Live Forever Watching the ‘Metamorphosis’ Remastered Preview

| October 29, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 83 comments so far

The remastered “Metamorphosis” airs this weekend, Video Preview courtesy of STARTREK.COM

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First! Yahoo! Never been first… Ok ok..looks interesting. I don’t know if I like the new cloud or not. Seems weird. But then it’s on my work monitor that’s like 10 years old. And too small. We’ll soon see.

yeah that cloud looks a little strange from this preview.

I never thought the cloud looked very good, so I’m hoping to see an improvement in TOS-R.

No, it looks odd.

Dont like the rendering of the shuttle either. Looks like a video game.

Meh, not a favorite episode (never could stand that Nancy Hedford as a kid, LOL). However, I try to see all the remastered episodes good and bad, so I’ll tune in to this one as well. Doubt any change will be made to “the Companion”–methinks too much work involved with the live action, but you never know…

As we’ve often seen in the past, the previews don’t necessarily match the final aired episode.

Nevertheless, I like the general feel of the cloud. Looks mighty ’60s to me.

Is it just me?! While watching and hearing Zefram Cochrane in this preview it almost felt like I was seeing a close relative of “Trip” Tucker.

#3 “I never thought the cloud looked very good, so I’m hoping to see an improvement in TOS-R.”

Don’t hold your breath.

#4 “Dont like the rendering of the shuttle either. Looks like a video game.”

Problem since day one.

#6 “As we’ve often seen in the past, the previews don’t necessarily match the final aired episode.”

Very true. I wait until seeing the episode for final judgement.

While they aren’t indicative of the actual episode, often featuring effects that aren’t seen in the version aired, these episode previews rock. The music, the editing and pacing are all top notch.

I really hope they are included on the HD-set.

And what of the female entity. She was a flashing, oil based 60’s bit of psychedelica. No sign of her in the preview. Still good to see Zephram Cochrane, the original again, with his piercing blue eyes that I could never resist !

re 7: the one person who always reminds me of trip tucker is the helm officer in pike’s crew!

I love the scene where Kirk first sets foot on the planet by leaping out of the shuttle with his phaser drawn. Atta boy, Jimbo. Shoot first and ask questions later. Makes you wonder just what he was expecting to find on the other side of the door. Maybe he mixed up this cloud with the sweet smelling entity that attacked the Farragut.

Re # 11

That’s Lee Kelso you’re thinking of.

Hey folks, lets not jump to conclusions. For all we know this “cloud” was added by the trailer folks.

Another good chance to make ‘new’ shuttle shots, which is very welcome. This is not a great ep. It’s slow pacing doesn’t offer much of a pay-off. Cochran’s complaint that future man has no moral compass seems kinda flat, too, considering he’s been knocking boots with the sparkly cloud for centuries.
This episode also had me greatly confused about the speed and range of the shuttle craft. Why would Kirk et al choose to trudge along in a 27 foot SUV when they could warp to wherever much faster? It seems to be an obvious device to get rid of unwanted supporting cast members.

Thoughts and observations, gang?

Funny how I never got the impression from this episode that Cochran had been a drunken cowardly boob.

Actually looking forward to this episode a lot.

This is the quintessential “I hated it when I was a kid” but as an adult now in my early 40’s, it’s actually quite good. The emotions were completely lost on me as a young person, but now as a mature guy in a great marriage with someone I love dearly (sappy, I know, but hey, it’s the way I feel:)), I completely understand the emotional aspects of the story.

I get particularly moved by Hedford’s pleas as she lays dying about being good at her job, but never having known love…for awhile in my life, I was beginning to think I might be following in her footsteps, but I lucked out (even if it took me a little longer than a lot of people to find the right gal… :) .

Anyway, if you haven’t see this show since your earlier adulthood/teen years, give it another shot now. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what I consider to be TOS’s most underrated episode…

Cheers,

Jon

I just really hope they completely redid the companion cloud. Both the space and live action shots. The original looked terrible. In fact it was probably one of the worst FX of the original series.

Jon1701 you’re right, the shuttle DOES look like a video game. And not one of my favorites, either. Salt Vampire says he knows that cloud creature, too.

I always liked the sentiments of this episode. Even as a kid.

“Maybe you’re a soldier so often, that you’ve forgotten you’re also trained to be a diplomat.”

Not particularly moved by this trailer…

I doubt those live action/companion shots were changed much…if at all.

I was always disturbed that “Princess” from “Father Knows Best” grew up to be just another annoying Star Fleet commissioner.

RE: 13
I believe this is who he’s thinking of:
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/character/bio/1115932.html

Kelso served with Kirk.

Does the math here with Cochran’s age and time passed jive with the Earth date and age of Cochran in First Contact?

I always enjoyed the sentiments of this episode as well. How often does one get a second chance in life to get past their prejudices and find true happiness on the other side?

I also much prefer this protrayal of Cochrane to the drunken lout shown in the TNG movie –

Anyone have a YouTube link for this?

