In April G4 TV created a new way to watch the Original Series called ‘Star Trek 2.0’. The new format presented the show in a ‘window’ surrounded by ‘interactive content’ in the form of chat, trivia, stats and a stock market type ticker called a ‘Spock Market’. Trek purists consider it butchery, but apparently it has been their top rated show amongst the key young male demographic. Now G4 is announcing that they will do the same for TNG with the launch of the somewhat redundantly titled ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.0’ in January. More info at G4.
First!!
I like the idea. Another way to enjoy the show and have it be a way to introduce Trek to another audience.
Do we really need to see more TNG?
It seems the lesson hasn’t been learned and the oversaturation mentality is kicking back into high gear.
Too much Trek is what assisted in hurting Trek. TNG has been broadcast regularly for years.
Star Trek hasn’t been syndicated since 91.
The impetus and emphasis should remain on TOS up to the new film and once interest is renewed (knock on wood) then begin introducing some of the Mcfollowups.
It’s the logical thing to do.
Don’t like it?… Don’t watch it. Haven’t you given similar advice recently?
I think Josh has an interesting point there about over-saturation.
I’ve heard recent Trek’s demise been described as “too many trips to the well” several times.
Because TNG is quite old now, I’m not sure if this old show will start to hurt progress, but noneotherless, it is an interesting point.
Attention Deficit Disorder patients apply here. What ever happened to watching television to relax?
I don’t think TNG getting the “2.0” treatment will make any difference one way or another. It already airs on G4 and, to be honest, sometimes the “2.0” treatment is a little annoying to watch from a screen format standpoint.
After years and years… and years of watching Star Trek, I find when I happen to catch an episode of any of the series my attention to the episode is directly proportional to whether I liked the episode. Kinda like running into an old friend that you missed and you can’t wait to catch up for an hour or so. Or, conversely, “Gotta go, that’s my train… nice to see ya'” When I’m really into watching Star Trek, I just pop in a DVD.
What really bugs me is (and I’m sorry for going off thread) is the distribution of TOS Remastered. This project is remarkable for so many reasons. And I really feel CBS/Paramount should have been more pro-active and aggressive in it’s marketing and exhibition.
It airs in the New York market on Mondays at freakin’ two-thirty or so in the morning. I say “or so” because depending on whether Sunday Night Football runs long or WNBC decides to move Extra or Access or whatever, my DVR gets screwed. I’ve taken to acquiring nearly two hours of broadcast just to insure my recording window is wide enough.
More to the point… Star Trek Remastered should should have been given more celebration… revelry… observance… “pomp and circumstance”… balloons and parade would have been nice… and BETTER TIME SLOTS.
And they should definitely be broadcasting in HD (I really envy you XBox boys and girls.) I look at the images in stepped-on standard def and, to coin a phrase, it “makes me angry and ill.” I mean, isn’t the point of this project to show Star Trek in the best light? All this good work that CBS Digital is doing is not being seen in the format it was intended. And I don’t want to wait for Blu-Ray or whatever.
By the way, does anybody know the aspect ratio of the original prints CBS Digital is working from? I know the space shots are 1.78:1 or 16×9, but the live action… is it 1.33:1 or 1.37:1?
Maybe I should give CBS/Paramount the benefit of the doubt and hope that as the release date for Star Trek XI approaches, they are planning some type of wide distribution… a re-introduction in the mass market… on air… in prime time… in HD… A glorious, wonderful, nostalgic ramp-up to what I hope is one kick-ass Trek movie.
Yeah, definitely balloons and a parade.
..well the young male demographics that have been tuning into the original Trek, with it’s focus on light hearted adventure and action are in for a rude awakening when they sample the somewhat, in my opinion, stale by comparrison TNG. Different strokes for different folks, but the two shows are truly a case of apples and oranges. I just prefer apples (TOS)
herbert I don’t think TOS remastered recieved the pomp and circumstance it rightfully deserved BECAUSE infact of the recent oversaturation and abomination of all things Star Trek.
No one cared enough for reverie.
I think the approach they have adopted, until the announcement of possibly MORE TNG on G4, was the right approach- a steadied, measured, subtle, gradual re-introduction of Trek back into pop-culture.
Start small. Let it build. Let word of mouth on message boards and living rooms spread. Have people actively seek it out rather than throwing it in everyones faces.
Now suddenly bam, Star Trek TV all over again.
That eliminates desire. It’s human nature to want what you can’t have, Star Trek was all over the airwaves for two decades on every other station.
No one cared.
During the 70s, interest exploded because Star Trek wasn’t readily available beyond syndicated reruns of real Star Trek.
People had to create new journies for the crew in their imaginations.
Now, people can watch 5 different series.
The mystique and allure of Star Trek has diminished because of the fast food chain franchised mentality of Berman and Paramount.
I drive an hour once a month to Taco Tico. That’s right, an hour for tacos and burritos.
The reason is I love them, and they closed all the locations down in Louisville.
Star Trek should be the same way, give the people what they want, but not more than they need.
there”s Waaaay too much thought being devoted to this.
#10. Josh – Well, I won’t joust with you regarding your dislike of Trek other than TOS. And I don’t necessarily disagree that Star Trek reached an unhealthy saturation point as a result of VOY and ENT.
