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Exclusive! "New" Star Trek Is Set on Stunning by Michael Logan
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."
Trek's opening theme is also getting an overhaul: The music has been
re-recorded in stereo with a bigger orchestra, and a new singer has been
hired to wail those famous but wordless vocals. And goofs will be
corrected: In "The Naked Time," there was no beam coming out of Scotty's
phaser when he tried to cut through the bulkhead outside Engineering. Now
there is.
More info here:
http://trekweb.com/articles/2006/08/31/Original-Star-Trek-Gets-CGI-Upgrades.shtml
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."
Trek's opening theme is also getting an overhaul: The music has been
re-recorded in stereo with a bigger orchestra, and a new singer has been
hired to wail those famous but wordless vocals. And goofs will be
corrected: In "The Naked Time," there was no beam coming out of Scotty's
phaser when he tried to cut through the bulkhead outside Engineering. Now
there is.
More info here:
http://trekweb.com/articles/2006/08/31/Original-Star-Trek-Gets-CGI-Upgrades.shtml
