Impressions of Star Trek Remastered

At a time when Star Trek had been aired so many times that prints were hazy, scratched and dull, Paramount/CBS decided it was time to remaster the original series (TOS) by cleaning up the original master prints, boosting the quality of the images 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 effects.

This venture was spurred on by the arrival of High Definition DVDs in the consumer marketplace. Just a year ago (late 2007), there was all-out war between the two competing High-Def formats: Blu-Ray and HDDVD. Neither showed signs of being a clear winner. All that changed in Feb. 2008 when Warner Bros. finally committed exclusively to supporting the Blu-ray format.

Part of HDDVD’s arsenal, though, was the release of the remastered series one of TOS. Toshiba, who were backing HDDVD, put a sizeable amount of money into the remastering project and the release of the remastered TOS series was heavily publicised.

TOS was all recorded on film which is inherently a high-contrast, high-definition medium. It was also shot using filmatic techniques. Later series of Star Trek such as Voyager, Deep Space Nine and Next Generation were all recorded using video, an inherently non-high-definition, low contrast medium. As well, Next Generation especially, was filmed using a flat lighting that was fashionable at the time. The upshot is that it’s highly] unlikely 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.

Impressions of Star Trek Remastered

Well, first off, it looks gorgeous in high definition. The 4:3 aspect ratio has been kept and the prints are exceptionally clean and crisp. Images have more punch due to the somewhat boosted contrast. If there is a downside, it is the common criticism levelled at high definition: too much detail is apparent! For instance on the HDDVD you can see the zippers on the cast’s shirts.

The HDDVD release featured a Standard Definition version on one side (so it plays in a normal DVD player) and a High-Definition version on the other side. 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.

Earlier this year, series one of the Remastered Star Trek was released in a standard DVD edition. Since then, the second series has been released and series three will become available in November. If you already have a copy of the previously released version of the series on DVD (without remastered special effects and music), is there a reason to acquire yet another edition of Star Trek?

Since i grew up watching the series, getting the HDDVD version was a must. I was more interested in image quality and the show looking as clean and pristine as it did straight out of the camera in the 1960s. I have to admit to being somewhat dubious about the new effects replacing old ship and other special effects shots and how intrusive they would be. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The effects do make the show even better, giving it a more immersive quality and drawing you further into each episode.

All the FX 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, some ship effects look plasticy rather than like hammered metal. The company that did the FX for Enterprise were originally considered to create the Star Trek FX but their expenses were too high and so CBS did the FX inhouse instead.

What makes the Star Trek Remastered so great is that they aren’t trying to alter or re-imagine the episodes (for better or worse). There’s no showing off 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 completely re-recorded, but aside from the fact that it’s now crystal clear (and in 5.1 Dolby Digital) you’d never know it. Effects shots of the Enterprise 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 FX fit seamlessly amongst the original live-action footage. Remember those black matte lines, especially around ships orbiting planets? They’re gone. And Fuzzy prints? They’re a thing of the past. The colors are brighter, the shadows are deeper and Star Trek has never looked as stunning.

As I mentioned previously, I was dubious about a version of Star Trek that replaced spacecraft models with CGI or tampered with the originally recorded background music. But what they’ve done here is so faithful, that there’s nothing that you can do but applaud their efforts. All the work has been carried out by people who love the series; and it shows. It’s just a pity it’s not being put to better use. Paramount has declined to broadcast this new version in high-def, even though they now have the capability 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 iconic 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.