Star Trek: Final Frontier - the animated web series that could have been

Near-final 'hammerhead' design for the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Final Frontier

Star Trek: The Animated Series was Trek's first and (thus far) only foray into non-live-action TV. Produced several years after the cancellation of The Original Series, the show was the network's way of returning Kirk and the Enterprise to the silverscreen after seeing the huge success of TOS in syndication. Now jump forward to 2006. In the wake of Star Trek: Enterprise, CBS has garnered interest in a new web series concept, one that would take the franchise in a new, darker direction.

Project: Potemkin releases "We Few..."

The Star Trek fan series Project: Potemkin has released their latest vignette, entitled 'We Few..."

Continuing with their tradition of character-driven stories, a shuttlecraft from the Potemkin crash lands on an inhospitable world. Can Commander Delaney and the others survive until their rescue?

The episode can be seen on YouTube below:

Star Trek's first pilot began filming 50 years ago this week

image courtesy of TrekCore

Star Trek's first pilot, a show deemed 'too cerebral' for TV, turned 50 this week.

Starship Farragut releases 'Conspiracy of Innocence'

Starship Farragut is a professionally-produced fan series set during the time of TOS. Since 2007, four full-length, live-action episodes have been released, as well as several vignettes, animated productions and comics.

Farragut's latest offering, 'Conspiracy of Innocence', takes us to an underground city where, during a first contact mission, the landing party finds their perceptions of reality challenged by a xenophobic race.

I have mixed feelings about 'Conspiracy'. One of my biggest issues with the show is that the mystery of what's going on is revealed way too early, making the rest of the episode a bit predictable. On the other hand, the story has a very TOS feel to it, which is complimented nicely by the modern widescreen aspect ratio and CG special effects.

The complete episode can be viewed on YouTube below:

Farragut's previous releases can be found on the show's YouTube channel.

'Prelude to Axanar' released!

Star Trek: Axanar is probably one of the most highly-anticipated, professionally-produced fan films currently in the works. After the release of an official trailer back in June, a short prelude film, Prelude to Axanar, come out earlier this week.

The docu-drama style short introduces us to the world of Axanar, which is set some 20 years prior to TOS during a time of war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. It's a race for technological and space superiority, with the fate of the Federation itself hanging in the balance.

The film can currently be viewed as an embedded video on the Axanar Kickstarter page. Scroll down to the second video from the top.

UPDATE: the film is also now available in HD on the Axanar YouTube channel.

Incredible new trailer for highly anticipated 'Prelude to Axanar' released!

The first official trailer for the professionally-produced fan film Star Trek: Axanar has been released! The docu-drama-style trailer, which gives us a sneak-peak at the project's introductory short film Prelude to Axanar, is filled with plenty of eye-candy and intrigue. 

“Axanar” takes place 21 years before the events of “Where no Man Has Gone Before”, the first Kirk episode of the original Star Trek.  Axanar is the story of Garth of Izar, the legendary Starfleet captain who is Captain Kirk’s hero.  Kirk himself called Garth the model for all future Starfleet Officers.  Garth charted more planets than any other Captain and was the hero of the Battle of Axanar, the story of which is required reading at the academy.  This is that story.

“Axanar” tells the story of Garth and his crew during the Four Years War, the war with the Klingon Empire that almost tore the Federation apart.  Garth’s victory at Axanar solidified the Federation and allowed it to become the entity we know in Kirk’s time. 

It is the year 2245 and the war with the Klingons ends here.

A truly unique project like none other, the movie seems to be creating its own identity by mixing elements from Enterprise, TOS, and the new JJ Abrams continuity. At the same time, the movie explores a long-forgotten aspect of Trek lore from an unlikely source, the third season episode 'Whom Gods Destroy'.

If this new trailer is any indication, Axanar has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best, fan productions to date. The film could also very well prove that high quality sci-fi is no longer limited to major studios. Series like Star Trek: Phase II and Star Trek Continues have already more than shown this to be feasible, but this film could very well take it to a whole new level.

Starship Exeter releases long-awaited final Act of 'The Tressaurian Intersection'

After an eight-year hiatus, Starship Exeter's 'The Tressaurian Intersection' has finally been completed!

