TMP-DE fully restored in 4K…it’s about time!

[David cgc]

One area that hasn't been showcased in a 'preview' sense is the audio of this new edition. I'm curious as to how much raw ADR takes they have access to for the bridge portions of the film. Watching the Director's Edition DVD recently, it really sounds like the sound team only had the finished audio mix to work with because some moments feel rough. For example, the first attack on the Enterprise from the theatrical edition.

I remember when I saw the anniversary screening of the theatrical cut a couple years ago, I noticed a lot more background audio than I was used to. I assumed it was the theater using more of the mix than the stereo speakers I'd normally hear the movie with, but I was flipping through the new 4K release, and that also had the same additional background noises.

I do hope that the new mix is a bit closer to the TE than the 2001 DE was. I liked the additions, the bridge noises and the extra bleep-boops from button pushing (especially the transporter button), but the replacements never quite sat right for me. The more electronic-sound warp-drive sound, the additional screaming for the V'Ger energy bolts, and especially the new red alert alarm, which always went on too long, and never felt like it belonged in the scene, but was just overlayed on top (oddly, the different alarms that were added in the Engineering scenes sounded good to me).

 

[Vger23]

Yeah, I didn’t like the replacement of the alert klaxon or the computer voice.

 

[Indysolo]

I think that's just the lyrics to the original Star Trek theme that Gene Roddenberry added so he could rip off Alexander Courage of both his royalties and theme credit (La-La Land Records still credits the original theme to both Alexander Courage and Gene Roddenberry). Wonder if anyone warned Goldsmith or Kusik about those fine details in Gene's contracts.

That's not what's being talked about. There is a lyric change to "A Star Beyond Time."

In the Cassidy version on the LLL release, the line is, "Come with me, we'll conquer the unknown." In the cover version the lyric is, "Come with me, we'll star trek the unknown."

 

[Jeyl]

I do hope that the new mix is a bit closer to the TE than the 2001 DE was.

Why? The Theatrical Edition is on 4K with no 'Director's Edition' specific audio changes anywhere.

Yeah, I didn’t like the replacement of the alert klaxon or the computer voice.

That's good you don't like the computer voice because with the exception of a few moments (Where it's now appropriately voiced by a woman), the voice is now gone.

 

[Jeyl]

That's not what he was talking about. There is a lyric change to "A Star Beyond Time."

In the Cassidy version on the LLL release, the line is, "Come with me, we'll conquer the unknown." In the cover version the lyric is, "Come with me, we'll star trek the unknown."

Where is it?

 

[Indysolo]

Where is it?

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[Tomalak]

Why? The Theatrical Edition is on 4K with no 'Director's Edition' specific audio changes anywhere.

I don't think the Blu-ray or the new 4K verison has the original stereo soundtrack does it? They have a remixed 7.1 track.

I'm not sure what major changes there were, if any, but it's not *technically* the original theatrical soundtrack.

 

[Vger23]

Why? The Theatrical Edition is on 4K with no 'Director's Edition' specific audio changes anywhere.


That's good you don't like the computer voice because with the exception of a few moments (Where it's now appropriately voiced by a woman), the voice is now gone.

I think you misunderstood me. I was saying that I missed the original alert noise and the computer voice that was in the TE. I wish the DE had kept them in.

 

[Jeyl]

I think you misunderstood me. I was saying that I missed the original alert noise and the computer voice that was in the TE. I wish the DE had kept them in.

From my perspective, the computer voices are loud, obnoxious, redundant, out of place for Star Trek. Everything that is said by the computer is already spoken aloud by our characters. And I cannot stress this enough, the Enterprise is a lady! You don't have to take my word for it.

Scotty: How in the name of hell do they expect to have her ready in twelve hours? - She needs more work sir, a shakedown.
Kirk: Ready, or not, she launches in twelve hours. - They gave her back to me, Scotty.
Scotty: Gave her back sir? - She'll launch on time, sir, ...and she'll be ready.
Sulu: He wanted her back. He got her!
Decker: Don't worry, she'll launch on schedule if we have to tow her out with our bare hands. You don't know her a tenth as well as I do.
Scotty: I cannot guarantee that she'll hold up.
Kirk: Steady as she goes.
Scotty: If we don't break free in 15 seconds she'll burn up!
​

So why is a ship that is referred to in the female pronoun have a male computer voice? It's not only out of place in context, but also out of character for the Enterprise herself since she has had a female computer voice both before and after this one movie. I had no idea how much I loathed that voice until it was gone. It made the film feel more like Star Trek!

