Trek Tos
Impressions of Star Trek Remastered
At a time when Star Trek had been aired so frequently that prints were dull, scratched and hazy, Paramount/CBS decided it was time to remaster the original series (TOS) by cleaning up the original master prints, increasing the picture quality and re-recording the background music. Then they took the decision to take a further step and replace the old special effects shots with digital CGI animations.
This venture was spurred on by the arrival of High Definition DVDs in the consumer marketplace. Only a year ago (late 2007), there was all-out war between the two competing High-Def formats: HDDVD and Blu-Ray. Neither side seemed to appeal more than the other to the consumer. All that changed in February 2008 when Warner Bros. finally decided to exclusively support the Blu-ray format.
One of HDDVD’s weapons, though, was the release of the remastered first series of the original Star Trek. Toshiba, who were investing heavily in HDDVD, invested a sizeable amount of money into the remastering project and the release of the remastered TOS series was heavily promoted.
All the original series of Star Trek were shot on film which is inherently a high-definition, high-contrast medium. It was also shot using filmatic techniques. Later series of Star Trek such as Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager were all shot on video, an inherently low-to-medium definition, low contrast medium. As well, Star Trek: The Next Generation especially, was shot using a flat lighting that was in vogue at the time. What this means is that it’s [very that any of these series will ever make an appearance in high definition on Blu-Ray. I wouldn't be surprised if Star Trek: The Original Series does make an appearance on Blu-Ray at some point in the future.
Ok, so what are my impressions of the Remastered Series?
Well, first off, it looks gorgeous in High Def. The original 4:3 aspect ratio has been kept and the prints are exceptionally clean and crisp. Contrast has been boosted somewhat so images have more punch. The only downside I can see is the common criticism levelled at high definition: you can see too much detail. For example on the HDDVD you can see the zippers on the cast's shirts.
The HDDVD release featured a High-Definition version on one side and standard definition on the other side (so it plays in a normal DVD player). Both sides have a good set of extras with little material being repeated.
Now the rest of this review will look at the standard definition DVD releases of the remastered series.
A few months ago, the first series of the Remastered Star Trek was made available in a standard DVD edition. Since then, the second series has been released and TOS: Season Three will be available in November. For those who already own the previously released version of the series on DVD (without remastered special effects and music), is there a good reason to buy yet another edition of TOS?
For me, having grown up watching the series, I just had to get the HDDVD version. I was more interested in image quality and the show looking as pristine as it did straight out of the camera in the 1960s. I was somewhat dubious about the new effects replacing old ship and other special effects shots and whether they'd be intrusive. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The FX do make the show even better, giving it a more immersive quality and drawing you further into each episode.
All the effects shots were created inhouse by CBS (who now own the rights to the TV series). While, for the most part, they've done an outstanding job, a few ship FX look plasticy rather than like hammered metal. The company that did the {effects for Enterprise~I believe the company that created the effects for Enterprise} were originally considered to create the TOS effects but their expenses were too high and so CBS did the FX inhouse instead.
What makes the Star Trek Remastered so enjoyable is that they aren't trying to alter or re-imagine the episodes (for better or worse). There's no "look at what we can do" attitude here. Instead what they've done is clean the show up and presented it exactly as it was originally meant to be, musical note for note, shot for shot. The background music has been re-recorded completely, but aside from the fact that it's now crystal clear (and in 5.1 Dolby Digital) you'd never know it. FX shots of the ship have been rendered with CGI, but it's hard to tell any difference (except on rare occassions), and it now looks brilliant instead of worn out, washed out and incredibly grainy. The new CGI effects fit seamlessly amongst the original live-action footage. Remember those black matte lines, especially around the Enterprise as it orbited a planet? They're gone. And Fuzzy images? They are also a thing of the past. The colors are brighter, the shadows are deeper and Star Trek has never looked as stunning.
As I mentioned earlier, I was dubious about a version of Star Trek that replaced spacecraft models with CGI or tampered with the originally recorded musical compositions. But what they've done here is so faithful, that there's nothing that you can do but applaud their efforts. It's obvious that the work has been carried out by people who love the series. It's just a pity it's not being put to better use. Paramount has decided not to air this new version in high-def, even though they now have the ability and technology to do it. Combine that with how difficult they're making it to see it on cable and satellite, and it's hard to find a reason for bothering with it on television.
Better to beam this pristine version of one of TV's most loved and classic shows onto DVD at warp speed. And if you bought into HDDVD and don't have the Remastered HDDVD, pick that one up instead. You won't be disappointed.
Star Trek TOS Remastered Intro
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