GIF courtesy of www.thelogbook.com

Starship Exeter follows the adventures of the new crew of the starship Exeter, which originally appeared in the TOS episode 'The Omega Glory'. Filmed in 2004 and released in segments over the next several years, Act III of 'The Tressaurian Intersection' left viewers with a massive cliff-hanger that wasn't resolved until last week.

"Searching for a starship in distress, the crew of the Starship U.S.S. Exeter finds a destroyed starbase and a deepening mystery. Has an enemy species from Captain Garrovick's past invented the ultimate weapon, or is the truth even stranger and more deadly?"

A major improvement over the series pilot, 'The Savage Empire', 'The Tressaurian Intersection' has, for years, been widely praised by fans for its quality, production values, and excellent writing. And rightly so. This episode has managed to capture the 'feel' of TOS so well that one may forget they're watching a fan-produced show.

If you've never seen this classic fan production (or its new epic conclusion) before, check it out on YouTube below. Although, to my knowledge, no further episodes will be produced, the show has clearly set a high standard for anyone entering the Star Trek fan film business. It's also a great example of a 'dead' production brought back to life, something that often doesn't happen with projects such as this.

"Space. Endless. Silent. Waiting. This is the new odyssey of the starship Exeter..."

ST Continues releases message-heavy 'Lolani'

The renowned fan series Star Trek Continues has done it again. After a live screening in Dallas, the show's second full-length episode was released this past weekend via YouTube.

In this installment, "a survivor from a distressed Tellarite vessel puts Captain Kirk and his crew into a moral quandary over her sovereignty."

Although the plot may not be original, the delivery is excellent, leaving the viewer wondering about the moral implications of slavery. With several other themes such as love, freedom, and justice, this tale would have fit right in amongst Classic Trek's not-so-subtle message stories.

Like its predecessor, 'Pilgrim of Eternity', 'Lolani' is a great episode in almost every respect. The show's sets, props, and special effects are all top-notch, while remaining faithful to The Original Series. The acting and characterizations are spot on. Even the two alien ships appearing in the production look like they could have been designed in the '60's. The producers have clearly learned from other fan series, releasing two high-quality shows right off the bat.

Not only does 'Lolani' explore an age-old issue in-depth, but also presents us with several strong female characters to offset the male leads. Besides Lolani herself, we also have the new ship's counselor, Dr. McKennah, who's clearly not afraid to stand up to her captain.

The episode also features several former sci-fi stars, including Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) and Erin Gray (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century).

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Star Trek Continues now has the funding for three additional episodes. New to the series? Check out STC's previous show 'Pilgrim of Eternity' and three short vignettes.

'Project: Potemkin' releases 'The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky'

Project: Potemkin is a Star Trek fan series set in 2296, not long after the events of Star Trek VI.

The show centers around the exploits of veteran Starfleet captain Alec Grigory and the starship Potemkin. The last Constitution class ship still in service, the vessel has a unique crew of mostly inexperienced offers who continue the tradition of going boldly.

Filmed in Southwest Georgia (US), Project: Potemkin has released eight short vignettes and two full-length episodes. Although not on the same 'level' as many professionally-produced series, the show is definitely worth checking out.

Project: Potemkin's latest release is 'The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky'. After discovering M-rays on a primeval world, the crew must unravel the dark secrets of the planet's inhabitants.

'Night', overall, is a very solid episode that nicely ties in with established Original Series cannon. The fact that Potemkin's officers are supposed to be inexperienced is clearly reflected by the actions of this episode's central Vulcan character, Ensign T'Noshi. Although the acting across the board feels a bit stiff at times, it gets the job done.

The episode's sets and special effects are, for the most part, well-done for a fairly low-budget production. The ship's bridge feels a bit cramped, but showcases a nice blend of TOS and movie-era tech. Planet-side, the show makes use of greenscreen (combined with real-world footage) to create background imagery and the large-scale structures. The end result is fairly convincing. Space shots of the ship and planet are also CG; it's by no means high end, but adequate.