 

[fireproof78]

Ships are traditionally referred to by female pronouns. It would have no bearing on an automated voice.

 

[Jeyl]

Ships are traditionally referred to by female pronouns. It would have no bearing on an automated voice.

I'm sure there are hundreds of instances in Star Trek where things are done differently when compared to how they would be done in real life. What's your point? I think having the computer's voice be more consistent with how it's been handled over the course of the franchise is a bit more important than what 'may' have been done in real life.

 

[Transaction Declined]

Perhaps Wise wanted to differentiate TMP from Ridley Scott’s Alien (released six months earlier) which had a woman voicing Nostromo’s “Mother” A.I.

 

[fireproof78]

I'm sure there are hundreds of instances in Star Trek where things are done differently when compared to how they would be done in real life. What's your point? I think having the computer's voice be more consistent with how it's been handled over the course of the franchise is a bit more important than what 'may' have been done in real life.

Given when TMP happened in the course of the franchise it would be setting the tone, for starters. More my point is that calling a ship 'she" does not automatically mean female computer voice, at least to my mind.

 

[Jeyl]

More my point is that calling a ship 'she" does not automatically mean female computer voice, at least to my mind.

Well, the folks who made TOS thought the Enterprise should a female computer voice. And you know what? So did Robert Wise and the folks who were making the Director's Edition of TMP. And that is where we're at now.

 

[fireproof78]

Well, the folks who made TOS thought the Enterprise should a female computer voice. And you know what? So did Robert Wise and the folks who were making the Director's Edition of TMP. And that is where we're at now.

And that's more fair than saying it's out of place in context.

 

[Kor]

I can't remember if the audio commentary or the making-of features discussed the change in the computer voice for the DE. Certain DE changes were rather arbitrary though, such as gratuitous insertion of a TOS-era shuttlecraft in the San Francisco landing bay just as a "look at me!!" easter egg.

Kor

 

[Therin of Andor]

In the Cassidy version on the LLL release, the line is, "Come with me, we'll conquer the unknown." In the cover version the lyric is, "Come with me, we'll star trek the unknown."

Correct. Someone reminded Roddenberry (or he noticed by himself) that the Federation doesn't "conquer", hence the change for later releases.

 

[Therin of Andor]

gratuitous insertion of a TOS-era shuttlecraft in the San Francisco landing bay just as a "look at me!!" easter egg.

IIRC, that was because it was realised the TMP was less than three years after TOS in Star Trek time, so at least a few remnants of TOS were useful additions. The other one (in the theatrical) was Uhura's earpiece, which only made it into the production when Nichelle asked where her earpiece was, on the first day of principal photography. And someone remembered seeing two of them in storage.

I think you misunderstood me. I was saying that I missed the original alert noise and the computer voice that was in the TE. I wish the DE had kept them in.

Many fans complained about the male voice and klaxons in 1979. Had audience previews been possible, their opinions might have been picked up on and the tracks changed before premiere night.

 

[Transaction Declined]

Many fans complained about the male voice and klaxons in 1979. Had audience previews been possible, their opinions might have been picked up on and the tracks changed before premiere night.

It appears that TMP's original filmmakers may have turned out to be correct concerning the superior effectiveness of a male voice for the NCC-1701 Refit's bridge warning system, namely:

Arrabito in 2009, however, at Defence Research and Development Canada in Toronto, found that with simulated cockpit background radio traffic, a male voice rather than a female voice, in a monotone or urgent announcing style, resulted in the largest proportion of correct and fastest identification response times to verbal warnings, regardless of the gender of the listener.

Wikipedia.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

That's not what's being talked about. There is a lyric change to "A Star Beyond Time."

In the Cassidy version on the LLL release, the line is, "Come with me, we'll conquer the unknown." In the cover version the lyric is, "Come with me, we'll star trek the unknown."

I'm using "come with me, we'll star trek the unknown" as a pick up line now.