SFX Video
(WMV)
New and Old
Couple more new Enterprise in orbit shots
Assorted
Plum?
Gertrude the plant
…and the many faces of Nancy the Salt Monster
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Is it just me or are the planets all way too small? The E looks like it’s orbiting a basketball.
Also think this was a poor choice for a pilot. Just too much of a bummer. No real laughs (unless you think Beauregard is funny.)
^ Like the shot of the E from above, but still think the planet should take up most of the screen. If the orbit were high enough for the planet to be small, the only way you’d notice the curve of the E’s orbit would be if it circled the globe in about a minute. That’s unecessary and would tend to make beaming trickier, one would think. Of course, it could all be an asthetic choice.
Your thoughts, gang? Would you like a ‘realistic’ orbit shot for the new movie or would you like it to resemble the stuff made in 1966?
I have always liked this one. This is one of the episodes where they really tried to establish the characters, especially Uhura. She had more lines in this one than in many of the episodes. They really cut out alot of scenes out of this episode did anybody else notice that?
I don’t want the orbit shots to look exactly like film from the space shuttle. Too much NASA realism would be boring. That said, I like CBS Digital’s approach, which makes the planets a little more colorful than they probably would be in reality, and retains much of the original shot compositions.
What did people think of that one shot of the Enterprise orbiting the planet high from above? It was one of the last shots and I thought it was quite good as it showed a bit
of detail that stood out from all others (other episodes) I think the CBS crew over time
is getting better in their job and lets all hope they continue their fine job. Excellent!
re: 2
“Your thoughts, gang? Would you like a ‘realistic’ orbit shot for the new movie or would you like it to resemble the stuff made in 1966?”
66
Regarding the high speed and high turn rate of Big E in orbit, I thought so too at first but if you watch the stars behind the planet’s edge, they are moving wildly too. I think what CBS is doing is almost matching the speed of the Big E as if the viewer were in orbit too, just a little farther out, and a bit slower than Enteriprise. As if we were in a shuttlecraft. It’s all about perspective here. Perhaps some of us are just too used to the old static shots, but if you anylize some of those original shots, they have the same sharp “turns” in orbit too.
A panning establishing shot of the planet surface….so great, it fit right in with everything else.
That last shot of the Enterprise from above, orbiting around the planet as we usually see from in-front of the ship, was brilliant. I love seeing new beauty shots of the Enterprise. And…it fits, as if that shot was just a part of the show from the beginning.
And loved the planet, right color, right deal in the right place.
Thanks guys.
I think CBS-D’s approach really worked this time. Honoring the vision of the original FX artists while adding a modern polish and perspective should always be the goal on these remastered shows, and this week’s reel displays a very nice balance between the two.
That said, “The Man Trap,” in spite of its historic pedigree as the first Trek episode ever aired, has never been one my favorites. It’s mostly a fairly dreary, by-the-book monster-stalks-spaceship-crew story with a few interesting character moments thrown in. The already-produced “Where No Man Has Gone Before” or “Corbomite Maneuver” would have been far superior debut episodes, and NBC’s decision to go with “Trap” only demonstrates how clueless their programmers were about what do with a series that proved to be so far ahead of its time. Crater’s right–Kirk does come across as something of a military martinet, lacking the qualities of leadership that would distinguish him in later episodes, McCoy plays the fool mooning over his lost love, with the rest of the crew mostly disposable redshirts off a WWII Naval frigate. I admire George Clayton Johnson’s work and like him personally (in spite of his bizzarre fondness for our current president), but the truth is that his work for the “Twilight Zone” was mostly far more accomplished and noteworthy than this episode.
“Is it just me or are the planets all way too small? The E looks like it’s orbiting a basketball”
artistic license. the original effects were the same way.
So, where are the much disputed morphing shots?
Re: 3
Yes. Remember these episodes originally run 51 minutes back in the 60’s. They cut 7-9 minutes out to fit in todays schedualing.
No morphs. A surprise indeed.