The uniforms worn by the crew are a bit of a TOS or Motion Picture throwback, not at all resembling the militaristic, maroon uniforms introduced in Star Trek II. It was good to see, however, that all the officers were finally given Starfleet chest insignia, something that was absent in previous episodes. Using these 'simplified' uniforms instead of the much more complex movie versions was clearly a cost-saving measure, but it really doesn't take away from the show.

The moral decision at the center of this episode is one that's been used many times before to great effect, and was just as effective here. My only real complaint was the captain's stance on this issue near the end of the episode. Although, to some degree, he rectified this in the final moments of the show, irreparable damage was already done. It's interesting to compare this to other similar situations in Trek, if for no other reason than to see the other side of the coin.

Despite Project: Potemkin's limited resources, the show is very watchable and a highly-respectable fan effort. As long as you're not expecting a Phase II-quality production, this is definitely worth taking a peek at.

Interested in writing a screenplay? Potemkin is currently accepting script submissions, something you won't find with many other productions.

'The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky' and previous installments can be viewed or downloaded here.

Behind-the-scenes in the early days of Star Trek: TNG

Since I haven't posted lately (I have several new articles in the works), here's an interesting (but brief) look at the production of TNG in its first season. This segment aired in 1988 as part of the children's TV show 'Reading Rainbow', hosted by none other than LaVar Burton. This is considered one of the first behind-the-scenes features about the then-new series.

ST: Phase II dives headfirst into Klingon politics in' Kitumba'

Although Star Trek doesn't have a huge history of canceled TV or film projects, there are a few worth noting. Star Trek: Phase II is one of them. Originally developed in the 1970s as a continuation of Classic Trek, the series' pilot was ultimately transformed into the feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.

The present incarnation of Phase II (formally New Voyages) isn't on TV, but instead is a long-running web series, one of the first mainstream fan productions to hit the cyberwaves. Starring James Cawley as Kirk and produced by the Cawley Entertainment Company, Phase II has since turned into one of the most highly-regarded fan productions on the web.

What does the aborted Phase II TV project have to do with all this? One of the Cawley's goals is to produce scripts written for the aborted series. Two such episodes have already been released, in addition to five original stories and three vignettes (all of which can be downloaded here).

Phase II's most recent episode is 'Kitumba', a Klingon-centric show originally written by John Meredyth Lucas. Had it been produced in the '70's, 'Kitumba' would have established a very different culture for our favorite galactic warriors than what was later created for TNG.

'Kitumba' takes us to the heart of the Klingon Empire where Kirk and the Enterprise must convince the Empire's new, teenage ruler to stop a war with the Federation. The conflict could lead to mutual destruction for both sides, but is it the Emperor's war to stop?

This latest installment from Phase II does a nice job of bridging the gap between Original Series Klingons and their Next Generation counterparts. Not only does the show neatly tie up lose ends and unanswered questions, but also gives us a peek at Klingon politics and society in the 23rd century (something TOS was never able to do). 'Kitumba's many (subtle) tie-ins and references to other episodes also help it to fit almost seamlessly into established cannon.

As always, the production values and overall quality are very high. The CG effects shots (and there are quite a few of them) are top-notch and the acting, for the most part, very respectable. The show really does resemble a professionally-produced TV episode, clearly going to great lengths to get all the details right.

For those James Cawley fans out there, you may be sad to learn that this is his final appearance as Captain Kirk before turning the reigns over to actor Brian Gross. After playing the part for over 10 years, Cawley has decided to focus on the production aspects of the project, leaving the center seat to a new Kirk.

In a second notable change, Phase II will soon be transitioning to a refit version of the Enterprise, a stepping stone, transitory design to what was finally shown in The Motion Picture (see the vignette 'Going Boldly'). The redesigned ship was originally a facet of the '70s Phase II, and has been retained with virtually no changes. The interiors of the ship, however, will remain the same.

I have no way of knowing how close to the original story this episode turned out, but 'Kitumba' is a solid episode in its own right and definitely worth checking out. The show can currently be viewed on YouTube or downloaded via the Phase II site.

Phase II's next regular episode, 'The Holiest Thing', will premiere on February 14th.

