star trek the next generation remastered

Early Star Trek: The Original Series remastering [ ]

While the current understanding of the Star Trek remastering projects concern the digital projects CBS Consumer Products embarked upon in the 2000s, essentially started by predecessor Viacom Consumer Products with the 2001 release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture  (The Director's Edition) , its predecessor, Paramount Marketing and Licensing Department, had already embarked upon an early Star Trek: The Original Series "proto-remastering" project in the early 1990s. Called "digitally mastered" (as indicated on the below-mentioned UK VHS box-art, and the "digitally" essentially referring to the computerized editing equipment instead of the films themselves) at the time, new, cleaned-up and color corrected, transfers were analogously (meaning that each individual film cell was separately photographed with a high resolution camera, instead of digitally scanned) produced from the old masters. The operation was especially commissioned for the 1992-1993 Japanese Original Series LaserDisc collection releases, Star Trek - Log 1 , Log 2 and Log 3 . Picture quality wise, it was the best edition commercially available until the advent of the 2007 TOS-R Season 1 HD DVD version, the earlier DVD versions still making use of the original masters. These Japanese transfers were used twice more, for the lesser known UK 1996-1998 VHS re-release , and the likewise UK 2007-2008 Star Trek: The Original Series - The Collector's Edition DVD/Magazine combo partwork release.

Though not seen by American audiences, the new transfers of the second season episode " The Trouble with Tribbles ", proved exceptionally useful three years later when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's tribute episode, " Trials and Tribble-ations ", was in production, as studio model maker Gregory Jein , who had to recreate the Deep Space Station K-7 model , explained, " Fortunately, the clarity of detail revealed by the newly-transferred original footage of "The Trouble with Tribbles" proved useful. The art department sent over a drawing that they'd made of the station, Then we made some modifications based on color prints made from the original negative, which we felt were faithful to the original design. And we sort of winged it from there. Then we made molds and cast them, cut the windows out, and put neon inside. " ( The Magic of Tribbles: The Making of Trials and Tribble-ations , p. 42)

Little information is available on this project, as this version was never released on any home video format in America and only on an extremely limited basis in mainland Europe. It was disclosed in 2012 what eventually became of the Japanese master transfers, when it was revealed that stills originating from this particular project were the ones that were included as illustrative backdrops in the 2010 reference book , Star Trek: The Original Series 365 . The authors – unaware of the original intent and therefore misguided in their belief – have elaborated, " Most of those wonderful TOS photos that had never been seen before came from a very expensive project that the licensing department conducted many years ago. In order to find new images for the licensees, the department struck new 16-millimeter copies of the TOS masters – which were then carefully cut up, frame by frame, and mounted into slides. " [1]

Second early Original Series remastering [ ]

The first, 17 August 1999, "digitally enhanced and remastered" Original Series DVD release

When Paramount Home Entertainment started its release of the Original Series on DVD in August 1999 as the "bare-bone" two episodes per disc release , it had it proudly stated on the cover art that it was a "digitally enhanced and remastered" edition. Paramount's Project Manager for the DVD release, Ron Smith, stated to the press at the time, " We have dutifully cleaned up the opticals, which have become predictably dirty. And part of the endearing charm of the original series are the cool opticals. " However, he also intimated that his team did not use the analog Japanese transfers but rather revisited the old worn-out original 35mm film masters, cleaning and color correcting them up before digitally transferring them. Yet, despite his team's efforts, in the picture quality department their work was still inferior to the work done for the Japanese LaserDisc releases – especially where color vibrancy was concerned – as digital scanning techniques were at that time still somewhat in their infancy.

Nevertheless, a significant improvement was made in sound quality as a new Dolby Digital Surround Sound track was created for the release, and picture quality was markedly improved over the prior home media formats, including the US LaserDisc releases – having made use, unlike the Japanese version, of the original film masters. Smith additionally intimated that it was for this occasion that the original pilot episode, " The Cage ", was restored to its full color version. Only a hybrid black and white/color version had hitherto been available. [2] This however, was a "commercial exaggeration" on the part of Smith, as the full coloring of "The Cage" had already been completed for the 1989-1991 (low-res) Betamax/VHS and Laserdisc home media format releases.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director's Edition [ ]

In 2001, the aforementioned Director's Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released on DVD . While the production did not, strictly speaking, conform to the current understanding of remastering, i.e. the upgrade from SD to HD (as DVD the production was merely meant to be played on television sets and was therefore executed in the SD 480i/576i video format with picture quality enhanced by traditional analog methods instead of digital upgrading [3] ), it still was in essence a remastered production as it did receive a new, upgraded soundtrack. Most notably, however, was that many scenes were digitally enhanced and visually changed with the addition of computer-generated imagery (CGI). Striking examples of these were the enhanced air tram station as well as the first and only full view of V'Ger , which was not there in the original version.

Produced under the aegis of Robert Wise Productions , the CGI for this production was provided by VFX house Foundation Imaging and supervised by Daren Dochterman , while the soundtrack was remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 by Chuck Michael under the supervision of Michael Matessino at the production company. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 8 , pp. 52-62)

A remastered HD Blu-ray version of the Director's Edition was reported on 30 April 2013 for release. The announced release date proved to be premature though, as it turned out that Paramount had failed to maintain ownership over the CGI elements that were added to the Director's Edition . Former Foundation VFX Supervisor Adam Lebowitz has reported that all these elements were left on the company servers when they were auctioned off after the company went out of business shortly after having completed the Director's Edition commission, which would mean that the studio had to painstakingly recreate all these elements. [4] Yet, his former Foundation colleague, Robert Bonchune (having also worked on the Director's Edition ), strongly implied in 2013 that these elements were still in existence, as some ex-employees had made backups, including Bonchune, of all the Star Trek files on their own computers, and could be made available to the studio if they were so inclined. [5]

Bonchune's supervisor Dochterman had already indicated previously that the digital sequences were produced at a high definition resolution in a remark made in 2009 to DrexFiles (X) , " I sure wish we had had the time and resources [note: either for the remastering of the analog film footage, the home video production as the Blu-ray format was not marketed yet, or both] that Warner Brothers had allotted to the Blade Runner redux. That would have been great. And it would be on 1080p Blu-Ray as we speak… " [6] (X) The 2007 Blade Runner Ultimate Collector's Edition Dochterman spoke of, was withheld from release until after the introduction of the Blu-ray format the year previously, in the process becoming a standard for such releases. [7]

In 2017, it was one of the co-producers of the Director's Edition , David C. Fein , who came forward to substantiate Bonchune's claim – incidentally having already mentioned it in a 2007 podcast, produced for StarTrek.com – by stating it was he who still had all the Director's Edition 's original digital effects elements available for remastering to Blu-ray standards. " We have all that we need. Would I like a few more pieces… sure. But we have everything we need, " stated Fein, " All of the shots in the film were created with HD in mind so the quality of the models and elements were much higher than the SD renderings . We have everything, and when the time is right, we'll use them. Again, there is no truth that anything is missing. " Fein also confirmed that a Blu-ray release was put on the back burner as " Paramount has yet to green light the project. We've had some discussions, " adding that " it'll happen, the only question is when are we going to go ahead with it ". [8] As of 2019 though, the status of a truly remastered Blu-ray release remains yet unknown, and as a result, only the original theatrical version has seen a remastered HD release to date. Still, preliminary talks were reported to have resumed in July 2019 for a remastered release, albeit for a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release. [9]

There is a mystery involved with this release however; five days prior to the official DVD release, on 1 November 2001, Paramount Pictures had organized an event in its Paramount Theatre of the Arts , called the " Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director's Edition DVD Premiere Event". Since the SD digital sequences do not hold up on the big screen, as explained below , this implied that the attendees were presented with a higher resolution print. If so, then a HD ready (master) print already exists – further implying that the DVD release actually concerned a downscaled product, the technique still in its infancy at the time – , though its current whereabouts are either unknown, or that the print is unsuitable for other technical reasons as a Blu-ray master.

Star Trek: The Original Series [ ]

A shot from the revamped intro

On 31 August 2006 , CBS Paramount Television announced that, in celebration of its 40th anniversary , Star Trek: The Original Series would return to broadcast syndication for the first time in sixteen years. Beginning with " Balance of Terror ", each of the series' 79 episodes were digitally remastered to 1080p HD video, and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Surround audio standards, [10] with all newly (re-)created visual effects and music. The refurbished episodes were converted from the original film to a high-definition format similar to that used on Star Trek: Enterprise . The opening theme was re-recorded in digital stereo with new vocals by Elin Carlson , and William Shatner 's opening monologue was remastered from the original elements. Most notably, though, many of the visual effects were recreated using CGI by CBS Digital . The opening credits sequence was revamped, several matte paintings received a CGI face-lift, and spaceship exteriors including the Romulan Bird-of-Prey and the Klingon battle cruiser were recreated using state-of-the-art digital effects. However, for some reason, the credits at the end of the episode were not remastered and digitally enhanced. The new CGI Enterprise was based on the exact measurements, originally taken by Gary Kerr , of the original model , which is on display in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

In creating the newly-conceived visual effects, CBS Digital made use of the Autodesk Maya CGI software. ( Sci-fi & fantasy modeller , Vol. 26, p. 49)

Comparison of effect shots. Top: original, bottom: remastered

In an interview with TVGuide.com , project supervisor Michael Okuda said, " We're taking great pains to respect the integrity and style of the original… Our goal is to always ask ourselves: What would Roddenberry have done with today's technology? " Denise Okuda and Dave Rossi were also involved with this relaunch of the original series; Niel Wray is the visual effects supervisor. A Q & A with the production staff was posted by the official StarTrek.com website on 6 September 2006 , shortly before the site was taken off-line by the franchise. While it was still featured, a video preview and interviews with people involved in the project could be viewed by clicking the link to the left of the page.

Planned to coincide with Star Trek 's 40th anniversary , the "new" Star Trek debuted 16 September 2006 . See side-by-side comparisons of the new visual effects from the first episode broadcast, " Balance of Terror ".

The first few episodes were rushed, as CBS only gave its team " one month to deliver the first two episodes with over 120 new effects shots ." Starting with " The Trouble with Tribbles ", a new, improved Enterprise model was used. Members of the effects team have commented that they may go back to the earlier episodes and re-render the ship scenes with the new model, [11] [12] though that did not come to fruition.

When TOS cast member Leonard Nimoy heard about these changes in special effects, Nimoy simply responded " Shame on them " for changing the effects, saying that it was "out-of-bounds" for them to do that. However, after viewing a remastered episode, reportedly he was quoted saying, " I'm amazed. " [13]

The seasons were to be released in an HD DVD / DVD combination set, with season one released in November 2007 . The release of seasons two and three were canceled in February 2008 due to the decline of HD DVDs in comparison to rival format Blu-ray. However, the second season was released on regular DVD on 5 August 2008 . [14] all three seasons are available on Blu-ray Disc, as well as through Apple's iTunes Store (along with a "best of" collection for budget-minded fans), with select episodes available on Microsoft's Xbox 360 Video Marketplace . Unlike the HD DVD releases, the Blu-ray editions also include the original versions of each episode, allowing the original special effects and images to be seen in high-definition for the first time and providing viewers who did not wish to view the remastered versions an option.

CBS Digital wrapped up their visual effects work on TOS Remastered just before midnight on 21 April 2008 . The last episode they worked on was the show's first pilot, "The Cage". The last shot rendered was of the Enterprise "sailing off into the unknown at the end of the episode." [15]

After the official Star Trek website had been taken off-line, CBS Consumer Products had few to no official lines of communications with the Star Trek fan community left (see main article for particulars), and in an effort to remedy the situation sought out cooperation with Anthony Pascale 's TrekMovie.com news website, in order to keep the community appraised of every aspect of the project, among others by publishing sneak previews and the like, and allowing the blog editors exclusive access to CBS Digital to report on the progress.

