This episode was just a good piece of intelligent and exciting story-telling. It had some of the best dialogue. This is a good episode whether the special effects be Dochterman’s CGI, CBS-D’s CGI, or the 1960’s vintage “model on a string”.

But don’t get me wrong – I will enjoy the HD and the new effects, but that won’t be the main reason for tuning in (or checking out Dochterman’s website.)

What you say is true, that’s why I said it isn’t a pissing match..although some do tend try turning it into one.

I do my best to be fair to both sides. It’s one thing to ‘like’ a certain style, but it’s totally another to disregard a style…simply because someone can’t see what the artist has accomplished….CBS-D’s attempt at realism vs. Daren’s attempt at reproducing the TOS stylized look for example.

I like both, but I would have chosen Daren’s approach over a modernized look…simply because it fits better.

I think it’s silly for people to put down the stylized approach, logically it fits the show better. That isn’t putting down what CBS-D has done…that’s just recognizing that their approach is a little more sterile than the original style. It still works, just not as well.

I like a lot of what CBS-D does…but when I think Daren’s work is better — like his Enterprise for example — I am going to say so. That’s not brown nosing either. If Daren’s work sucked, I would say that too!

And if there were identifiable reps of CBS-D, I would tell them point blank what I think works and what doesn’t.

I’ve done cgi as well, BTW. I know Maya, Max and Lightwave. I am not some greenhand off the street corner. Plus I know people personally who work in the industry — some of whom have worked in Star Trek.

I am not a “name dropper” so I am not going to say who. But back to topic, I don’t think anyone sees this as a “pissing contest”…we just each like what we like.

LMAO!!!

Daren hasn’t been working on his version for two years. He completed a part of the episode for his proposal back in 2003, and judging from the recent credits…they have been re-rendered and tweaked. Read his post, he’s going to be working on the rest of the episode…right up until the last minute, just like CBS-D….while holding down his regular job at the same time. CBS D are paid to do this full time…he’s pulling this off on his own…in his spare time.

Daren is a professional, and in high demand. If you can’t see what he has managed to achieve with his work, then I don’t expect you ever will. He’s not aiming to create ultra realistic outer space effects, he’s creating an ‘enhanced’ TOS look, and has succeeded. He has captured the stylized look of the 60’s effects, with modern technology and it pretty much looks like his effects were done with a physical model. It isn’t ultra realistic, it shouldn’t be…it’s TOS.

I agree. CBS-Digital has done some great work in their own right, but this isn’t a pissing match about who makes the best looking CGI, what is truly being debated is who has managed to re-create the look of TOS in CGI…and that is Daren…hands down.

I reiterate, CBS D has produced some very pretty ‘modern Trek’ effects for TOS, but Daren has come closer than anyone to replicating the TOS style in CG.

Amazing how two people born the same year can have such differing views.

And yes, I think Trek Remastered plus the new film should be a good springboard at least from a marketing perspective for future CD releases.

At the same time, the potential audience for these releases has shriveled over the years. Film Score Monthly, where I worked for years, has run its own successful label, and Lukas Kendall did that by figuring out that the basic market for classic soundtrack releases is about three thousand people–so you limit your pressings to that number, do mail order only so you’re not dealing with large distributor, and you make money eventually. That is actually the model that would work best for TOS music releases, but that’s a hard sell to Paramount because it doesn’t mean huge numbers for them. All that said, many factors have been making it easier to license older movie and TV music over the past decade, and it has to be said that the Trek Remastered project is an excellent marketing tool for potential CDs, so there’s still a possibility someone will figure a way to do this–it’s just not happening at the moment. The good news is all the music that is capable of being preserved in good condition (a good amount of it I’m told) has been. Let’s hope we can download it all before we go gray…

CBS-D’s approach is equally valid…I just feel it misses the mark in honoring the original effects and paying tribute to the hard work of the original artists. When you see the enterprise pulling away from the planet in his enhanced opening titles…you can actually see the same lens effect…like the perspective is a bit forced. Always loved that shot…gives me goosebumps to see it replicated so accurately. :)