Star Trek, the Original Series on Blu Ray

[Barry]

Star Trek, the Original Series on Blu Ray
 
I have commented on later Star Treks, I should have started at the beginning. This was a joy.  If you enjoyed the Original series and have only seen it in reruns, these discs are special.  First they are uncut, meaning that there are usually ten more minutes of the show that has been cut out for more commercials.
 
For some reason, many of the original prints and negatives of the TV shows made at Desilu (later Paramount) were kept in great condition. This includes Mission Impossible, Mannix and many comedies.  The producers here went back to the original film negatives and then added modern special effects.   For example, you can see the Gorn blink! And, when Kirk and Spock visit Vulcan they use the visuals from the movie Star Trek III to make it look good!
 
Some ”fans” have complained that by updating the special effects they have violated some sacred trust or something. Nah, this is fiction, this is storytelling and the visuals look great. And the DTS Surround Sound, is wonderful too!
 
Sadly, this and Next Generation will be the only ones to get this treatment. It cost so much and Paramount never got the return on it they expected because everyone is streaming.
 
The extras were surprising and great.  They actually included the original shows without the special effects updating, you can pick and choose or even compareold and new!
 
 
 
 
Star Treks future is probably only on TV, and perhaps only on Subscription TV. 
 
First people have a misconception of how TV shows were made in the 1960s.  They feel someone had a great idea and brought it to the network and they picked the ones they liked.
 
Not usually.
 
NBC, for example,  would decide what kind of show they wanted in a certain slot and say, “We want an action/adventure show for Tuesday at 8:30. And we will pay $185,000 an episode.” So Gene Roddenberry “promised” them a “wagon train to the stars” from Desilu studios that had not done such a series, they were known for comedies. (They did do the Untouchable earlier.)
 
NBC, not GR, choose the first script, simply because it seemed the hardest to do. And they didn’t think they could do it.  The finished pilot was less action and more intellectual and NBC rejected it, but asked for another pilot, partly, I think, because they were they ones who made the wrong decision.
 

• So Star Trek was given a second pilot. This was rare, but not unique. (Dick Van Dyke, All in the Family and many others had second pilots).
• At that point in time Nielson ratings could give the total viewers of a show NOT the demographics (ages, sex, incomes etc).  Star Trek was a middling show rating wise. The year it went off, Nielson developed their demographics and it was discovered that Star Trek had the most coveted ratings; Young Men and women with money!!
• So Paramount, put a show into syndication that had less than 100 episodes. That was rare in 1970.  They did it at a discount price, charging much less per episode than usual.  At that time, local independent stations were popping up all over the country and Star Trek was a bargain.
• A new TV show was being developed but after the success of Star Trek, they turned to the movies. The first movie, many consider a failure, but it was the first movie Paramount ever had that made over a $100,000,000 in its first release.
• AT THAT TIME, a few TV shows (Batman, The Munsters, McHale’s Navy). Star Trek turned out to be the only TV show to have a series of movies. And with the original cast!! (Recently, Mission Impossible has joined the fold, but with a new cast.) Of course lately there have been many remakes, but with new casts.
• Star Trek was the only property that had a TV series and a movie series at the same time. 
• Star Trek, to my knowledge, was the first to have TWO drama shows on at the same time. Now NCIS, Law and Order and CSI make it common, but it was rare then.

 
 

[tripplej]

Great review Barry.

I have to check this out. I enjoyed the series when I was a kid and watched it on tv while it was in syndication..

[David Vaughn]

If it weren't for its run in syndication, I would have never fallen in love with this show. It used to air from 4-5pm in the afternoon on my local independent station and I would watch it whenever I had the time. I still love it to this day (even though it can be a bit cheesy). 

True story, whenever a celebrity dies I think...aww, remember when...

When Leonard Nimoy passed away, it was like losing a member of the family and I actually shed a tear. First time that has ever happened to me with a celebrity. I remember when Elvis died and my Mom cried...at the time I thought she was crazy....I don't think that anymore

[TRainH2O]

Great series. I loved it as a kid and even now. It sparked my imagination and love for all things Science and Science Fiction. 

Between the Star Trek reruns, Space 1999, Lost in Space, and Battlestar Galactica it was a great time to be a kid.

[DavidHir]

I just watched an episode of the original series last night.  Paramount/CBS did a great job with these by offering both the original and new effects option along with the two audio options which can be mixed and matched, they truly did the right thing with this release.

[flyinion]

I've been watching this on Netflix streaming which is the re-mastered version with the 5.1 sound etc.  It's funny how it actually looks soo much better than DS9 and Voyager even though it's around 25 or 30 years older.

[David Vaughn]

I've been watching this on Netflix streaming which is the re-mastered version with the 5.1 sound etc.  It's funny how it actually looks soo much better than DS9 and Voyager even though it's around 25 or 30 years older.

Because it was shot on 35mm film. DS9 and Voyager's were shot on 35mm as well, but the masters were transferred to video tape for all of the VFX. I'd love to see them redo at least DS9 like they did TNG, but it isn't profitable for CBS to do it. 

[Barry]

CBS has stated that it cost $12,000,000 to redo The Next Generation and they needed s return of $20,000,000 in sales to make a profit. But streaming took over and the discs did not sell well. This meant that ds9 and Voyager will not see this upgrade.

Also, CBS, Paramount and Desilu kept the filmed shows preserved very well. I have Mission Impossible and Mannix and the Twilight Zone on DVd and they look great, almost blu rayin quality. I eventually got TZ on blu rayband it is beyond great.

PS. David, i bought Disney’s Captain Marvel on Amazon. The feud  must be over

[David Vaughn]

CBS has stated that it cost $12,000,000 to redo The Next Generation and they needed s return of $20,000,000 in sales to make a profit. But streaming took over and the discs did not sell well. This meant that ds9 and Voyager will not see this upgrade.

Also, CBS, Paramount and Desilu kept the filmed shows preserved very well. I have Mission Impossible and Mannix and the Twilight Zone on DVd and they look great, almost blu rayin quality. I eventually got TZ on blu rayband it is beyond great.

PS. David, i bought Disney’s Captain Marvel on Amazon. The feud  must be over

That's good news regarding this feud!