Star Trek films [ ]

The success of the remastered Original Series , as well as the upcoming re-launch of the Star Trek franchise in 2009, encouraged Paramount to push forward with the remastering to 1080p HD video, and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Surround audio standards of their film properties. [16] The remastered versions of the first ten Star Trek films were released from 2009 to 2010 in both the DVD and Blu-Ray disc formats. According to the box-art of the remastered DVD version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , it was this film that has required the most extensive restoration work and was "fully restored in high definition with brilliant picture quality", whereas the remaining nine were just "digitally remastered". The film's director, Nicholas Meyer , has stated that this was due to the fact that the original master print "was in terrible shape". ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan  (2009 DVD) - audio commentary ) Compared to the Original Series and the work needed for The Wrath of Khan notwithstanding, the remastering of the films was a relatively straightforward process, and thus cost-effective, as explained below .

A striking detail was, that when it came to the remastering of The Motion Picture , as one of the last released in 2010, only the original theatrical version could be done so, and not the Director's Edition for the reasons mentioned above . A conceivable rationale for the studio to proceed in this manner was, that re-compositing the available HD CGI elements was deemed too cost-prohibitive when compared to the work needed for the other films. Nevertheless, according to one reviewer, the sound quality was superior to all the others. [17] What this reviewer had overlooked however, was, that the soundtrack had already received its extensive overhaul in 2001 for the Director's Edition , a privilege the other nine films did not enjoy. It is unclear which company has been responsible for the remastering of the first ten films.

On the other hand, the eleventh, 2009 film Star Trek and its two alternate reality sequels did not need any remastering, as they, as the first ones entirely produced digitally, were already shot to the high HD standards required for their respective large screen theatrical releases. Produced in the new 4K UHD standard, some remastering in the form of down-scaling (see below ) was required though for the underlying regular DVD and Blu-ray home video formats.

Technical ramifications for the Star Trek remastering projects [ ]

The remastering projects did involve some technical aspects that had bearings on those originating from the Star Trek franchise, but which, in general, applied to other motion picture productions as well. Some of these technical aspects are explored in some detail below, as far as their effects on the Star Trek remastering projects were concerned, while several of these did steer some decision making processes of CBS Consumer Products, when releasing their remastered Star Trek products lines.

Analog versus digital [ ]

While analog photography is currently increasingly considered antiquated and obsolete, especially by the younger generations, analog photography still holds, given the current state of technology as of 2015, one huge advantage over digital photography; Due to the underlying physics, analog photography differs immensely from digital photography in that analog images can be (from their negative film cells) enlarged almost ad infinitum , as generations of 20th century cinema goers can attest to, and actually the primary reason why digital scanning for remastering purposes is even possible at all in the first place. Not so with digital images, once originally shot in a predetermined resolution in terms of number of pixels and predetermined frame size, it will indefinitely remain so. While enlarging an analog image will not noticeably result in loss of sharpness (actually the main reason why, as of 2015, so many professional still photographers still ply their trade "old school"), the same can not be said of digital images. When a digital image is enlarged, each single pixel is accordingly enlarged in size, which works out fine up until the point that the human eye is able to discern each and every individual pixel, a phenomenon known to every Photo-shopper around the world as " pixelation ". This is the reason why later episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager , or The Motion Picture Director's Edition for that matter – the DVD version that is – originally produced in analog SD standards, can never be shown theatrically – enlarged onto the very big screen, the digitally-rendered VFX scenes would fall apart due to the pixelation phenomenon.

Though it is, due to the underlying physics, impossible to objectively determine the resolution of analog imagery in terms of the later digital resolution standards, serious efforts have been made to do so. Currently, after heated debates among professionals, a sort-of-consensus has been reached that analog imagery struck on the traditional 35mm film is comparable to a 4000p-6000p digital resolution range, while 70mm analog prints (typically for Imax films) were estimated at 18000p. [18]

Downscaling and spatial resolution [ ]

No matter what the "real" resolution of analog film footage was (being more than ample for any 1080p remastered project – and even for its 4K UHD 2160p successor format for that matter), in more than one way Paramount "lucked out" with the remastering of four of its ten original theatrical features.

While all the analog, live-action footage could be scanned digitally without much further ado, it should be noted that the four Next Generation films, starting with Star Trek Generations , contained an ever-increasing number of digital VFX sequences, culminating in that virtually all exterior VFX sequences of Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis were digitally composited. This could have been a problem as far as the digital sequences were concerned, were it not that they were all composited for major theatrical features (i.e. far larger screens), and therefore constructed in a resolution which at the very least approximated the resolution of the rest of the live-action footage, i.e. a resolution far higher than required for any contemporary SD television series or home video format. This meant that when the films were remastered for their respective home video formats, the digital sequences of the four Next Generation films were actually down-scaled , as were the three alternate reality films for that matter.

Digital down-scaling encompasses the processes computer algorithms perform by, given a set frame size, removing pixels of digital footage stills in order to have the remaining ones fit a given frame. Typically, these algorithms remove the more ambiguously-coded pixels, often resulting in far more crisp and more sharply defined images to the Human eye when viewed on the smaller screens, even though they are then, most counter-intuitively, of a lesser resolution. This phenomenon, where reducing the resolution actually enhances the perceived image quality, is called improving the spatial resolution and a principle which states that, simply put, the more pixels there are in a fixed frame dimension, the less a pixel can resolve itself – in layman's terms, becoming more blurred to the Human eye. A similar effect is noticeable when a 1080p or 2160p HD home video format, presently produced with the current dimensions of home screens in the mid-to-large size range in mind – and thus the very reason for the down-scaling of the Star Trek films – , is viewed on smaller sized view screens, even if they are technically capable to play back such formats in said resolutions. In these cases viewers are, again counter-intuitively, better served with 720p versions. [3]

These technological properties made the remastering of the franchise's first ten Star Trek films a relatively cost-effective – meaning the studio did not need to revisit the original digital VFX sequences for reconstruction in higher resolution – and therefore profitable effort in comparison to its very costly previous Original Series project, and its subsequent, even more expensive, Next Generation project. It has concurrently explained why the studio was able to release the remastered films in such quick succession, spanning a time period of merely two years, 2009-2010. It also means that if the new 2160p format becomes the new norm, the procedure can be repeated for the first ten films, though not from the digitally enhanced 1080p versions; the original film elements have to be revisited in that case, as had indeed been done for the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan  (Director's Cut) Blu-ray, though it had been downscaled to the 1080p resolution format for its 2016 Blu-ray home video release. [19] Nonetheless, because of the 4K HD 2160p resolution remastering, the film was able to enjoy a limited theatrical release in its full glory to celebrate the film's 35th anniversary in September 2017 [20] , and a subsequent 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray home video format release is currently under advisement. [21]

Incidentally, CBS Digital had four years earlier already stumbled upon the "spatial resolution" effect by accident, when they decided out of cost considerations to cut down on computer rendering time by dialing down the (pixel count) resolution of their highly detailed original CGI Enterprise model . ( Sci-fi & fantasy modeller , Vol. 26, p. 49) As explained above however, when enlarging, the original high-rez image becomes much clearer and more crisp due to the spatial resolution phenomenon ( this picture is a good example), whereas the down-scaled image falls much sooner prey to the pixelation effect.

Downscaling is also applied for remastered/HD production transfers onto the 720(w)x480(h) [3] /720x576 DVD home video format. Besides technological advances of the format proper, it was the spatial resolution phenomenon that became partially responsible for the perceived image improvement for these releases, such as those for the remastered films, Original Series and Star Trek: Enterprise . Spatial resolution also explains the perceived higher picture quality of remastered DVDs in comparison to their standard DVD counterparts originally produced in SD such as those for, again, the films and the Original Series , even though they are technically both of the same resolution. Ironically, it became a contributing factor of the slower consumer adoption of the Blu-ray disc home video format, and one of the primary reasons why as of 2020 DVDs are still concurrently released alongside their Blu-ray counterparts. (see: main article )

Star Trek: The Next Generation [ ]

Canisters of film, in storage, from the show's production

After several months of speculation and partial confirmation, on 28 September 2011 (the 24th anniversary of the series premiere), StarTrek.com announced that Star Trek: The Next Generation was to be remastered to, again, 1080p HD video, and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Surround audio standards, for release on Blu-ray Disc and eventual syndication, starting in 2012 .

The remastering process required returning to the original film negatives, as all editing and visual effects compositing took place in post-production on the magnetic videotape format back in the day, which not only lacked the required resolution for high-definition, but more importantly, not being a film format, simply can not be scanned digitally for HD remastering, unlike the Original Series project, which was originally edited into the final product on 35mm film masters. As a result, the collection of original Next Generation footage, totaling over 25,000 reels, was painstakingly re-edited exactly as had been done for the original airing, essentially doing the post-production process all over again in its entirety, which, in the process, also explained why the remastering project turned out to be so costly. Visual effects were entirely re-composited from the original constituent film elements, and not up-converted from the derivative videotape end products as explained. Compared to its Original Series predecessor, this had, excepting the construction of the new digital visual effects, made the Original Series project actually the more straightforward one. Audio is the form of 7.1 DTS Master Audio.

However, there was one happy side effect; because the editing process had to be done all over again, it enabled some episodes to receive the "Director's Cut" treatment, by reinserting scenes that were originally cut, trimmed or deleted for their original airings, provided the original film elements were still available for remastering. Unfortunately, the practice was abandoned after the second season of the remastered project. Aside for organizational reasons, there were in some cases also practical reasons for abandoning the practice; some of the deleted scenes only still existed on so-called taped "workprints", pre-final edited versions of episodes made for evaluation purposes by producers. Most of these workprint tapes were habitually not archived at Paramount and ended afterwards up in the possession of collectors such as Cyril Paciullo, having acquired them at the various Star Trek auctions . Paciullo has made his collection available to CBS for inclusion on the fourth season release of the project, but being magnetic tapes, even though some digital cleaning up could be performed, true remastering remained outside the realm of possibility as explained. For integrity reasons, the conscious decision was made to include such deleted scenes as separate special features on the releases, as reinserting them would constitute a too large a break in quality with the rest of the remastered footage.

As with the remastering of The Original Series , Denise and Michael Okuda served as consultants. Unlike its predecessor, none of the visual effects were slated for replacement with newly conceived CGI, or as Project Consultant Mike Okuda explained it, " We love the approach that CBS took for this project. We take the original film elements and put them together in a new way. The material still has all the details and they are beautiful. And the new visual effects are really the old visual effects but a lot more beautiful than you have ever seen them. " [22] However, some use of CGI was made. This was restricted to correcting continuity details, or for replacing original elements that were either lost, such as in the case of the Crystalline Entity , or technically impossible to upgrade. The most notable examples of the latter case were the replacements of long shots of planets , which were originally executed as matte paintings, by newly created CGI effects, though Digital Artist Max Gabl took care they approximated their original appearance. Gabl stated, " I think most of them are total recreations. Because the planets we're looking at from the original [TNG] series are very low-res and blurry. There's no way to put more detail into those, so it's basically all recreation. Mike Okuda tells us exactly what we need in there, and it's just back and forth – playing it and seeing what the details are going to look like and then I put them in, compare with the old, [Mike will] look at it, I'll make the changes and that's how it goes. " [23]

CBS Digital was again appointed lead company in the remastering project, as well as being made responsible for the creation of the replacement CGI effects. [24] Contrary to The Original Series remastering project, CBS Digital had by this time switched over to the LightWave 3D software (as used by Foundation Imaging for the earlier Director's Edition of The Motion Picture ) for the recreation of missing elements in CGI. In a similar fashion as they had done for the Original Series remastering project, CBS Consumer Products again reached out to the Star Trek fan community, this time by giving access to the project to the administrators of the TrekCore news website. It was TrekCore's Adam Walker in particular, who was given access to production staffers and actors alike for conducting in-depth interviews that were published on the blog. Cooperating with the blog was beneficial for CBS as well, as it was through TrekCore that Paciullo's above mentioned workprints became available to them. [25] TrekCore is cooperating with another blog, Ex Astris Scientia , where MA admin Jörg broke down each episode for the differences and occasionally received input from production staffers to explain detail issues. [26]

The first release for high-definition Star Trek: The Next Generation was a Blu-ray sampler disc, Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level , released on 31 January 2012 , [27] and the full series Blu-ray release followed suit. The TNG Season 1 Blu-ray was released on 24 July 2012 , Season 2 on 4 December 2012 , Season 3 on 29 April 2013 , Season 4 on 29 July 2013 , Season 5 on 18 November 2013 , Season 6 on 18 June 2014 , and finally, Season 7 on 2 December 2014 .

