Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread
They sort of mention that in the Stardate Revisited. They had ILM run some generic shots of Enterprise, since it sounded like there was no plan to do specialized effects work, or at least keep it to a minimum. One thing that always bugged me about TNG, The ENT-D always looked small, like a model There was never any sense of scale to it like with the original series where they were able to get up close to the model. I think the only shot where you get a sense of scale for ENT-D is the warp away at the end of the opening credits. I was never a big fan of the light up warp engines, it looked stupid to me. The TMP Enterprise only had slightly glowing engines at warp, in the inner grill work on the inboard sides.
Like I previously mentioned TNG hit its best patch of episodes with consistency was 3-5.
-Chris
Well I think everyone agrees that TOS had the best first season of any Trek.
But for my money Where No One, Big Goodbye, 11010011, Heart of Glory, and Conspiracy are still some of the best episodes of TNG that were ever made-- and up there with the best eps of Trek period.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. In addition, TNG effects work of 1987 are far better than the TOS work of 1966. TOS effects look amazing for their time and TNG effects look amazing for their time.
I have to seriously disagree. Even the effects producers will talk about how poor their work was in the first season. This wasn't because they didn't have talent (far from it, I mean look at Legato's career as just one example).
It was primarily due to two major factors, man power and not having the infrastructure in place to really do weekly effects.
Not that they couldn't produced some nice model work, but that the production was not designed to do weekly special effects. The plan was for ILM's stock shots to cover the vast majority of material.
They weren't staffed for it, nor did they have the facilities to do really strong work. Now of course they tell stories of working themselves do death the first season just to get anything on the screen. But you will see that Season two had vastly more polish and creativity in both design and actual lensing of fx.
And as each year happened the show increased the productions ability to work on a tv schedule. Compare (not the ILM footage as they did have the have a great set up designed for fx, obviously), the work done in the first season versus the 2nd and 3rd (pre 4 footer), and obviously it wasn't that they gained greater skill, but they gained more time (as the staff was enlarged), and they planned out more what was needed, and how best to work with the facilities they had.
Really can't wait for us to be able to see the various teams work and how it differs. For example, I love Legato's work, and find Curry's (motion control side) serviceable but not beautiful (Curry's non model work I actually like better). TO me something like comparing a Rob Bowman versus a Cliff Bole.
As for the quality of episodes, I know we disagree though the episodes mentioned are the ones I do like ( I rate them all as Very good in fact really the only episodes of the first season I would actually recommend), but I even my favorite of that bunch (usually 11001001), but I wouldn't call any of them great (but in fairness I don't through out high marks often, generally I think people are way to lenient on the writing and acting of popular entertainment.
They sort of mention that in the Stardate Revisited. They had ILM run some generic shots of Enterprise, since it sounded like there was no plan to do specialized effects work, or at least keep it to a minimum. One thing that always bugged me about TNG, The ENT-D always looked small, like a model There was never any sense of scale to it like with the original series where they were able to get up close to the model. I think the only shot where you get a sense of scale for ENT-D is the warp away at the end of the opening credits. I was never a big fan of the light up warp engines, it looked stupid to me. The TMP Enterprise only had slightly glowing engines at warp, in the inner grill work on the inboard sides.
Like I previously mentioned TNG hit its best patch of episodes with consistency was 3-5.
-Chris