I always notice how restrained Shatner’s line delivery is in these early episodes – not so many of those odd pauses that he used later.
This was always one of my favorites. All the actors seemed to fit quite naturally into their roles. Shatner was downright understated. Even the little moments between Rand & Sulu were nice touches.
I liked the new shots of the Enterprise & the planet, but the morphs looked exactly the same to me as they did in the original. I couldn’t tell they’d done anything.
The new matts are about 7 mins into the show, just after the title. Thought I was missing it. I still say this is one heck of a creature. Before I THOUGHT it was just Kirk and McCoy it was fooling, but the blueshirt Darnell also. All at once. Then just taking Uhura’s idea of a Swahili man and using that to attack her. Ship shots always nice, but I will always think more could be done. Like others have mentioned, would like direct feedback of what this all involves. Or is this planned for a convention?, as I would understand.
That SFX video is fine but pieces of it are in other episodes. Keep it episode specific?
So, if the Salt Vampire not only sucked all the salt from your body (through the derriere), but also clubbed you over the head at the same time, could it be charged with ASS-SALT and BATTERY??
I thought crewman Green always looked like Barry Mannilow.
Shatner was very good at shaping and defining Kirk in these early episodes. As a opposed to the phone it in episodes in season 3. He was a bad ass. Thats the way I want him in the new movie.
Best lines: “If we let out a yell, I want an armed team down there before the echo dies.”
To Prof. Crater on his wuss “Last of its kind” speech:
“You bleed to much professor.”
Crater didnt seem any different than present day extremist animal rights or environmentalists. His morality compass was whacked and called him on it.
McCoy to Kirk: “Is that how you get women to like you?
By bribing them?”
The delivery was great and I always lol.
Harry. Go to your room. Now.
So for anyone lucky enough to see these in HD, how does the live action material look? Do the sets and makeup really show the limitations of the show’s budget and technology of the time period?
the size of the planet in respect to the E is going to vary due to distances… the E is orbiting far out from the planet and the camera is closer to the E creating a very intresesting perspective. I LOVE THAT THEY ARE DOING COOL THINGS LIKE THIS!!!
#19
D’oh!!!
I am one who has often complained that the planets look tiny, and the orbital curve makes them look even tinier. Yes, the original from the 60s featured a tightly curved orbital path. In the old show, as the E passed to the right, the shot always ended before the curve extended back to the left. What would have happened if the shot had continued? Either the enterprise passes in *front* of the planet, and you realize that’s not an orbit, just a loop-dee-loop, or else it passes *behind* the planet, and you realize the planet is not much bigger than the enterprise.
It feels to me like the new shots, in trying to emulate the old style, end up making the old mistakes all the more obvious, and they look totally unconvincing as a result. The tragedy is that It would not take much to do a fully realistic yet wonderfully dramatic shot. Like with the E on an apparently straight path, passing very near to the camera then disappearing into the distance, with a large planet image filling most of the background. Think about the opening shot from the original Star Wars. Stunningly dramatic, yet entirely sensible in terms of orbital motion.
OMG… crewman Green IS Barry Manilow!
^ neal — That’s what I was getting at. I’m not trying to trash 1966 technology, but it was before the moon landing and all. There’s actually some wonderful shots in (drum roll) Robinson Crusoe on Mars. (kuh-ching, it’s for sale on this site) That film is 60’s, but made the attempt to get as close to science fact as they could. Anyway, the mothership in orbit appears to hold a straight line while whooshing towards, then away from the camera. Considering the size of the planet (even Mars) this is about what it would look like.
Salt Vampire vs. Mugatu vs. Horta: Battle Royale! A no-holds-barred death match where anything goes!
Salt Vampire told me to let everyone on Trek.com know that he got stiffed by Roddenberry all those years ago, and is still owed four hundred pounds of iodized fine-grain salt and one gallon of Ripple for working in that episode. Jackie Chiles you might be getting a phone call and another client.
