Opinions on the remastered versions

[Shawnster]

Honestly I would done the same with TNG and replaced all the TOS film era ships with TNG era ones where appropriate.

I don't mind some of the TOS era ships in TNG. There was enough variety that it made sense, unlike TOS that used the Botany Bay for the Woden. Of course, TNG did reuse the Merchantman freighter from the TSFS to death.

I really liked how the use of the Excelsior class in TNG made that class into a long lasting workhorse.

 

[Crewman Commander]

unlike TOS that used the Botany Bay for the Woden

That sort of thing was unfortunate, but it was a cost-saving measure that affected the story not one whit. I don't believe for even a hot second that, during the original run of TOS, the number of people who were bothered by that was more than some minuscule number.

 

[bdub76]

Another series that is currently getting updated special effects is Blake's 7, and it looks good as well. As long as there is the option to see the version before the changes, I like it. I would like to see the theatrical version of the Star Wars movies without any changes in 4K. I have them on DVD (letterbox), and they look terrible on my 77 inch TV.

TOS was never a high budget show.

 

[Mr. Spook]

Another series that is currently getting updated special effects is Blake's 7, and it looks good as well. As long as there is the option to see the version before the changes, I like it. I would like to see the theatrical version of the Star Wars movies without any changes in 4K. I have them on DVD (letterbox), and they look terrible on my 77 inch TV.

TOS was never a high budget show.

There are a couple of fan initiatives regarding the Star Wars films that have turned out great. the 4K77, 4K80 and 4K83 restorations are excellent and my go-to for the original trilogy. Unlike the Despecialized Editions, these are straight 4K scans of 35mm film prints, pre-Special Edition, with just enough cleanup of dirt and scratches. They're unofficial so you'll have to find 'em, but Disney isn't stopping them either.

 

[Maurice]

TOS was never a high budget show.

Compared to what?

 

[TrickyDickie]

TOS was never a high budget show.

Based on its time period, the original Star Trek was a high-budget and ambitious production, costing significantly more per episode than the average 1960s drama. However, the ambitious scope of a science fiction series meant the creators were constantly stretched for resources, giving it a lower-budget feel compared to later productions.
Budget details for Star Trek: The Original Series

• High budget for the era: At an average of about $185,000 per episode for its first two seasons, Star Trek was one of the costliest shows on television in the 1960s. For comparison, other TV dramas of the time cost around $150,000 or less.
• High-cost special effects: Much of this high budget was spent on elaborate sets, detailed costumes and makeup, and groundbreaking visual effects for television, such as the transporter beam and phaser blasts.
• Financial struggles: The show's high cost was a major reason for its cancellation. Despite a dedicated fanbase, its initial ratings were low relative to the expensive production, so NBC dropped it after the third season. The budget was even cut to about $170,000 for that final season.
• Contributing to Desilu's sale: The show's financial strain was a factor in Desilu Productions' financial difficulties, which eventually led to the studio being sold to Paramount.

Comparison to other science fiction

• Greater demands than other genres: While a high budget in the 1960s, the money often felt insufficient for the series' imaginative concepts. Unlike a Western or sitcom, a sci-fi show requires entirely new sets, effects, and costumes for each new alien world.
• Not a "movie" budget: In retrospect, some viewers perceive the series as "low-budget," but this is an unfair comparison to large-scale, big-screen productions like 2001: A Space Odyssey or later Star Trek films.
• Impressive special effects for TV: Reviewers at the time acknowledged and praised the quality of the visual effects for a television program. Magazines like American Cinematographer highlighted the impressive technical achievements that went far beyond other series of the era.

SOURCE: A quick Google search.

 

[Tallguy]

Star Trek was low budget and Kirk was a reckless womanizer. Everyone knows this.

 

[bdub76]

Star Trek was low budget and Kirk was a reckless womanizer. Everyone knows this.

We're in a post truth world of beliefs over facts. Beliefs are more powerful than facts. You can fact check somebody all day long, and it won't move the needle if their beliefs are so ingrained as to be true to the individual. It's why fact checking has been a big media fail. If somebody believes something strongly enough, facts don't matter.

 

[TrickyDickie]

We're in a post truth world of beliefs over facts. Beliefs are more powerful than facts. You can fact check somebody all day long, and it won't move the needle if their beliefs are so ingrained as to be true to the individual. It's why fact checking has been a big media fail. If somebody believes something strongly enough, facts don't matter.

With truth, not to be confused with facts, you will move some and not others. That has always been the case.

I think the key word is "move"....there is something of the old Native American joke about the teepee full of shit in that.

I can say that, because I am 12.5% Native American. That's truth.

