Revisiting TOS via Blu-Ray....

[Warped9]

It's been five years since I last rewatched the entirety of TOS.

Funny, but it doesn't seem that long ago.

At any rate I recently purchased the recent reissue of TOS on Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01CJX3WGE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And I find myself curious as to how this will look on my Samsung 50in. LED television. I already had all of TOS on DVD which I purchased when the clamshell sets were first released. I enjoyed on DVD as it presented the series unlike I had ever seen it before. The DVDs gave me a crispr and more detailed image unlike I had ever experienced with the series before and yet it didn't reveal too much so as to detract from the experience. So the series on Blu-Ray should be interesting.



One thing I can say about the new Blu-Ray set: I'm not happy with the packaging.

I've seen this sort of thing before. Is it so hard to design a simple, sturdy and secure holding case? The discs are held by pins which allowed three of the discs to get loose while being shipped. They don't look scratched or damaged, but I'll have to see. But another issue is that the holder that all the discs fit to isn't sized properly to fit and fasten securely into the case. It is loose within the case which can contribute to discs coming loose from the holder.

One thing than can be said for the DVD clamshell sets. They were a lot more snug fitting and secure.

I am debating whether to watch the original versions of the episodes or TOS-R. I'm also presently finishing up my rewatch of another series wherein I will get into the TOS set.

 

[Botany Bay]

Yeah it's amazing how many Blu Ray cases are so badly designed! The version I have, unfortunately, requires you to take out a disc to see the episode listing underneath. So the first disc of each season is a bit scratchy at this point.

I have no clue about technical specifics of Blu Rays, but I splurged on a very high powered, very large TV last year, and so I rewatched TOS, and every other thing I owned on it. Out of everything I own, TOS on Blu Ray comes up the best. It's like I'm watching them through a glass window rather than on a TV. Whatever the technical people did for that remaster (or should we be thanking whoever chose the film all the way back at Desilu?), TOS on Blu-ray is the standard to which all should aspire. You are seriously in for a treat.

 

[Ovation]

Blu-ray discs are significantly more difficult to scratch than DVD discs, so it should be ok.

TOS looks good on BD because it was filmed, not videotaped, so its "resolution" exceeds 1080p (the clean up also helps). I usually watch the remastered versions as they are "new" (I've seen the originals so many times I've lost count). The discs are authored in a nifty way so you can select a version that lets you toggle between remastered and original with the "angle" button on the remote. Easy to compare and choose your preference. On HD DVD, IIRC, the discs were flippers where you got the remastered version in hi def and the original in standard DVD (though I might not be remembering correctly as its been years since I've looked at my HD DVD set).

 

[Warped9]

I am thinking of doing something else: watching the episodes in stardate order. My last rewatch I watched the episodes in production order.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I think production order is best, but leave "The Cage" for #80 to keep something of the original experience, with "The Menagerie" being the first presentation of that story.

 

[Botany Bay]

Airdate order, come to think of it, must have been really confusing for viewers, particularly in that first season.

I wonder if ratings may have been improved had audiences seen them in the order they were produced?

Sorry to meander off topic.

 

[Warped9]

The only confusion airdate order would cause would be having WNMHGB seen after two series production episodes. After that any further confusion might arise if one paid particular attention to stardates which were not sequential in airdate order.

Stardates were not perfectly sequential in production order either. Scripts were filmed and episides shipped out when completed and no real effort seems to have been made to keep the stardates in order.

Nonetheless I'd like to try viewing the series that way.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I think the stardates are a near-proxy for production order, with just a few mistakes and a couple of episodes that have no stardate given.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Don't be so sure there, Zap. The Columbia House VHS release was in stardate order. I have them on a shelf next to me and just a quick look shows the episodes got scrambled pretty quickly. The seasons do tend to group together for the most part, but there is some spill over. For example, The Menagerie is followed by Catspaw. There are some errors on those tapes, though. Balance of Terror was followed by Squire of Gothos (which jumps about 9 episodes) and then Patterns of Force, but there wasn't a captain's log in that episode. Apparently, they took the stardates from reference material, like the Star Trek Concordance or Paramount supplied them via original scripts. The Doomsday Machine only has Decker's stardate from his log playback, which is 4202.1, but all of the VHS and laserdisc releases, as well as memory Alpha, have 4202.9.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I think production order is best, but leave "The Cage" for #80 to keep something of the original experience, with "The Menagerie" being the first presentation of that story.

That's an interesting way of watching it.