Highly anticipated, the first season release was well received and did very well in initial sales, selling 95,435 copies in the first week after release in the US alone, which was expected by the franchise to earn an initial US$5.5 million in domestic sales alone, putting it well on its way to cover the US$9 million the first season remastering had cost. [28] By then, CBS had already decided to speed up the release schedule for the remastered series. For CBS to be able to do so, they had to sub-contract, considering the amount of work the remastering entailed, other companies to do the work on a season alternating basis. Independent company HTV-Illuminate was awarded the commission for the upgrade of the second season . However, their work was less well received , as many considered their efforts sub-par to that of CBS Digital. [29] Though not having confirmed if this was in any way related, CBS has made the decision to go with another effects house, Modern VideoFilm , for the remastering of season four , while simultaneously keeping a tighter rein over the work [30] , aside from doing the two-part episodes " The Best of Both Worlds " and " Redemption " themselves. While the work of Modern VideoFilm was far more favorably received [31] , the services of the company were not retained for the sixth season, the remastering of which, like the seventh one, entirely performed by CBS Digital themselves, the workload on the company due to the tight release schedule notwithstanding. [32]

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine [ ]

Although there have been no officially announced plans to remaster Deep Space Nine (or Voyager ), the documentary What We Left Behind has over 20 minutes of remastered footage from DS9, including some special effects shots, spanning all seven seasons, which involved scanning 400 reels of 35mm film. The original film reels had to be located, brought out of storage, scanned, and then color corrected and generally cleaned up of any blemishes.

Documentaries and specials [ ]

• TOS Season 1 Blu-ray special feature "Spacelift: Transporting Trek Into The 21st Century"
• TNG Season 1 Blu-ray special feature Energized! Taking The Next Generation to the Next Level
• TNG Season 2 Blu-ray special feature "Energized! Season Two Tech Update"
• fxguidetv #161: CBS Digital & Star Trek TNG , 2012

Footnotes [ ]

• ↑ The 720 resolution format is not used for any of the main feature presentations included on physical home video format releases, where 1080 had been the norm from the moment the Blu-ray disc was introduced. It is occasionally utilized though for newly-produced accompanying special features – older such specials ported over from prior SD formats are rarely, if at all, remastered to HD standards – when physical disc space and/or cost considerations are an issue. At the time of its introduction it was used as an intermediate/preliminary HD format by the producers of viewing screens, both television sets and computer monitors, and not considered as "Full HD" by them. Television set producers in particular marketed their 720 resolution products as "HD Ready" (meaning they – contrary to the classic SD television sets – were technically able to display 1080 productions, though downscaled to the 720 resolution), instead as "Full HD" which they reserved for their 1080p products. Actually, very few small-sized television sets are produced by manufacturers as Full HD products as the " spatial resolution " phenomenon would render such a product void. Their more recent higher resolution products are marketed as "Ultra HD", reserved for the largest-sized television sets, likewise for spatial resolution reasons. However, due to the usually smaller file sizes, the 720 resolution format remains a popular choice for both individuals and companies to upload their productions onto internet and social media sites such as, and most notably, YouTube or Facebook Live .
• ↑ Contrary to what one might assume, the letter "p" after the pixel count does not stand for " p ixel", but rather for the technical way a watched device refreshes its viewing screen. " P "rogressive scanning is the protocol in which a watched device refreshes its horizontal resolution lines sequentially, whereas the letter "i", also utilized for the earlier 1080 productions, stands for " i "nterlaced scanning in which first the odd resolution lines are refreshed, and then the even lines. This incidentally, was also part of the technical reasons why the early generations of Blu-rays (the "1080i" versions) still exhibited the differences in run times for those regions that employed the NTSC television format, and those that employed the PAL/SECAM format (see Video releases ). The interlacing protocol had been the standard for television sets in the "low-res"/low-frequency era, and has become obsolete, mainly because more modern television sets have a higher refresh rate.
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 The downscaled HD 480p format is a commonly used format for display on the small screens of smartphones, whereas the larger-screen computer tablets, such as the iPads, usually make do with the 720p format – as do most small-screen television sets incidentally, most notably the so-called "HD Ready" television sets. Note that it is the devices themselves that do the downscaling when accessing the HD files.

See also [ ]

• Blu-ray Disc
• 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

External links [ ]

• Remaster at Wikipedia
• 2006 "Behind the Scenes at CBS Digital" feature at TrekMovie.com
• 2012 five part interview with the staff of CBS Digital at TrekCore
• Why Deep Space Nine and Voyager Aren’t On Blu-ray… And Why They May Never Be at Treknews.net
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Feb 21, 2023

All Four 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Films Arriving on 4K Ultra HD for First Time Ever

Relive the adventures of Captain Picard and his crew in time for First Contact Day!

StarTrek.com

StarTrek.com is thrilled to reveal all four big-screen adventures featuring fan-favorite Star Trek characters Picard , Riker , Data , La Forge , Worf , Troi , and Dr. Crusher arrive for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD™ with Dolby Vision™* and HDR-10 on April 4, 2023 , just in time for First Contact Day (April 5, the day Vulcans first made contact with humans).

The journey begins with original cast members Kirk, Scott, and Chekov in a story that spans space and time in Star Trek Generations , continuing with a terrifying face off against the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact , a dangerous plot against a peaceful planet in Star Trek: Insurrection , and a familiar old foe returning in Star Trek Nemesis .

All four films will be available together in the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 4-MOVIE COLLECTION . The 4-Movie Collection includes each film on 4K Ultra HD, as well as fully remastered on Blu-ray™, plus all legacy bonus content and access to Digital copies of each film.  The Collection is presented in a slipcase beautifully illustrated to complement the Star Trek : The Original 6-Movie Collection , making this a must-own set to complete every fan’s collection.

In addition, each film will be available individually on 4K Ultra HD with a bonus Blu-ray featuring the fully remastered film, along with all legacy bonus content and access to a Digital copy of the film.

Special features are detailed below.

STAR TREK GENERATIONS Bonus Content

• Commentary by director David Carson and Manny Coto
• Commentary by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore
• Text Commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda
• Library Computer
• Uniting Two Legends
• Stellar Cartography: Creating the Illusion
• Strange New Worlds: The Valley of Fire
• Scoring Trek
• Inside ILM: Models & Miniatures
• Crashing the Enterprise
• Main Title Sequence
• The Nexus Ribbon
• Saucer Crash Sequence
• A Tribute to Matt Jeffries
• The Enterprise Lineage
• Captain Picard’s Family Album
• Creating 24th Century Weapons
• Next Generation Designer Flashback Andrew Probert
• Stellar Cartography on Earth
• Brent Spiner - Data and Beyond Part 1
• Trek Roundtable: Generations
• Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 007: Trilithium
• Deleted Scenes

STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT Bonus Content

• Commentary by director and actor Jonathan Frakes
• Commentary by screenplay writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore
• Commentary by Damon Lindelof and Anthony Pascale
• Text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda
• Making First Contact
• The Art of First Contact
• The Missile Silo
• The Deflector Dish
• From “ A ” to “ E ”
• Borg Queen Assembly
• Escape Pod Launch
• Borg Queen’s Demise
• Jerry Goldsmith: A Tribute
• The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane
• First Contact : The Possibilities
• Industrial Light & Magic - The Next Generation
• Greetings from the International Space Station
• SpaceShipOne’s Historic Flight
• Brent Spiner - Data and Beyond Part 2
• Trek Roundtable: First Contact
• Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 008: Temporal Vortex
• Unimatrix One
• Design Matrix

STAR TREK: INSURRECTION Bonus Content

• Commentary by Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis
• It Takes a Village
• Location, Location, Location
• The Art of Insurrection
• Anatomy of a Stunt
• Making Star Trek: Insurrection
• Director’s Notebook
• Westmore’s Aliens
• Westmore’s Legacy
• Star Trek ’s Beautiful Alien Women
• Marina Sirtis - The Counselor Is In
• Brent Spiner - Data and Beyond Part 3
• Trek Roundtable: Insurrection
• Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 009: The Origins of the Ba’ku and Son’a Conflict
• Shuttle Chase
• Advertising

STAR TREK NEMESIS Bonus Content

• Commentary by director Stuart Baird
• Commentary by producer Rick Berman
• Commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda
• Nemesis Revisited
• New Frontiers – Stuart Baird on Directing Nemesis
• Storyboarding the Action
• Red Alert! Shooting the Action of Nemesis
• Build and Rebuild
• Four-Wheeling in the Final Frontier
• Screen Test: Shinzon
• A Star Trek Family’s Final Journey
• A Bold Vision of The Final Frontier
• The Enterprise-E
• Reunion with The Rikers
• Today’s Tech Tomorrow’s Data
• Robot Hall of Fame
• Brent Spiner - Data and Beyond Part 4
• Trek Roundtable: Nemesis
• Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 010: Thalaron Radiation
• Romulan Lore
• Shinzon & the Viceroy
• Romulan Design
• The Romulan Senate
• The Scimitar

* To experience Dolby Vision on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc, a Dolby Vision enabled TV is required with a Dolby Vision enabled 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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Blu-Ray Releases Details

Star trek: the next generation - the complete series (reissue).

Restored and meticulously remastered in brilliant high definition, Star Trek: The Next Generation is a true milestone in TV history. With such thought-provoking episodes as The Measure of a Man and The Inner Light; the return of the Borg in The Best of Both Worlds; and the time-shattering confrontation between Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the mysterious, god-like Q in the Hugo Award-winning series finale. Enjoy every memorable moment from the series that re-launched the Star Trek legacy for new 'generations' to enjoy and experience!

Bringing you the best reviews of 4k and high definition entertainment

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Notable Changes in TNG Remastered

by Jörg Hillebrand , TrekCore and Bernd Schneider

Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7

The remastered version of TNG on Blu-ray was created based on the originally filmed shots wherever possible. Some shots, however, were deliberately changed, either to fix bloopers or because the original footage was deemed too poor for inclusion in HD. Here are some notable examples.

https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/observations/tng-r-changes.htm

Last modified: 02 Oct 2023

© Ex Astris Scientia 1998-2024, Legal Terms

This website is not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated with CBS Studios Inc. or the Star Trek franchise.

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‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Now Streaming In High-Definition On Netflix

The remastered high-definition episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” are now available for Netflix instant streaming customers.

The rollout, which occurred in the last day or so, replaces the previous standard definition episodes with the newly remastered versions.

While I’m thrilled to see the episodes hit Netflix, I don’t see it neccesarily as a replacement for the Blu-ray sets that were released over the last few years. The Blu-ray releases should still be viewed as the optimal viewing experience for TNG — especially when you factor in the bonus material and (still) superior audio/video quality. However, having the episodes available at the touch of a button is great too.

TNG in HD on Netflix

If you’re not already a Netflix subscriber, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial at Netflix.com .

The remastered episodes are also available on other competing streaming video services, including Amazon Prime , Hulu, and iTunes.

Divine Shadow

August 21, 2015 at 9:58 pm

Finally i complained so many times to netflix glad they finally got HD

September 24, 2015 at 6:05 pm

Accurate article. Only odd thing to correct is that the final episodes, “Best of Both Worlds” part 1 and 2 ARE NOT HD. Perhaps a hold-out since the season 7 blu-ray set hasn’t yet been price dropped down to the $40 of the other seasons.

