Does "The Doomsday Machine" Remastered Really Add To the Episode?

[EliyahuQeoni]

I love the original episode, but the poor special effects (especially the close-up of the Constellation entering the Planet Killer near the ending) take me out of the story. I feel the re-mastering is an improvement and only serves to assist the character-driven storyline.

To me it is quite the opposite. The shiny new 21st century CGI effects clash so much with everything around them that it yanks me right out of the story because it is so jarring.

But honestly, if people get pulled out of stories by shoddy FX, then perhaps they shouldn't be watching 40 year old low budget SciFi TV shows.

And a true "remastering"--which I would have welcomed-- wouldn't have added any new elements to the episodes, merely enhanced what was already there.

 

[Dayton3]

I love the original episode, but the poor special effects (especially the close-up of the Constellation entering the Planet Killer near the ending) take me out of the story. I feel the re-mastering is an improvement and only serves to assist the character-driven storyline.

To me it is quite the opposite. The shiny new 21st century CGI effects clash so much with everything around them that it yanks me right out of the story because it is so jarring.

But honestly, if people get pulled out of stories by shoddy FX, then perhaps they shouldn't be watching 40 year old low budget SciFi TV shows.

And a true "remastering"--which I would have welcomed-- wouldn't have added any new elements to the episodes, merely enhanced what was already there.

I agree completely.

I don't mind some poor effects shots being changed (like the Constellation shaking or the transparent Planet Killer).

But I do mind when entire effects shots are radically altered (the straffing run springs to mind).

I don't mind when they insert things into episodes that are referenced in the dialogue but not seen onscreen (the Klingon ships from Errand of Mercy, the Gorn ship from Arena).

 

[QuasarVM]

I love the original episode, but the poor special effects (especially the close-up of the Constellation entering the Planet Killer near the ending) take me out of the story. I feel the re-mastering is an improvement and only serves to assist the character-driven storyline.

To me it is quite the opposite. The shiny new 21st century CGI effects clash so much with everything around them that it yanks me right out of the story because it is so jarring.

But honestly, if people get pulled out of stories by shoddy FX, then perhaps they shouldn't be watching 40 year old low budget SciFi TV shows.

And a true "remastering"--which I would have welcomed-- wouldn't have added any new elements to the episodes, merely enhanced what was already there.

The Sci-Fi Channel already did that kind of "remaster" back in the 90's.

I like the CBS-D remaster, but I think the FX could have been more TOS looking -- or rather more 60's looking -- like Daren Dochterman's attempt at Doomsday Machine. I still would have added/changed things though here and there...

 

[Dayton3]

I love the original episode, but the poor special effects (especially the close-up of the Constellation entering the Planet Killer near the ending) take me out of the story. I feel the re-mastering is an improvement and only serves to assist the character-driven storyline.

To me it is quite the opposite. The shiny new 21st century CGI effects clash so much with everything around them that it yanks me right out of the story because it is so jarring.

But honestly, if people get pulled out of stories by shoddy FX, then perhaps they shouldn't be watching 40 year old low budget SciFi TV shows.

And a true "remastering"--which I would have welcomed-- wouldn't have added any new elements to the episodes, merely enhanced what was already there.

The Sci-Fi Channel already did that kind of "remaster" back in the 90's.

I like the CBS-D remaster, but I think the FX could have been more TOS looking -- or rather more 60's looking -- like Daren Dochterman's attempt at Doomsday Machine. I still would have added/changed things though here and there...

The Sci-fi Channel never remastered any Trek episodes.

The Sci-Fi Channel showed each original series episode over the course of a 90 minute time block so they could show the shows without syndication cuts.

The result was quite bizarre. With commercial breaks appearing in the oddest places.

In the case of "The Doomsday Machine" they cut to a final series of commercials as Sulu was doing his countdown of the Constellation plunging into the Planet Killer.

 

[QuasarVM]

To me it is quite the opposite. The shiny new 21st century CGI effects clash so much with everything around them that it yanks me right out of the story because it is so jarring.

