Original Star Trek Getting a CGI Makeover!

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Before JJ Abrams gets to bring the TOS era back to the big screen in Star Trek XI, CBS Paramount has a secret plan to get it back on the small screen, but with a makeover. Over a month ago it was announced that CBS was selling a new broadcast TV (not cable) syndication package for the original series. At the time it seemed a bit odd to try selling a 40 year old show to local TV stations, especially after it has just been sold to yet another cable outlet (this time TV Land…home of retro TV). The Trek Movie Report has now learned from trusted insiders, that CBS Paramount are actually offering an HDTV enhanced version of the Original Series with new state-of-the art CGI visual effects.

The ‘new’ Star Trek
Details are still being finalized, but ccording to sources, the bulk of shows will be as originally shot, with the new effects limited to the space sequences and the opening credits. In addition, TrekMovie.com has learned that some of the music is being redone (presumably for the opening title sequence). There are conflicting reports on exactly how many episodes are getting the ‘enhanced treatment’, but is possible that it is not all 79 original episodes. This also does not seem to be linked to the recent announcement for the Original Series to begin airing on TV Land in November, they will be showing the classic series in it’s original form. No word yet on if or when the enhanced series will be available on DVD, BluRay, or HD-DVD, but it appears that the newly enhanced shows will first appear in broadcast syndication this fall (so check local listings!). So far the Trek Movie Report has not been able to get an official comment from CBS Paramount, but TMR hears that an announcement from them will be coming very soon.
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http://trekmovie.com/2006/08/28/star-trek-tos-gets-redone-with-new-cgi/

Some of the space shots are definite f/x improvements but much of them seem just out of place in comparison and for the most part none of the improvements add anything to the story. I'm certainly willing to watch enhanced versions (actually one of the samples below the one you linked to "Star Trek Enhanced" I think it was called, did some good stuff with the doomsday machine and the scene with the tractor beam on the Constellation) but I'd hope that didn't lead to the vanishing of the original work.

You're right about the Doomsday machine effects, but I feel redoing the effects is unnecessary and a violation of the original vision. It's like complaining about a piece of primitive sculpture from prehistory because it's not Michelangelo's David. They did the best with what they had and the decisions and techniques they took to overcome those limitations and still tell the story they wanted to tell is what makes it art (and I do think TOS is art of a kind). Paramount had a chance to redo Trek from that era with modern CGI technology. It was called Enterprise and they blew it.

Replace all the phasers with communicators? :D

(I'm stealing this comment from a Slashdot poster. For those who don't know, when ET came out on video Spielberg had the CGI guys replace all the guns with walkie talkies because he didn't want to paint a picture of a violent society or something.)

they might lengthen the female unifoms! :scared:

or was that George Lucas? I forget which abomination is worse...

I think Miracle on 34th Street was the first film to get a techno makeover (techover?) when Turner colorized it.

On edit: Wikipedia disagrees with me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorization#Entertainment_make-overs

"Who spawned this technicolor abortion?!"

So at least it shouldn't suck. I still disagree with this, and I've heard conflicting things about whether or not the originals will be available.

I need to get the others soon before only the 'enhanced' versions are available.

Digitally politially correcticize it to the insipid TNG version, "where no one has gone before."

On one hand, you're going to have these new, elaborate CG space shots. But on the other, most of the sets are still going to look like they're made from paper mache. It's just going to look odd.