Paul Walker

November 2, 2015 at 7:06 pm

In other news, unless the new trek series takes place in the prime trek verse than screw it

February 21, 2016 at 6:58 pm

In Canada, the quality is pathetic. The video is interlaced!

March 1, 2016 at 9:17 pm

Quality is still SD in Canada. Or was. TNG has been removed from Netflix Canada.

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Description

Restored and meticulously remastered in brilliant high definition, Star Trek: The Next Generation is a true milestone in TV history. With such thought-provoking episodes as “The Measure of a Man” and “The Inner Light”; the return of the Borg in “The Best of Both Worlds”; and the time-shattering confrontation between Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)and the mysterious, god-like Q in the Hugo Award-winning series finale. Enjoy every memorable moment from the series that re-launched the Star Trek™ legacy for new “generations” to enjoy and experience!

Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Complete Series

• Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Season 1, Episode 1: Encounter At Farpoint, Pt. 1

The crew of the Enterprise is put on trial by a mysterious force called "Q" for all the crimes of mankind.

• Sep 28, 1987

Season 1, Episode 2: Encounter At Farpoint, Pt. 2

The crew of the Enterprise Is put on trial by a mysterious force called “Q” for all the crimes of mankind.

Season 1, Episode 3: The Naked Now

Romance, danger and chaos result when a mysterious contaminant renders the crew of the Enterprise intoxicated.

• Oct 5, 1987

Season 1, Episode 4: Code of Honor

Kidnapped by aliens known as Ligonians, Lieutenant Tasha Yar battles for her freedom and the welfare of a diseased Federation planet.

• Oct 12, 1987

Season 1, Episode 5: The Last Outpost

Held captive over an unknown planet, the away teams of the U.S.S. Enterprise and Ferengi starships must pass an important inquisition by a mysterious life form known as Portal, before they are allowed to continue their journeys through space.

• Oct 19, 1987

Season 1, Episode 6: Where No One Has Gone Before

Teenager Wesley Crusher and a dying alien are the crew's only hope for escape from a bizarre galaxy where thoughts become real.

• Oct 26, 1987

Season 1, Episode 7: Lonely Among Us

Passing through a series of complex energy patterns, the Enterprise crew find themselves trying to solve the mystery surrounding the death of Assistant Chief Engineer Singh and the altered personalities of Lt. Worf, Dr. Crusher and the Captain.

• Nov 2, 1987

Season 1, Episode 8: Justice

When Wesley is sentenced to death for innocently violating an alien planet's customs, Captain Picard is forced to choose between negotiating for Wesley's life or adhering to the Federations' prime directive which prohibits interfering with another civilization's way of life.

• Nov 9, 1987

Season 1, Episode 9: The Battle

A thought altering device, controlled by a Ferengi Captain seeking revenge on Picard for his son's death, threatens the life of the Captain and the safety of the Enterprise.

• Nov 16, 1987

Season 1, Episode 10: Hide and Q

The Enterprise is once again challenged by the dangerous and powerful "Q" who offers Riker god-like powers in exchange for Riker's membership in the "Q" continuum.

• Nov 23, 1987

Season 1, Episode 11: Haven

Counselor Deanna Troi is caught between her feelings for Riker and her devotion to family customs when she faces a prearranged marriage.

• Nov 30, 1987

Season 1, Episode 12: The Big Goodbye

When the holodecks malfunction, the Captain and three crew members become trapped in San Francisco, 1941, where they are held hostage by murderous gangsters.

• Jan 11, 1988

Season 1, Episode 13: Datalore

Data's android look-alike formulates an evil master plan that could destroy the Enterprise.

• Jan 18, 1988

Season 1, Episode 14: Angel One

While the away team struggles to save male fugitives on a planet run by women, the Enterprise is ravaged by a highly infectious virus.

• Jan 25, 1988

Season 1, Episode 15: 11001001

The Enterprise is hijacked by an alien species who need the ship's computer to regenerate the one damaged on their own planet.

• Feb 1, 1988

Season 1, Episode 16: Too Short a Season

The Enterprise escorts a Federation admiral to a planet to negotiate the release of hostages, but the planet governor wants to kill him in revenge for a previous hostage crisis that ended in tragedy.

• Feb 8, 1988

Season 1, Episode 17: When the Bough Breaks

Wesley and several children from the Enterprise are kidnapped by a sterile civilization which hopes to use them to rebuild their race.

• Feb 15, 1988

Season 1, Episode 18: Home Soil

A powerful microscopic life form declares war on humans, takes over the Enterprise's lab and computers and threatens to destroy the ship.

• Feb 22, 1988

Season 1, Episode 19: Coming of Age

While Wesley endures the grueling Starfleet Academy entrance exam, Captain Picard faces an investigation into his competency as a commander.

• Mar 14, 1988

Season 1, Episode 20: Heart of Glory

Lt. Worf is torn between his loyalty to the Enterprise and his fierce Klingon heritage when two Klingon fugitives take over the ship.

• Mar 21, 1988

Season 1, Episode 21: The Arsenal of Freedom

Picard and the away team fight for their lives on a planet run by a computerized weapons system.

• Apr 11, 1988

Season 1, Episode 22: Symbiosis

The Enterprise is caught in the middle when two alien races wage a bitter battle over cargo which one of them needs for survival.

• Apr 18, 1988

Season 1, Episode 23: Skin of Evil

A rescue mission turns to tragedy when one of the Enterprise officers is killed by an evil alien.

• Apr 25, 1988

Season 1, Episode 24: We'll Always Have Paris

Captain Picard is unexpectedly reunited with his first love in the midst of an investigation into lethal time warp experiments.

• May 2, 1988

Season 1, Episode 25: Conspiracy

Captain Picard and Commander Riker travel to Earth to Investigate a conspiracy In the highest ranks of Starfleet command.

• May 9, 1988

Season 1, Episode 26: The Neutral Zone

While traveling to a meeting with the hostile Romulans, the crew discovers a ship containing three frozen Americans from the 20th century.

• May 16, 1988

Season 2, Episode 1: The Child

While preparing to transport a deadly plague to a research lab, the crew is stunned by the announcement of Counselor Troi's pregnancy.

• Nov 21, 1988

Season 2, Episode 2: Where Silence Has Lease

The crew is held hostage in a mysterious void by a being who wishes to observe the many ways in which humans die.

• Nov 28, 1988

Season 2, Episode 3: Elementary, Dear Data

Pretending to be Sherlock Holmes, Data uses the holodeck to solve a mystery that threatens Dr. Pulaski's life.

• Dec 5, 1988

Season 2, Episode 4: The Outrageous Okona

While the Enterprise crew plays host to a witty, renegade captain, Data struggles to acquire a sense of humor.

• Dec 12, 1988

Season 2, Episode 5: Loud As a Whisper

The future of a warring planet depends on a deaf mediator, who suddenly loses his ability to communicate.

• Jan 9, 1989

Season 2, Episode 6: The Schizoid Man

A brilliant but terminally ill scientist seeks eternal life by transferring his mind into Data's body.

• Jan 23, 1989

Season 2, Episode 7: Unnatural Selection

The crew grapples with a mysterious disease which accelerates the aging process, causing humans to die of old age within a matter of days.

• Jan 30, 1989

Season 2, Episode 8: A Matter of Honor

Riker's loyalties are put to the test when he is assigned to a Klingon vessel which plans to attack the Enterprise.

• Feb 6, 1989

Season 2, Episode 9: The Measure of a Man

When Data refuses to be disassembled for research purposes, Picard is enlisted to defend his rights in court.

• Feb 13, 1989

Season 2, Episode 10: The Dauphin

Wesley finds romance with the beautiful young ruler of Daled Four whose secret power could destroy the Enterprise and her crew.

• Feb 20, 1989

Season 2, Episode 11: Contagion

The Enterprise's computer system falls prey to a mysterious electronic "virus" which programs the ship to self destruct.

• Mar 20, 1989

Season 2, Episode 12: The Royale

Investigating the discovery of a piece of metal bearing a United States Air Force insignia, the Away Team finds Itself trapped in the world of "The Hotel Royale", a novel come to life.

• Mar 27, 1989

Season 2, Episode 13: Time Squared

The U.S.S. Enterprise discovers a Federation shuttle containing an exact double of Captain Picard from six hours in the future.

• Apr 3, 1989

Season 2, Episode 14: The Icarus Factor

Riker's long-lost father reappears on the eve of his departure to become captain on a new starship.

• Apr 24, 1989

Season 2, Episode 15: Pen Pals

Data races against time to save the life of a little alien girl on a planet doomed for destruction.

• May 1, 1989

Season 2, Episode 16: Q Who?

The crew is hurled into the future by the malevolent Q, who sets them up for destruction by a race of half-human, half-robot aliens known as the Borgs.

• May 8, 1989

Season 2, Episode 17: Samaritan Snare

While Picard fights for his life in surgery, Geordi is held hostage by the leaders of an alien race.

• May 15, 1989

Season 2, Episode 18: Up the Long Ladder

The crew's rescue of a missing earth colony leads to the discovery of a civilization composed entirely of clones.

• May 22, 1989

Season 2, Episode 19: Manhunt

In her search for the perfect mate, Troi's mother beams aboard the Enterprise -- and sets her sights on Captain Picard.

• Jun 19, 1989

Season 2, Episode 20: The Emissary

An official mission becomes a personal matter when Worf's former love is sent to the Enterprise to mediate a dispute between Klingons and the Federation.

• Jun 26, 1989

Season 2, Episode 21: Peak Performance

A simulated war game suddenly turns into a real-life fight for survival when the crew is ambushed by a Ferengi battleship.

• Jul 10, 1989

Season 2, Episode 22: Shades of Gray

Commander Riker is struck down by a deadly microbe which invades his central nervous system and attacks his brain.

• Jul 17, 1989

Season 3, Episode 1: Evolution

The crew fights for survival when a mysterious force attacks the ship's life-support systems.

• Sep 25, 1989

Season 3, Episode 2: The Ensigns of Command

Data races against time to save a human colony that's been marked for death by aliens.

• Oct 2, 1989

Season 3, Episode 3: The Survivors

The crew travels to Rana IV, a remote colony where just two of Its 11,000 inhabitants have miraculously survived a devastating attack.

• Oct 9, 1989

Season 3, Episode 4: Who Watches the Watchers

Mistakenly believing Captain Picard to be a god, the members of a primitive culture seize Troi and prepare to sacrifice her to him.

• Oct 16, 1989

Season 3, Episode 5: The Bonding

When the ship's archeologist is killed on a mission led by Worf, the Klingon feels responsible for the son she left behind.

• Oct 23, 1989

Season 3, Episode 6: Booby Trap

The Enterprise is caught in a booby trap that captures the ship and converts its energy Into lethal levels of radiation.

• Oct 30, 1989

Season 3, Episode 7: The Enemy

After Geordi is stranded on a storm-ravaged planet, the crew's attempts to rescue him are hindered by an aggressive Romulan warship.

• Nov 6, 1989

Season 3, Episode 8: The Price

Counselor Troi is swept off her feet by a dashing delegate that uses unethical methods to conduct his business on board the U.S.S. Enterprise.

• Nov 13, 1989

Season 3, Episode 9: The Vengeance Factor

The crew's attempts to mediate a violent dispute between warring clans are sabotaged by a mysterious assassin.

• Nov 20, 1989

Season 3, Episode 10: The Defector

A Romulan defector leads the crew into a showdown that could erupt into a fullscale war.

• Jan 1, 1990

Season 3, Episode 11: The Hunted

A planet applying to join the Federation enlists the help of the Enterprise to track down a wanted criminal who has a reputation for excessive violence.

• Jan 9, 1990

Season 3, Episode 12: The High Ground

Dr. Crusher's abduction by a radical terrorist group thrusts the crew into an explosive civil war on Rutia Four.

• Jan 30, 1990

Season 3, Episode 13: Deja Q

The crew is surprised by the appearance of their mischievous nemesis, Q.

