The buzz is building for the first release of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray, coming up in a couple of weeks. Now TNG’s Counselor Troi is weighing in with Marina Sirtis talking about her worries about the show becoming dated and how the HD remastering puts those to rest. More details below.
Sirtis on ‘amazing’ TNG in HD
As we have been reporting here at TrekMovie, Star Trek: The Next Generation is being remastered for HD. The first season comes out later this year, with others to follow. But on January 31st CBS is releasing a sampler on Blu-ray ("Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level") with four episodes: “Encounter at Farpoint” – as well as two more “fan favorite” episodes, “The Inner Light” (Season 5) and “Sins of the Father” (Season 3).
And in a new interview, Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Counselor Troi) talks about her impressions of the project:
"I’m a total Luddite, not good with any technology at all,. I was not prepared to be impressed when I went to CBS to see what they were doing with the Blu-ray, but it was amazing. It was amazing because one of the things I’d always felt about our show was how I felt about the original Star Trek (1967-1969) when I watched that 20 years later, and that’s how dated it looked. So I was feeling that about The Next Generation, that it looked dated because the technology had come so far since the 1990s, since we’d made the show. We were state of the art in the 1990s, but technology put us in this time capsule, really. Now, with this Blu-ray technology, it looks like we shot it yesterday.’"
Sirtis also talked about the selection of the four episodes in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level" sampler:
”I think they made a really nice choice of episodes, though I still can’t watch the pilot because I was really amazed that they let me keep my job after that. I describe my performance in that as ‘ Sophie’s Choice meets Star Trek’. It was just way too emotional. It was awful, and I thought for sure that I was going to be fired. Aside from that, I can watch the other two."
Sirits isn’t the first TNG star to talk about the project. Back in September LeVar Burton tweeted "Stopped by to see how the TNG conversion to HD for Blue Ray was coming along… #mindblown."
Trailer #2 for Star Trek: TNG Blu-ray
You can pre-order "Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level from Amazon for $14.99.
Source: Bangkok Post (via Press Display)
Can’t wait to see it all cleaned up.
I love Marina! She has always been a great speaker at the cons. Her love for the show and the fan has always been apparent.
Most of Trek still doesn’t really look dated imo it’s got this amazing timelessness to it. Okay the earliest seasons of DS9 and TNG do a little, TOS is so dated it’s actually become funny. As for films Generations-Nemesis don’t look dated, the old ones do and truth be told I think XI is starting to a bit. I mean that in style/content.
From what I’ve seen it going to be worth getting it on Blu-ray
TheDigitalBits have a review up already.
I think the criticism of Ed Brown’s cinematography in the first two years (by everybody on earth except, I think, me) is going to have to be reconsidered, going by what they have to say about contrast and suchlike. I’m no TNG fan, but I’ll probably netflix some of these down the line, and it makes me delirious with the thought of how good DS9 might look some decade.
In regards to Marina not being able to watch the pilot, I say that any episode with her wearing the space cheerleader outfit should actually get bonus points IMHO. And yes, she is awesome at conventions.
Marina in season 1 was the best. Seriously.
I recommend everyone who hasn’t already done so give a listen to the audio commentary her and Frakes did for the Insurrection blu ray. It was more entertaining than the actual movie.
#8
You gotta love all the “What’s happening here, Johnny?” “I don’t remember this at all” and “I must have nodded off for this scene”
#9: I just get a laugh out of how she calls him “Jonny” :)
Edward R. Brown’s Cinematography may look great in HD. And I look forward to seeing it, or it may look worse with those black cards on the LCARS panels in 1080p.
But, at the time Mr. Brown was not shooting with 1080p Blue ray in mind as to the mastering format. They were shooting for 1 inch tape masters that would loose several generations before being played off of MII at my crapy local tv station in Arkansas. He should have at least kept that in mind at the time.
He did do some great work in some of the episodes though.
To me none of the shows are dated, to me TOS although very 60s has transcended time better than it’s 60 counterpats cuh as Lost in Space.
The Trek series will always be my fav shows as they have something that a lot of shows these days don’t have as well. Great characters and great high concept stories.
#8
I second that. This is definitely a highlight.
Dear Marina, it’s not the pre-HD quality that makes the show look dated, it’s the late 80’s / early 90’s hairstyles. :)
PAIN!!!!!!!!
We can laugh… now.
And Marina, I’m sure your worst day as an actress still beats my best day as a dancer.