Happy Halloween from The Enterprise Bridge!

In honor of Halloween, journey to a distant planet full witches, black cats, and haunted castles. No, it's not an episode of Scooby Doo, but Trek's 'Catspaw'.

The first episode of season two produced, the show didn't air until October 27th, just four days before Halloween (1967). Besides being Trek's only holiday-themed show, it was notable for being the first episode filmed after Walter Koenig joined the cast as Russian navigator Chekov. In addition, 'Catspaw' was the first to include DeForest Kelly (McCoy) in the opening credits and also changed the fonts of the title card and closing credits to match that of the opening credits.

Although not a very good episode by any account, it's a fun one to watch for some light Halloween entertainment. Watch the original version (not remastered) here on the official Star Trek site.

Have a safe and happy Halloween, folks!

Want more classic Trek? This fan series delivers.

Star Trek's original five-year mission may have ended two years too early, but the adventures are far from over. The new live-action fan series Star Trek Continues picks up exactly where the original left off, and it definitely doesn't disappoint.

Produced in part by the same studio responsible for Starship Farragut, STC has released three vignettes and one full-length episode so far. The first vignette re-films and expands the ending of 'Turnabout Intruder' (the final episode of TOS), allowing the viewer to easily transition into the next phase of the five-year mission, with an all new cast portraying the classic characters.

In the pilot episode, the Greek god Apollo (from TOS 'Who Mourns for Adonais?') returns to wreck havoc with the Enterprise crew. It's more than just a villain episode, though. It's very clear the producers went to great lengths to recreate the look and feel of TOS down to the last detail.

The show's CG visual effects are quite impressive as well, if not a bit inconsistent at times. While some shots look downright professional, others look, well, like CGI. Regardless, it's a great effort, and what I'd come to expect from the studios producing it.

The actors and characterizations are amazingly accurate, and the writers weave a very engaging story with all the elements of the best TOS episodes.

It's really difficult to find much to fault with Star Trek Continues. Thus far, it's a very professional-looking series in the spirit of the original, and probably one of the strongest efforts I've seen. If you enjoy Star Trek: Phase II, Starship Farragut or other similar fan productions on the web today, definitely check out this series.

Want to help fund future episodes? Drop by STC's 'Kirkstarter' campaign page to donate.

Check out the civilian side of the Federation in this animated fan series

Ever wonder about all the jumpsuit-clad civilians the Enterprise encounters in Star Trek? Clearly, the producer of Star Trek: Aurora does. Set in the TOS era, Aurora follows the two-woman crew of a small merchant vessel, whose adventures rival that of the Enterprise itself.

The first Aurora episode became available (in its entirety) late last year, and is a very impressive work considering its one-man production crew. The plot includes plenty of back story on Aurora's captain, a trip to an alternate reality, and of course, a look at a side of the Federation only hinted at previously. This entire 'pilot film' is available for viewing on the Aurora website and is highly recommended. Don't let the fact that this is an animated/CG feature scare you away -- it's a very high quality production and most definitely worth watching.

A second episode is currently in production, with a rough segment available for viewing on the aforementioned webpage. It's looking like Harry Mudd, the infamous con-man from several episodes of TOS, returns, and we all know what that means: trouble...

Give Star Trek: Aurora a try and see what adventure awaits hidden beyond the final frontier. After all, we can't let Kirk, Spock, and McCoy have all the fun :-)

Star Trek Into Darkness: A Review & Comparison

Sorry for the lack of posts this past month. Things have started to heat up (pardon the pun) in the midst of Summer, and I've also been focusing my blogging efforts on building a second blog for a musical ensemble I work with. Stay tuned for several more backlog posts over the next few days.

Star Trek Into Darkness has been a bit of a controversy among hard-core Trekkies and new fans alike. Having seen the movie in 3-D about a month ago, I decided it was time to throw in my two cents. The film is the first sequel to JJ Abrams' Star Trek, the 2009 movie that rebooted the franchise. Much more action-oriented and fast-paced then past Trek films, we follow a still-inexperienced Kirk going after a new and powerful threat to the Federation.

