TOS Remastered

TOS Remastered: [Home] [Stations][Episodes][News] [FAQ]

NOTE: Click on “Episodes” to see a listing of TrekMovie.com reviews, old vs. new comparison images, and remastered effects video reels for each episode.


“Star Trek: The Original Series”
Digitally remastered for HD, with new theme music and all new CGI special effects
Availability Broadcast Syndication (2006-2009) [see channel list]

DVD and Blu-ray releases now available for all 3 seasons.

Digital Downloads [iTunes & Xbox Live …see FAQ for details] —  USA only.
 Streaming from Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video

DVD Releases All 3 seasons are now available on DVD for USA/Canada and Europe.

Read our reviews of the DVD sets: Season 1, Season 2, Season 3

Blu-ray Releases All 3 seasons are now available on Blu-ray for USA/Canada and Europe.

The discs feature ’seamless branching’ technology that provides the ability to choose whether to view the remastered episode with the newly enhanced digital effects or the original special effects.

Read our review of Season 1 on Blu-ray.

Read our review of Season 2 on Blu-ray.

Read our review of Season 3 on Blu-ray.

Read our review of the Roddenberry Vault on Blu-ray

Format
Broadcast: Standard Definition
Download: SD (iTunes), HD – 720p (Xbox Live)
Aspect ratio 4:3
Runtime
Broadcast: ~44:00 (edited down for modern syndication timeslots)

DVD/Blu-ray/Downloads: ~51:00 full length — no edits 

Episodes All 80 original episodes (including the pilot ‘The Cage’)

FYI:The Cage remastered is included in the Season 3 boxed set in full 64 minute length as well as the 80 minute unremastered version from 1988 with Gene Roddenberry’s introduction.

Frequency 1 per week (w/ repeats) [see Episode List]
Airing
Order
Random (start with ‘fan favorites’) [see Episode List]

 
  New CGI effects
Enterprise and all other spaceship exteriors
Opening title sequence
Static matte paintings replaced with animated CGI
Space exteriors (Planets, The Galaxy, etc)
Fix some ‘goofs’ in live action scenes

 
  New audio
Main title music re-recorded in digital stereo
Shatner’s original ‘final frontier’ monolog remastered

 

Development Team
Producer David Rossi
Producer Mike Okuda
Producer Denise Okuda
VFX Supervisor
Niel Wray
Visual
Effects
CBS Digital
Distributor CBS Paramount Television

TOS Remastered FAQ

Are they changing the story like Lucas did with Star Wars?
No. New shots are in keeping with the spirit of the show and only improving the quality of the effects, but no changes to the narrative. CGI shots will be the same length and generally respect the directorial and editorial decisions made for the original version.

Is it broadcast in HD?
Not at this time.

Where can I download episodes?
Apple’s iTunes store and Microsoft’s Xbox Live service. Both services offer entire seasons of Star Trek, with some remastered episodes mixed in with non-remastered episodes. As more episodes are produced and aired, they are then added later to these services. The Xbox Live service offers the episodes in 720p HD.

When will it be available on DVD?
The first season was released on November 20, 2007 in the USA and Japan on HD DVD/DVD combo discs. Since HD DVD’s future was uncertain Season 2 (August 5, 2008) and Season 3 (November 18, 2008) were released as standard DVD only.

With the death of the HD DVD format, when will TOS-R be available on Blu-ray?
The Blu-ray release of season 1 is scheduled for April 28, 2009 in the USA.

For more see our article on the announcement:
CBS & Paramount Announce First Star Trek Blu-ray sets

Will the non-remastered version continue to be available on DVD and in cable syndication?
Yes, at least for the time being

When will it be available outside the US?
TOS-R Season 1 was released to Region 2 the same week on the same style of HD DVD/DVD combo boxed set.

Region 2 will get all 3 seasons (Including a re-release of season 1 on standard DVD only) on standard DVD on April 27, 2009 with newer box art that matches the Blu-ray releases.

Are they remastering and redoing the effects for the full episodes before editing them for syndication?
Yes.

What is the Aspect Ratio of TOS Remastered?
TOS was shot on 35mm film and produced for standard TV (4:3 ratio). The CBS Digital team is making the new CG effects in 16:9 to be ready for potential future widescreen versions. However for the time being it is broadcast in 4:3 with ‘pillar boxing’ when shown on HD channels (with the new CG shots ‘cropped’ to match the live action). The HD DVD and Blu-ray versions also have this pillar boxing.
[Note: HD downloads off of Xbox Live are also primarily pillar boxed, but CG shots are inserted in full 16:9…CBS have said this is actually a mistake and they hope to fix that]

What happened to ‘Star Trek: Entperprise’ in syndication?
Star Trek Remastered is taking the place of Enterprise after it ended its first year in syndication. However, Enterprise is now showing on the digital cable/satellite network HDNet in high definition and on the SciFi Channel in standard definition.

NOTE: Information subject to change. All information based on CBS and other sources