The pilot and its use in the series has an interesting history: back in the 1970s, "The Cage" was not a part of the syndication package (obviously), but "The Menagerie" was often broadcast as a special "movie" (at least KTLA in Los Angeles handled it that way), so one could watch the 2-parter as part of the regular run, or as this "1st voyage of the Starship Enterprise" (as it was once described). Either way, the pilot took on this mythic status, not only because the complete version had never been aired, but there was some sense that it was like discovering a Golden Age comic of one of the most important stories ever published: similar, yet its own "animal,", which is applicable to "The Cage" as a production in the Star Trek franchise.

 

[Warped9]

Stardate 1312.4

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" ***** (5/5)

When the Enterprise encounters an unusual energy field at the edge of the galaxy the effects cause crewmem to develop extraordinary powers.

Seeing this on BluRay is interesting. Just as the remastered DVD editions revealed details and colours beyond what was noticeable previously when watching the series on CRT televisions the BluRay versions add to that. It's also interesting to note how well most things hold up on BluRay including most of the original f/x. One drawback of watching TOS today has less to do with watching BluRay or DVD and more to do with watching it on a large flatscreen. A modern large LED television reveals the spareness of some of the TOS sets where such was not nearly so apparent on old CRT televisions.

A note on watching this with the original f/x. I think the original energy barrier looks fantastic. The revised version looks ridiculous.

As for the episode itself this remains one of the best examples of SF on television. In this second pilot episode effort they hit all the right notes and firmly display what kind of series TOS will be. Unlike many series including Trek spin-offs WNMHGB and TOS hit the ground running. This isn't hard SF, but it is effectively dramatic and delivered in convincing fashion. Nothing here is over explained and the characters behave in a totally convincing manner that sells the setting they inhabit.

What really helps to make this story work is the tight writing and the excellent performances all around. It isn't just the series lead characters that deliver, but the entire cast. WNMHGB alone could serve as an excellent template for many aspiring fanfilm producers.

There are some dated touches in this such as the bandage on Kirk's hand, the so obvious oldstyle clipboards and the clunky looking communicators. The paint scheme of the Bridge isn't yet finalized coming in somewhere between the hardware look of "The Cage" and the final look of the series proper.

I'm still bugged by the fight scene at the end. Granted the network suits likely enjoyed some oldschool fisticuffs action, but it doesn't really make any sense. Realistically Kirk should have just grabbed the phaser rifle and zapped Mitchell when he was still dazed and weak. I suppose that one could rationalize that Kirk hadn't yet worked up the nerve to kill Mitchell outright.

 

[RAMA]

If TOS more closely followed the combination of drama and action in this episode the series would have been even better.

Some people say The Cage is more "cerebral" but this episode is really better in every way..characters, FX, acting, etc. Shatner and Nimoy? Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry. I am still angry that Sally Kellerman wasn't kept on the show.

RAMA

Stardate 1312.4

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" ***** (5/5)

When the Enterprise encounters an unusual energy field at the edge of the galaxy the effects cause crewmem to develop extraordinary powers.

Seeing this on BluRay is interesting. Just as the remastered DVD editions revealed details and colours beyond what was noticeable previously when watching the series on CRT televisions the BluRay versions add to that. It's also interesting to note how well most things hold up on BluRay including most of the original f/x. One drawback of watching TOS today has less to do with watching BluRay or DVD and more to do with watching it on a large flatscreen. A modern large LED television reveals the spareness of some of the TOS sets where such was not nearly so apparent on old CRT televisions.

A note on watching this with the original f/x. I think the original energy barrier looks fantastic. The revised version looks ridiculous.

As for the episode itself this remains one of the best examples of SF on television. In this second pilot episode effort they hit all the right notes and firmly display what kind of series TOS will be. Unlike many series including Trek spin-offs WNMHGB and TOS hit the ground running. This isn't hard SF, but it is effectively dramatic and delivered in convincing fashion. Nothing here is over explained and the characters behave in a totally convincing manner that sells the setting they inhabit.

What really helps to make this story work is the tight writing and the excellent performances all around. It isn't just the series lead characters that deliver, but the entire cast. WNMHGB alone could serve as an excellent template for many aspiring fanfilm producers.

There are some dated touches in this such as the bandage on Kirk's hand, the so obvious oldstyle clipboards and the clunky looking communicators. The paint scheme of the Bridge isn't yet finalized coming in somewhere between the hardware look of "The Cage" and the final look of the series proper.

