The 40th anniversary of the TV premiere of Star Trek is fast approaching in a few days. Compared to all the hubbub surrounding the 25th and 30th anniversaries, it was going to pass with almost no fanfare...Until this week.
The announcement has been made that the original series is going back into syndication on September 16th, this time with updated, CG visual effects. (This is not to be confused with an old test of that very concept made a few years ago by an independent FX house, recently discussed on Mkae's blog.)
Given the poor results of the various "updates" and "special editions" of the last decade or so, I generally find myself on the purist, "don't mess with it" side of the fence. But so far, I feel in more neutral territory here.
First of all, it's not as though Paramount is trying to scour the original episodes off the face of planet, a la Lucas and Star Wars. (And before you point out the soon-to-be-released "original Star Wars films" on DVD, be aware of the major controversy among DVD fanatics.) They've already released the original Trek episodes on DVD. In fact, they released them at their full, original air length of 50+ minutes... in subsequent syndication for modern television, as much as 8 minutes was cut from every episode. So you'll be able to still see the classic version, if that's what you want.
Secondly, they seem to have their hearts in the right place as far as preserving the "look" of show. If done with a similar approach to the souped-up FX in the Star Trek: The Motion(less) Picture DVD, it could come out rather well.
Thirdly, there are lots of Trek fans today who call themselves Trek fans purely on the basis of the various spin-off series. I mean, The Next Generation is going to turn 20 years old next year. (Damn!) Plenty of people out there have never seen the original series (or much of it), and if this is incentive to get them to do it, then I think it's probably a good thing. There were plenty of dogs in there, sure, but also a great many wonderful episodes.
So, we'll see just what we'll see when the new "Balance of Terror" is set to run a few weeks from now.
6 comments:
I wonder if they will re-do the Gorn or Tholian to match the ones from Enterprise? I'm kinda excited, it sounds like a cool idea. but I have a feeling that no matter how good they make it look, it will still come off like a fan-made thing and not really look "official".
The reeeeaaaaalllyyy cool thing would be to add the DS9 people into the Tribbles episode. that would be mega awesome.
the mole
I've pondered the same things as The Mole.
I see no reason why the Gorn, Tholians, or Melkotians can't be updated. TOS was the last time we saw such an array of interesting aliens. It would be a shame to pass them up.
The one I really want to see is "The Doomsday Machine." But not for the reason you may think. Part of that episode's drama was being trapped on the Enterprise, the Constellation, or the shuttlecraft with the characters. I hope the new CGI doesn't distract from the natural tension of the script.
One could probably point the evolution from filmed science fiction to "sci-fi" the moment effects became cheaper. What was left to the imagination is now out in the open. It's a bit sad. I wonder if anyone could pull off a successful science fiction epic without a ton of effects.
I suppose I should draw the line between space opera and science fiction. The former NEEDS effects while the latter really doesn't.
That is all.
Crap... I'm not gonna be able to see this... :(
I have been saying they needed to do this for probably 10 years...
And now that they finally do... I'm not gonna be able to see it..
Well, now's the time to see if I have alternatives :D
What really impresses me about this is that they did it completely under the radar. The story really only broke about a week ago and the first episode is set to air in a little over 3 weeks. That is simply amazing. I'm looking forward to the. The USS Defiant from Enterprise and the USS Enterprise from DS9 were both very good examples of how you can retain the classic feel with modern tech.
Almost totally unrelated, but I was trying to drop you a line, Dr. Heimlich. I didn't have an email address handy. I bet you probably already know about this, but if not, tonight is the first episode.
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