 

[Just a Bill]

Hmm, I had to go back and revise my earlier post to add this under Cons:

• Chuck E. Cheese gestures. I understand why they did this, but the robotic arm animations in Wink of an Eye's "sweep the area" scene give me the uncanny-valley creeps.

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[Maurice]

To clarify on the matter of the cost, it was Desilu, then Paramount, that slashed the budget, not the network. NBC's share of the budget increased every season. Desilu was a small studio with high overhead and fewer stock elements that could be used to economize, as happened over on the Fox lot, where props and set pieces from things like Fantastic Voyage and the Matt Helm movies get repurposed on everything from Irwin Allen shows to Batman, and items built for one series shot there got reused on others.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

To clarify on the matter of the cost, it was Desilu, then Paramount, that slashed the budget, not the network. NBC's share of the budget increased every season. Desilu was a small studio with high overhead and fewer stock elements that could be used to economize, as happened over on the Fox lot, where props and set pieces from things like Fantastic Voyage and the Matt Helm movies get repurposed on everything from Irwin Allen shows to Batman, and items built for one series shot there got reused on others.

It went the other way, too. Fox put at least some Lost in Space stuff in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Check out the broken landing legs at the crash site of James Franciscus.

 

[Mr. Spook]

It went the other way, too. Fox put at least some Lost in Space stuff in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Check out the broken landing legs at the crash site of James Franciscus.

Just check out Conquest of the Planet of the Apes sometime for some extensive use of the Burroughs computer banks seen on The Time Tunnel, Voyage and other shows.

 

[Doug Otte]

Last night, I rewatched Devil in the Dark (prompted by a discussion in the "Hey, I Never Noticed..." thread about McCoy's pronunciation of "silicon"). I usually don't like the new effects, but this time I chose them. I think this was one of the first ones they completed, and the new effects seem to fit better than later episodes, where they got a little too comically intrusive. There are a few nice shots of the E, new backgrounds of the ore facility, and enhanced flames when the creature bores through a wall. I didn't notice any other changes.

 

[Qonundrum]

Honestly I would done the same with TNG and replaced all the TOS film era ships with TNG era ones where appropriate.

No argument from me as (for one example) the Boseman in "Cause and Effect" is disproportionally scaled next to the big "D". the Excelsior class more or less had a nice long life, it still wasn't quite to scale, would certain metals last in space for 80 years (corrosion can still occur, wheeee!), and other considerations.

Meanwhile, in real life, TNG had little new budget to make new ships with - not until season 4 - and reusing old designs, along with saving money as the amount of moolah split for each episode throughout the season wasn't impressive, also gave an "ooooh, cool!" factor to casual audiences wanting memberberries. The Kirk-era movie designs really were anachronistic. Not to mention they were also disproportionally scaled, which is such a good point that I felt a need to mention it twice. (Imagine that using the voice of Kryten from Red Dwarf...)

 

[Uxi]

• Greater demands than other genres: While a high budget in the 1960s, the money often felt insufficient for the series' imaginative concepts. Unlike a Western or sitcom, a sci-fi show requires entirely new sets, effects, and costumes for each new alien world.

Best way to solve that is more episodes only on the ship (and/or sister ships and starbases that can re-use some of the same sets) and carefully planning out the alien worlds.

Note also, this was NOT the case as the Preservers and "parallel development" angles allowed them to use the studio period sets and wardrobe from Rome to the roaring 20s. They should have been able to use some western sets but even fragmentary ones that are partially illusory ala Spectre of the Gun works, too.

 

[Firebird]

To clarify on the matter of the cost, it was Desilu, then Paramount, that slashed the budget, not the network. NBC's share of the budget increased every season. Desilu was a small studio with high overhead and fewer stock elements that could be used to economize, as happened over on the Fox lot, where props and set pieces from things like Fantastic Voyage and the Matt Helm movies get repurposed on everything from Irwin Allen shows to Batman, and items built for one series shot there got reused on others.

It's always so weird to see set pieces and props pop up in multiple series, like a bunch of weaponry from The Conqueror getting reused in The Cage when Pike is reliving the fight on Rigel.

I've always wondered if any of those props were still radioactive...?

 

[MarcKyle1964]

It's always so weird to see set pieces and props pop up in multiple series, like a bunch of weaponry from The Conqueror getting reused in The Cage when Pike is reliving the fight on Rigel.

I've always wondered if any of those props were still radioactive...?

Here is a resource to get your answer. Includes an e-book library

Downwinders of Utah | Marriott Library

An interactive, geospatial timeline depicting the story of Utah nuclear fallout related to atmospheric testing of the Nevada Test Site.

lib.utah.edu