I'm still bugged by the fight scene at the end. Granted the network suits likely enjoyed some oldschool fisticuffs action, but it doesn't really make any sense. Realistically Kirk should have just grabbed the phaser rifle and zapped Mitchell when he was still dazed and weak. I suppose that one could rationalize that Kirk hadn't yet worked up the nerve to kill Mitchell outright.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

I am still angry that Sally Kellerman wasn't kept on the show.

RAMA

Me too.

 

[Warped9]

An interesting note. When I first begin warching the episode I mistakenly had it set to enhanced audio even with the original f/x. The first real difference I noticed was that the opening theme had Kirk's narration as part of the opening credits whereas the original mono doesn't have that narration for this episode. I found that a bit jarring.

I also couldn't help noticing how much green light was used in Sickbay for this episode. On my television the command uniforms displayed perhaps a hint of green but still looked predominantly gold.

I agree "The Cage" isn't any more "cerebral" than WNMHGB. The second pilot is more polished and more dynamic in all respects. It's more a matter of degree. What WNMHGB lacks compared to "The Cage" is the overt sexual innuendo (by 1960's standards). "The Cage" also exhibits moments of overt sexism (even by 1960's standards) wherein that is drastically toned down in WNMHGB.

The character of Elizabeth Dehner is nicely put across here and has a lot more presence than Dr. Piper. Her death does serve the story, but she might have been an interesting character to see again occasionally. And later we will see another psychiatrist albeit of a different personality in Dr. Helen Noel. Both of these characters could be seen as the template and thin wedge of rationale for Star Trek Continues' Dr. Elise McKennah.

Gary Mitchell has gotten a lot of fan attention over the years. His character really helps sell this story. But as a character he has never struck me as the nicest guy even before his transformation. He comes across as a lot more of a horndog than Kirk gets accused of being. His remarks to Dehner and Kelso (about Dehner) are really over-the-line in a professional environment. And he strikes me as somewhat full of himself.

 

[Ssosmcin]

The main differences between The Cage and WNMHGB are the amount of action, character interaction and greater actor charisma. Obviously, this episode has more physical action and a faster pace. It also has characetrs who feel more real and aren't just archetypes and bland character actors (for the most part - Paul Fix is still there). Kirk, Spock, Mitchell, Kelso and Dehner are all real people. In his few lines, Jimmy Doohan makes Scotty likeable. In The Cage, you don't get that same feeling with the crew or the leads. Pike and Boyce have an obvious friendship, but Jeff Hunter is saddled with a mopey captain. He's also a lot more distanced and strict with his crew.

I really feel that Shatner was a major ingredient in selling the series. He's charming, personable and his speech about human frailties is so beautifully delivered, I can easily imagine the execs watching that scene and saying, "okay, your in." He easily balances the likeable young lead with the stern "I'll make the tough calls" captain men want to follow. As for the story, it's no more or less "cerebral" than The Cage. It's just tailored to fit more into the action adventure format.

I love both pilots, but Where No Man Has Gone Before is stellar. Even the effects still hold up well. Only the short stock shots from The Cage don't quite stand up. However, the rest look amazing, even in HD. Very little bleed through with the Enterprise model, the barrier looks powerful without being over the top and Delta Vega looks amazing, both from orbit and on the surface (which is, of course Talos IV). When Kirk fires the phaser rifle at Mitchell's chest, the bouncing energy bits still make me smile.

Obviously, there are holes: why doesn't Kirk go over or under the barrier? It seems thin enough. Unless that's an optical illusion and no matter how you navigate, you can't go around it. And the fight: if you're gonna kill a guy, throwing a punch to the jaw, then the gut and then judo flipping him ain't the fastest way. But I'll buy the idea that Kirk was working up the will to murder his friend.

A personal note: I love proto-Trek and Pilot Spock. The tech is fun and Spock's makeup is wonderfully severe. The bridge seems to have more depth to the levels and I love the darkness of it.

A fantastic pilot. It sold the series in high style.

 

[Warped9]

I'm of two minds on how the Enterprise is depicted in WNMHGB. I like the fact the ship is now lighted and is more animated, but there are details I prefer in "The Cage" version. I don't care for the holes apparently added to the aft end of the nacelles. I like the look of the Bridge in "The Cage" better. I also don't care for the lighted rectangle on the Bridge dome in WNMHGB. In both pilots I find the Bridge's main viewing screen looks really dated compared to the TOS version. The Briefing Room in both pilots also looks rather 1950s.


Both pilots show glimpses of paths not taken for the series.

