Recently, I came across chatter on the Internet about the original series. Since last fall, newly remastered episodes are being released more or less week by week. I have found them in high-definition on the ABC network and now my PVR records them. They rather quietly show up on the schedules on Sunday evenings after midnight!
The Original Series - Star Trek's Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
She was a black woman in a position of authority. This may not
sound like much in today's world, but seeing her as a female
commissioned officer and part of the international cast on
1960's TV was extremely important for my generation.
Supposedly most of the space shots have been replaced with CGI. There's talk that even some live-action backgrounds have been changed with actors removed and replaced. The changes are not too invasive though as I haven't noticed a single one.
What I have noticed is how much better the close-ups are. Nowadays, Canadian William Shatner is a bit of a media whore and I devotedly watch him on every new Boston Public. He was, of course, physically more impressive but much less expansive 40 years ago. The colours and scenes are very detailed and bright. The backgrounds were never really the important part of the episodes anyway. The original series was successful because, however corny, each show left one with something to think about.
I've only caught two of the remastered episodes but have been left with real questions. Is it possible to have life based on silicon rather than carbon? Could Spock (with a beard) in an existing, alternate universe affect changes that would make that universe more human before he returned to his own? The only thing I considered about after Star Trek: Enterprise was how much power their phasers must have used.
She was a black woman in a position of authority. This may not
sound like much in today's world, but seeing her as a female
commissioned officer and part of the international cast on
1960's TV was extremely important for my generation.
Supposedly most of the space shots have been replaced with CGI. There's talk that even some live-action backgrounds have been changed with actors removed and replaced. The changes are not too invasive though as I haven't noticed a single one.
What I have noticed is how much better the close-ups are. Nowadays, Canadian William Shatner is a bit of a media whore and I devotedly watch him on every new Boston Public. He was, of course, physically more impressive but much less expansive 40 years ago. The colours and scenes are very detailed and bright. The backgrounds were never really the important part of the episodes anyway. The original series was successful because, however corny, each show left one with something to think about.
I've only caught two of the remastered episodes but have been left with real questions. Is it possible to have life based on silicon rather than carbon? Could Spock (with a beard) in an existing, alternate universe affect changes that would make that universe more human before he returned to his own? The only thing I considered about after Star Trek: Enterprise was how much power their phasers must have used.