Like many Trekkies suspected from the beginning, the film is essentially a retelling of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), considered by many of us to be the best of the films based on the Original Series. If you're new to Star Trek and haven't seen Wrath of Khan (or the Original Series episode it was a sequel to, "Space Seed") check them out for some perspective. Of course, there are plenty of twists and turns in the plot of STiD to not make it a total rip-off.

The producers definitely went out of their way to replicate some of the most iconic scenes from TWoK, but didn't copy the film line-for-line or plot point-for-plot point. Some may still consider that a cheat, but on the same token, there aren't too many truly original sci-fi films out there these days. I have to give the producers credit for taking some classic scenes and remaking them (mostly successfully) for a modern audience.

The writers also try to show some evolution of Kirk's character in the process, depicting him as a cocky, brash young starship commander who's probably not ready to sit in the Chair. For example, at the beginning of the film, we see Kirk's rather...unique and reckless handling of a Prime Directive situation that nearly looses him his command.

Additionally, the movie introduces us to the new-universe counterpart of Carol Marcus, who, strangely enough, resembles Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (from TOS 'Where No Man Has Gone Before') far more closely than the TWoK Marcus. Why two unrelated characters were essentially merged is a mystery to me. Other than the familiarity of Dehner to TOS fans, there was really no reason to do this.

There are also hints of other previous Trek movie plots in the film, such as the destruction of the Enterprise (the poster above), the death and resurrection of a main character, conflict with the Klingons, etc. It makes one wonder where the producers plan to take the film series from here -- they've already managed to use many of the best elements from past films, already had an origin story and a movie focusing on a villain. Modern film-making won't allow another light-hearted movie like Star Trek IV, or a Cold War story like Star Trek VI. Despite all this and Abrams' commitments to Disney's new Star Wars trilogy, Star Trek 3 has recently been green-lighted for release in 2015.

Overall, STiD is a good action/adventure sci-fi film as long as you're not expecting some of the deeper messages (life, death, sacrifice, friendship, etc.) found in TWoK or a menacing villain like the original Khan. It's definitely worth seeing in 3-D if you don't mind the expense.

Star Trek continues.

The Return of the Galileo Seven

While I finish up a few other articles, all you fans of Classic Trek will be pleased to know that the full-sized Galileo shuttlecraft exterior mock-up, lost for over 20 years and long thought destroyed, is is now nearly fully restored! Originally built by AMT in 1966 for the first season episode The Galileo Seven (and used throughout the series' run), the restored craft will be put on public display at Space Center Huston later this year.



For those of you who don't know, since Star Trek's cancellation in 1969, the mock-up has changed hands and underwent several attempted restorations, but was ultimately left to decay outdoors in an Ohio industrial yard. There, it was believed to have been bulldozed when the site went bankrupt and was razed.

Eventually, it came into the possession of its current owners, who, with the help of a team of boat-builders, are working to restore the set to its original condition. Restoration is expected to be completed by the end of May.

Complete History:
http://galileorestoration.com/?cat=7

"Star Trek: The Section 31 Files" - A Review

"Space: the final battleground. 

For many years, Starfleet has tried to maintain peace within the United Federation of Planets. 

But that alliance has become strained by numerous forces of opposition.

 The threat of Armageddon now lurks in every shadow. 

These are desperate times. 

We are the desperate measure." 


With my recent job switch to doing data entry, I now have the need to occupy my mind with something while I stare at multi-colored spreadsheets all day. Besides music, I started listening to several different audio dramas from several different sources, including Darker Projects' Star Trek: The Section 31 Files. I've listened to some early episodes of this program (and its sister show, Lost Frontier) before, but this was my first time listening to it in its entirety. Darker Projects puts out some very nice work (albeit a bit sporadically), and I'd forgotten how engaging and thoroughly enjoyable their stories are.

In The Section 31 Files, "an observer studies a divergent timeline, in which good people become murderous tyrants, people who have died return unexpectedly, and ancient prophecies become fulfilled. The anomalies all center around certain crew members of the Starship Defiant. But who is behind the changes, and why?".

