"Remastered"

[The Laughing Vulcan]

I watched them once when I got my Blurays, and that was enough. I wouldn't mind them if they weren't inconsistent. Some shots are downright gorgeous, some are terrible, especially the shuttles, some are poor, with the Enterprise looking different from shot to shot, and some look like they've been composed by software engineers not filmmakers.

In contrast, I watched the original Battlestar Galactica series on Bluray last year, which actually did remaster its effects, and they blow, not only TOS-R out of the water, but TNG-R as well. Not bad for a show from 1979.

 

[Ssosmcin]

I like them on a case by case basis, but too many new shots are badly placed because someone wasn't paying attention to dialog or situations.

The Immunity Syndrome: the hole in space is seen on the screen a shot too early. In the original episode, Kirk orders them to magnify the viewscreen before it appears. Cue dramatic music.

The Doomsday Machine: another viewscreen mistake. Kirk is looking at the Constellation's screen when Washburn finally get it working. We see the screen with the crummy image, a shot of Kirk saying "what the devil's going on?" and cut back to the screen which still has no image for a few seconds. THEN it clears up. Thanks to badly timed CGI, Kirk is reacting to something BEFORE he sees it.

The list goes on, but it's late and it pointless. If they didn't fix this stuff and the audio for the 50th, they never will.

 

[RAMA]

OMG HELL YES! I'm inspired now. I'm going to run out and find my Chevelle from when I was a kid and drive it just like it was then too because that's what I drove and it's still great now! I'm also going to get my VCR and start watching TOS on that again! I'm not talking about my fancy hi-fi stereo one that I watched latter STNG on in surround sound, no siree! I MEAN the one from the 80s that sounded like they were talking in my closet! That was the ultimate viewing experience. 240p is divine! Woo hoo!!

Here below...in a nutshell. Thank you so much Tim, I love you. Not in that crazy new-fangled way mind you, but that old fashioned brotherly love kinda thing.

RAMA

I don't need any of this new-fangled Super-HD 4K mumbo jumbo. I prefer to watch TOS from my 17" Black and White Zenith TV, as originally viewed. If I can't quite make out what's going on, then I can just imagine it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Obligatory correction: The new FX shots were not "remastered." Remastering means going back to the original negative and creating the cleanest, best possible copy from it. The "Remastered" in TOS-R refers to the live-action footage, which was digitally remastered for maximum quality and clarity, as is usually done with new releases of old material. They couldn't remaster the FX shots for HD, because they didn't have access to the original film elements, so they had to recreate them instead. So the parts that everyone calls "remastered" are actually the only parts that aren't remastered.

...and, SCENE.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I'm not that guy that usually notices when shots flip between different shooting models or where all the phaser emitters and all that crap are so I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to that stuff. Also, I haven't really sat down and watched all the remastered episodes.

BBC America was showing some classic Trek the other night and flipping channels I watched some of The Enterprise Incident. I was a little startled when the Enterprise jumped to warp from the Romulans, that was a neat effect. I dug out my old orange label discs and needless to say it was done in a lot more simple manner.

I'm kind of old school when it comes to Trek. I like the look of the older DVDs because it looks like what I remember. It definitely has a more consistent look. The screens in the Enterprise interior matches the overall look more, it seemed in the remastered some of the screens looked really hard compared to the surrounding footage. Kirk's Romulan makeup looks a lot more natural. Maybe it would be better off in the uncompromised Blu-Rays which I haven't seen but from the various cable/streaming I've seen I'm OK with the old.

"Remastering" can be a mixed bag in that they don't just recreate and replace the missing film elements but they often "reimagine" them as well. Often times they do both within the same project, it's too bad they don't have or spend the resources to offer two versions where they try to duplicate the original scenes as closely as possible and another where they try to block the scenes in a new and creative ways.

 

[kkt]

OMG HELL YES! I'm inspired now. I'm going to run out and find my Chevelle from when I was a kid and drive it just like it was then too because that's what I drove and it's still great now!

Deliberately misstating the opposing argument is an admission that you don't have a case against their actual argument.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The one thing I wish TOS-R had done, that it didn't bother doing, was make those auxiliary bridge monitors actually DO something other than just show random starfields.

I mean, they fixed the clunky manual clock with a digital display, so I see no reason not to fix the monitors as well.

 

[RAMA]

No, no sacrilege. Go say a few Hail Mary's.

RAMA

The one thing I wish TOS-R had done, that it didnt bother doing, was make those auxiliary bridge monitors actually DO something other than just show random starfields.

I mean, they fixed the clunky manual clock with a digital display, so I see no reason not to fix the monitors as well.

Deliberately misstating the opposing argument is an admission that you don't have a case against their actual argument.

Oh my. You haven't been paying attention the last 10 years? I'm so hurt. It is now your solemn duty to read ALL my hundreds of posts on this subject dating back to 2006. I want a full report afterwards.