Yes… so much PAIN!!!!! :-)
Glad she took some ibuprofen and got so much better. They all did!
I would prefer it, if they use the money for a new animated series.
Love Marina, great lady, kind person and I look forward to seeing the show through new HD eyes.
She’s just a love, isn’t she?
I agree that Marina’s performance in the pilot was overly emotional on the verge of being ridiculously so, but in the beginning of a series, it’s quite normal considering that actors are still getting to know the characters they’re playing and need to adjust their performance as they get a better idea of who the characters are. The fact that she recognizes this herself is a tribute to her abilities as an actor and I commend her. The writers define the structure of the characters, but it’s the actors who give them life. It didn’t take time for Marina to adjust and she played conselor Troi admirably henceforth.
TNG is one show I would consider replacing my DVD collection with. Going even beyond the special effects, the DVD’s seem very grainy. DS9, Voyager and Enterprise all seem to have transferred well to DVD and the special effects still hold up for those shows, so I don’t know if I would spring the money for Blu-Ray for those.
One of my favority Deanna Troi moments was in “The Naked Now” when she is “drunk” and Riker takes her to sickbay. She asks him “Don’t you want me, me in your mind.” That still gives me the chills:)
#11 – “They were shooting for 1 inch tape masters that would loose several generations before being played off of MII at my crapy local tv station in Arkansas.”
Generations of tape are neither loose nor tight. (Dammit Jim, it’s lose. L-O-S-E. Why do so many people add another “o” to this word???)
They still shot on film and protected for such. The masters may have been video but the elements (including most of the visual effects) were shot on high resolution film, which is roughly double the resolution of HDTV. I don’t see what your point is.
Marina Sirtis = gorgeous woman in every way possible
Mongo like Sirtis lady.
Mongo watching season 6 now. Mongo watch on old TV so DVD not look bad. DVD not look so good on Mongo big TV. Mongo buy sample DVD to see on bluray.
Mongo like Sirtis lady.
Seems very unusual to see an actor criticize their own performance on Star Trek. I mean, I do it all the time, because I’m a meanie, but I’m surprised to hear it from Sirtis.
Actually, I didn’t think it was all that bad. A lot of the acting in that episode was kind of “meh” so she didn’t really stand out to me. But hey, they all grew into their roles and we wouldn’t have had the other great performances without that one.
There was a marked difference in her performance between “Encounter at Farpoint” and “The Naked Now”, though I agree the overall acting in the pilot was less than stellar. I’m currently rewatching the 7th season and the show did change considerably between the first and last seasons.
24 Mongo
Still trying to figure out if you’re a dog, an ape-like humanoid evolution forgot or… Mugatu? Is it really you??
I’m glad they dropped that accent
Will this be available on netflix or will we ahve to buy the remastered editions to see them?
What accent? Marina Sirtis was born in London, England, hence the English accent. Why does or should a betazoid/human hybrid have to sound like an English speaking American? Marina sounded just fine.
@30
I think it’s throughout the entire first season Troi has this odd accent.
I’m sorry if I’ve misinterpreted the tone of your post here but it sounds like you’re assuming I’m American, which I’m not. So why would I want a character to sound American? Don’t jump to conclusions.
First up is TNG. Next, let’s please, please, please transfer DS9, VOY and ENT!! :-)
27. Silvereyes – January 19, 2012
24 Mongo
Still trying to figure out if you’re a dog, an ape-like humanoid evolution forgot or… Mugatu? Is it really you??
*******************************
Ever see the movie “Blazing Saddles”?
#30 – You mean the stuffed-nose sounding accent.
Marina couldn’t do her “normal” voice because with Patrick Stewart they didn’t want “too many Brits on the bridge” as she has said in the past.
It kind of went away in the TNG films though. I guess she finally got an antihistamine that worked!
31. Good for you. Keachick sits on a pedstal as high a babel. His posts are always padantic
Mongo like Blazing Saddles. But in truth Mongo not that way. Mongo advisor on film and help Alex Karras with dialogue.
Have read Talisman by Stephen King mans? Mongo like Wolf. When Wolf in our world more.
That give idea what is Mongo.
She makes me laugh with how wonderfully self-effacing she is. I’ve had the privilege of meeting her once and even though I’m not a fan of the Troi character, I think Marina is just charming. Almost none of the ST-TNG episodes or movies (with the possible exception of “First Contact”) properly exploits that fact, in my opinion.