But honestly, if people get pulled out of stories by shoddy FX, then perhaps they shouldn't be watching 40 year old low budget SciFi TV shows.

And a true "remastering"--which I would have welcomed-- wouldn't have added any new elements to the episodes, merely enhanced what was already there.

The Sci-Fi Channel already did that kind of "remaster" back in the 90's.

I like the CBS-D remaster, but I think the FX could have been more TOS looking -- or rather more 60's looking -- like Daren Dochterman's attempt at Doomsday Machine. I still would have added/changed things though here and there...

The Sci-fi Channel never remastered any Trek episodes.

The Sci-Fi Channel showed each original series episode over the course of a 90 minute time block so they could show the shows without syndication cuts.

The result was quite bizarre. With commercial breaks appearing in the oddest places.

In the case of "The Doomsday Machine" they cut to a final series of commercials as Sulu was doing his countdown of the Constellation plunging into the Planet Killer.

Um, yes...they did.

Granted they didn't redo the FX, but they went in and cleaned up the prints and all that. They made quite a big deal out of it at the time -- I don't see how you missed that point considering that was one of the big selling points of the broadcasts. They even had before and after shots on the commercials for it if memory serves.

This was back when they were running the short interviews during commercial breaks...

 

[RevDMV]

Favorite episode, in any form. Heck I remember trying to record the sound off the TV from a broadcast in the 70's. (Seems like it was broadcast once for ever ten fucking Lazarus episodes)

I enjoyed the RM, nits and all.

 

[boobatuba]

QuasarVM wins this round:

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/7570/

 

[QuasarVM]

Well, I wasn't trying to make a contest of it....but thanks for that link Boobtub! I was trying to find some conclusive evidence for my claims but couldn't find anything...but I knew my memory was not faulty on the point of the Sci-Fi remaster...

 

[Neopeius]

As a TOS-lover, I'd like to defend the original DM sfx... but I can't. Even when I was a kid, I thought they looked bad, particularly the AMT model.

The Cornucopia of Doom was fine though the see-through effect was jarring. The only sfx I liked was when the Enterprise first approaches the Connie, and you see the Connie through the viewscreen with the dirge playing on the soundtrack. *That* was goosebumpy.

As for the new sfx, they looked kinda lame in their own way. Oh well.

 

[Dayton3]

The Sci-Fi Channel already did that kind of "remaster" back in the 90's.

I like the CBS-D remaster, but I think the FX could have been more TOS looking -- or rather more 60's looking -- like Daren Dochterman's attempt at Doomsday Machine. I still would have added/changed things though here and there...

The Sci-fi Channel never remastered any Trek episodes.

The Sci-Fi Channel showed each original series episode over the course of a 90 minute time block so they could show the shows without syndication cuts.

The result was quite bizarre. With commercial breaks appearing in the oddest places.

In the case of "The Doomsday Machine" they cut to a final series of commercials as Sulu was doing his countdown of the Constellation plunging into the Planet Killer.

Um, yes...they did.

Granted they didn't redo the FX, but they went in and cleaned up the prints and all that. They made quite a big deal out of it at the time -- I don't see how you missed that point considering that was one of the big selling points of the broadcasts. They even had before and after shots on the commercials for it if memory serves.

This was back when they were running the short interviews during commercial breaks...

When I refer to remastering, I was referring to modifications to the content (in this case the FX) rather than clean up the prints.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

When I refer to remastering, I was referring to modifications to the content (in this case the FX) rather than clean up the prints.

Well, to be fair, remastering is supposed to be just cleaning up the prints, not modifications or additions to the original elements/contents.

While TOS-R does involve remastering, they did a lot more to this episodes.

 

[RevDMV]

Just watched this again this last weekend. Favorite addition is as the Constellation is heading for the Planet Killer at the end, where the shot picks up a rear view of ship and then pans to the left to bring in the frontal shot of the PK.