RAMA

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Sacrilege? Please.

Everything on the bridge must have a function. Those monitors are obviously meant for a purpose. If the technology exists - via a new effects budget - to give them one, there is no logical reason not to use it! If not, why do TOS-R in the first place?

The fact that the monitors never did or showed anything is a simple error. All errors must be fixed. After all, TNG-R fixed the phaser error in "Darmok" - this is the exact same situation.

 

[RAMA]

Everything HAS to stay the same, always. Even the little brush strokes of paint on the fakey monitor bits.

This is no joke. Very serious.

RAMA

^ Sacrilege? Please.

Everything on the bridge must have a function. Those monitors are obviously meant for a purpose. If the technology exists - via a new effects budget - to give them one, there is no logical reason not to use it! If not, why do TOS-R in the first place?!?

The fact that the monitors never did or showed anything is a simple error. All errors must be fixed. After all, TNG-R fixed the phaser error in "Darmok" - this is the exact same situation.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Everything HAS to stay the same, always. Even the little brush strokes of paint on the fakey monitor bits.

This is no joke. Very serious.

RAMA

Oh, it's a joke alright. You just don't know it yet.

 

[CrazyMatt]

The 'remastered' effects of planets, from orbit and on the ground, are a big improvement from the original effects. The ships, however--especially the Enterprise and other starships--look cartoonish.

All in all, a noble--but failed--effort. I hope someone takes another crack at it some day and does the ships right.

 

[RAMA]

The 'remastered' effects of planets, from orbit and on the ground, are a big improvement from the original effects. The ships, however--especially the Enterprise and other starships--look cartoonish.

All in all, a noble--but failed--effort. I hope someone takes another crack at it some day and does the ships right.

Failed? The preferred viewing version by CBS and the one seen on TV when it's aired? The very version they wanted for the Bluray version? Oh they're very happy with it, and most people don't watch the old version anymore. So here in 2016 it has to be deemed a great success. Thanks Netflix, Hulu, All-Access etc.

RAMA

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

I was about as impressed with TOS remastered as I was with Red Dwarf remastered (remember when they upgraded the first couple of series with CGI to match Series 7 and 8?) No one watches Red Dwarf remastered any more, and it's probably wishful thinking on my part, but I hope TOS-R will be the same way in 20 years.

 

[RAMA]

I was about as impressed with TOS remastered as I was with Red Dwarf remastered (remember when they upgraded the first couple of series with CGI to match Series 7 and 8?) No one watches Red Dwarf remastered any more, and it's probably wishful thinking on my part, but I hope TOS-R will be the same way in 20 years.

Actually it's the other way around. Red Dwarf CGI FX were not very good. They didn't last very long, The TOS=R is an excellent, award winning work which has now supplanted the original because of the technology used in viewing the show.

RAMA

 

[Kemaiku]

The one thing I wish TOS-R had done, that it didn't bother doing, was make those auxiliary bridge monitors actually DO something other than just show random starfields.

I mean, they fixed the clunky manual clock with a digital display, so I see no reason not to fix the monitors as well.

The clock thing was a forced perspective shot for a few seconds. Having all the bridge screens do something in every frame they're in for every episode, keeping them consistent between all the scene changes, would have been a total nightmare for the staff.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

The TOS=R is an excellent...

RAMA

This much I vehemently disagree with.

Now if TOS-R is the only version that networks will broadcast (probably because it's widescreen), then it is fair to say that it has supplanted the original. Whether everyone who watches it is happy with it is another question, as the only way that they can watch the original is to buy the Blu-ray or watch on old DVD collection. If they buy the Blu-ray, Paramount/CBS has no feedback as to which version they bought it for, and they can assume merely from the sales figures that TOS-R is the succesful reversioning. Well they can minus one from their figures of self-congratulation, as I won't watch TOS-R again.

 

[Kemaiku]

But the thing is, Paramount went out of it's way to make sure the original was on the set when they could...just not have. They spend a lot of money and effort to have both, not something most studios would even think of.

And the Blurays are far surperior even to an HD broadcast of the episodes. And trust me, Paramount is like other studios in one important respect despite the rest, they watch social media like a hawk, and they know what the fans are saying most days.

If another set meant a combination wthat cost them more, they'd put it out again if they knew enough still wanted it.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

And trust me, Paramount is like other studios in one important respect despite the rest, they watch social media like a hawk, and they know what the fans are saying most days.

Do they really?! I wonder how much their ears burned when fans started stating their opinions about the multiple Blu-ray version Star Trek Into Darkness release...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Now if TOS-R is the only version that networks will broadcast (probably because it's widescreen)

When was TOS-R ever broadcast in widescreen?

I know the new effects were rendered in WS, but as far as I know the actual show has never been shown that way.

Which makes me wonder WHY the effects were ever made in 16:9 in the first place (especially since the live action footage is, and always has been, 4:3).