Well here it is: perhaps the biggest defining episode for the character of Spock, remastered! Thanks again to our buddy in Chicago for providing the preview.
UPDATE: StarTrek.com have added some images from Amok Time Remastered including this one of the Vulcan arena
For the rest check out the Amok Time page or the Remastered Gallery.
The CGI shots of Vulcan look very much like ST 4’s version of Vulcan. I wonder if they’ll make it in the final vesion of the episode –in fact, how will they make it in the final version? I can’t think of what they could cut to add this footage. Then again , all the episodes are chopped up horribly so. It will be interesting to see what happens here. Regardless..good episode, one of my favourites!
Anyone figure out why Spock’s parents didn’t show up for his wedding/fight to dah de’tt.?
Here’s an interesting thing to watch for that someone pointed out to me years ago. In the original broadcast when Kirk and McCoy are debating with T’Pau, you can see Nimoy lingering in the background, thinking he’s off camera. It’s hilarious to watch a dramatic scene where Spock is supposed to be consumed in a plaktow trance, while the actor portraying him is farting around in the background, leaning up against a wall, practically twiddling his thumbs!! I’ll be surprised if the Remastered version has left any hint of this in the episode. If it has been expunged, be sure to go back and get an old copy of Amok Time and see for yourself. It’s a hoot!!
Hmmm, while I guess that gives a good reason for not seeing the statues and things in the distance. Given the difficulty with trying to rotoscope all those scenes seems like a nice way around it. Wonder what that shot replaces, don’t recall one just like that but its been awhile.
Anyway, other that the space shots I couldn’t really think of anything that needs much work but would have to see it again. Looking forward as allways to see what they do with it!
I am happy that CBS-D is becoming more ambitious in adding to, and in my opinion, enhancing, the originals. Watching the remastered Doomsday Machine was like watching it anew. I am also pleasantly surprised at the shots of Vulcan in this preview for Amok Time. I assume they are walking onto the fighting arena in the new and beautiful shot from above the mountains. It is not only dramatic and beautiful. It also shows that the CBS team has studied the movies (III and IV) and tried to replicate the feel of Vulcan in a way that the original series was unable to do. These guys are bringing movie quality and feel to the old show. Thank you!
#2 – I always rationalized it was just weird Vulcan tradition. “By tradition, the male is accompanied by his closest friends” or however Spock said it – closest friends, yes, so maybe Mommy & Daddy, no? Anyway, the digital mattes with the little CGI figures looked gorgeous but where can they fit them into the show without cutting out live-action footage? I thought that was a no-no.
Now that I think about it, I seem to recall there’s a long pan over the arena set while Nimoy’s voice over talks about “this land has been in my family for 2000 earth years” or something like that. I suppose with some clever editing they could suggest the characters start walking toward camera right (which is originally directly into the arena set), then cut to the digital shot during the voice over and then cut back to the original live action as they enter the arena? I’ll be very curious to see how it looks if they go that route. That’s seems pretty ambitious.
And while I’m in a posting frenzy, I just wanted to throw in that this is my single favorite Star Trek episode ever, and watching that little 30 second promo, I am reminded again of what a terrific episode it is. Great for the troika and brilliantly adding to the whole mystique of Vulcan and its people. I think this one episode did more for the Vulcans than was done in four years of “Enterprise” episodes. And T’Pring was way sexier than T’Pol.
I like it. Not only is having the arena at the top of a really big column a good way to rationalize not having any other topography visible from the set, I like the way these shots establish the very deep-red sky in a somewhat believable way before plunging us into the cyclorama for the rest of the episode. I think it’s a good compromise (although seeing some clouds would also be nice).
#8 I’m going to have to disagree with you on that one. I believe the vulcan arc did a lot for the vulcan. I know some Enterprise haters are going to disagree with me on this one but it is true. I will admit B&B mess up when they made T’pol suffer from Pon Far. I’m sure people can make up an excuse for it but B&B messed up on that one. Enterprise was still a great series just not perfect.
