I bought the Blu Ray Star Trek re-mastered discs of series 1 yesterday. In case you don’t know what has has been done, the original series of Star Trek has been re-mastered for high definition TV. They went back to the original negatives, scanned and restored them digitally. While they were at it, they re-did all the effects digitally. The USS Enterprise exists in more than the 5 or 6 stock library shots orbiting fuzzy planets. Dodgy mattes of planet surfaces have been redone too. They also re-recorded the music using Alexandra Courage’s original score and orchestra specifications.

The result is surprising. I was expecting it to be a bit of a train crash, and it is a bit of a shock seeing the Enterprise in such detail, but after watching 3 episodes, I feel it works. What IS surprising is the quality of the original footage. I am so used to seeing it on blurry TV transmissions, seeing it restored is a revelation. It really does look new, as if it was made last year.

I am in two minds as to whether this should have been done - part of thinks that it should be preserved in the grainy, fuzzy format to which we are used. Another part of me wants to see it at its best. The new effects are done sympathetically, and at times they help to illustrate what is being said is being done. The switch between 1960’s TV and 208 CGI is a jolt to begin with, because I am expecting certain things, but I am getting used to it. The Blu Ray discs hve both new and original versions, so you can flip between then to “compare and contrast”.

I’ll add that at the moment, I am using a standard definition TV, but a very good quality one, so I am not getting the full HD goodness. What I am getting is far better than what is on the SciFi channel at the moment picture quality wise.

What they can’t do is digitally spruce up William Shatner’s performance.

Any chance of a screenshot of the new CGI Enterprise? If the effects are good it might be worth watching.

You will find some here:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31496

Looks quite good, might see if I can rent the Blu-Ray before I buy it.

Whilst i am a fan or remastering etc.... doesn't it just look a bit too *fake*/out of place now ?

I mean the first pic of the Constellation was very nice, but then the second one...wtf ? Looked like it came straight out of some 3D modelling program or something .. same with the rest of them .

I'm with you on that one, it does look a bit 'false', the top one was brilliant, but the others seemed, a bit too computerised.

Looks great i must investigate this blue ray thingy.

I actually happened to watch the original Doomsday Machine on DVD ealier today. From what I have seen, this episode is one of the best at showing off what CGI can do to bring some more realism to Trek in the 21st century.

To be honest though, I don't mind the original effects; Star Trek was meant to be story- and character-driven from the start, using the effects shots as visual aid, rather than as a tool to keep the story moving, as is the case with the new movie.

Yes I agree but you have to admit if some one can make it better .WOW, sorry if I am carried away.

I think the aim was not to make it too realistic - to do so would require a total re shoot of every episode with new sets. The CGI seems to be deliberately done to make it look slightly less real, which helps it fit in with the rest of the programme.

IMO from just having seen that and not seeing how they've redone the "normal" scenes it just feels even more out of place now... i think the whole "charm" of it before was that yes, they had tacky backdrops and polystyrene boulders etc but when in conjunction with the model star ships etc. it just fit in place.

Now it just seems like there's going to be the old polystyrene boulders/ plastic prop sets but with CGI graphics and to me it just seems like a mismatch of... ehh not time zones but something similar.

Sort of how like when they "remastered" Star Wars and CGI'd Jabba... it looked really out of place on such an old film imo, however in the prequel trilogy where the look and feel was consistent it blended in and didn't look out of place.