Star Trek consultant and designer Michael Okuda posted on his official website the following post the work currently being done by CBS to remaster The Next Generation on Blu-Ray. Here is an excerpt.


“Although the series itself was shot on 35mm movie film, the film was transferred to standard-definition video for all editing and visual effects work. This means that the finished show existed only in standard def video: This was great for 1987 television, but not-so-great if you watch it on a high-def screen.” Okuda wrote. “To remedy the situation, CBS is painstakingly rescanning the original film negatives and reassembling the episodes in high definition. We’re frankly amazed at the amount of work it takes to do this, but we think the results are well worth it.”

“The studio is also biting the bullet and rebuilding all of the show’s visual effects, using the original film elements wherever possible. We’re proud to be working with CBS on this project, helping to preserve the artistry of the original production designers, cinematographers, visual effects creators, and everyone else who worked so hard on that show.” he wrote.

“The great news is that the show looks fabulous in HD, which reveals so much of the elegant design work, craftsmanship, and photography that had been lost to the murkiness of standard def television. The groundbreaking Enterprise-D, so startling to those of us who grew up with Kirk’s original ship, shines more beautifully than ever. The debut release of Star Trek: TNG on Blu-ray is a sampler disk titled The Next Level.”

I'm glad it will be preserved this way.

Doug Drexler has announced on his blog that he will be joining others from the original production team of Star Trek The Next Generation to work on the remastering Blu-Ray project :


Tomorrow I start work with Dan Curry, David Takemura, and Mike and Denise Okuda on the Star Trek: The Next Generation Remastered.

You heard right, this time around Paramount is bringing in a team that lived TNG as it happened. Dan, as I’m sure you know, was the visual effects supervisor on Next Gen. Unlike the remastering of TOS, this job will be 100% true to the original. Visual effects shots will not be reinvented, pulling you out of the show. What’s about to happen is truly extraordinary. The studio has saved all the original footage, and VFX elements from the good old days.. We will be recompositing them, and then outputting them in high definition. Here and there, elements have been lost, and we will recreate only those missing pieces, and with this promise: aside from looking like you had your windshield cleaned, you won’t know the difference. Star Trek:The Next Generation is Gene Roddenberry’s legacy, it is culturally significant, and we will rejuvenate the show with curatorial eyes only. Paramount Picture deserves a round of applause, and I can’t wait to dig in with my friends.
Michael Okuda also posted recent comments in reply to readers of his blog when he posted about TNG remastered:

The good folks at CBS are working very hard to make their work fit in with the original versions, except sharper and clearer. Very occasionally there are a few small aspects (like the green planet in "Sins of the Father,") that are tweaked a little for HD. We don't doubt that sharp-eyed fans (and VFX professionals) will notice some differences, but for the most part, the idea is for CBS to re-create HD versions of the effects that everyone has been so familiar with for so many years.

Always good to hear updates on this, but i'd love it if they completely redid the special effects like they did for TOS. Some of the special effects, even in late TNG, were dodgy by today's standards. I'd love to see modern effects through the whole show. Just imagine the beautiful lady in ultra detail. Klingon ships in ultra detail. Romulan ships in ultra detail. And Aliens of the week in ultra detail. *Eyecandy fangasm*

Both good points of view.

Now I can't decide which I'd want.

im with moe