Quite the icecap Vulcan’s got there. I think it’s bigger than Earth’s!
That is a pretty large ice cap. I guess that is where Vulcans get all there drinking water from, since there don’t appear to be many, if any, lakes on the surface (although on “Enterprise”, I believe we saw some.)
It seems this clip has shown us all the new remastered shots that was spoke of in the recent interview with the remastered team. I can’t see what else could be added to this episode other than the Enterprise leaving Vulcan.
The new images do look brilliant though! And it does very well to establish the harsh red sky we later see as the ceremony/fight unfolds. I too do wonder where they will put the new shots of Vulcan in the episode. Obviously at the start as the approach the arena but I can’t think of what it will replace. It’s a shame they couldn’t at least of put a few clouds in the sky if they where meant to be so high up.
This is an effects light episode seeing as the decided against all the rotoscoping I wonder if there will be any other surprises in it? But I can’t really see where they would have a place to surprise us with thing more new. Oh well it’s a great episode regardless, the remastering can only add to it. Seeing as we don’t get it here in the UK I think I will watch a
re-run on my DVD later.
Also I have to agree with post 10. stallion, I too enjoyed a lot of the Vulcan back story on Enterprise. Watching Enterprise back on DVD instead of on Channel 4, I enjoyed it so much more without the very bad TV scheduling and all those adverts breaking up the story.
Watching the series back on DVD was a lot more rewarding; I know a lot of people will disagree but I really do feel the series gets undeserved wrap. I feel it very much deserves it place in Star Trek timeline. I think if Manny Coto had been given creative control of season five we would have seen more great links to the original series.
“Anyone figure out why Spock’s parents didn’t show up for his wedding/fight to dah de’tt.?”
Would you want YOUR mother to see you like that?? :)
I think more “background” was added very low to the horizon, but I could be wrong. We’ll need before/after shots to be certain.
Look at the scene where Spock hit’s the gong to summon the wedding party (Is that who we see approaching in the CGI long shot? The landing party beams down next to the “arena”). Looks like something more in the distance than the set pieces.
Did they enhance the cyclorama with some very subtle clouds? It’s hard to tell given the poor video quality yet it looks to me the background is not a plain red anymore but has some “structure”.
I don’t THINK they did any cyclorama enhancements, but its hard to see for sure from the clip. But that’s the brilliance of the additional establishing matte shots. Now that we have some context, our imaginations fill in the rest for the rest of the scene.
NICE!!! And I thought the post-Doomsday episode might be a let down… :)
^9. What’s funny as well as appropriate is that the same trick was used in Star Trek III because the Vulcan set really wasn’t much better than the one in Amok Time. A couple matte paintings showing it was supposed to be atop a huge column justified the obviously stage-like “outdoor” setting where Spock and McCoy were un-melded.
doomsday was great
but this preview is also very nice!
great work guys :)
#14. Axinar
Too funny… Is that a Lirpa in your pocket or are ya’ just glad to see me?
The thing that is most troubling about this episode is given the amount of footage that is cut for syndication running time, we are going to miss so many “small” moments that make “Amok Time” extraordinary. Certainly, other episodes have suffered by losing bits of humor or insight to the inter-personal dynamics of Kirk & Company but this one is ALL about character interplay… no long space scenes… no flashy effects… Just a great story and terrific acting.
Can’t wait until these get released on a Hi-Def DVD format or, at the very least, I wish iTunes would make them all available again… Remastered, only!
God knows I’ve given (as I’m sure most folks here have) Paramount enough money over the years… VHS… Laserdisc… DVD… Not to mention a ton of Box Office receipts.
Come to think of it, Paramount should offer a Trade In/Rebate Program… The consumer trades in old formats to get something back for purchasing the new stuff… Yeah, that’ll happen.
At the very least, they owe me for Insurrection and Nemesis. ;)
Very creative use of matte shots. I love it.
And as for why Sarek and Amanda are M.I.A., I refer you all (again) back to Bill Shatner’s 1986 appearance on SNL- “It’s just a TV show!”