In a frame story of sorts, we follow the main characters aboard the Section 31 vessel Nosferatu, a prototype ship that doesn't officially exist and whose crew operates above Starfleet rules and regulations. Besides following the exploits of the Nosferatu crew, we begin to see the Federation fall apart as dark forces emerge with the intent of conquering the galaxy. The groundwork for the post-apocalyptic future of Lost Frontier is laid.

Like Darker Projects' other audio dramas, Section 31 gives us an interesting look at a side of Star Trek we've never seen before, an organization that does all the 'dirty work' so peace can be maintained in the galaxy. It's a scary thought that such an organization exists even in the Star Trek future, but it's not that far-fetched either. "It's not all 'let's be friends with our alien brethren'. Here the Federation has a dark underbelly and [a] daring crew [to] go where Starfleet fears to tread."

The Section 31 Files is laced with quite a few complex storylines and characters (I hope you like story arcs...), some of which continue on/crossover into Lost Frontier. Besides the excellent scripts, the voice acting is practically professional quality and it's clear the production values are quite high. The program uses a variety of music from different Trek sources (some non-Trek sources as well, listen carefully...) as well as appropriate sound effects (in most cases). The producers also seem to have a soft spot for the Original Series, since elements from TOS appear in a handful of episodes.

Overall, The Section 31 Files is a series well-worth listening to. If you're a fan of audio theatre and think you'd enjoy a bit of a darker look at the Star Trek universe, then check it out. It's just like a good book: you won't want to stop listening till it's over.

Although this program has come to an end, all of the episodes are available for download/streaming on the Darker Projects website. Also feel free to check out Darker Projects' other programs, especially Lost Frontier, which is still currently in production.

 http://www.darkerprojects.com/section31.php

Just a note on the order: start with 'Altered Reflection' and work your way down the list. The first few episodes on the page come last and were created in response to JJ Abram's 2009 Star Trek.

Welcome to the 24th Century, Now in Glorious HD!

It's been 25 years since Star Trek: The Next Generation hit the silver screen to initially mediocre reviews. "There can't be Star Trek without Kirk and Spock!" they said. But after the first two seasons, TNG finally got its 'space legs' and became one of the best Trek incarnations of them all. Now, us Trekkies have the opportunity to see TNG receive a similar remastering/high-definition conversion treatment as the Original Series did back in 2006, but in a manor that I think preserves the original show even better.

Earlier this year, CBS brought on-board several important members of the old TNG production team to bring the classic series into the 21st century, most notably, Doug Drexler and Michael and Denise Okuda. The team is now using modern technology to not only convert the show to HD, but also show off the highly-detailed Enterprise-D miniature like its never been seen before. For the Original Series, the old, grainy model shots and special effects footage was, as Okuna put it, "reinvented, [using modern CGI], pulling you out of the show". This time, the remastering will be 100% true to the original; the only difference: it'll look like the show was produced yesterday.

The Next Generation was originally recorded using natively-high definition 35mm cameras and with highly-detailed miniatures and then-state-of-the-art visuals, which grew much more complex as the series progressed. In fact, the visuals for the pilot "Encounter at Farpoint" were provided by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the same company that created the revolutionary effects for Star Wars. All live-action and model footage was then transferred to standard-definition video tape for editing, with a significant loss in quality. However, since SD was truly standard TV quality back then, no one worried about the quality loss.

Today, the difference is quite clear:

The original SD shot ("Farpoint")...

...and the recomposited HD shot.

Currently, a team at CBS Digital is pain-painstakingly reconstructing each episode from the original elements in exactly the same arrangement as the originals. The already-high definition live-action footage will be combined with newly recomposited VFX footage, both of which were preserved almost in their entirety by the studio. Elements such as starfields, planets, phasers, transporters, and shields will be recreated in CGI, since the original effects only exist on SD video tape. In the rare case that model footage is missing elements, deemed of too poor quality, or can't be located all-together, those shots will also be recreated in CG, matching the originals exactly.

