The “New, Improved” Star Trek TOS
So I have been watching these pretty much every night while working on my new Warhammer army and enjoying it quite a bit. However, I am getting a little put off by the changes they made when they digitally remastered the series.
Some of the changes are for the better. I appreciate the cleaner images and sharper colors. As I watched the show in black and white as a kid the colors have always seemed garish and unreal, and the changes are in my mind quite an improvement. The remastered audio is certainly an improvement, and helps it bear up next to current technology.
The issue I am having is the replacement or addition of the ship effects with CGI. First of all, the show is deeply embedded in the 60’s in terms of shot blocking, camera work, sets, and props. This is part of the charm of the series. When they cut to a scene of the Enterprise spitting out satellite (in a shot almost exactly like the opening scene from the Empire Strikes Back) it looks horribly out of place and throws me out of the scene. I’d like to say it’s like putting a beautiful wedding dress on a sow, but I don’t want to denigrate the show like that. It’s more like taking a guy wearing all retro 70’s clothing but have him walking around Skyping on an iPad (die hipster scum). It just jarring and out of place.
However, that is not the real issue for me. The real issue is the fact that Star Trek was never sold to the viewing populace as a special effects space opera. In all ways the show was about the stories and characters, with the ship and special effects being tools with which to tell those stories. It was the Odysses in space, with Kirk in the role of Odysseus. The fact that the studio thought the one thing the series needed was more bright lights and cartoon space ships is insulting to the intelligence of every thinking Star Trek fan. I’m sure this might help suck in ignorant, stupid kids and hopefully turn them into Trek fans, but I can’t help but feel pandered to.
I’m sure most of you disagree and are welcome to do so. This image with the classic aliens on it courtesy of the Star Trek tshirt category. I’m on my way to see Lawless so I will climb down off my over opinionated Star Trek horse and climb onto my over opinionated movie horse tomorrow. Talk to you soon.
Amazing Dave