An alternative explanation is that the Pon Farr ritual took place during Vulcan’s winter, in which case Spock’s parent’s were at their home in Boca Raton. Damn Vulcan snowbirds!
Sarek was probably somewhere on business.
Held up two fingers and said “Wife, attend me.”
And that’s that.
Since Spock and T’Pring were joined as children and already married, so to speak, neither Spock’s nor T’Pring’s parents would have any real reason to be there. The parents’ consent was given long ago and now T’Pau is there to formally complete the ceremony whereby Spock and T’Pring simply ratify the agreement (at least that was the plan).
It’s sort of like the Baptism and Confirmation ceremonies. In Baptism, the parent speaks for the child and commits them to the ideals of Catholicism / Christianity. In the Confirmation ceremony, the child is considered old enough to decide and confirm that he or she wishes to continue with those beliefs.
Oh yeah, love the CGI Vulcan. Just last week I had mentioned how I would’ve liked to have seen a CGI Decker in the Hangar Deck and now, CBS-D has broken out the first little army of CGI extras to breathe life into one of their digital environments. Very cool.
Remember, Amok time came BEFORE Journey to Babel in the original series… so, at this point, not only do we not know who Spock’s parents are, but neither do Kirk and McCoy. But it certainly does fit in nicely with the tension dealt with in “Babel” and Spock’s offhanded remark about Balok reminding him of his father. I always liked the “on the fly” continuity that the original show had…
I’m looking forward to this episode, and it looks like there are some nice additions this week.
Good explanations for why the folks missed Spockie’s wedding — at least as good as we’re likely to ever get.
8- My cat is sexier than T’Pol. (and HER boobs are real)
One more quick thought, and that is that the Remastering also fixes all the live action stuff, to clean it up. There are subtle bits that become amazingly clear in this process. I’ve mentioned (way back when) all the detail you can now see in Devil in the Dark, including Shatner’s face acting. (Yes, there’s even more of that than previously seen in fuzzier copies.) The main gift of this project remains that it focuses us back on how great the original series was… and is. Definitely, let THIS be the standard for XI.
Daren (#23) beat me to the punch. Spock and Sarek were so “on the outs” in their relationship — as established later in continuity in “Journey to Babel” — that Spock’s parents would not have attended the ceremony. However, I can well imagine the hell Amanda gave Sarek for missing their only son’s wedding!
The whole thing makes one wonder … surely Roddenberry, Coon, Fontana and others knew both scripts were being developed, and the question of why Spock’s parents were absent during the wedding would arise. Dealing with Sarek and Amanda in “Amok Time” would have been a huge distraction from the main story, so maybe they developed the adversarial father-son subplot of “Journey” to explain their absence from that important event.
And it’s not just a show, folks — it’s STAR TREK! :-)
Scott B. out.
I am stoked for this epp. The preview looks great and I can’t wait. I think most Trek fans would probably admit (if they watch TOS) that this is one of there favorite episodes. My all time fav’s go in this order; number 1 Doomsday, 2 Amok Time, and 3 Trouble with Tribbles.
They hit a grand slam with Doomsday last week now my second fav this week. I am on pins and needles. One thing I do have to say with no harm intended… Stop complaining about the networks cutting in with the commercials. I love you guys and your dedication to the series but remember television is an industry. The channels these shows are being aired on for the most part (as far as I can tell) are not big networks. They are small hometown networks who have to make some money somehow. Let’s face it, we love, love, love Star Trek TOS… but most people are not clamoring to there televisions making the same ruckus as us about these new episodes. And, furthermore, I have talked to several people whom watch the show and they either can’t see or don’t remember well enough to see a huge difference between an epp re-mastered and a 60’s copy. Most people say oh yeah that’s the Shat and Spock with the goofy ears still the common public doesn’t notice the subtle changes. For example the big “James R. Kirk” debacle… No one noticed except for the diehards baby, no one. I almost didn’t even notice and I am a diehard. So what needs to happen are more episodes like Doomsday. Re-master that baby to death, stop worrying about the little stuff and really work on the big stuff like the huge space combat scenes etc. They need to keep adding shots like the ones of Vulcan in this preview and then and only then will people stop and say “Yeah, this is different than I remember… it’s better.”