• Feb 6, 1990

Season 3, Episode 14: A Matter of Perspective

Riker is suspected of murdering a respected scientist who had accused the Enterprise officer of seducing his wife.

• Feb 13, 1990

Season 3, Episode 15: Yesterday's Enterprise

The course of history is altered when a time rift brings a Starship Enterprise from the past into the present with a crew that includes Tasha Yar.

• Feb 20, 1990

Season 3, Episode 16: The Offspring

Data becomes a father when he creates an android using a transfer of his own neural programming.

• Mar 13, 1990

Season 3, Episode 17: Sins of the Father

When his long-lost brother appears on the Enterprise, Worf is thrust into a life-or-death battle for his family's honor.

• Mar 20, 1990

Season 3, Episode 18: Allegiance

Without the crew's knowledge, Captain Picard is kidnapped and replaced by an evil imposter.

• Mar 27, 1990

Season 3, Episode 19: Captain's Holiday

While on vacation, Picard becomes entangled in the search for a missing weapon from the future.

• Apr 3, 1990

Season 3, Episode 20: Tin Man

The crew is thrust into a deadly showdown with the Romulans over a newly discovered life form in a remote star system.

• Apr 24, 1990

Season 3, Episode 21: Hollow Pursuits

The crew struggles to help a young engineer whose obsession with the fantasy world Holodeck is endangering the ship.

• May 1, 1990

Season 3, Episode 22: The Most Toys

The crew leaves Data for dead when his shuttlecraft explodes during a dangerous mission.

• May 8, 1990

Season 3, Episode 23: Sarek

The Enterprise is plagued by an outbreak of violence when it is visited by a renowned Vulcan Ambassador.

• May 15, 1990

Season 3, Episode 24: Menage à Troi

Riker and Troi's shore leave on Betazed is interrupted when they are unexpectedly joined by Deanna's mother, Lwaxana.

• May 28, 1990

Season 3, Episode 25: Transfigurations

The Enterprise rescues a mysterious humanoid whose remarkable powers affect the entire crew.

• Jun 4, 1990

Season 3, Episode 26: The Best of Both Worlds, Pt. 1

The evil Borg capture Captain Picard in an attempt to conquer the human race.

• Jun 18, 1990

Season 4, Episode 1: The Best of Both Worlds, Pt. 2

Riker must choose between saving Picard and saving humanity when the Borg use the kidnapped captain as part of their plan to destroy Earth.

• Sep 24, 1990

Season 4, Episode 2: Family

While the Enterprise undergoes repairs on Earth, crew members reunite with families and Picard comes face to face with his jealous brother.

• Oct 1, 1990

Season 4, Episode 3: Brothers

After being summoned home by his elderly creator, Data clashes with his evil brother, Lore.

• Oct 8, 1990

Season 4, Episode 4: Suddenly Human

Picard risks war when he refuses to return a human boy to the alien father who raised him, and may have abused him.

• Oct 17, 1990

Season 4, Episode 5: Remember Me

Wesley's experiment with warp fields result in the mysterious disappearance of the crew.

• Oct 22, 1990

Season 4, Episode 6: Legacy

A rescue mission leads the crew to the birthplace of their late comrade Tasha Yar, where they encounter her mysterious sister.

• Oct 30, 1990

Season 4, Episode 7: Reunion

When Picard is chosen to mediate a Klingon power struggle, Worf confronts the Klingon who disgraced him.

• Nov 6, 1990

Season 4, Episode 8: Future Imperfect

After an Away Team mission fails, Riker awakens in sickbay to discover sixteen years have passed and he now commands the Enterprise.

• Nov 13, 1990

Season 4, Episode 9: Final Mission

After being accepted to Starfleet Academy, Wesley accompanies Picard on a final mission, only to find himself struggling to keep the captain alive.

• Nov 20, 1990

Season 4, Episode 10: The Loss

Counselor Troi resigns her post after experiencing a mysterious loss of her empathetic powers.

• Jan 1, 1991

Season 4, Episode 11: Data's Day

A friend's impending wedding compounds Data's confusion about the nuances of human feelings.

• Jan 8, 1991

Season 4, Episode 12: The Wounded

Picard must stop a renegade Federation starship that is making unprovoked attacks on a former enemy's ship.

• Jan 29, 1991

Season 4, Episode 13: Devil's Due

Picard fights to save a terrorized planet from a powerful woman who claims to be the devil.

• Feb 5, 1991

Season 4, Episode 14: Clues

Picard and the crew are shocked to discover that Data is lying to them.

• Feb 12, 1991

Season 4, Episode 15: First Contact

Critically wounded during a first contact mission, Riker is mistaken for a hostile alien.

• Feb 19, 1991

Season 4, Episode 16: Galaxy's Child

The Enterprise becomes surrogate mother to a huge alien creature after Picard is forced to destroy its real mother.

• Mar 12, 1991

Season 4, Episode 17: Night Terrors

Trapped in a rift in space, the crew of the Enterprise is plagued by unexplained paranoia and hallucinations.

• Mar 19, 1991

Season 4, Episode 18: Identity Crisis

Dr. crusher races against time to locate a parasite that threatens to transform Geordi into an alien creature.

• Mar 26, 1991

Season 4, Episode 19: The Nth Degree

When a crewmember is endowed with super human intelligence by an alien probe, he threatens the fate of the Enterprise.

• Apr 2, 1991

Season 4, Episode 20: Qpid

The mischievous Q turns Picard into Robin Hood and sends him on a quest designed to force him to prove his love for an old flame.

• Apr 23, 1991

Season 4, Episode 21: The Drumhead

A search for a spy aboard the Enterprise turns into a witch-hunt in which Picard is implicated as a traitor.

• Apr 29, 1991

Season 4, Episode 22: Half a Life

Picard risks war when he offers asylum to a visiting scientist whom wishes to escape the ritual suicide mandated by his society.

• May 6, 1991

Season 4, Episode 23: The Host

Dr. Crusher's love is put to the test when she falls for an alien who exists in different "host bodies" in order to survive.

• May 13, 1991

Season 4, Episode 24: The Mind's Eye

Romulan forces kidnap Geordi and turn him into a killing machine.

• May 27, 1991

Season 4, Episode 25: In Theory

Data experiments with love by pursuing a romantic relationship with a fellow crew member.

• Jun 3, 1991
• EPISODE 100

Season 4, Episode 26: Redemption, Pt. 1

As civil war threatens the Klingon Empire, Worf's loyalties are torn between the Federation and his people.

• Jun 17, 1991
• EPISODE 101

Season 5, Episode 1: Redemption, Pt. 2

Picard risks all-out war with the Romulans when he involves Starfleet in a Klingon civil war.

• Sep 23, 1991
• EPISODE 102

Season 5, Episode 2: Darmok

The crew is rendered helpless when Picard is kidnapped and forced to go to war with an alien captain.

• Sep 30, 1991
• EPISODE 103

Season 5, Episode 3: Ensign Ro

Picard suspects a high-level Federation conspiracy when the crew is ordered to locate the terrorist leader of a renegade race.

• Oct 7, 1991
• EPISODE 104

Season 5, Episode 4: Silicon Avatar

Picard struggles to communicate with a mysterious, destructive force before a visiting scientist can destroy it.

• Oct 14, 1991
• EPISODE 105

Season 5, Episode 5: Disaster

The lives of the crew are in Troi's hands when a natural disaster forces her to take over as captain of the seriously damaged Enterprise.

• Oct 21, 1991
• EPISODE 106

Season 5, Episode 6: The Game

The fate of the Federation is in Wesley Crusher's hands when he returns to find the crew of the Enterprise addicted to a dangerous new game.

• Oct 28, 1991
• EPISODE 107

Season 5, Episode 7: Unification, Pt. 1

Picard and Data travel to investigate an unauthorized mission undertaken by the Federation's legendary Mr.Spock.

• Nov 4, 1991
• EPISODE 108

Season 5, Episode 8: Unification, Pt. 2

Picard and Mr. Spock clash over a proposed reunification of the Romulans and the Vulcans.

• Nov 11, 1991
• EPISODE 109

Season 5, Episode 9: A Matter of Time

Picard's quest to save an endangered planet leads him to violate a Prime Directive when he seeks advice from a visitor from the future.

• Nov 18, 1991
• EPISODE 110

Season 5, Episode 10: New Ground

Worf learns some painful lessons about parenting when his son Alexander arrives to join his father on the Enterprise.

• Jan 6, 1992
• EPISODE 111

Season 5, Episode 11: Hero Worship

A young boy who is the sole survivor of a devastated ship becomes obsessed with simulating Data.

• Jan 27, 1992
• EPISODE 112

Season 5, Episode 12: Violations

Troi, Riker and Dr. Crusher fall into unexplained comas while the Enterprise plays host to an alien race.

• Feb 3, 1992
• EPISODE 113

Season 5, Episode 13: The Masterpiece Society

Picard's efforts to save a genetically engineered society from a natural disaster threaten to destroy it.

• Feb 10, 1992
• EPISODE 114

Season 5, Episode 14: Conundrum

While suffering an unexplained case of amnesia, the crew finds themselves fighting a war they do not remember or understand.

• Feb 17, 1992
• EPISODE 115

Season 5, Episode 15: Power Play

Picard is shocked when Troi, Data and Chief O'Brien engineer an unexplained overthrow of the Bridge.

• Feb 25, 1992
• EPISODE 116

Season 5, Episode 16: Ethics

Loyalty and ethics clash when a paralyzed Worf asks to help him commit suicide.

• Mar 3, 1992
• EPISODE 117

Season 5, Episode 17: The Outcast

A rescue mission leads to a dangerous romance between Riker and a rebellious member of an androgynous race.

• Mar 16, 1992
• EPISODE 118

Season 5, Episode 18: Cause and Effect

The Enterprise is trapped in a time warp that forces the crew to endlessly repeat the same experiences.

• Mar 23, 1992
• EPISODE 119

Season 5, Episode 19: The First Duty

Caught between loyalty to his friends and the need to tell the truth, Wesley becomes involved in a cover-up when his Starfleet Academy squadron suffers a deadly collision.

• Mar 30, 1992
• EPISODE 120

Season 5, Episode 20: Cost of Living

Preparing for her wedding aboard the Enterprise, Troi's free-thinking mother causes trouble between Worf and his son.

• Apr 20, 1992
• EPISODE 121

Season 5, Episode 21: The Perfect Mate

A beautiful woman, chosen by her people to serve as a peace offering to end a centuries-long war, falls in love with Picard.

• Apr 27, 1992
• EPISODE 122

Season 5, Episode 22: Imaginary Friend

A little girl's imaginary friend becomes a frightening reality for the crew when she threatens to destroy the Enterprise.

• May 4, 1992
• EPISODE 123

Season 5, Episode 23: I, Borg

Picard and the crew suffer from conflicting emotions when the Enterprise rescues a critically-injured Borg.

• May 11, 1992
• EPISODE 124

Season 5, Episode 24: The Next Phase

Geordi and Ro are pronounced dead after a transporting maneuver from a distressed Romulan ship goes awry.

• May 18, 1992
• EPISODE 125

Season 5, Episode 25: The Inner Light

After a mysterious accident, Picard wakes up living the life of another person on a faraway planet.

• Jun 1, 1992
• EPISODE 126

Season 5, Episode 26: Time's Arrow, Part 1

After Data learns of his own death in late-19th-century San Francisco, a freak accident transports him back to that period.

• Jun 15, 1992
• EPISODE 127

Season 6, Episode 1: Time's Arrow, Part 2

The Enterprise crew travels between the 19th and 24th centuries in an attempt to prevent Data's death in 19th century San Francisco.

• Sep 21, 1992
• EPISODE 128

Season 6, Episode 2: Realm of Fear

A young Enterprise engineer is forced to confront his paralyzing fear of being transported.

• Sep 28, 1992
• EPISODE 129

Season 6, Episode 3: Man of the People

Troi is drastically transformed when a visiting ambassador secretly uses her to achieve his aims.

