# FYI Star Trek TOS on Netflix has the Updated FX **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, netflix\ **Created:** [May 23, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324 "2020-05-23T02:11:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/1 "2020-05-23T02:11:17Z")
Maybe this was common knowledge and has been this way a long time (I only just noticed) but if you watch the original Star Trek on Netflix you can see the updated special effects that had previously only been available on the Blu Ray sets. Never been a better time to watch 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/2 "2020-05-23T03:03:13Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Maybe this was common knowledge and has been this way a long time (I only just noticed) but if you watch the original Star Trek on Netflix you can see the updated special effects that had previously only been available on the Blu Ray sets. Never been a better time to watch 🙂 They’ve been showing the enhanced episodes in syndication on regular TV for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/3 "2020-05-23T03:14:01Z")
Actually, I found that quite annoying. I recently rewatched TOS on Netflix. I would have preferred to see the original effects in all their 1960s tawdriness. It’s not like they improved anything else about them. It’s sort of like watching a colorized black and white film. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/4 "2020-05-23T12:52:59Z")
In many cases, the improved effects just make the planet they’re orbiting look better, but don’t really add much to the story. On the other hand, there are episodes like “The Doomsday Machine” where the updated effects really do serve the story and make the episode much more enjoyable to watch. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/5 "2020-05-23T13:20:26Z")
I think they did a good job in updating the effects. The old ones were often distractingly bad; the updated ones look better while still being only a subtle background to the story. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/6 "2020-05-23T15:52:13Z")
Yeah, at least the special effects guys didn’t overdo it like in the Star Wars flicks. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/7 "2020-05-24T02:52:57Z")
The effects were shot-for-shot identical with the original, to avoid changing any aspect of the story. The problem with the old effects wasn’t just that they were 60’s effects, but that in HD they just didn’t pass muster at all. Apparently you could see a lot of the stuff that people weren’t supposed to see, and it really broke the fourth wall. I’m not even sure if the original effects scenes were done in widescreen. I love the care that was taken to make everything look just the same, only better. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/8 "2020-05-24T03:19:05Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I’m not even sure if the original effects scenes were done in widescreen. I pretty sure that very few approaching none TV shows from the 1960s had anything whatsoever done in widescreen. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/9 "2020-05-24T07:04:20Z")
No, but they were often shot on film, and could be re-scanned in high definition and re-mastered into wide screen, but the fx were often shot differently at lower resolution that couldn’t be upscaled. The Next Generation had its fx composited on 480i video tape, and simply wasn’t usable for upscaling. I’m not sure how the effects on the original series were done. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/10 "2020-05-24T11:35:35Z")
But you can still see the wire on Nomad. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/11 "2020-05-24T12:25:19Z")
what’s really bad is Han does not shoot first ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/12 "2020-05-24T12:39:28Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I’m not sure how the effects on the original series were done. Animation (e.g., phasers firing) Scale models (on stationary mounts, with the camera moving) Matte shots (e.g., stellar backgrounds, or viewscreens filmed separately and then superimposed through masked film using an optical printer) Clever use of materials (e.g., photographing aluminum dust falling through a strong light to create the transporter “glitter” effect) All episodes were shot on 35mm film. Some were transferred to 16mm for broadcast outside the US (in, e.g., Canada). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/13 "2020-05-24T14:06:31Z")
I recall that the Spock Remote in _Spock’s Brain_ now has a keypad instead of three buttons. On edit: I believe that is also the episode where you now see a rocket instead of a blip of light. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/14 "2020-05-24T14:29:16Z")
There are good parts and bad parts. Two episodes are definitely better: Alreeady mentioned was “The Doomsday Machine,” because the machine is so massive. But there’s also “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” where they can actually show the sun! It adds so much. I just wish they’d also had the plain original version that they rescanned in HD. That way you could watch certain episodes that looked better before they “improved” the effects. Heck, I’ve actually thought it would be interesting to mix and match a bit. In particular, I’d love to take out those new establishing shot digital matte paintings that mostly exist to cover up cuts to remove effects. They’re too short in duration and the juxtaposition between them and the actual set is too jarring. It’s my impression that, since they knew that the originals would also be in HD, they didn’t bother being conservative with their changes. With TNG (which was shot on film but the effects were all on video), they did a much better job, to the point that I don’t really see the point in looking at the originals anymore, other than maybe for the curious to compare them–like if you wanted to remember what the original Crystalline Entity looked like. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/15 "2020-05-24T14:52:10Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I recall that the Spock Remote in _Spock’s Brain_ now has a keypad instead of three buttons. > > On edit: I believe that is also the episode where you now see a rocket instead of a blip of light. The original Eymorg spaceship was the same one used in the _ **Time Tunnel** _ episode “Visitors from Beyond the Stars” (S01, E18). [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_W-YLdWQBs) It has since been replaced with a totally different design: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4Qzzkw-FSwc/maxresdefault.jpg "Star Trek - Spock's Brain - visual effects comparison") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qzzkw-FSwc) You may be thinking of “Journey to Babel”: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K8FnIjzGCVY/maxresdefault.jpg "Star Trek - Journey To Babel - visual effects comparison") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8FnIjzGCVY) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/16 "2020-05-24T15:18:57Z")
[quote=“terentii, post:15, topic:854324”] You may be thinking of “Journey to Babel”: [/QUOTE] Thanks, I was. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/17 "2020-05-24T17:19:19Z")
I don’t like 'em. Didn’t like New Coke, either. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/18 "2020-05-24T20:18:43Z")
The new effects are on my set of DVDs, so it isn’t just Blu Ray that have them. I love the new effects. Aside from the mentioned Doomsday machine, where you can see the Constellation wallowing around, the anti-matter explosion in Obsession leaves YUGE crater with rays running half the planet. Also it really does look like the atmosphere is gone. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-star-trek-tos-on-netflix-has-the-updated-fx/854324/19 "2020-06-02T05:10:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > There are good parts and bad parts. Two episodes are definitely better: Alreeady mentioned was “The Doomsday Machine,” because the machine is so massive. But there’s also “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” where they can actually show the sun! It adds so much… Yes, those two episodes are definitely improved by the updated sfx. Also “All Our Yesterdays,” with the supernova of Sarpeidon in the closing scene.