Seems like if we can all accept what is obviously a guy in a rubber suit as really being a salt vampire than we can accept a few imperfections in the special effects. Maybe with more time and a bigger budget…?
#18:”To Prof. Crater on his wuss “Last of its kind” speech:
“You bleed to much professor.”
Crater didnt seem any different than present day extremist animal rights or environmentalists. His morality compass was whacked and called him on it.”
You missed the point of the speech. It had nothing to do with whether the professor’s claimed ideology was extreme or “whacked” in and of itself.
“It isn’t just a beast.
It is intelligent…
and the last of its kind.
You bleed too much, Crater.
You’re too pure and noble.
Are you saving the last of its kind…
or has this become Crater’s private heaven here?
This thing becomes wife, lover, best friend…
wise man, fool, idol, slave.
…Have you learned to see it in any form?
Yes.
Whislt McCoy (aka Salty McSuckerfingers) looks on with a grim resolve.
Whilst, sted Whislt
Sorry, Anthony, Trekmovie.com.. my bad!
I love the classic patented “Star Trek” orbital shots as well as the new beauty shots that we’ve seen scattered here and there. That imagery of the ship in orbit is as iconic as the ship firing its phasers. Is it scientificaly accurate? Maybe not, but it definitely looks like Star Trek rather than Star Wars and that’s a very good thing.
The show should keep it’s unique signature orbital shots, and keep adding new ones here and there to spice things up. I think what theyre doing so far looks great.
Fantastic images.
#29
I Believe the word “whilst” is a word the brits love to use. We yanks still just say while. I love the way the brits talk of course, but I see that word allot in the many Brit. magazines I read. The Star Trek magazine of course being of write by many people of the land of the Engals. I love the Lion Bars they have over there.
Back to the “Man Trap”, the new images really inherence this episode immensely. The long shot of the big “E” in orbit really work.
#27
Really?
What was his point?
The Prof. in his speech and actions put the life of an endangered species above himself and the lives of other human beings. Since the creature opted to kill others rather than settle
for salt tablets it forfeited its right to live on.
Kirk mat have cared but not at the expense of his life or that of his crew.
Re: #18, & #24, LOL.
He does look like Barry Manilow. You guys are right, & I hate Barry Manilow.
“Oh Mandy………”
I really liked the shots where the planet fills the right edge of the screen and the Enterprise hangs to the left, facing us. That’s a nice composition. It seems so obvious, but I don’t remember seeing CBS-D do that before.
Also, I like that the planet looks barren and desert-like. I was getting tired of all the habitable planets looking like Earth.
As for the episode itself, I always enjoyed this one, and thought it got a bad rap. Sure, it was a monster show, but it was slightly deeper in theme than your average Irwin Allen TV monster show. I did think it unnecessary to kill the creature. Couldn’t they simply stun it and lock it up somewhere (I asked rhetorically)?
Scott B. out.
Why do they show the Michael Jackson style morphing shots (What was that video called?…”It’s black, It’s white”) in the trailer but not in the show? Odd.
“I did think it unnecessary to kill the creature. Couldn’t they simply stun it and lock it up somewhere (I asked rhetorically)?”
Its not as dramatically satisfying :-)
McCoy must have been using the same phaser on the salt vampire that Lenore Karidian used on her father in last week’s episode, since neither one of them turned all red and disappeary.
So they didn’t redo the morphs for the episode at all?
“You bleed to much professor.”
Crater didnt seem any different than present day extremist animal rights or environmentalists. His morality compass was whacked and called him on it.”
You seem to forget, Roger, Kirk’s genuine regret at the episode’s conclusion at the necessity of killing the creature. (Though that it was a necessity at that point, I entirely agree.)
As for today’s “environmental extremists”–well, while they may exist in small numbers, I wouldn’t waste too much of your time worrying about them, as they are outgunned, outspent, and out of power. Unlike their opponents, who are every bit as extreme.