• Oct 5, 1992
• EPISODE 130

Season 6, Episode 4: Relics

Trapped in limbo for 75 years, "Star Trek's" Scotty awakens to join the "Next Generation" in the 24th century.

• Oct 12, 1992
• EPISODE 131

Season 6, Episode 5: Schisms

A gifted young intern learns of her true heritage and must face the question, "To Q or not to Q?"

• Oct 19, 1992
• EPISODE 132

Season 6, Episode 6: True Q

The crew welcomes a new member aboard, a young girl named Amanda. A visitor arrives on board and reveals that Amanda is a Q. When disaster strikes an alien planet, Amanda is forced to choose between living with her new friends on the Enterprise and life as a Q.

• Oct 26, 1992
• EPISODE 133

Season 6, Episode 7: Rascals

A bizarre transporter mishap transforms Picard and three other staff members into children just as Ferengis invade and disable the ship.

• Nov 2, 1992
• EPISODE 134

Season 6, Episode 8: A Fistful of Datas

A Holodeck fantasy goes awry, sending Worf and his son into a Wild West showdown with a villain who's a dead ringer for Data.

• Nov 9, 1992
• EPISODE 135

Season 6, Episode 9: The Quality of Life

Data risks Picard and Geordi's lives in order to protect another "living" machine.

• Nov 16, 1992
• EPISODE 136

Season 6, Episode 10: Chain of Command, Pt. 1

After resigning his command to participate in a dangerous secret mission, Captain Picard is taken hostage by the Cardassians.

• Dec 14, 1992
• EPISODE 137

Season 6, Episode 11: Chain of Command, Pt. 2

While under the command of an unfeeling new captain the Enterprise attempts to rescue Picard from the Cardassians.

• Dec 21, 1992
• EPISODE 138

Season 6, Episode 12: Ship in a Bottle

A calculating Sherlock Holmesian character traps Picard and others in a holodeck simulation.

• Jan 25, 1993
• EPISODE 139

Season 6, Episode 13: Aquiel

Geordi is enamored with a beautiful and mysterious Starfleet lieutenant accused of murder.

• Feb 1, 1993
• EPISODE 140

Season 6, Episode 14: Face of the Enemy

Forced to impersonate a Romulan Intelligence official, Counselor Troi becomes a pivotal part of an elaborate defection scheme.

• Feb 8, 1993
• EPISODE 141

Season 6, Episode 15: Tapestry

After Picard loses his life in a surprise attack, Q gives him the chance to change his destiny.

• Feb 15, 1993
• EPISODE 142

Season 6, Episode 16: Birthright, Pt. 1

Worf and Data embark on unusual journeys to seek out their fathers.

• Feb 22, 1993
• EPISODE 143

Season 6, Episode 17: Birthright, Pt. 2

Imprisoned in a society of peaceful Klingons and Romulans, Worf risks his life to show the younger Klingons their lost heritage and inspire them to claim their honor.

• Mar 1, 1993
• EPISODE 144

Season 6, Episode 18: Starship Mine

While the Enterprise is bombarded with lethal rays, Picard is trapped on board with a band of interstellar thieves.

• Mar 29, 1993
• EPISODE 145

Season 6, Episode 19: Lessons

Picard is torn between love and duty when he is forced to send the woman he loves on a potentially deadly mission.

• Apr 5, 1993
• EPISODE 146

Season 6, Episode 20: The Chase

Picard finds himself in a race with Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans to solve a four billion year old genetic puzzle.

• Apr 26, 1993
• EPISODE 147

Season 6, Episode 21: Frame of Mind

Trapped in an alien mental hospital, with little memory of the past, Riker is convinced he is going insane.

• May 3, 1993
• EPISODE 148

Season 6, Episode 22: Suspicions

Beverly risks her career to solve the murder of a pioneering Ferengi scientist.

• May 10, 1993
• EPISODE 149

Season 6, Episode 23: Rightful Heir

Worf finds his faith sorely tested when it appears that the greatest Klingon warrior of all time has returned from the dead to reclaim the empire.

• May 17, 1993
• EPISODE 150

Season 6, Episode 24: Second Chances

Returning to the site of an eight-year-old mission, Riker encounters an identical double of himself, who tries to rekindle a relationship with Troi.

• May 24, 1993
• EPISODE 151

Season 6, Episode 25: Timescape

The Enterprise is frozen in time on the brink of total annihilation, and Picard must figure out how to rescue it without destroying it.

• Jun 14, 1993
• EPISODE 152

Season 6, Episode 26: Descent, Pt. 1

When the Borg return to do battle with the Federation, they boast a new individuality - and tempt Data when they help him feel his first emotion.

• Jun 21, 1993
• EPISODE 153

Season 7, Episode 1: Descent, Pt. 2

Picard, Troi, and Geordi are held prisoner by Data, who has left the Enterprise to join his evil brother Lore as leaders of the Borg.

• Sep 20, 1993
• EPISODE 154

Season 7, Episode 2: Liaisons

While the crew plays host to ambassadors from an alien race, Picard is stranded on a barren planet with a woman who falls desperately in love with him.

• Sep 27, 1993
• EPISODE 155

Season 7, Episode 3: Interface

Geordi defies Picard's commands and risks his life in what appears to be a futile attempt to rescue his missing mother.

• Oct 4, 1993
• EPISODE 156

Season 7, Episode 4: Gambit, Pt. 1

Riker is shocked to find Picard, who has been missing and presumed dead, posing as a mercenary on an alien ship.

• Oct 11, 1993
• EPISODE 157

Season 7, Episode 5: Gambit, Pt. 2

Picard and Riker masquerade as mercenaries in order to retrieve a potentially lethal Vulcan artifact.

• Oct 18, 1993
• EPISODE 158

Season 7, Episode 6: Phantasms

Data's first bad dream turns into a real-life nightmare for the rest of the Enterprise crew.

• Oct 23, 1993
• EPISODE 159

Season 7, Episode 7: Dark Page

Troi must probe her mother's psyche when a traumatic secret causes a psychic breakdown that threatens Lwaxana's life.

• Nov 1, 1993
• EPISODE 160

Season 7, Episode 8: Attached

Imprisoned and telepathically joined by an alien race, Picard and Beverly are forced to face the feelings they have always had for each other.

• Nov 8, 1993
• EPISODE 161

Season 7, Episode 9: Force of Nature

An alien brother and sister resort to desperate measures to prove their theory that warp drive is destroying the universe.

• Nov 15, 1993
• EPISODE 162

Season 7, Episode 10: Inheritance

A routine mission to save an endangered planet brings Data face-to-face with a woman who claims to be his mother.

• Nov 22, 1993
• EPISODE 163

Season 7, Episode 11: Parallels

Returning to the Enterprise from a competition, Worf finds reality changing, and is troubled when no one else seems to notice.

• Nov 29, 1993
• EPISODE 164

Season 7, Episode 12: The Pegasus

Riker is torn when his former commander, now an admiral, orders him to hide the real purpose of a risky mission from Picard.

• Jan 10, 1994
• EPISODE 165

Season 7, Episode 13: Homeward

Worf's foster brother violates the Prime Directive in an effort to save a doomed alien race.

• Jan 17, 1994
• EPISODE 166

Season 7, Episode 14: Sub Rosa

Shortly after her grandmother's death, Beverly falls under the spell of a ghost lover who has been in her family for generations.

• Jan 31, 1994
• EPISODE 167

Season 7, Episode 15: Lower Decks

While enduring the Enterprise's promotion evaluation process, four junior officers find themselves involved in a top-secret mission.

• Feb 7, 1994
• EPISODE 168

Season 7, Episode 16: Thine Own Self

Having completely lost his memory, Data is stranded on a primitive planet where the inhabitants fear he is carrying a deadly plague.

• Feb 14, 1994
• EPISODE 169

Season 7, Episode 17: Masks

While an alien archive transforms the Enterprise into its ancient society, Data is taken over by several different personalities from the extinct civilization.

• Feb 21, 1994
• EPISODE 170

Season 7, Episode 18: Eye of the Beholder

While experiencing empathic visions after an officer's mysterious suicide, Troi becomes romantically involved with Worf.

• Feb 28, 1994
• EPISODE 171

Season 7, Episode 19: Genesis

Picard and Data return to the Enterprise to discover that the entire crew has de-evolved into prehistoric beings.

• Mar 21, 1994
• EPISODE 172

Season 7, Episode 20: Journey's End

Picard is forced to relocate American Indians from a planet they have settled, while a colonist causes Wesley to re-examine his future.

• Mar 28, 1994
• EPISODE 173

Season 7, Episode 21: Firstborn

A mysterious family friend arrives to help transform Worf's reluctant son Alexander into a warrior.

• Apr 25, 1994
• EPISODE 174

Season 7, Episode 22: Bloodlines

Picard learns that he has a son, and that the young man has been targeted for murder by an old enemy in search of revenge.

• May 2, 1994
• EPISODE 175

Season 7, Episode 23: Emergence

The lives of the Enterprise crew are endangered when the ship suddenly develops its own intelligence.

• May 9, 1994
• EPISODE 176

Season 7, Episode 24: Preemptive Strike

Ro Laren is forced to choose between her loyalty to Picard and her hatred toward Cardassia when she accepts an assignment to infiltrate the Maquis.

• May 16, 1994
• EPISODE 177

Season 7, Episode 25: All Good Things..., Pt. 1

Picard finds himself travelling between the past, present, and future while attempting to prevent the destruction of humanity... by his own actions. (Part 1 of 2)

• May 23, 1994
• EPISODE 178

Season 7, Episode 26: All Good Things..., Pt. 2

Picard finds himself traveling between the past, present, and future while attempting to prevent the destruction of humanity... by his own actions. (Part 2 of 2)

More Seasons in Series

Top sci-fi & fantasy shows.

• April 30, 2024 | See Alexander, Nog, And Jake Deal With Q Jr’s Time Loop Shenanigans In ‘Sons Of Star Trek’ #2 Preview
• April 29, 2024 | Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 506 With New Images. Trailer And Clip From “Whistlespeak”
• April 28, 2024 | Interview: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Writer Carlos Cisco On Unmasking The Breen And Revisiting The ISS Enterprise
• April 26, 2024 | Michael Dorn Wanted Armin Shimerman To Play The Ferengi That Worf Killed In Star Trek Picard
• April 26, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Gets To Know The Breen In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ 505, “Mirrors”

Interview: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Writer Carlos Cisco On Unmasking The Breen And Revisiting The ISS Enterprise

| April 28, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 33 comments so far

The fifth episode (“ Mirrors “) of season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery was co-written by Carlos Cisco, working with Johanna Lee. Cisco joined Discovery in season 3 as a writers’ assistant, moved up to staff writer during season 4, and is now a writer and story editor in season 5.

In our SPOILERS interview, TrekMovie had a chance to talk to Cisco about getting a chance to expand on some big pieces of Trek lore in “Mirrors” and more.

Can you give a bit of background on your fandom and how you came to work on Discovery ?

I am a huge fan now, but I wasn’t always that way because I didn’t have TV growing up in the ’90s. I had seen some of the original movies, a handful of Next Gen episodes and the J.J. Abrams movies before coming onto Discovery . It was intimidating because didn’t know the franchise really well but I love sci-fi and genre. Once I started on season 3, I began to watch Next Gen episodes and when it became clear we were dealing with Andorians and Orions, our then-staff writer Brandon Schultz suggested I watch Enterprise because that is when they were the most featured and I really came to appreciate it. I had been a huge fan of Jeffrey Combs before any knowledge of Trek, and to find how deep he was in Trek was a delightful surprise. So I watched Enterprise all the way through, I watched all of Next Gen , DS9, TOS, I got up to season 4 of Voyager …

So you did an almost complete binge of the franchise during your first year as a writers’ assistant?

Yeah, I was watching like two to four episodes a day. It was a lot. I am an extremely online person and understand how fandoms work and understand that Trek is the fandom that created the sort of framework for all modern fandom. I also love researching things. I love fake histories of and diving into the lore of something. So yeah, I went through all of it and eventually finished up Voyager during the pandemic and kept on, I am current with all the Trek shows.

