Star Trek Revamped: New CGI Exterior Shots

In summary, the new HD-DVD releases of Star Trek have replaced some of the dated and cheesy special effects with more realistic CGI.
  • #1
Janus
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I was flipping through the channels this evening and came across an old Star Trek (original series) episode. Since I hadn't seen one in while (It is shown at 10pm, and lately I've had to get up early Sun AM, and I am in bed by then), I decided to watch it.

I had just recently purchased a 47" HDTV, and the station was being broadcast in digital, but I was still surprised how nice and clear the picture was, and how much detail was visible. The exterior space shots looked particularly good.

When the climax of the show arrived I saw something that really surprised me!

In this episode, the Enterprise has to fly in towards the Sun and then pull away. They showed the Enterprise flying in toward the Sun and then the Enterprise skimming the surface of the Sun. I didn't remember this second shot ever being in the episode! As I watched the rest of the episode, I noted even more differences in the exterior shots than from what I remembered (Now that my attention had been brought to them).

After the show ended I got on the web to see what was up or if my memmory was just playing tricks on me. I found out that it wasn't my memmory. It seems that they have just recently released Star Trek on HD-DVD (apparently this station was showing the HD-DVD episodes which explained the extra detail I noted) . The kicker is that they went back and replaced the exterior space shots with CGI shots. The reason that I didn't remember the shot of the Enterprise skimming the surface of the Sun was that it was not in the original episode.

Now I'm looking forward to seeing what they've done with the other episodes. It's like watching them new all over again.
 
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  • #2
That was one of the Remastered episodes you saw. They've scanned the original negatives using the latest tech and reprocessed the resulting images frame by frame to do colour corrections, remove scratches and other flaws and replaced a lot of the 60s era FX with CG (mostly exterior shots).

The first season of the Remastered series is available now on DVD/HD-DVD combo disks. Second season should be hitting the airwaves (or coax) soon if it hasn't started airing already.

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/TOS/article/28095.html
 
  • #3
Excellent! Now I have an entirely new excuse to watch the series all over again. :biggrin:
 
  • #4
Cool.

Did they manage to enhance the acting as well?
 
  • #5
out of whack said:
Did they manage to enhance the acting as well?

If they did that then it wouldn't be Star Trek!
 
  • #6
Ivan Seeking said:
If they did that then it wouldn't be Star Trek!

Yeah really, cheap FX were part of the original "cachet" of the series so CGI detracts from it. But really the acting is what sealed it so you don't want to screw around with that!
 
  • #7
WOW! This is amazing! I love startrek TOS! :D.. Finally with them graphix up to date..

Hope they'll do the lot..

But.. hey.. wait a min. Isn't it a danger they'll destroy the beauty by cheap effects? Sharpening up the images is cool.. but, obvious digital arts are bad.. :(
 
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  • #8
Some hardcore ST purists are definitely not fans of the new CG, some saying it looks too artificial, lacks the texture of the original models, etc. To me it seems somewhat incongruous seeing 60s stage FX (kind of hard to replace some of that with CG) mixed with 21st century CG. I still like it though. It's changed visually, but it's not like the plot or underlying themes have been altered.

A few weeks ago The Menagerie was shown in theaters in all its HD glory. It was pretty cool seeing it on a big screen.
 
  • #9
Here's a link that shows an example of the difference between the original version and the new tweaked version.

http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/feature/bst/tos-enhanced/tos-019a/pop.html [Broken]
 
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  • #10
Wow, I had no idea that they'd remastered Star Trek. Sounds interesting. So is the first season on the air already?

Incidentally I can see why some of the "purists" might be upset about this. Alas, we all love Star Trek, but the special effects were downright horrible compared to what we've got today.
 

1. What is "Star Trek Revamped: New CGI Exterior Shots"?

"Star Trek Revamped: New CGI Exterior Shots" is a project that aims to update the visual effects of the original Star Trek series by replacing the original exterior shots with new, high-quality CGI shots. This project was created by a team of dedicated fans and has gained a lot of popularity among Star Trek fans.

2. Why was this project created?

This project was created as a way to modernize the visual effects of the original Star Trek series and enhance the viewing experience for fans. The original exterior shots were limited by the technology of the time, and this project seeks to bring them up to the standards of today's CGI capabilities.

3. How were the new CGI shots created?

The new CGI shots were created using advanced CGI software and techniques. The team behind this project also used reference materials from the original series to ensure accuracy and maintain the overall look and feel of the show.

4. Will the new CGI shots replace the original shots in the show?

No, the new CGI shots will not replace the original shots in the show. This project is intended to be an alternate version of the original series and will not affect the original episodes in any way. Fans can choose to watch the original series or the revamped version, depending on their preference.

5. Is this project officially endorsed by the creators of Star Trek?

No, this project is not officially endorsed by the creators of Star Trek. It is a fan-made project created out of love for the franchise. However, the creators of Star Trek have acknowledged and appreciated the effort put into this project by the fans.

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