Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Random thoughts of a Tennessee fan on life, sports and more TV shows than any one person should be allowed to watch.
About me
Name: Michael
Location: Nashville, TN
E-mail me!

View My Complete Profile
100 Things About Me
My Facebook Profile
My Wish List
Syndicate Big Orange Michael


Also For Your Reading Pleasure For Your Listening Pleasure (Podcasts)
Slice of SciFi
PodCulture
Two Insane Fans: The Statler and Waldorf of Doctor Who commentaries

Archives
04/01/2004 - 05/01/2004
05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004
06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004
07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004
08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004
09/01/2004 - 10/01/2004
10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004
11/01/2004 - 12/01/2004
12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005
01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005
02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005
03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005
04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005
05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005
06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005
07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005
08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005
09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005
10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005
11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005
12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006
01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006
02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006
03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006
04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006
05/01/2006 - 06/01/2006
06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006
07/01/2006 - 08/01/2006
08/01/2006 - 09/01/2006
09/01/2006 - 10/01/2006
10/01/2006 - 11/01/2006
11/01/2006 - 12/01/2006
12/01/2006 - 01/01/2007
01/01/2007 - 02/01/2007
02/01/2007 - 03/01/2007
03/01/2007 - 04/01/2007
04/01/2007 - 05/01/2007
05/01/2007 - 06/01/2007
06/01/2007 - 07/01/2007
07/01/2007 - 08/01/2007
08/01/2007 - 09/01/2007
09/01/2007 - 10/01/2007
10/01/2007 - 11/01/2007
11/01/2007 - 12/01/2007
12/01/2007 - 01/01/2008
01/01/2008 - 02/01/2008
02/01/2008 - 03/01/2008
03/01/2008 - 04/01/2008
04/01/2008 - 05/01/2008
05/01/2008 - 06/01/2008
06/01/2008 - 07/01/2008
07/01/2008 - 08/01/2008
08/01/2008 - 09/01/2008
09/01/2008 - 10/01/2008
10/01/2008 - 11/01/2008
11/01/2008 - 12/01/2008
12/01/2008 - 01/01/2009
01/01/2009 - 02/01/2009
02/01/2009 - 03/01/2009
03/01/2009 - 04/01/2009
04/01/2009 - 05/01/2009
05/01/2009 - 06/01/2009
06/01/2009 - 07/01/2009
07/01/2009 - 08/01/2009
08/01/2009 - 09/01/2009
09/01/2009 - 10/01/2009
10/01/2009 - 11/01/2009
11/01/2009 - 12/01/2009
12/01/2009 - 01/01/2010
01/01/2010 - 02/01/2010
02/01/2010 - 03/01/2010
03/01/2010 - 04/01/2010
04/01/2010 - 05/01/2010
05/01/2010 - 06/01/2010
06/01/2010 - 07/01/2010
07/01/2010 - 08/01/2010
08/01/2010 - 09/01/2010
09/01/2010 - 10/01/2010
10/01/2010 - 11/01/2010
11/01/2010 - 12/01/2010
12/01/2010 - 01/01/2011
01/01/2011 - 02/01/2011
02/01/2011 - 03/01/2011
03/01/2011 - 04/01/2011
04/01/2011 - 05/01/2011
05/01/2011 - 06/01/2011
06/01/2011 - 07/01/2011
07/01/2011 - 08/01/2011
08/01/2011 - 09/01/2011
09/01/2011 - 10/01/2011
10/01/2011 - 11/01/2011
11/01/2011 - 12/01/2011
12/01/2011 - 01/01/2012
01/01/2012 - 02/01/2012
02/01/2012 - 03/01/2012
03/01/2012 - 04/01/2012
04/01/2012 - 05/01/2012
05/01/2012 - 06/01/2012
06/01/2012 - 07/01/2012
07/01/2012 - 08/01/2012
08/01/2012 - 09/01/2012
09/01/2012 - 10/01/2012
08/01/2013 - 09/01/2013
10/01/2017 - 11/01/2017
11/01/2017 - 12/01/2017
09/01/2022 - 10/01/2022
10/01/2022 - 11/01/2022
11/01/2022 - 12/01/2022


Monday, February 12, 2007
The Trek Re-Mastered Big Test
Whenver debate about updating the effects for classic Star Trek rears its ugly head, one episode in particular is a lightning rod for debate: "The Doomsday Machine."

"Doomsday" is one of the more effects-driven stories of the original series run. It features what could have been epic space battles, had the original series had the technology and budget available to most sci-fi shows produced today. But despite the limitations of the time it was produced, "The Doomsday Machine" is still one of the best epiosdes of any Star Trek show ever produced. It's one of those stories where good characters, a compelling story and some memorable incidental music all come together in a great package.

But when the project to remaster and digitally update the effects for classic Trek was announced a few months ago, every Trek fan worth their weight in tribbles circled one episode as the watershed event to judge the success or failure of the project. "The Doomday Machine."

Well, this week, the long-awaited, much-anticipated episode hits the airwaves. It aired in Nashville last night in syndication and will run again Saturday night here if you missed it. Being the Star Trek fan that I am, I have to admit that I was pretty excited to see the episode--even though I've seen it umpteen times over the years and could probably recite dialogue along with the story.