Was this just extra obsessiveness because it was your job, or because you were you getting into it?

I really enjoyed Next Generation . Deep Space Nine is among my favorite TV series of all time and the one I go back and rewatch the most because it’s just that good, I love it. I will go back to other ones like if we are referencing it in the room.

Carlos Cisco beamed to the set of Star Trek: Discovery

So having watched it all so recently, did you find yourself as one of the quasi-experts in the room?

Yeah. I would have upper level writers texting me asking like, “What’s something I can inject in here?” Yeah, I became one of the experts in the room. I feel like the most passionate people about a religion are the recent converts, and that became one of my positions in the room. So I was always trying to push how could we recontextualize Trek canon for the 32nd century? How can we better worldbuild each season? That was something that was important to me.

For an episode like “Mirrors,” it must occur to you that you are about to double the page on Memory Alpha for the Breen and also the Kelleruns and even the Mirror Universe. Do you find that exciting or terrifying?

Both. Trek fans, they know their shit. It’s a really terrifying and great responsibility to get to be that additive to canon. The Breen were one of my strongest pushes for the season. Early on a couple of us who were really into the lore were asked for ideas on the season big bads and [staff writer] Eric [Robbins] was pushing for the Vidiians and I was like we should do the Breen.” Because, A: They’re not going to have horrible makeup, and B: We can just put a bunch of big guys in suits and they don’t need to talk. Being mindful of the COVID protocols, the suits and masks would be really great. And then there were all the possibilities for the Breen because in every season Discovery is trying to do something we have never seen before. And getting to unmask the Breen was a really big privilege.

“Mirrors” showed how there was more to just unmasking them with the two faces. Can you talk about the look and inspiration behind that?

I don’t remember where in the process we landed on “gelatinous” but when we hit the art team with that they came back to us with deep sea fish like the Barreleye Fish with a see-through head. We got really excited about that. So we started talking about what is this species? Why do they wear the suits? So, the thing we landed on is they have this soft gelatinous form and also a hardened form. Our thinking was that the Breen came up on a very harsh planet with a harsh environment. So they developed a way to protect themselves which was hardening their outer shell into basically a skin, but that takes an immense amount of concentration and energy, making them slower, more sluggish, less intelligent, basically. Over time, they compensated for that by creating the refrigeration suits. Then culturally, it became anathema for them to display that solid face, especially to outsiders, because it was essentially a sign of weakness.

L’ak in his gelatinous state

This idea of a taboo reminded me of episodes like “The Outcast.” So L’ak is part of a segment of Breen society that chose to go against this norm?

Yeah, I think that the Breen that would do that would be outcasts in their society. We still wanted to leave a lot of mystery with the Breen. One of the most appealing parts of being a writer in Trek, is you can see something that was mentioned once in Trek and go, “I’m going to build a whole episode about this, or a whole character arc that explores this.” The Breen started as a single line in TNG and then got one of the most important arcs in DS9. Getting to build and expand off that of that was really cool.

One quick question: Is this the same Breen ship we saw next to the destroyed Federation HQ in the future in the time travel episode?

Yep, that big honking thing next to Federation HQ is the Breen ship. It’s not a space station, it’s a ship. That was one of the things I was super proud of pitching. I had been looking at Breen ship designs, including the Star Trek Online ones, which were these colossal, city ships that could house entire armies and fleets inside of them. And again, talking about what haven’t we seen and what could we have as our adversary. Like, Osyraa’s ship was big in comparison to Discovery, but we wanted to do something – this thing was just a behemoth. Like a Discovery-sized ship could fly into its shuttle bay.

Using the ISS Enterprise was a way to sort of visit the Mirror Universe again. What came first: a creative way of using the available Strange New Worlds set in Toronto, or the decision to revisit the Mirror Universe?

We were given access the sets so we could pitch ideas that could take place on those sets, whether it is the Enterprise or not. There were a few pitches, like one with an old science vessel from the 23 rd century stuck inside a planet of liquid mercury. And one pitch was it was a Mirror Universe ship sort of trapped like a ship in a bottle, which became the pocket of dimensional space. We even considered fluidic space, trying to bring in one more little reference [laughs]. So once it was settled to do the Mirror ship, the opportunity to define what happened to the ISS Enterprise after the events of “Mirror, Mirror” was really cool.

Was there any talk about also bringing in some Mirror characters?

We had considered Ethan [Peck] as Mirror Spock early on but there might have been availability issues, I don’t know.

Burnham and Book on the ISS Enterprise bridge

So you say you are the lore guy, so how about a nitpick speed round? Starting with: The Breen aren’t supposed to bleed, right?

They don’t have a circulatory system, it’s just the jelly spilling out. I know they don’t bleed! Come on. [laughs]

The solution to open the wormhole was to replace the photon torpedoes with antimatter, but aren’t photon torpedoes anti-matter torpedoes?

I think they were adding more, okay? [laughs]

Final sort of nitpick: Owo and Detmer were tasked with taking the ship back to HQ, but the warp drive was disabled.  We don’t see it go to warp, so are they not going to show up at HQ for years?

In my headcanon, they are being met by a Federation tug, the 32 nd century version of the California-class like the Cerritos. They are heading off to meet them and it will tug them to spacedock. [laughs]

ISS Enterprise leaves for Starfleet HQ

We have talked a lot about lore, but season 3 was a way for the show to kind of jump past all of Star Trek canon. Now in season 5, it feels like the show is reembracing the lore, is that by design?

Yeah, I think the studio and Secret Hideout, [co-showrunners] Alex [Kurtzman] and Michelle [Paradise] all wanted this season to sort of connect Discovery back to the greater body of Trek a little more. That didn’t mean we had to really dig into canon, but there was a greater desire to see what we are familiar with from the past and what it looks like in 32 nd century and how it’s different or how it’s not different, and why. Obviously, this is a season that has focused on an episode from the 24 th century [TNG “The Chase”] and so naturally because of that, every episode focused on the clues is going to be focused on the whims of a 24th-century scientist. So that is naturally going to have more connections back to what people would consider classic Trek.

Discovery is ending and the writers room wrapped up a while ago. Are you hoping to return to the franchise? If there is a second season of Academy , are you hoping to get back to the 32 nd century?

I’d love to, if they’d have me. But if this is the last episode I get to write of Star Trek, I’m very proud that this is my final contribution. I’m hoping to pitch some games to the franchise and stuff like that as well down the line. I’m a game designer on the other side of my career. But yeah, I would love to come back and write for Trek, anytime. We’ll see if that happens.

Finally, last year you played a big part in organizing for the WGA strike, which included rallying Trek writers. Can you talk about that?

Yeah, one of the proudest things I’ve contributed to the franchise didn’t even take place while I was employed on Star Trek. Or [employed] at all. I was a lot coordinator and strike captain. Followers of the strike might remember we did theme days to boost morale and turnout. I, along with fellow captain and Strange New Worlds writer Bill Wolkoff was one of the architects of the Star Trek strike day in May. It was one of the first theme days, and we didn’t advertise. But the turnout from franchise was immense. We had actors, writers, and designers from every single Trek TV show attend. It was, as a fan and a writer, an immensely emotional day and an incredible few hours where folks who worked on the show could fan out on other folks whose shoulders we stand on. There were reunions that hadn’t happened in years and it was a really joyful celebration of the shows we all put our blood, sweat, and tears into.

Carlos Cisco (highlighted) at Star Trek-themed picket day in May 2023 (Photo: JW Hendricks)

The fifth and final season of Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery also premiered on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season is available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuted on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Note: The interview has  been edited for brevity and clarity.  

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I’m not sure I like the reveal. To me, this is one of those things like the Klingon headridges where I think the mystery was more interesting than the answer they came up with. I so wish Enterprise had not explained the headridges and Worf’s “we don’t discuss it with outsiders” joke in DS9’s “Trials and Tribbleations” was the end-all be-all for it.

Also, the behind-the-scenes thinking and explanation for the Breen doesn’t fit with DS9.

Their idea that the Breen come from a harsh planet and harsh environment is directly conflicted in dialogue by Weyoun, who states the environment of the Breen homeworld is actually normal. In DS9, it gave the Breen a mysterious quality that I think made them stand out.

Good point. Pretty much everything about this episode was badly done.

Frankly, given what a disappointment Discovery seasons 3-5 have been, I truly hope Carlos Cisco and Johanna Lee are not invited back. They just aren’t good writers.

as all Disco writers are…

You dislike all the writers on all current trek shows. Not actually sure what you consider a “good” writer.

Just to be sure, it would be nice if we can put all Disco writers in one big box and ship them to Antartica.

DS9 built up a real mystique about the Breen. To find out that they are really green jello people was a bit anti-climatic.

In fairness, though, what would have been exciting enough as an answer to the mystery? Some things are better left unanswered. It brings to mind Steven Moffat teasing a reveal of The Doctor’s (as in Doctor Who) name, abut then admitting he never would. To parapgrase, he said, “What could it possibly turn out to be? Keith?”

but on the other hand, who trusts anything Weyoun says?

The Typhon Pact books dug into the Breen in an interesting way, and this doesn’t stray too far from that (in some respects) which is refreshing to see.

Two unnecessary reveals in one episode.

Anyone who says DS9 is their favorite show is already alright in my book!

However I did have a lot of problems with this episode. The whole MU connection and it also being the Enterprise just felt beyond a stretch and very unnecessary. And he confirmed what I think a lot of us assumed and that they were able to use the Enterprise sets and just came up with a story around it instead of the opposite and came up with a story first that warranted it. I really wish it was just another Constitution class ship from the prime universe instead of the ham fisted stuff they came up with that added really nothing to the story.

As for the Breen I do like they are using them again since this is a species many fans wanted to see again. I’m torn with the head reveal but OK with it. But would’ve been fine if they didn’t show them.

I also like the idea of using the Vidians too although IIRC weren’t they already cured by the end of Voyager? But this is why it’s fun to go so forward in the future because now you can use species from any part of the galaxy.

And I suspect we will see a lot more of them in the Academy show.

Agreed on all fronts.

agree on everything ;)

Yep Jason Alexander cured the Phage.

Yeah, I don’t think every mystery or open question needs to be answered by our franchises. I don’t understand the compulsion to answer every open question from past series or movies.

Things like the Breen and Bobba Fett were cooler with less said.

yes. for sure. let the secrets be secrets, don’t explain them, create new ones!

The shame of it all, though, is that this just wasn’t a good episode. It was badly written, L’ak and Moll were really boring, and the Breen’s other face was cheesy-looking. This may have been the worst episode of DISCO since the ship left the 23rd century. What a disappointment this season has turned out to be; after two really fun opening episodes, it’s gone downhill fast and has turned into the same padded schlock that was seasons three and four.

You literally complained about the first two episodes when they aired and now you are saying that were great? And you’re making sweeping judgements about a season being disappointing even though you haven’t seen it all? There’s a word for this: trolling.

That’s nonsense, and you know it. I don’t know why you have a bug up your butt about me, but if you don’t like my posts, stop replying to them. I’m clearly not a troll. I’ve been an active member of this group for years.

Also, I just looked up my comments about the early episodes on this board.

Episode 1: “Now THAT was good.”

Episode 2: I made no comment at all.

Episode 3: “Oh, boy. After two stellar episodes, this was one of the worst in the show’s history. If this is setting the tone for the rest of the season, I’m frankly worried.”

So, M1701, when exactly did I “literally complain about the first two episodes when they aired?” It’s pretty clear which one of us is the troll. So get off my back. You don’t out-rank me and you don’t have pointed ears.

I don’t know. I thought it was a very good episode. The pacing was great. I like the added backstory to Moll and L’ak. I found it added depth and meaning to their characters. And I did love that the MU ship was the Enterprise. As a long-time fan of Trek and loving “Mirror, Mirror” – I often wondered what happened to the ISS-E. This was quite satisfying to me to know where she ended up. Being a writer myself (I wrote several episodes or ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK and other series from time to time), I quite enjoyed the story telling here and in this season. I work more in the technical field now but I still write from time to time. Funny enough, I did write a fan fiction years and years ago that find the ISS-E in the future with Mirror Spock at the helm.