Peter Duryea looks a lot like Conor Trinneer!! The same way that Ray Liotta looks alot like Jeff Hunter….hint JJ…..hint…hint

Commissioner Hedford is a babe. Stone cold bitch goddess.

This episode did have a brief shot of the 14 foot Big E from straight on. It only lasted a few seconds and it is one of my favorite shots of the girl. I wonder what they will do with that FX. I would hate for it to be changed to a “standard” view shot of the E.

The shot of the cloud around the shuttle reminds me of the effects from Donnie Darko.

I loved episodes where they took the shuttlecraft down to a planet. Metamorphosis along with The Galileo Seven was the quintessential Star Trek that defined TOS. The Cochrane house is iconic, the alien landscape was awesome for the budget they had to work with, and they made the most of it with that TOS gel lighting. A great episode IMO, can’t wait to see it with the re-mastered FX.

#31

I LOVED the Cochrane house! I do wonder, though, where and how he got the Wasily chair in his living room. I had no idea Knoll International delivered to outer space. :-)

Peace. Live long and prosper.
The Vulcanista }:-|

#24

Cochrane states in this episode that he was an old man and dying when he left Earth, so apparently all this happens after “First Contact.”

Peace. Live long and prosper.
The Sleepy Vulcanista }|- | zzzzzzzz

The shuttlecraft looks really flat and textureless.

I hope this is an early render because this is one of the worst effects I’ve seen them do.

My money is on the cloud not changing at all on the surface.

re 13, 32: i was thinking of tyler. looks like tucker!

#16 Stanky McFibberich

I’ll second that…again.

#31 Thelin

And yes, a nicely mysterious episode with some very ‘TOS’ sets and colors.

Never liked this one as a kid. I haven’t seen it in years so maybe I’ll like it more this time around. Looking forward to the new shuttle shots.

BTW Anthony, just noticed the countdown clock for the movie. Nice touch!! ;-)

#29

Here is that shot. Only used for this episode and never again.

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=61&pos=211

Two different actors played the role of Cochrane, which to me stretches credibility to the max. If James Cromwell had the played it the first time in this 60s ep and then reprised it for First Contact that would have been much more plausible. Radiation does NOT change height, body type, etc as it has been suggested in some Trek books-the aftermath of World War 3 I guess.
BTW what happened to the actor who played it here? Wonder why he couldn’t be rehired for the movie?

re/11

Me too; was thinking that the last time I watched THE CAGE. Too bad they didn’t work up a tie-in.

re/29

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that shot. Beautiful. Thanks to T Negative for finding/posting it.

RE:#40 – Sadly, Glenn Corbett died about three years before First Contact was shot.

I wasn’t happy with the Cromwell (hot after his “Babe” Oscar nomination) casting in First Contact, but I sort of justified it by saying to myself that the Cochrane we saw in Metamorphosis was an idealized version of himself, created by the cloud creature from images in his mind of what he wished he could look like. Crappy, but that’s fan fill-in-the-blanks thinking for you.

I consider this one of Trek’s best. It’s one of the few episodes I remember watching as a little kid in the early 70s when Trek was first broadcast in England (my dad was stationed at an air base there). My brother and I even named our G.I. Joes Joe and Jeff Cochrane after watching this one! :-)

Scott B. out.

The producers of “First Contact” could have cast an actor who looked like Glen Corbett. Then they should have followed the lead of this episode and made the guy a noble figure instead of an idiot drunk. “…No, no, but you see the guys a scientist who invented the warp drive and he’s a loon and a drunk. It’s a great suprise for all the fans! We’re such clever writers, we’ll just give the character a little twist and do just the opposite of what’s expected!”

Bah, garbage! I hope the producers of the new movie don’t take this approach with the characters.

39. T Negative

Shot is too dark, there’s not enough detail on the model, the nacelle caps look–

Oh wait, thats the real thing.

Nevermind. :-D

Don’t forget that James Cromwell was a favourite on TNG before FC was made.

#32

I guess the “companion” could somehow provide all of the interior decor from within his memories. I noticed alot of it is similar to the interiors of the Enterprise crew quarters, so those futuristic string wall hangings must have remained in vogue for well over a century. There is also what looks to be a century plant in the backyard, and they bloom only once a century.

#22

“Princess” was none to happy about it either it seems, in fact if I remember the quote, she was “deeply put upon, and outraged” but it was better than sharing a bathroom with Bud.

Glen Corbett died sasly…he never had a chance to reprise his superior version of Cochrane..instead they and we had that clown actor cromwell..

most distasteful portrayal by him in FC!

I’m always up for some hardcore “man on energy cloud” action …… hmmm

I hope to god when we see that planet in orbital shots, it’s crazy purples and greens!

Other than that … somebody really ought to write some official Trek lore that explains that this was in fact Trip Tucker, pretending he was Zefram Cochrane, because Cochrane alive on some planet was one thing, but Trip Tucker and the Energy Creature both faking his death and him operating in some capacity in the future Star Trek shows … needed to be top secret.