I applaud CBS digital with the work they have done so far! Keep it up and don’t be afraid to add grand and huge shots. Don’t be afraid to step out onto the limb of creativy spread your wings and fly. People can buy TOS on DVD if that’s what they want to see we want to see a re-mastered masterpiece that is so grand it breathes new life into this beloved show with new viewer ship younger viewer ship.
Live Long and Prosper
Aaron Ringewold
Writer/Director
Stage and Film
I am shocked at how far they are going with new elements in this show. If this had been at the start of the project, we NEVER would have seen this kind of revisionism. but I believe they have begun to get more ambitious since taking into account fan reactions to new elements. I for one am glad.
This really boosts the openess of the set in the episode and ties it in nicely with the movie Vulcan we have seen.
I love it! More, more, more, how do you like it, how do you like it, more more more… (my 70’s teen years coming out there).
I just love the look of the the matte shots…
I think that it’s an extremely clever technique to both make the cyclorama sets more believeable, and to link the TOS era Vulcan to the movie era Vulcan
The preview looks intriguing. I had never thought about the fighting arena as being elevated like that, but I think it is a cool idea. And another good thing is that the remastered episodes have always been even better than the previews (of course, that naturally should be the case). I’m glad they came up with something to enhance this one since there aren’t that many space shots. I guess I was too slow to comment and Daren Doc beat me to the comment that this episode happened before Babel, etc. Oh well…I snooze, I lose :) KROIKA!!!
ps hope that other MAJOR BLOOPER in Amok Time!…
they need to fix the arch lights visable above on the stage right above kirk and spock …..as they fought during spocks madness 7 year cylcle dramatic kirk shirt tearing scene!!!
best regards
Shay
Would you want to attend your son’s mating ritual? I think not.
I’m really looking fwd to this ep, in part because the DVD version exhibits HORRIBLE color timing. I’m still amazed at the relative shoddiness of the classic boxed DVD sets image quality.
The new matte paintings, as always, look fantastic. I wish they would credit those responsible. They- hell, the whole team- really deserves it, especially under those deadlines.
Very, very cool CBS-D!! My only hope is that the amazing arials survive the syndication hack… probably not so I’ll be content to wait for I-Tunes.
Immunity Syndrom is the next big one visually… I hope they can find a way to show the dividing cell nucleus in front of the E as it fires the torpedo. That would be off-the-chart cool.
Another cool shot would be for Tomorrow Is Yesterday… a nice two-shot looking down from above the nacelles as the fighter jet approaches…
This whole endeavor has completely re-invigorated my love of TOS… Sci-fi channel needs to take the leap and re-cast for new TOS episodes. They have done such a great job with Galactica that TOS would be a slam dunk.
Rock on CBS-D!
Looks good so far. The preview was pretty low res and choppy though. So I’ll just have to wait to see it.
Since we’re throwin’ out hopes for future episodes- In “Court Martial” I hope we get to see other ships in orbit over Starbase 11. Similar to Voyager’s shot of Utopia Planetia, though not so busy. It was mentioned in the dialog that other ships were under repair but never seen.
you do realise that there are hi res dl links under the youtube right? (higher res than those on startrek.com)
Very nice that the matte paintings serve the dual purpose of tying the new version of “Amok Time” to previous (or future–it gets complicated) Trek outings, along with making the original stage set’s look more plausible.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Ted Sturgeon and Gene Roddenberry for the first time at an event at Franklin High School in Los Angeles in 1974. Sturgeon spoke with great fondness about his work on the show, expressing special admiration for the editor who worked on “Amok Time” and his willingness to re-restructure the show minute-by-minute so that what Ted considered the show’s best line, “You may discover that having, after all, is less pleasing a thing than wanting,” could be reinstated after originally being dropped for time. Talk of a Trek revival was little more than a pipe dream back then, but Sturgeon assured Roddenberry (to the cheers of us in the audience) that were such an unlikely thing to come to pass, he’d come aboard in a second. Sadly, as it turned out he didn’t have all that much longer to live and write, and so while Trek eventually did come back another Ted Sturgeon episode never came to pass. It would have been great if he’d been able to take the opportunity to see this episode anew after all these years, and to share with us his feelings about it all.
