Enhanced Star Trek to appear in HDTV

If you are a Star Trek fan, here is a reason to buy a HDTV:

Star Trek purists, take a deep breath! On Sept. 16, the iconic ‘60s series will return to syndication for the first time since 1990, but with a startling difference: All 79 episodes are being digitally remastered with computer-generated effects not possible when Gene Roddenberry created the show 40 years ago. The news could cause Roddenberry loyalists to have a collective cow, but the longtime Trek staffers in charge of the makeover say they're honoring the late maestro's vision, not changing it.

"We're taking great pains to respect the integrity and style of the original," says Michael Okuda, who spent 18 years as a scenic-art supervisor on Star Trek films and spin-offs. "Our goal is to always ask ourselves: What would Roddenberry have done with today's technology?" Okuda's teammates on the two-year project are his wife, Denise Okuda, with whom he's authored several Trek reference books, and 14-year Trek production vet David Rossi.

The upgraded episodes — to be shown out of order and one per week — will kick off with "Balance of Terror," a big fan favorite "that gives us a chance to really show off the ‘new' Enterprise," says Okuda. "The exterior of the ship now has depth and detail, and it will fly more dynamically." Painted backdrops will also be brought to life: Once-empty star bases will have CGI people milling about, while static alien landscapes have been given slow-moving clouds and shimmering water. Okuda notes that a view of Earth in the 1966 episode "Miri" has been "replaced with a more accurate image, now that we've gone into deep space and looked back at ourselves."

More at the Trek Movie Report.

If you want an idea of how the new TV shows will look, check out Daren Dochterman's web site.  Dochterman is a special-effects artist who worked on the DVD release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  As a hobby, he re-created special effects for the classic Star Trek episode "The Doomsday Machine."  As far as I can tell, these are NOT the special effects that will be used in the new HDTV episodes; they are simply something that Dochterman put together in his spare time.  But still ...

(h/t JayTea at WizBang)

Comments

[wireless surround sound speakers]

Thanks for the input on the Star Trek to appear in HDTV.