#35 – Keachick is female and if you are going to use big words like pEdantic, at least spell them correctly.
#31 – I apologise. I guess I did assume that you were American, however I was not directing my comment specifically at you. The truth is – the majority of people who post here are from the US.
Star Trek is made in America by people who are predominately American. I have also read where someone wanted Benedict Cumberbatch to lose his (English) accent when he does the next movie. One wonders just what this person wants Ben to sound like.
@38 That’s alright, I may have read your post slightly more angry than you had intended.
On another topic, I hate how the London (posh or cockney) accents are treated as the staple “English accent” when it’s only the south east that speak like that (It’d be like assuming all Americans speak like Rednecks for example) it also seems like only Londoners can really make it into the acting world, which is a little disheartening as an aspiring actor myself.
Captain…I’m sensing…a very strong mind. *straight face*
Yes, I am looking forward to the sampler disk. Even though I mostly watch for Marina Sirtis (and Jonathan Frakes…drool…), and my dad is a die-hard TOS fan who doesn’t understand me.
Looking forward to seeing miss Sirtis in Vegas this year. :)
38. And a pedistal is still just a stul. Male, female, vulcan, romulan. Who cares. Leave some space for the rest of us too, dudette, and never assume or correct people. Its rude.
39. English actors and you may not be one of them, but most do not rely on “the Method” and are trained with a better sense of self and class. Do you believe that only londoners can be actors because of where they are from, or how they speak?
I can’t wait to watch her scenes in slow-mo. Damn she had a tasty outfit on in the pilot episode. I wish she’d kept those boots for the whole damn show.
30. Keachick, Sirtis has said she did TNG in a made-up alien sounding (vaguely Israeli) accent — it wasn’t her normal speaking voice. By the end of the series, it was more of a generic American accent.
Her voice in the later movies sounded a little more like her own, but not entirely.
It would be great if Trek were more international, and more interstellar (more aliens, baby).
Just watched Treks 3 and 4 again and it was nice to see a few more black actors than in the previous films. It always bugged me that in TNG and on (with the exception of a few characters like Geordi, Worf, the Siskos, Bashir, Tuvok, Kim, Chakotay, Mayweather and Sato) the bulk of the extras, guest stars and main characters were white. TOS did a way better job of portraying an international crew (Court Martial was terrific for this) beyond just having Sulu and Uhura on the bridge. It was dissappointing that, 20 years later, Starfleet was so darned white (i know, there were a few extras, especially at ops, orwas it con, the one Data wasn’t at, but not many).
So yes, fewer white, male Americans please.
#35 – “Keachick sits on a pedstal as high a babel. His posts are always padantic”
I don’t recall reading any posts from you here and yet you come in with a smart-ass comment directed at me and making an assumption about my gender. Then you have the cheek to tell me to “never assume” and what’s more, you correct me on my “correcting people”. Doh.
While I am at it, I shall disobey your instruction about not correcting people in order to correct your spelling (you’re so right – I can be so very pedantic!)
pedstal/pedistul – incorrect – the word is pedastal and babel should be Babel. It is a place name mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. Also ‘stul’ is actually stool.
There is plenty of space for everyone…
Oh and re-read N’s post at #39. Your comment at #41 is erroneous because that’s not what she was saying…oops, another correction. I dunno, just can’t seem to help myself.
I correct myself – the word is ‘pedEstal’.
It just shows it’s never too late to learn nor how high a stool someone else has placed me on. I should feel flattered really.
45. Is this going to be a repeat of the Mary Sue outrage from a couple of weeks ago?
Bottom line — spelling mistakes aside, Sirtis used an accent (and not a British one) as Troi. I’d be mildly annoyed too if I was told, incorrectly, that (to paraphrase) I was wrong and was only hearing an accent because I’m an American and assume everybody should talk like me. If you’re trying to disprove accusations that some of your comments can be seen as condescending, well, giving spelling corrections might not be the most successful strategy. “Oh, yeah? I’m a girl not a boy,” isn’t recommended either.
I’m glad Troi got sorted out in later seasons — that first season was rough for everybody’s characters, except maybe Worf.
She looks even hotter in that first season mini-dress!
@44 Um, I’m not a she…
45. Have a drink. Have 2.
Speaking of Troi … I’m looking forward to the blue-green dress in HD. ;)