MickeyI've Seen Things
Last Fall we started to see the original Star Trek episodes that were digitally remastered, with the special effects redone with state-of-the-art CGI. For the most part the "new" FX shots were very restrained. Only a dedicated Trekkie who had memorized the episode in question would ever be able to see any real difference between them. The scenes all scrupulously followed the originals, with just a few very minor tweaks, like seeing the light from the phasers reflected off the Enterprise's hull. So far the biggest change I've seen was in "Devil in the Dark," when they made the shot of the Horta coming through a rock face look like the rock was actually dissolving.
Saturday night they ran the updated "Where No Man Has Gone Before," the second and successful pilot that sold Star Trek to NBC back in the 60's. For those who don't memorize the titles it's the one where the Enterprise is probing beyond the edge of our galaxy, and a cosmic force gets into Lt. Cmdr. Mitchell (Gary Lockwood, who went on to play Astronaut Frank Poole and be killed by H.A.L. in 2001), and his mental powers start growing faster than his wisdom in using them.
Given the past record I wasn't expecting anything dramatically new... until the opening shot, where we're clearly looking back into the heart of our galaxy as we see the Enterprise flying out of it. This was notably different from the original, which opened with a simple shot of the Enterprise cruising by in profile.
The biggest difference was in the Energy Barrier: here the barrier was surrounded by sheets and clouds of (Energy? Plasma? It looked way cool) that dwarfed the ship as it flew into the heart of the maelstrom. Come to think of it the only shot I remembered following the original choreography was the damaged Enterprise approaching the planet where they hoped to repair the engines.
This is what they should have been doing; as long as they're spending the money for the CGI let us see it. These new shots were not only fantastic, and a visual treat the old show couldn't have afforded, but most importantly they still served to support the story being told by our live-action heroes. This time they added the flash, the pizzazz but never undermined the episode as a whole.
Now I'm really looking forward to seeing them update "The Doomsday Machine."
Saturday night they ran the updated "Where No Man Has Gone Before," the second and successful pilot that sold Star Trek to NBC back in the 60's. For those who don't memorize the titles it's the one where the Enterprise is probing beyond the edge of our galaxy, and a cosmic force gets into Lt. Cmdr. Mitchell (Gary Lockwood, who went on to play Astronaut Frank Poole and be killed by H.A.L. in 2001), and his mental powers start growing faster than his wisdom in using them.
Given the past record I wasn't expecting anything dramatically new... until the opening shot, where we're clearly looking back into the heart of our galaxy as we see the Enterprise flying out of it. This was notably different from the original, which opened with a simple shot of the Enterprise cruising by in profile.
The biggest difference was in the Energy Barrier: here the barrier was surrounded by sheets and clouds of (Energy? Plasma? It looked way cool) that dwarfed the ship as it flew into the heart of the maelstrom. Come to think of it the only shot I remembered following the original choreography was the damaged Enterprise approaching the planet where they hoped to repair the engines.
This is what they should have been doing; as long as they're spending the money for the CGI let us see it. These new shots were not only fantastic, and a visual treat the old show couldn't have afforded, but most importantly they still served to support the story being told by our live-action heroes. This time they added the flash, the pizzazz but never undermined the episode as a whole.
Now I'm really looking forward to seeing them update "The Doomsday Machine."
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Lost Fanatic
Day Break TV