Regardless of one’s feelings about TNG, it’s numbers are doing well enough for G4 to air it during prime time. So, G4 giving it the “2.0” treatment is irrelevant to me. If it airs or competes with TOS 2.0, they’ll either lose viewers or gain them or the change may be negligible. G4 will deal with their advertisers as they deem necessary for anything they air.
Regarding TOS Remastered… My gripe is CBS/Paramount’ lack of support from the standpoint of access and information.
Info-wise, other than a few blurbs in some newspapers, civilian periodicals, and industry trades when they first announced, most of the on-going support or marketing has been the province of internet sites and fanzines.
Access-wise, I certainly didn’t expect them to preempt an episode of CSI or any of their other big hits but many of the time slots SUCK (sorry, couldn’t resist.) And they should definitely be broadcasting in Hi-Def.
The episodes, thus far, look good in standard def but, my god… My mouth waters at the prospect of seeing them in 720p or even 1080p. Can you imagine? It’d almost be like sitting at the lab and watching the first corrected answer print (with inter-lock, of course!)
Anyway… that’s my lament today. I just wanna see these amazing voyages the way their supposed to be seen.
#11
A shortcut to thinking and not giving a subject it’s due consideration,
is how nations are involved in quagmires.
Woops, too late!
I know a number of people who have at least a slight interest in Star Trek, but not being the type to visit Star Trek related web sites and so forth, had no idea there was a remastered project going on, so I agree, it has not been promoted to the general public very well. These are people who when informed about it were enthusiastic. They just had no awareness. Apparently, for some, it must be promoted by word-of-mouth.
#13 Josh,
Consider the differences between what I said and what you said.
Real actual war… vs. a TV show on cable.
I see a huge difference between musings over a TV show and the decisions of a nation… or even far less. Trek may be life for you, but it’s just entertainment for me.
One show on a cable network with a share of less than 1% of the total viewing audience will not bring about the end of life as we know it Josh… just a thorn in your ego.
But you thought references to Trek on “The Family Guy” was culturally significant. But, hey…. it’s your life….
“Phasers on stun” “Resistance is Futile” and all that Number One.
Engage.
No on the contrary MichaelT, I was taken aback by actually reading someone suggest that there is remotely a such thing as thinking *too* much, regardless of whether insignificant television series on one extreme or Politcal machiavelli on the other extreme,
the point being free thinking being frowned upon sounds a bit like FASCISM to me.
Why stop at ridiculing thinking too much?
Why not burn a few books while you are at it, if you are to be anti-intellectualism go all the way with it.
I’m an entertainer of notions. From the mundane to the esoteric, to the relevant to hypothetical.
I have never in 33 years heard someone suggest thinking too much is a problem. That’s a first.
Sad times indeed.
#16 Josh
You love to argue and I knew what was coming. You rarely respond to what’s actually written. You spin it like a politician so you can say what you want…
You’ve just spun a comment (#11) about overthinking a mundane and very trivial report on a series you openly dislike…(I believe “sucks” was the word), to accuse me of promoting fascism, book-burning and anti-intellectualism. None of which I believe in or promoted in any post anywhere. I expressed my opinion that there seems to be a lot of unwarranted concern over reruns on a cable channel that is barely a blip on the TV viewership ratings.
For that matter… when did you become free-thinking.? You give no quarter to personal likes or dislikes on the threads if they disagree with yours.
You must live in a very special universe to get your jollies from warping a simple post such as that. Or maybe a very lonely universe…
You’ve overstepped and I expect the apology. I did the same for you weeks ago on far less.
…. where’s the “ignore” button?
Actually it’s a very special Joshiverse.
Maybe it’s you that’s not thinking enough before typing. Get on with it… demonstrate your 33 years of learning what the right thing to do is.
#8 Your question has been asked and answered before about the AR of the material.
TOS was shot on 35mm film which has an AR of 1:37:1 so they are working from that. They are making the new CG effects 16:9 to be ready for any future project CBS might want with TOS remastered.
#21. Matt Wright
Thanks, Matt. Sorry, even though I try to read all the threads i must have missed it.
Again, thanks.
MichaelT,
You expecting an apology from Josh? I think you deserve one.
It’ll come… and I have some swamp land you might be interested in.
Josh,
I am still waiting…
You guys do far more for me than I could ever HOPE to.
Talk about bonafied cheerleaders ;)
as I suspected… an attention whore.
23cs#-
Where is the retributory post singling out MichaelT for this above post Anthony?
You see, that is my point.
I don’t mind the 2.0 treatment all that much, but I also agree that oversaturation of TNG is getting ridiculous. Up until this past couple of months, Spike and G4 have been broadcasting a combined 5 TNG episodes per day. Spike was running an additional 2 episodes of DS9. Only local stations seem to be running Voyager, and in Phoenix, that station, a low-powered UHF station out of Prescott, only runs it when they can’t sell an hour of Paid programming, so about once every 2 – 3 weeks.
What they need to do is sell the whole kit-and-kaboodle to one network (where they’ll be no tribble atall… sorry, couldn’t resist), and that network needs to run all 5 shows in chronological order (of release, not star-date), so that it will take about 2 to 3 years to exhaust the run, and folks will be clamoring for stuff they haven’t seen in a while. Either that, or designat each series to a certain night of the week (TOS on Monday, TNG on Tuesday, etc.)
#27 …and yours for the things said in #16? C’mon Josh, quit playing.
MichaelT’s done posting as of today according to another thread.
But I agree with him totally.
O
;-)