# Original Star Trek question: Have they messed with it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2007, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301 "2007-04-16T05:08:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [April 16, 2007, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/1 "2007-04-16T05:08:01Z")
I was watching “The Thoelian Web” (don’t correct the spelling at this point, I’ve been drinking) and noticed some subtle changes. Exterior shots of the ship seemed “pretty damn cool!” and the phasers were “bitchen!”. Now, this was local tv, off the dish net, and its botherd me for a few days. Then I watched “Immunity Syndrome” (or something like that), where they shoot Spock into the Giant Amoeba in a shuttlecraft. Its pretty obvious that this has been “tweeked” so to speak. There are whole sequences that seem CGI. Have “they” F’ed with the Original Star Trek? Who? How? When? ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/2 "2007-04-16T05:12:00Z")
You betcha! [Star Trek Remastered](http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/23775.html) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/3 "2007-04-16T05:13:07Z")
You only noticed now? [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/23775.html](http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/23775.html) Remastering Star Trek: TOS FX, Music Enhanced > [@](#): > > Star Trek journeys to the 21st century as the Original Series returns to broadcast syndication for the first time in 16 years with brand-new digitally remastered episodes to celebrate its 40th anniversary. > CBS Paramount Domestic Television has officially announced that they are releasing digitally remastered episodes of Star Trek, with all new special effects and music, to celebrate the groundbreaking series’ 40th anniversary, according to John Nogawski, president of CBS Paramount Domestic Television. > > … > > The most noticeable change will be redoing many of the special effects, created with 1960s technology, with 21st century computer-generated imagery (CGI). Upgrades include: > > Space ship exteriors – The Enterprise, as well as other starships, will be replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The new computer-generated Enterprise is based on the exact measurements of the original model, which now rests in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. > Show opening – The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence will be redone, giving them depth and dimension for the first time. > Galaxy shots – All the graphics of the galaxy, so frequently seen through the viewscreen on the Enterprise’s bridge, will be redone. > Exteriors – The battle scenes, planets and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) will be updated. > Background scenes – Some of the iconic, yet flat, matte paintings used as backdrops for the strange, new worlds explored by the Enterprise crew will get a CGI face-lift, adding atmosphere and lighting. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/4 "2007-04-16T05:14:18Z")
Beat to it by a minute, but I got the quote. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/5 "2007-04-16T05:33:54Z")
I’ve been watching both the original (on TV Land) and enhanced (on local TV) TOS episodes, so I’ve been able to compare the two versions. I think the enhanced episodes are very well done. Not only the CGI shots of the Enterprise, but the overall look of the film remastering that jumps out even on a standard-def TV. And such episodes as **The Tholian Web** and **The Doomsday Machine** have particularly blown me away. The remastering team has been very restrained in enhancing the episodes (in contrast with George Lucas’ enhancements of the original Star Wars films) and IMO have improved a show which I have loved for 40 years. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2007, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/6 "2007-04-16T05:39:35Z")
Thank you. I think… ---
**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:** [April 16, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/7 "2007-04-16T05:42:56Z")
[QUOTE=GIGObuster] You only noticed now? [/QUOTE] Yep! Dish suddenly put my local channels where I can see em and what do you know!? Shit I ain’t (yet really ain’t) seen in 20 years. 😃 :smack: :rolleyes: 😛🆒 :mad: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/8 "2007-04-16T06:42:42Z")
So have they improved the Enterprise’s phaser targeting? Even as a kid, I wondered why the phasers always fired forward in a “V” shape, yet still managed to hit their target. The ship weaponry in ST:TNG always made much more sense for three-dimensional combat. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/9 "2007-04-16T10:28:10Z")
Man, I’ve missed all the good episodes! ☹ ---
**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:** [April 16, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/10 "2007-04-16T15:00:06Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] I’ve been watching both the original (on TV Land) and enhanced (on local TV) TOS episodes, so I’ve been able to compare the two versions. I think the enhanced episodes are very well done. Not only the CGI shots of the Enterprise, but the overall look of the film remastering that jumps out even on a standard-def TV. And such episodes as **The Tholian Web** and **The Doomsday Machine** have particularly blown me away. The remastering team has been very restrained in enhancing the episodes (in contrast with George Lucas’ enhancements of the original Star Wars films) and IMO have improved a show which I have loved for 40 years. [/QUOTE] I wholeheartedly agree. I just wish they’d get around to doing “The Ultimate Computer,” though - seeing four remastered _Constitution_-class starships zipping around, blasting at each other, will be awesome. My favorite moments of the remastered episodes: - Mudd’s World in “I, Mudd” now has rings. - There’s a long, elevated shot of the Vulcan wedding arena from “Amok Time” that shows a city in the background, and (a nice homage) it looks a lot like the city from TAS “Yesteryear.” - And in “The Doomsday Machine,” you see a small chunk of planetary debris actually hit and shatter upon the _Constellation_’s upper primary hull. Awesome SFX work. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/11 "2007-04-16T15:31:36Z")
My only complaint is that virtually every star is white (still better than the awful star backgrounds in TNG). TOS used to have quite a few red and blue and orange supergiants… ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/12 "2007-04-16T20:13:30Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] The remastering team has been very restrained in enhancing the episodes (in contrast with George Lucas’ enhancements of the original Star Wars films) and IMO have improved a show which I have loved for 40 years. [/QUOTE] The subtlety is what really works for me. I saw “For the World is Hollow…” and some of the exterior shots of the enterprise cruising along the asteroid were just ordinary establishing shots. The updaters weren’t try to push the AWESOME EFFECTS in our faces. Just making the old stuff better. I still haven’t seen any episodes with “exterior” sound stages. Is the background stuff well done? ---
**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:** [April 16, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/13 "2007-04-16T20:32:43Z")
The ships in _Space Seed_ look sharp, and move in different planes. The annoying thing is that I didn’t have enough room to copy them _and_ the unedited episodes that were showing on G4. :mad: ---
**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:** [April 16, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/14 "2007-04-16T20:51:42Z")
I haven’t seen any of these. Have they fixed the Klingons so that they look like Klingons? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-star-trek-question-have-they-messed-with-it/400301/15 "2007-04-16T21:53:12Z")
Actually I’ve noticed on my HD set that some of the stars _are_ other colors than white, at least in the opening credits. Though I haven’t gone back to compare, it seems to me that the ‘space amoeba’ in the re-mastered “The Immunity Syndrome” didn’t look as alive as the original. It’s more colorful, but looks more like a CGI effect.