel one!

 

[BillJ]

Not much stood out to me, honestly. Maybe seeing the Antares in "Charlie X"? But that was just a reuse of the ship from TAS. They did use the Watchtower-class starbase from Star Trek: Vanguard in "The Ultimate Computer".

It doesn't help that the series ran only 43 minutes or so in syndication and thus lost about 7 minutes of content that could only be seen in its entirety once the Remastered episodes were released on DVD.

I thought we were getting the unedited episodes as early as the mid-80's on VHS, Beta and Laserdisc?

 

[cooleddie74]

We did. I just forgot about those formats.

My bad! Thanks for reminding me.

 

[tomswift2002]

Not much stood out to me, honestly. Maybe seeing the Antares in "Charlie X"? But that was just a reuse of the ship from TAS. They did use the Watchtower-class starbase from Star Trek: Vanguard in "The Ultimate Computer".



I thought we were getting the unedited episodes as early as the mid-80's on VHS, Beta and Laserdisc?

The opening to ”The Way To Eden” did away with the Tholian ship reuse and introduced a new style of ship.

But with unedited episodes, they were still airing unedited episodes in the 80’s and 90’s and then the stations themselves would be editing the episodes to fit in their time slot. But I noticed on CTV SCI-FI the other night, it looks like they might be airing the network cuts, as the commercial breaks were extremely short.

 

[BillJ]

The opening to ”The Way To Eden” did away with the Tholian ship reuse and introduced a new style of ship.

They could've left the original ship, and it wouldn't have been an issue to me.

But with unedited episodes, they were still airing unedited episodes in the 80’s and 90’s and then the stations themselves would be editing the episodes to fit in their time slot. But I noticed on CTV SCI-FI the other night, it looks like they might be airing the network cuts, as the commercial breaks were extremely short.

BBC America recently has been airing the uncut episodes (with new effects), but putting them in an one hour and ten minute timeslot.

 

[cooleddie74]

The new Medusan ship in "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" was pretty cool. It's interesting how the CGI Remastering team designed a vessel that is recognizably Federation and even Starfleet in design but was made for a noncorporeal species that had exceptional navigational skills.

 

[johnnybear]

Yeah, the longest any of the early syndication edits were was about 46 minutes or so. They've always been chopped up pretty badly and the edits are glaring if you've seen the uncut versions of the episodes. Entire scenes vanish from some episodes and you lose some good character moments.

I wonder if those were the prints that the BBC were given? As the BBC never had adverts back then but the cuts were so bad it stank!!! The first time I saw the complete episodes was on DVD and even Kirk's first meeting with Cogley was a new one to me!
JB