At the same time, CBS Digital has also been known to correct minor VFX and 'equipment visible' errors, but these corrections are not always consistent throughout a given episode (hectic production schedule, anyone?). For instance, in "Farpoint", the Enterprise was shown firing its energy beam from the location of the Captain's Yacht (coincidentally, the same place Kirk's Enterprise fired during in the Original Series), rather then the 'correct' location along the lower phaser strip. The HD version corrects this error and is also a complete CGI reconstruction since the original shot was missing elements and deemed unusable:

Original VFX Shot ("Farpoint")...

...and its corrected CGI counterpart.

Many planets are made to closely resemble the old ones, but without the blurriness or distortion typical of planets early in the series. Thus far, many of the worlds in Season 1 are much more faithful recreations then the totally redesigned ones used in TOS-R. In the case of Ligon II in "Code of Honor", the original planet map was actually scanned and digitally wrapped onto the surface of the CGI planet, creating an almost perfect duplicate. Although this isn't always the case, it shows how meticulous the production team is when it comes to recreating elements as close to the originals as possible:

Original planet model ("Honor")...

...and its CG counterpart

In the case of live-action footage, it is generally left unaltered. However, due to the much higher picture quality of the original negatives, the footage looks crystal-clear. Compared to the originals, which actually look faded and unclear in comparison, the picture is far sharper and the colors vibrant and really well balanced. It really does look like the footage was filmed yesterday! What if live-action footage is missing? In that case, the team resorts to up-converting SD video tape footage to fill this void. Thus far, there has only been once instance of missing live-action footage (a brief 13-second clip from season three's "Sins of the Father"), but that missing segment was recently rediscovered. The team plans to reinsert that footage into "Sins" for the Season 3 Blu-ray release.

The Enterprise away team ("Justice")...

...and the same shot in HD.

With the overall sharper picture quality, many previously-blurry background details have become quite visible, which isn't always a good thing for the production staff. for example, some previously-unclear computer graphics, which were sometimes filled with production in-jokes or incorrect information (mainly because such things wouldn't have been visible when the show originally aired), had to be fixed by the remastering team. A few examples include a graphic depicting the wrong version of the Kirk's Enterprise ("The Naked Now"), an on-screen Captain's Log that was simple a mirrored image ("The Battle"), or a family tree filled with the names of the production staff and dates that didn't match spoken dialogue ("The Neutral Zone").

The movie-era Enterprise...

...replaced by the correct TOS version.

In addition to the amazing picture quality and visual effects, the soundtrack has also been converted to 7.1 surround sound. Unfortunately, just six days after the release, customers began reporting sound problems with three discs in the set. CBS later put out a press release stating that some episodes of season one "inadvertently had their front channel designations incorrectly mapped, resulting in an undesired playback experience when listening to them in a 7.1 or 5.1 Surround Sound environment". To correct this, CBS has set up a program to replace the damaged discs free of charge.

Initially announced late last year (November, 2011), a Blu-ray sampler pack containing the episodes "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Inner Light", and "Sins of the Father" was released on January 1, 2012. Before season one was released, two special episodes ("Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "Datalore") were shown theatrically on July 23rd. The complete first season was released on July 24, selling over 95,000 copies in the first five days (US sales only)

Recently, it was announced that season two is due to be released on December 4th, and will also contain extensive bonus features. Besides these bonus features, the set will included an extended cut of the fan favorite "The Measure of a Man".

Finally, pending the success of the TNG remastering, CBS has expressed their willingness to do the same with DS9 and Voyager...

Although I'm not yet convinced that Blu-ray is the wave of the future (I've yet to see anyone with a Blu-ray player..), I am quite impressed with the extensive work CBS has done on a 25-year-old series. It still amazes me that we can take something made over two decades ago (and even something made 40+ years ago) and use modern technology to make it look like brand new. One can only wonder what these shows will look like in another 20 years...

For complete coverage and continued updates on the TNG remastering project, make sure to check out TrekCore, one of the greatest sources of Trek multimedia on the Internet. Also, huge thanks to the folks at TrekCore for the amazing screencaps and much of the information found in this article. Additionally, don't forget to visit the 'Observations' index of Ex Astris Scientia (EAS) for detailed information on exactly what was done in each episode.

Until next time, live long and prosper :)