Star Trek: The Original Series
Long time readers of this blog know that I have a deep-rooted love for Star Wars. But, it’s important to know that when it comes to Sci-Fi, I don’t discriminate. I’ve been a Star Wars fanatic since I was in Kindergarten. But let me tell you a secret… I’ve been a Star Trek fan for almost as long. Now, I will admit, I’m not nearly as passionate about Star Trek. If I was forced to pick a team, I’d be Team Star Wars all the way. Still, I can’t deny that I have a certain love for the “exploration of strange, new worlds.”. I know that people tend to get really passionate about these two franchises. For many, it’s one or the other. I guess the reason I’m able to stay neutral is the fact that I don’t really look at the two franchises in the same category. To me, Star Trek is actual science fiction. Whereas Star Wars, is more like science fantasy.
I first encountered Star Trek one night when I was very young. I had fallen asleep on the couch one weekend and I woke up in the middle of the night when my father went to the kitchen. The living room was dark but on the television were two men. Both were in some sort of uniform (but uniforms of different colors). One of the men had pointed ears and a very strange cadence to his speech. I sat up and watched, enthralled. This was the first time that I encountered the characters of Spock and Kirk.
I’m sure that for most of you, Star Trek and its characters need no introduction. But just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last half-a-century, I will provide a very brief synopsis. Today, Star Trek is a multimedia franchise that spans everything from film to videogames. But it started out as a television series that ran from 1966-1969. The show follows the crew of the Starship Enterprise – an interstellar vessel tasked with exploring space in search of new life. The lead character is Captain James Kirk. However, over the years the popularity of nearly all the Enterprise’s crew members have risen to match that of the show’s main star.
The format for the show is simple. Each episode typically focuses on a specific encounter that the grew experiences during their five-year mission into space. These encounters are generally presented as an entry in the “Captain’s Log” of the Enterprise. For example, one episode might detail the crew as they explore the surface of an unknown world, only to find a flourishing society that shares some similarities with ancient Earth. Another example might be the Enterprise investigating a distress signal on the border of contested space. Most of the time, the episodes are entirely independent of one another. But there were a few occasions where a prior episode was referenced.
As a child, Star Trek sparked my imagination in ways that other cinema (like Star Wars) did not. Like I said earlier, to me Star Wars is more fantasy than it is Sci-fi. Star Trek ignited my interest in real-world space exploration. It very much has at “retro” sci-fi vibe that seems to be lacking from today’s film and television. So many great productions from this era have that feel, but in my eyes, Star Trek is the catalyst for all of it. If you’ve never actually sat down to watch the original series, you owe to yourself to see what started a genre that persists to this day.
During its original airing, the show relied on practical effects as CGI did not existing the 1960’s. Aliens worlds usually consisted of soundstage set pieces with airbrushed backgrounds and the spaceships were physical models. Most film-based special effects came in the form of laser fire or “transporter” beams. These consisted mostly of film dissolves and hand-drawn/rotoscope animations. But one of my favorite on-screen spectacles was always the aliens. Alien races in Star Trek range from looking like normal humans with unusual skin tones to completely horrific beings. Most of the time alien races were portrayed using heavy make up but every now and then an actor would don a crude rubber suit. All of this looks extremely hokey by today’s standards. But, there’s still a certain charm to it. Regardless, it’s important to remember that at the time, all of these effects were top-of-the-line cinematography.
Over my lifetime I’ve probably seen every episode of Star Trek (the original series) a handful of times as syndicated re-runs. The quality of those re-runs always seemed to vary. So, back in the early 2000’s when it was announced that a remaster of the original series was going to take place, I was naturally intrigued. I knew that the original film for the show was kept and preserved. This meant that an actual high-definition “remaster” was very do-able. However, I was very worried that the producers of the remaster would be tempted to go overboard and replace many of the practical effects with modern CGI. Thankfully, this was not the case. Yes, some CGI improvements were made. Namely, external shots of The Enterprise and some of the special effects (phasers being fired, etc). However, two separate versions of the HD remaster we produced; one with retouched effects and one without.
I purchased all three seasons of the HD remaster when it was released and I was astounded by what I saw. The term “high definition” takes on a new meaning with this series. The picture is so crisp and the colors are vibrant. In some ways, the remaster is almost too good. I say this because the new high definition scan allows you to see things that were never intended to be seen (character make up flaws, or stitching in wardrobe). If you’re an old-school fan of the series and you haven’t taken the time to check out the HD release, you should stop whatever you’re doing and give it a watch. It breathes new life into the show in a way I can’t fully explain. It is that good.
If you’ve never watch the show at all and you love sci-fi in any capacity, take my advice, watch Star Trek the original series. I know it’s not the first space-exploration themed show to ever appear on television. But it might be the first one that gave the premise the seriousness that it deserved. The HD Blu-Rays can still be found online in various stores and the series is also available on demand on Paramount+.
Final thoughts: Dated but still relevant. The HD remaster is the one to watch regardless of your knowledge of the show. This show was fuel for my childhood imagination in so many ways. This is classic sci-fi entertainment.
Mature Content: No.
Number of Episodes: 79
Score (1 out of 4): 4