So, I tuned in and watched.

I was excited, but a bit wary. I was worried the effects might overwhelm the episode. While the story of the epic battle with a planet-killing, automated robotic machine is a great part of the episode, it's the character study and conflict that really make this episode what it is. Would that get lost in the new emphasis over the pretty pictures?

The answer is, yes and no. Visually, the story was stunning and I'm sure if the creators had the technology we do today, "Doomsday Machine" would always have looked like this. It did fix one of the colossal errors in all of classic Trek. The original version's sense of scale was off, with a shuttlecraft appearing the same size as a starship when attacking the device. Seeing the Enterprise fly close to the machine, firing phasers and slowly being dragged into the maw of the machine were great. And thankfully, the digital effects team resisted the temptation to radically redesign the classic Doomsday Machine, which was described in the original scripts as bristling with weapons. (On a side note, I'd be interested to see a rendering of it as an extra on the DVDs).

But where the episode let me down is, once again, the cuts made to it for syndication purposes. Interestingly, the episode restored some edits made in the original syndicated version (the scene where Scotty declares the Constellation's engine room is dropped in the original syndicated version as was the return from commercial break in act two in which Spock analyzes the Doomsday Machine and reports on it to Kirk) and made some new ones. If you listen to the instrumental music, you can hear when the cuts are made. Here are some of the cuts I noticed:
  • McCoy and Decker beaming aboard the Enterprise and hearing the ship is on red alert.
  • Kirk ordering Spock to take command on his (Kirk's) personal authority as captain of the Enterprise. The sequence is a lot longer than shown here, where it's like a Cliff's Notes version. They cut out the line "Vulcans never bluff". Of all the edits, this is the most distressing since it's one of the classic scenes from the episode.
  • Decker's fight with the security guard is substantially trimmed. Makes the security officer look even more glass-jawed than usual. Again, this is really obvious if you listen to the background music.
  • Decker climbs down a ladder and heads toward the shuttlebay (this was cut from the original syndicated episode...so it's not technically a new edit).
The most substantial cut is the Spock taking back command on Kirk's "personal authority." It robs the episode of one of the classic moments of the show. I realize that a lot of Trek fans will know this scene and could recite it for you verbatim, but the thing that bugs me is we may be getting new fans to the show because of the remastered effects. To cut out this scene eliminates some of what made this episode great and so popular among the fans for the forty-years it's been running in syndication. Also, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the edited form, since it now appears Decker gives up command of the ship too easily, esp. after he's been so obsesssed with keeping it up until now.

Of course, part of this is that I'm an obsessive Trek fan and I prefer my Star Trek uncut. I realize that it's all part of the business and cuts must be made today for commerical broadcast. But it still doesn't mean I have to like them.

So, Trek has passed the big test for "The Doomday Machine" with flying colors. But it gets some points deducted for the edits made to this classic story so we could all see it again in syndication.

Interestingly, there was another proposal a few years ago to update this episode's effects. It even got as far as a test-reel that was submitted to Paramount but ultimately rejected. I've heard those creators have finished their work and will post their version of this episode on-line this week. I will have to do some looking around and compare the two.

And, yes, I do need a life.....

Labels: ,



posted by Michael Hickerson at 2/12/2007 04:46:00 AM | |
Comments: Post a Comment


Follow me on Twitter!




    Follow me on Twitter!


    Recent Comments
    Awards


    Web Sites I Visit
    CrossWalk.com
    Daily News Journal
    Doctor Who News
    Go Vols
    Go Titans
    The Tennessean
    The Tennessean's Titans Coverage
    Trek Today
    TV Guide On-Line
    Washington Post Redskins Coverage
    USA Today


    Favorite Authors on the Web
    Orson Scott Card
    Peter David's Blog
    Keith R.A. DeCandido's Blog
    Neil Gaiman
    Elizabeth George
    Philip Gulley
    Stephen King
    Donald Miller
    Lisa Samson's Blog
    Robert Whitlow

    Musical Links
    Carolyn Arends
    Sherrie Austin
    Cherryholmes
    Lee Domann
    Fleming & John
    Sara Groves
    Jennifer Knapp
    Jars of Clay
    Carolyn Dawn Johnson
    Cindy Morgan
    The Monkees
    Nickel Creek
    Nothin' Fancy
    Rebecca St. JamesRay Stevens
    Steep Canyon Rangers
    Williams and Clark Expedition
    Rhonda Vincent and the Rage
    Jaci Velasquez

    Blogging Links

    Powered by Blogger Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com Listed on Blogwise
    << ? Blogaholics Anonymous # >>

    My Blog Chalk

    Michael/Male/31-35. Lives in United States/Tennessee/Smyrna, speaks English. Eye color is brown. I am in shape. I am also creative. My interests are Reading/Swimming laps.
    This is my blogchalk:
    United States, Tennessee, Smyrna, English, Michael, Male, 31-35, Reading, Swimming laps.



    You Are Visitor

    Free Web Counter


    Looking For Something Specific?
    Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind

    Site search Web search


    Blogskins
    Powered by Blogger