The episode as a whole is truly creepy-and raises quite a few issues that have been touched upon on this webpage. One which hasn’t is that the facial expressions of the human forms of the Salt Vampire at times recall those of Dracula as played by Bela Lugosi-which is all the more instructive to understanding this parasitical life form-that respects no law and no limit to getting its “fix”. This is the addict as monster-which is not at all limited to the world of Star Trek.
#33 I agree with you on that but you did leave out one other thing that forfeited its right to live. Most of them it was killing just to survive. BUt not when it Killed the professor. If it killed him to survive, it would have done it a long time ago. It killed him to keep him from talking.
#9 Michael Hall: I think the reason for not using WNMHGB or Corbomite Maneuver is that they were still getting uniforms and cast sorted out (sets, even). They wanted a premiere that would give the audience the finalized elements of the show. OTOH, I always watch the early eps in production order to watch the “evolution.” Agreed WNMHGB is stronger. Corbo is uneven IMHO, despite some favorite moments; McCoy’s relationship with Kirk is clearly off, Spock is still doing the shrill alien number and Bailey’s stress on the bridge overplayed. The Man Trap could perhaps be deemed a “fair preview”, rather than “best foot forward.”
I loved the one shot where the camera actually kept it’s distance from the ship as the planet rotated. Looked like something out of one of the movies.
As for the orbits in general, I prefer it this way. They attempted a more realistic orbit in Tomorrow is Yesterday, where the planet almost filled the entire screen, and it just looked… odd. It also made the ship look a lot smaller.
DAMMIT!!!!!!
Sorry.
I would *love* to be able to comment on the remastered scenes, but WSB here in Atlanta aired an episode of “Da Vinci Code” (I think that’s what it was) for the first ***50*** minutes of scheduled Trek. I have yet to see an entire episode of Season 2 Remastered Trek.
After “we now join this program already in progress,” all I got to see was McCoy shoot the Salt Vampire, then fast-forwarded thru some commercials, then the end scene and the shot of Big E leaving the planet, which was lovely, BTW. I liked the seeing the naecelles in the viewscreen during departure shot just before the credits roll.
Peace. Live long and prosper.
Except WSB-TV in Atlanta. They just suck. }:-(
I am impressed with the images of the ship…but I would like to have seen it more…ambitious.
Ok, off-topic, but…
I wish some incredibly rich trekker would build a life-size Enterprise, or refit Enterprise. One that you can walk up to, look at from the outside, and then enter, and take a full tour. Complete with all of the rooms and sections exactly to scale and where they should be. With working turbolifts to the extent our technology can do it.
Now THAT would be cool!
#46:
Agreed, that would be *very* cool!!
However, it would have to be built by an incredibly rich Trekker out in the middle of nowhere. That’ sucker’s ginormous!!!!
Peace. Live long and prosper. }:-|
I am a little disappointed that I didn’t see SOME kind of morph in this episode. Morphing looks and technology have drastically improved since “Thriller” and “The Undiscovered Country.”
I did discuss with somone in the other forum about the inconsistency in establishing whether the alien prjected a mental image, or if it truly changed it’s shape. In the first scene, the mental image was obvious, but later on, it would seem as though it truly changed its form. Sorry, just a little hole that I don’t think was filled the best. But, it was only #6 so they were still working out the kinks. The point is: if a morph was possible to do back then, would it have been done? What would they have LIKED to do, but were just unable to. Was the fade REALLY the true vision, or just used because of ability and availibility?
As for orbital shots, I think we can just assume that the Enterprise has a high orbit, which makes the planet look small. However, the two “equatoral” looking orbit shots gave a good look at the planets size. The above orbit shot was pretty awesome too.
Has Remastered done the standard orbital shot showing the stern of the ship yet? I don’t recall…
Is it just me, or did the planet in the opening credit sequence (The whole “space the final frontier…”) have a hot pink atmosphere?
ooops, my bad, the stern was shown in THIS VERY EPISODE!
Hey OR Coast Trekkie, hello from Harrisburg, Or!