(And Anthony–on that subject: any idea when we might see that promised follow-up video by Spinrad?)
Re: Court-Martial – I realize its a long shot, but I wish they could change that old-fashioned microphone Dr. McCoy refers to as a “white sound device” or whatever he calls it. Every time I see that episode, I’m afraid De Kelley’s going to burst out into “Georgia on My Mind”. Or worse, that Shatner is.
“Or worse, that Shatner is.”
LOL! Much worse. Though it probably would have brought Finney out of his hidey-hole in a second–anything to stop the pain.
#23 yeah I liked that “on the fly” continuity of the show. It certainly wasn’t like shows today with a season arc, but in the days of the 60’s, shows really didn’t refer to previous adventures. Trek did that and added to the realism of the adventure. Even as a kid I enjoyed the references to other episodes.
oooh, shiny!
Maybe we have to give up part of the pan around the empty arena?
The only other things I think could bear replacement would be rotoscope-heck: the sky and the Romulan “hide my non-made-up ears” helmets.
There are now a couple of stills of Vulcan now up on the Star Trek official site
http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/feature/bst/tos-enhanced/tos-034a/pop.html
http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/feature/bst/tos-enhanced/tos-034b/pop.html
The first image shows and aI quote the official site here “a wide bird’s-eye-view angle that shows much more of the Vulcan landscape, including a Vulcan city in the background that is presumably Shi’Khar, Spock’s hometown as established in the animated episode “Yesteryear.”
very cool I didnt notice that in from the preview
I’m drooling.
oh there is a thrid one as well
http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/feature/bst/tos-enhanced/tos-034/pop.html
looks like they have replaced some of the live footage for this shot
Really – that shot of the landscape is as good as anything I ever imagined in my head, reading “The Vulcan Academy Murders” when I was a teenager.
Bravo.
Did they use the same orbital look of Vulcan as they did in “Journey to Babel”?
The CGI landscapes look cool… but I’d prefer for the team NOT to cut live-action footage for the sake of the CGI enhancements.
How cool is it that the artists consulted the animated series for more info about the Vulcan landscape. Talk about going above and beyond!
#46:
Well, if the characters aren’t saying anything, I think it’s a good idea to give the scene a wider and more detailed angle. It certainly makes it look more epic, which I think is what they were going for in the movies. So why not here too?
Opps… I hit the enter button too quick. Having the arena elevated on some mountain top definitely sells all the set shots that show nothing in the background but red sky and no clouds… very clever!
This is notable because it’s the first time that the performance of the actors is actually being supplanted by a CBS-D shot. Footage of tge actors is actually being excised. They can only fit the long shots of Vulcan into the show by replacing Shatner/Nimoy/Kelley’s walk to the arena. I don’t necessarily have a problem with this, as the scene is protracted and it’s an excellent way of conveying scope prior to the arena due to the impractability of re-doing the Vulcan sky for the entire show.
HOWEVER, their choice of tying in the landscape to Star Trek III is disappointing. I’m all for continuity, but does anyone else feel this will detract from the future value of that film? Remember how The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition inserted the (pointless) footage of Darth Vader returning to his flagship in the Imperial shuttle? That shuttle originally debuted in JEDI, and consequently its appearance in EMPIRE devalues that imagery in JEDI. Now people enjoying TREK for the first time will remember the landscape from Amok Time, then yawn when it shows up in ST3 (with outdated effects to boot). Hence the work of the artists who conceived and executed this imagery in the first place is relegated to a kind of second class status.