TOS Remastered
More ‘Just For Fun’ Images From EdenFX
As mentioned in a previous article, the Emmy Award winning team at EdenFX love Star Trek. Although CBS decided to go in-house for Star Trek Remastered, the team are still inspired to play with their Enterprise models. Eden sent over some of their ‘fun shots’ as a 40th birthday present for their fellow Trekkies…try not to drool.
NOTE: These are shots being done independently of CBS and Star Trek Remastered.
(click on the pics to see them full sized)
Realism v Respect
Although these shots are just for fun, they do bring up an issue that effects both Star Trek Remastered and Star Trek XI…how ‘realistic’ do you make the classic ships? Eden are quick to point out that their approach for these images is with much more of a ‘realistic’ style, so they feel that it isn’t exactly fair to compare their shots side by side to the recent CBS images (in this article) because CBS have taken a different approach. To date the CBS Team, mostly through David Rossi and Mike Okuda, have made it clear that their approach to Trek Remastered is to change nothing and stick with the original. This highly respectful approach has been applauded by the fans who were worried of a Lucas-like alteration to the plot. However CBS have also decided to update much of the space imagery and make it more ‘realistic’. This of course creates a conflict because if you stay totally loyal and respectful to the original models, shots and especially lighting, then the ships may end up looking a bit out of place in this more realistic space. Take for example the Enterprise orbiting the planet Earth, the more realistic you make the planet, the more realistic one would expect the ship to look, even down to the reflected blue light of the planet on the hull (see first Eden shot). But if you go for ‘respecting’ the original model shot you will have to forgo all that realism. Although everyone agrees that the stories should not be changed, would it be disrespectful to add more realism to the ship models as well as the space environment? Even if CBS sticks with their strict adherence to TOS standard, JJ Abrams should feel no obligation to do so. Abrams and his team have said they will stick with Trek ‘canon’ but does that mean they need to be dogmatic about the SFX? Lets hope they take a good look at this work from EdenFX.
For those that didn’t see it before, Eden did prepare a presentation video with a much more ‘exact’ replica of the original Enterprise model (click image below to launch quicktime movie)
Editors NOTE: For the purposes of comparison TrekMovie.com asked Eden (and another company that pitched to CBS) to create a more ‘apples to apples’ comparison to one of the recently released CBS shots. We will have that for you next week.
And what about those aliens?
Another area that CBS has said they will not touch are the aliens. You will see the Horta and the Gorn in all their rubber suit glory, including visable zippers. CBS have made clear that the original shows in their original form will endure and remain available. So like with the space effects, one wonders why not go ‘all the way’ with the Remastered Edition and give some of the aliens the full treatment. EdenFX remind us that they are ready to go already with a Gorn they made for the ‘In A Mirror Darkly’ arc on Star Trek Enterprise.
Discussion
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HOLY @$(&!
Do you know if CBS is going to release any of the new FX in a higher resolution clip? To show their version off?
Man, Eden did excellent work there.
Yes his work is indeed excellent and he should be hired by those who have a final word in the hiring process. His creativity and dedication should be duely rewarded. I mean….IF they ever decide to rework any of the other series then he could be the head of that team assuring quality all the way.
I agree these shots wouldn’t work well in regards to the remastered TV series, however they would be perfect for the movie.
Oh I think that first one would be PERFECT for an update to “Tomorrow is Yesterday” when they pull out of Earth orbit heading to the sun for the return to thier native time era!
Too bad this clean up will be just a clean up as a LOT of people are showing their talent!
As long as EdenFX wants to keep showing off, how about a couple stills or even a couple seconds of their Gorn vs. Kirk in “Arena”? Introducing a digital character (in full sunlight, no less) would answer a lot of people’s curiosity about what-if-everything-were-done. Who knows, maybe CBS would hand those shots off to them.
Those are some really sweet shots of the Enterprise, and I think, it’s jarring to see so much detail and realism… at first, but then you would get used to it. However, as for the Gorn, I didn’t particularly like the Gorn’s execution in the ENTERPRISE episode. Honestly, I’m sure it was a challenge, it just left a lot to be desired.
These are beautiful shots of the ship. I enjoy the ‘plating’ with the extra grid detail, and shading between. It probably is a more ‘realistic’ version of the ship. I noted this when viewing the EDEN video, but as one who does want to see the updated version of the effects, I’d rather see the ship done as the model was at the end of the third season. True, it’s rather smooth and sure, the model has more to it then we can see in most of the ext. opticals on the present DVD version, but I’m looking forward to seeing the shots as they might have looked if they had more time to do the opticals in their triple head printer with a larger budget. Perhaps if they had the money to do it more throughly in those days, we’d already have a clearer version of the shots they are working on now.
Plus, doing a little better (say, adding a Klingon ship in “Tribbles”) then was possible with some effects/shots is also going to be welcome addition to the episodes.
It’s nice to see the original enterprise rendered in such beauty and detail .The sense of atmosphere, and depth and the metallic texture of the ship as it moves through different spacescapes exposed to different light and shadow.Stunning.Re-kindles my boyhood imagination
I don’t like the grey look that Edenfx give the Enterprise. The Enterprise should be white.
Just think how the “Return To Tomorrow” enterprise efx would look like with the ship in the clouds with the jet aircraft. AWESOME
It’s ironic, but even though there are a LOT of details on the Enterprise that EdenFX got wrong, it “feels” more right than what I’ve seen of CBS Video’s work. Oh well.
A Note to “N”. Even though the Enterprise always “LOOKED” white in TOS, it was, indeed, gun-metal gray. This is very obvious when you see the original model in the Smithsonian. As to why it looked white, I have no clue. Maybe one of the folks from Eden or another effects company could explain this?
Its funny ive had this idea for tos for some time and was quite amazed that they have done it….i dont see how some radical changes in effects would change the show. As one of them said, there wont be any 1701 barrel rolls…i would love to see a barrel roll. Ill bet if Gene was still alive he might have some of the regrets as Lucas had as to the technological restraints of the time. Well always have the masters so have a lil fun …punch it up!!!
Lil thing I found backing up my last comment………On the subject of the current remastering project underway to upgrade the visual effects of the Original Series (related story), Barrett-Roddenberry says her husband “wouldn’t have been bothered by it at all. Gene did the best work he could at the time, but he was also all about the future. I think he’d have thought it was terrific that the show was being made to look better because of new technology
The Enterprise looked white in the original series due to two factors, the extremly bright lighting needed to capture the image on SFX film stock and the film stock itself.
The same is true of the NextGen Enterprise. The ship is a extremly light blue color, but it looks off white on-screen (on TV). The only time it looks the way it is actually painted in in the feature films.
According to Matt Jefferies, who designed the original Enterprise, it *WAS* white, not gunmetal grey. His comments about the “restored” model in the Smithsonian are not very complimentary to the “restoration” at all.
He stated that the basic colour of the model as he built it was white, and that much of the radial/concentric grid and weathering on the underside of the saucer part of the ship is now greatly exaggerated on the model as it stands. He did not like the restoration and said so, though he was careful to keep his comments as diplomatic as he could. Take some time to search and you’ll find his comments using Google or whatever search engine you normally use.