I rather wish they had been able to find a good tunic design for the women to go with the trousers. It's a visual thing, but it would have helped sell the equality-between-sexes idea as well as look more professional. We wouldn't see this idea adressed again until TMP. The problem with the miniskirt uniform is that the context in society has changed greatly since the '60s and '70s--the miniskirt no longer represents female emancipation and assertiveness.

Having Number as First Officer was a decent idea that was unfortunately bungled later. Somehow NBC not liking Majel Barrett cast in the role became not depicting any women in command roles until seeing an entire Romulan squadron commanded by a woman in "The Enterprise Incident," and she was an alien. There was nothing throughout TOS that expressly stated a woman could not command, but they never chose to explore it. All it would have taken was one solitary instance of seeing a woman as a Captain, a Commodore or an Admiral and it would have laid the whole issue to rest. A terrible missed opportunity.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Somehow NBC not liking Majel Barrett cast in the role became not depicting any women in command roles...

Yeah. Once you spare Majel's feelings by claiming that a woman with rank isn't going over well, and Majel is still your girlfriend and future wife, you've tied your hands. Star Trek can't feature a woman on our side with authority from then on.

Having said that, I think making her second in command was going pretty far. In the 1990s, I once asked a mature male ST fan why he'd never even sampled Voyager. He just grimaced and said, "A woman captain?"

 

[Warped9]

One idea seen in "The Cage" yet never explored again was how the overhead Bridge monitors were depicted. While obviously simple by today's standards it looked like the entire panels were interactive and capable of showing all manner of displays simultaneously. Granted they were able to animate them for the first pilot, but it would never again look that good. From WNMHGB onward the overhead monitors were greatly simplified and never again looked as sophisticated or as forward thinking as they did in "The Cage."

 

[Warped9]

Stardate 1329.8

"Mudd's Women" *** (3/5)

The Enterprise rescues four people from a wrecked spaceship: a larger than life conman and three beautiful women.

This obviously isn't Star Trek at its best, but it's certainly nowhere near its worst either. The major saving grace is the production's attention to detail and, once again, the on-spot performance of the cast. Another subtle practice that helps TOS sell its characters and setting is the completely commonplace behaviour of the characters--the way they talk and interact with their surroundings. There is nothing "gee-whiz" about it. You could set this story aboard a contemporary Navy vessel and not change one thing about it and it would work just as convincingly.

It's amusing to see Kirk, often accused of being a horndog, being amongst the most level headed of his crew and resisting the charms of the three mysterious women that have come aboard his ship.

This is essentially a Western type story told within a science fiction setting--the idea of mail order brides heading out to the frontier to meet their husbands-to-be. It also touches on an issue that still resonates today of the male fantasy of what women from a faraway locale must be like as opposed to the reality. In this story it's the mystical Venus drug that helps sell the fantasy while today in real life it's something along the lines of Photoshop.

Although this isn't a really engaging story there is quite a bit of worldbuilding conveyed here. Part of the Enterprise's role is to monitor space traffic and commerce. They act something like today's coastguard or navy in enforcing navigational laws as well as apprehending criminals as part of that practice. Comments made by Eve during Harry Mudd's hearing tell us there is a lot of automated machinery in this time, an idea bolstered by the idea of a mere three men on an entire planet running the whole mining operation. Another idea referenced is that of aliens being capable of illusions to some degree. This appeared to be something quite remarkable as depicted in "The Cage" (not yet seen at this point) yet here it's discussed as something not unexpected. We also learn that handheld communicators can operate on subspace frequencies over quite some distance given the Enterprise hadn't yet reached orbit of Rigel.

An interesting question is raised in this episode. Seriously, by what right did the miners have to press for charges to be dropped against Harry Mudd? The miners weren't bargaining but were employing extortion against Kirk and in extent Starfleet.

Curiously the transfer of this episode didn't seem as sharp as I noticed previously with WNMHGB. It didn't strike me as looking much different than my DVD edition. Also the command tunics didn't display any hint of green whatsoever. They looked just as gold as I've always remembered them. Odd.

 

[HarryM]

WNMHGB is much better than The Cage, IMO. Shatner as Kirk is a much more likeable character than Pike. Of course Pike is undergoing a personal crisis so he is not himself, which is maybe not a good story idea for the pilot episode. Most of the characters in WHM... are much more interesting and we get a sense of their relationships, like with Kelso and Mitchell, we can believe they are friends as well as colleagues.

The basic Cage story might work really well as a season ender though, with a "prequel" episode being the business on Rigel 7.

I didn't have a problem with the remastered energy barrier, I thought the original always looked a little too solid and hard-edged. I did like the cloud tank effects when they were actually in the barrier though.