ST:TMP BluRay

[USS Mariner]

Thank you Paramount for keeping the original version of the movie intact, and not subjecting us to Robert Wise's mood swings (the so-called "director's cut")

Ya. How dare Robert Wise revisit his own movie. Who does he think he is?

To be honest, the effort that Paramount put into the DE is nothing short of a disservice to both the original filmcrew and the fans, just from a technical standpoint alone. In short, compared to similar efforts by other companies on other DE's and restored prints, they were beyond cheap in most areas. You'd be suprised at how much effort they put into not doing it like Wise would have in '79.

I'd ouline the specifics myself, but TGT, DS9Sega, and trevainian are the triumverate experts here concerning the behind-the-scenes machinations on the DE, and there have been several ginormous threads about it here since it came out.

 

[Doug Otte]

They said they cut Kirk's second "Viewer off!" because they felt it would have been bad for all those crew members seeing a senior officer freeze. I never thought that. They cut Kirk's "Oh my God!" after the transporter accident because they said it was to campy, and did not fit with the tone of the scene.

I know you're just reporting what they said, but I completely disagree. I thought seeing Uhura freeze after such a horrific event was very real and added emotional punch to the scene.

Doug

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The computer wasn't holding a conversation with anyone, it was playing back recorded messages.

No, it wasn't. Computers back in 1970 - the ones at Mission Control, anyway - didn't do that. And the computer on board the spacecraft itself certainly couldn't.

The voices that aren't the astronauts are the Mission Control people talking to them.

 

[Jeyl]

I thought seeing Uhura freeze after such a horrific event was very real and added emotional punch to the scene.

What are you talking about? They all froze when the station vanished. They were all staring dead eye at the screen. The punch is still there. We don't need to make Lt. Uhura into a Mr. Baily to give it more impact.

 

[Joker]

The computer wasn't holding a conversation with anyone, it was playing back recorded messages.

No, it wasn't. Computers back in 1970 - the ones at Mission Control, anyway - didn't do that. And the computer on board the spacecraft itself certainly couldn't.

The voices that aren't the astronauts are the Mission Control people talking to them.

I was refering to the Enterprise's computer.

 

[Jeyl]

I was refering to the Enterprise's computer.

You mean the broken record?

Attention launch crew, a travel pod is now available at cargo six. Attention launch crew, a travel pod is now available at cargo six. Tavel pod available. Cargo six. Engineering to all decks, auxiliary power test in three minutes. Engineering to all deck, auxiliary power test in three minutes. Mark. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Security Scan, one boarder. Identity starfleet inactive. Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! The ship is on Red Alert! Incoming fire ahead zero mark zero. Incoming fire ahead zero mark zero. Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Emergency Alert. Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder location, a sonic shower. Temperature at intruder location. Temperature drop rapid now. Six, Zero degrees. Five, Zero degrees. Temperature care flattening. Four, five degrees. Four, zero degrees. Temperature leveling. Three, nine degrees. Holding at three, seven point six five degrees. Holding at three seven point six five degrees.

If I had to endure this in a spaceship, I'd probably lose interest in the final frontier.

 

[RyanKCR]

They said they cut Kirk's second "Viewer off!" because they felt it would have been bad for all those crew members seeing a senior officer freeze. I never thought that. They cut Kirk's "Oh my God!" after the transporter accident because they said it was to campy, and did not fit with the tone of the scene.

I know you're just reporting what they said, but I completely disagree. I thought seeing Uhura freeze after such a horrific event was very real and added emotional punch to the scene.

Doug

That's how I saw it and what I liked too. About the only changes that I like were some of the visual effects changes. I just learned that the nacelle in the windows was done wrong because they didn't know where in the ship they were. They believed it was the back of the Rec Deck, not the area aft and below the bridge.

 

[RyanKCR]

I was refering to the Enterprise's computer.

You mean the broken record?

Attention launch crew, a travel pod is now available at cargo six. Attention launch crew, a travel pod is now available at cargo six. Tavel pod available. Cargo six. Engineering to all decks, auxiliary power test in three minutes. Engineering to all deck, auxiliary power test in three minutes. Mark. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Security Scan, one boarder. Identity starfleet inactive. Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! The ship is on Red Alert! Incoming fire ahead zero mark zero. Incoming fire ahead zero mark zero. Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Emergency Alert. Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder location, a sonic shower. Temperature at intruder location. Temperature drop rapid now. Six, Zero degrees. Five, Zero degrees. Temperature care flattening. Four, five degrees. Four, zero degrees. Temperature leveling. Three, nine degrees. Holding at three, seven point six five degrees. Holding at three seven point six five degrees.

If I had to endure this in a spaceship, I'd probably lose interest in the final frontier.

For me when I saw the film thise are the kind of things that made it more real to me.

 

[Doug Otte]

I thought seeing Uhura freeze after such a horrific event was very real and added emotional punch to the scene.

What are you talking about? They all froze when the station vanished. They were all staring dead eye at the screen. The punch is still there. We don't need to make Lt. Uhura into a Mr. Baily to give it more impact.

"What are you talking about?" That sounds like something my teenage daughter would say in a huff.

However, that's fine if you prefer it without the additional line; I like it better the original way. I also like Shatner's choking delivery of the second line. It shows how shocked he was, as well.

Doug

 

[Maurice]

And for more fun, Wise used the same concept with his movie Andromeda strain... Computers using prerecorded responses to audibly interact with humans, again based of of the same technology used in the Apollo capsule.

Which they didn't use in Apollo 13...

It's there, albeit briefly.

 

[Jeyl]

And for more fun, Wise used the same concept with his movie Andromeda strain... Computers using prerecorded responses to audibly interact with humans, again based of of the same technology used in the Apollo capsule.

