Original Star Trek's getting a facelift
 

Remastering Star Trek: TOS FX, Music Enhanced

startrek.com
08.31.2006

Star Trek journeys to the 21st century as the Original Series returns to broadcast syndication for the first time in 16 years with brand-new digitally remastered episodes to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

CBS Paramount Domestic Television has officially announced that they are releasing digitally remastered episodes of Star Trek, with all new special effects and music, to celebrate the groundbreaking series' 40th anniversary, according to John Nogawski, president of CBS Paramount Domestic Television.

The Star Trek episodes will begin airing on the more than 200 stations that own the rights to the weekend broadcast syndication window starting September 16. (As always, please check your local listings for station and dates.) The plan is for all 79 episodes of the Original Series to be remastered, with the first batch of episodes chosen from a list of Star Trek fans' favorite shows. With the running order to be determined, it's unlikely to follow the classic air-date order or production order format familiar to fans.

"Star Trek redefined science-fiction and constantly pushed the envelope with concepts that were ahead of their time," Nogawski said. "By giving the series a digital upgrade using the best technology available today, it will continue to be a leader in cutting-edge television programming as we introduce the series to a new generation of viewers."

The most noticeable change will be redoing many of the special effects, created with 1960s technology, with 21st century computer-generated imagery (CGI). Upgrades include:

Space ship exteriors – The Enterprise, as well as other starships, will be replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The new computer-generated Enterprise is based on the exact measurements of the original model, which now rests in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Show opening – The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence will be redone, giving them depth and dimension for the first time.

Galaxy shots – All the graphics of the galaxy, so frequently seen through the viewscreen on the Enterprise's bridge, will be redone.

Exteriors – The battle scenes, planets and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) will be updated.

Background scenes – Some of the iconic, yet flat, matte paintings used as backdrops for the strange, new worlds explored by the Enterprise crew will get a CGI face-lift, adding atmosphere and lighting.

The refurbished episodes also feature higher quality sound for the famous opening theme. The original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Alexander Courage, has been re-recorded in state-of-the-art digital stereo audio with an orchestra and a female singer belting out the famous vocals. A digitally remastered version of William Shatner's classic original recording of the 38-word "Space, the final frontier..." monologue continues to open each episode.

The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a High-Definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture than before, even when viewed in standard definition. Once stations upgrade and start broadcasting HD signals, the episodes will be all ready for viewers to enjoy in HD.

Say hello to the fancy new Enterprise:

boooo. Things don't have to look fancy in order to be good.

Moooo, whose favorite movie is King Kong (old school style)

Might as well just do the whole thing like they did those animatrix films. It'll look dumb to have all this cgi stuff with the same crappy costumes and bad acting.

Sounds pretty cool, especially the HD part. I haven't watched those originals in 10 plus years.

We've ALREADY got those versions for those that enjoy the classic style. I know I'd prefer to see the original Star Trek in HD glory, but maybe I'm alone in that thinking.

After Lucas's tinkering with the visuals in Star Wars, I've always figured it was just a matter of time until they did this. That's the main reason I never bothered to buy any of the original series DVDs.

I'll buy them now. This is long overdue, and I can't wait to see the revamped episodes.

:thumb:

To me, the primitive FX was half the appeal. Love those green painted styrofoam coffee cups. Not too interested.

Pretty cool.

This will be awesome.

Bump.

I think some of the geeks may have missed this thread (drooling posts from 4th and Long are notably absent :D ).

The first revamped episode, Balance of Terror, airs Saturday. I've got the TiVo ready to go. :thumb:

What channel

Exactly. The cheesy look is part of of the Original Star Treks appeal. Dumb idea and a waste of time, money and energy.

It's in syndication, so you'll have to check locally. For any interested people in the Chicago area, it's being broadcast up here on Channel 26, Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

You should at least check out some of trailers at the official Star Trek site before passing judgment sight unseen. The changes don't look all that drastic (no completely redesigned ships, no altering of dialogue or story line).