Which they didn't use in Apollo 13...

It's there, albeit briefly.

Where?

 

[trevanian]

I was refering to the Enterprise's computer.

You mean the broken record?

Attention launch crew, a travel pod is now available at cargo six. Attention launch crew, a travel pod is now available at cargo six. Tavel pod available. Cargo six. Engineering to all decks, auxiliary power test in three minutes. Engineering to all deck, auxiliary power test in three minutes. Mark. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Malfunction. Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Security Scan, one boarder. Identity starfleet inactive. Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! The ship is on Red Alert! Incoming fire ahead zero mark zero. Incoming fire ahead zero mark zero. Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Negative control at helm. Emergency Alert. Emergency Alert. Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Intruder location, a sonic shower. Temperature at intruder location. Temperature drop rapid now. Six, Zero degrees. Five, Zero degrees. Temperature care flattening. Four, five degrees. Four, zero degrees. Temperature leveling. Three, nine degrees. Holding at three, seven point six five degrees. Holding at three seven point six five degrees.

If I had to endure this in a spaceship, I'd probably lose interest in the final frontier.

If you didn't listen to it, you probably wouldn't live long enough to lose interest in that frontier, cuz the environment would kill you.

 

[Jeyl]

If you didn't listen to it, you probably wouldn't live long enough to lose interest in that frontier, cuz the environment would kill you.

Better than listening to that voice again.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

No, sorry.

Paramount are paying me too well for it.

I hope your happy, yes i have the Br movie box set an TOS box-set.......and even though my credit card hates you, i have to say you were right.....my Jaw hit the floor when i started up TMP tonight, i have never seen Star trek look so amazing......words cant really describe the picture quality of the movies.....I am at a loss for words, its like i am seeing the movies again for the first time...the detail is just jaw dropping beyond belief.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Maurice]

Which they didn't use in Apollo 13...

It's there, albeit briefly.

Where?

2:01 in this clip. As lights come on on the panel, a recorded voice instantly says "MAIN BUS A UNDERVOLT" and an instant later an astronaut repeats this to Mission Control. He's reporting it to Mission Control, not getting it from them.

 

[Ziz]

Go back a second or two in that clip and listen to the inflection of the words.

Haise: "Shit, it's Main Bus A"
Voice: "Main Bus A Undervolt?"
Haise: "Houston, we have a Main Bus A Undervolt now too..."

The Voice isn't making a statement, it's asking a question. Haise answers by repeating the words instead of just saying "Yes" or "Affirmative".

Moving on...

Cut to Mission Control, then cut to Swigert trying to seal the hatch. A voice over the system says "You are breaking up, 13." That voice is EXACTLY the same as this "recorded" voice you're referring to.

The Voice is someone at Mission Control, not a recording on board the capsule.

 

[trevanian]

If you didn't listen to it, you probably wouldn't live long enough to lose interest in that frontier, cuz the environment would kill you.

Better than listening to that voice again.

Looking forward to it.

 

[ST-One]

They said they cut Kirk's second "Viewer off!" because they felt it would have been bad for all those crew members seeing a senior officer freeze. I never thought that. They cut Kirk's "Oh my God!" after the transporter accident because they said it was to campy, and did not fit with the tone of the scene.

I know you're just reporting what they said, but I completely disagree. I thought seeing Uhura freeze after such a horrific event was very real and added emotional punch to the scene.

Doug

That's how I saw it and what I liked too. About the only changes that I like were some of the visual effects changes. I just learned that the nacelle in the windows was done wrong because they didn't know where in the ship they were. They believed it was the back of the Rec Deck, not the area aft and below the bridge.

That particular effect shot looks ... bad.
But where else is such a window found on the Enterprise than on the back of the saucer-section?

 

[Captain Pike]

Just got the Blu-Ray Original Series Movies Box Set myself. Movies 1-6, and I am watching TMP as I type this.

I am torn between this and the DE.

On the one hand, this does look amazing. And it has several scenes which I wish had of been included in the DE.

However, there are still some SFX shots which are irritating. Vulcan with no sky and with moons for one. The aft-facing shot looking out towards the nacelles from near the top of the saucer when Spock's shuttle is en-route has the nacelles far too close together. And the 'wing-walk' sequence of course still has the saucer contour all wrong (far too steep), I think the director's edition improves on all these areas.

I can't go past how crisp these images look in HD, but I think the (currently non-existant) ultimate version would be some sort of amalgam of this and the DE.

 

[trevanian]

The aft-facing shot looking out towards the nacelles from near the top of the saucer when Spock's shuttle is en-route has the nacelles far too close together.
snip
I think the (currently non-existant) ultimate version would be some sort of amalgam of this and the DE.

The nacelles there don't look perfect, but at least the lighting seems appropriate; I never objected to that because I love the little lounge miniature they are shooting through at the approaching shuttle.

Any ultimate version for me would have to go back and try to recreate the original discarded Vulcan for TMP, which is basically a really good version of the Vulcan you see in the theatrical, before Paramount pulled it from Trumbull's guys and gave it to somebody else to do (TGT has some info on this.) I also wouldn't be adverse to somebody trying to apply a few of the Abel/Taylor warpbubble/spectral colorshift notions to some Enterprise flybys just to get an idea of how it MIGHT have worked (you probably wouldn't even need to do a CG ENT, just use the existing model shots and then do the roto and graphics over it.)

Also, any ultimate edition for me would have lots of trims, since some of the stuff I dislike most seems to be in all cuts, like the guy escaping Epsilon 9, which wouldn't pass muster except on a Gerry Anderson show in my book.