Oh neat I used to watch AYOTD when I was a kid good show.

This awful story is what you get when you assign a novice to write this episode. No offense to Carlos Cisco, but the ‘Mirrors’ episode is a huge mess.

The ‘no offense’ made a huge difference indeed… LOL

What they should’ve done with the extra pages they got in the end (to wrap up the series) is go back and ‘fix’ certain things they would’ve done, had they known it was their last episode. Like bringing in Ethan for at least a cameo or recorded log scene and Lorca in the previous one. Would’ve fixed the ‘talk in stead of show’ issues.

Guess we can add the Breen to the list of things the First Splinter did better (a list that already includes the MU).

I still hate the 32rd century, the entire thing completely destroys world building in the Star Trek Universe to me.

If it was the late 25th century or early 26th century, just a difference in Number really, the jump in tech capabilities would be entirely reasonable and no more than from the late 23rd to the late 24th century. All of the things that happened in the meantime, the burn, the reunification of vulcan etc would have all been much more plausible in a shorter period of time and honestly opening the possibility for many more interesting stories to tell. Even the federation continuing on as a shadow of its former self, the way it is presented in the show, would make much more sense if the burn had been just, say, 30 years ago – and not over 100!

Look at how our real world changed just within the last 80 years since WW2, how a society such as Korea could evolve into two completely different cultures, how entire populations were displaced in Europe, yet that reality became totally normal now. In star trek, on the other hand, somehow progress and change completely ground to a crawl, apparently, following the 2400s.

Again, that baffling decision completely destroys world building and plausibility of the events in Disco for me. Such a minor thing as the number of the date has have such profound ramnifications towards the plausibility of the story (which was probably only chose because it was beyond ANY mentioned events in Canon) and it is just so disappointing that this decision has been apparently been made on a whim.

And now they are doubling down with SF Academy. Just leave it in peace and call it an “alternate Timeline/split timeline” or whatever.

This. I just can’t even bring myself to watch Disco anymore (stopped after season 2). Have seen every episode of every other series excluding Prodigy (am getting to that one), but Disco just doesn’t feel like the same universe, and I’m simply not interested.

This episode was damn fantastic and I find Trekmovie’s comments section for this article a bit more wearying than most.

Ah, thank you. The comments here are becoming grumpy central. I liked the episode and this interview was honest and fun.

I love the Trekmovie podcast and the news coverage, but nowadays I do kind of see the Trekmovie comments as obnoxious haters looking for shallow excuses to flex what they think is their creative writing muscle vs. the comments at Trekcore that are a little more down-to-earth and rational. The comments over there are also much more discussion-based as opposed to the reaction-based dramaticism of the jerks over here. I want to be clear, I’m just talking about the comments. Anthony and Laurie’s podcast and this site’s news coverage is one of the shining lights of the fandom in general. It’s just that the comments section make my eyes roll so hard they occasionally fall out.

I liked that TNG mostly didn’t revisit TOS aliens (but when it did, it overused them – see: Klingons — or made them lame – see: Vulcans and Romulans).

I wish Discovery had tried to do its own thing.

Honestly I think it is Enterprise that made the Vulcans lame. Outside of Spock and Sarek we didn’t really even get many Vulcans in TNG

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The new 15-disc collection includes all of the following:

• 4K Blu-ray Disc and Blu-ray Disc
• Bonus Features Blu-ray Disc
• 4K Blu-ray Disc — Theatrical Cut and Director’s Cut
• Blu-ray Disc — Theatrical Cut and Director’s Cut
• Blu-ray Disc — Theatrical Cut only

Standalone 4K / Blu-ray combo pack releases of Star Trek II, II, IV, V,  and  VI also arrived this week:

There will certainly be debates over “correct” color timing and lighting levels between the 2009 and the 2021/2022 editions of the original Star Trek films : each film does seem to have an issue with somewhat brighter-than-expected lighting levels, especially in space scenes, which seems to be a side effect from creating the remastered Blu-rays from 4K HDR sources.

A NOTE ON SCREENCAPS: At present, it is rather difficult to produce representative screencaps from 4K discs and maintain the full HDR color presentation for online publication. The remastered Blu-rays, which are based upon the 4K presentations, are what we can produce and share for this review.

We’ve watched the 4K discs on a proper HDR television display, and can say that those of you who will primarily watch the films on 4K discs on 4K HDR-capable displays (or on streaming services which present the full 4K HDR presentation) will probably not notice much of an issue on that front — but “downgrading” the new scans to 1080p for the standard Blu-ray discs have left some scenes feel a bit over-brightened, losing some of the shadowy moods one remembers from countless viewings over the decades.

That said — the primary problem with those first Blu-ray editions are the tragically-overused Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) and edge-enhancement (or “sharpening”) techniques used when bring the movies to HD for the first time.

For the 2009 editions, all six films were put through DNR processing to “scrub out” the natural film grain that was part of the original presentation, and then each were artificially sharpened to restore the detail lost because of the DNR pass — resulting in a strange mix of heavily-shadowed, chiseled faces, waxy skin features erasing the actors’ natural complexions, and elimination of much of the costumes’ and sets’ surface detailing.

Probably the most impacted by the DNR/sharpening effect was Star Trek VI , which in some scenes left the cast looking like clay sculptures brought to life — such as the below shot from Spock’s briefing at the beginning of the film — but the other films are impacted as well in varying degrees, as we’ve illustrated from  The Motion Picture.

In the new 2022 editions, because the films have been rescanned from the original picture, those 2009-era modifications are not even part of the discussion anymore — restoring the look of each picture to something much closer to the original theatrical presentation.

While some have commented that the 2022 versions seem to be “blurry,” well, that’s because the slightly soft nature of each film were shot that way in the original production!

Because the heavily DNR’d/over-sharpened 2009 editions have been the default way fans have seen these movies for the last 13 years, on both Blu-ray and streaming services, many have little-to-no experience with the films’ original presentation — seen on LaserDisc, VHS, and DVD up until 2009.

Take this close-up of George Takei from  Star Trek VI for example: compared to the original HD master used in the 1999 DVD, the new remastered version is a nice upgrade in color and clarity, while still keeping his face looking appropriately detailed.

…but as soon as the false-detailed 2009 image is added into the mix, it’s clearly an overcorrection which makes Takei’s face look pitted, adding ten years to his age!

The theatrical presentation of  Star Trek: The Motion Picture   features a lovely balance of lighting, color, and texture adjustments (again, without the DNR seen in the 2009 edition) which gives the film more depth — while at the same time toning down strange color casts like the purple lighting seen when McCoy is beamed up to the Enterprise for the first time.

Here are a collection of comparison screencaps between the 2009 Blu-ray and remastered presentations:

Unfortunately, if you are looking to pick up the theatrical cut of The Motion Picture on 4K disc, it’s only available in the multi-film box set — though a standalone Blu-ray of the film is available.

For  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , the picture quality is identical to the remastered Blu-ray released in 2016, and all bonus features from that first release have been included — and both the theatrical cut and Nick Meyer’s director’s cut of the film are included on 4K and Blu-ray discs using seamless branching.

Here are some 2009 vs. 2016 comparison screencaps we first presented at that time, which include a few comparisons to the original DVD picture illustrating color adjustments.

The remastered editions of Star Trek II are available in the 6-film box set, as a standalone 4K + Blu-ray release, or as a standalone Blu-ray.

The new look for  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is full of welcome color corrections, which in some cases rewinds the clock all the way back to the original theatrical presentation. While the Blu-ray disc version still has a few overly-bright issues from the HDR-to-HD down-conversion, overall this film has never looked better, especially when viewed on a full 4K display.

From the start, the title sequence through sky above Genesis has been restored to the original picture width from the theatrical presentation — for some reason, the 2009 Blu-rays pillar-boxed the opening credits, adding black bars to the side of the screens and compressing the picture to fit. The text and framing have now been restored to the original look.

(All screencaps labeled “1984” are from a scan of a 35mm Star Trek III  theatrical print.)

Fine details in the Enterprise’s helm console can be made out in the 2021 remaster, including the label on Sulu’s panel which reads THRUSTER IGNITION — while the overall teal-tinted cast has been corrected (blacks and greys are black and grey; skin coloration is must more natural-looking).

Also notable are changes to the  Enterprise bridge set during the final conflict with Kruge; the dark, moody scenes were color-shifted red in for the 2009 Blu-ray release, and have been corrected back to the original blue tones for the modern restoration.

The remastered edition of  Star Trek III is available in the 6-film box set, as a standalone 4K + Blu-ray release, or as a standalone Blu-ray.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  fares nicely in the remastered presentation, as the popular “one with the whales” gets its missing film grain restored and thankfully loses the  2009-era slight blue-green cast from its color timing — evident in shots like the Yellow Pages advertisement and the opening debate in the Federation Council chambers.

Outdoor location shots now also look much more like the natural lighting under which they were filmed; Gillian Taylor’s drive-by now reflects the cloudy, overcast San Francisco weather visible in the sky above the actors, rather than the oversaturated coloring seen in the 2009 edition.

In sunny scenes, like Kirk and Spock’s visit to the Cetacean Institute, white fabric like Spock’s robe now carry a warmer tone reflecting the sunlight above the location, rather than a colder blue tone scene in the previous release.

The remastered edition of  Star Trek IV is available in the 6-film box set, as a standalone 4K + Blu-ray release, or as a standalone Blu-ray.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier also gets a nice new presentation, with a correction to many blown-out highlights and the restoration of more natural-looking colors in a number of scenes — most notably during the Yosemite camping sequences and during the encounter with the Sha Ka Ree “god” near the end of the film.

While some of the blue tones still remain during Sybok’s final moments, the contrast has been dialed back down to near-original levels, allowing viewers to actually see what’s going on during the climactic encounter at the center of the galaxy.

Below, we’ve compared the HD master used for the 1999 DVD release with the 2009 and 2022 Blu-ray editions — the soft blue tones reflecting the Sha Ka Ree “god” remain, but the overall lighting levels have been reduced for a less-blinding experience.

The remastered edition of  Star Trek V is available in the 6-film box set, as a standalone 4K + Blu-ray release, or as a standalone Blu-ray.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country   arrives with two versions of the film on 4K: the original theatrical cut, which was also available in the previous 2009 Blu-ray (and what most people have seen on streaming services to date), and the longer director’s cut last released in the 2004 Special Collector’s Edition  DVD.

(Both cuts of the film are presented in the same 2.39:1 aspect ratio, which is Nick Meyer’s preferred choice; previously the director’s cut was released in a taller 2.00:1 ratio.)

As stated above, this film suffered the most impact from the 2009-era noise-reduction/artificial-sharpening process, and as such benefits the most from the new scan for 2022’s remastered presentation. Gone are the craggy facial features and overly-dark shadowing caused by those filtering tools, and restored are natural skin and costume textures scrubbed away in 2009.

Magentas are dialed way back, most notably seen in the Rura Penthe surface scenes and during the Excelsior’s encounter with the Praxis shockwave. In addition, red colors in this Blu-ray edition of the film — notably in the Starfleet uniforms and Klingon ship environments — do seem to be pushed a bit too far into the orange spectrum, this again may be due to the HDR down-conversion to the 1080p Blu-ray presentation.

(Unfortunately it’s not easy to get representative screencaps from 4K discs and maintain the full HDR color presentation for online publication, but after having watched the film on a proper 4K HDR display, the orange ‘push’ was not noticeable during that viewing.)

This film also seems to be impacted the most by the HDR-to-HD lighting issue, as many scenes in Star Trek VI (on both 4K disc and Blu-ray) appear to be brighter than even the original 1999 DVD picture. The comparison between the three versions illustrates the thankful return to non-DNR’d picture quality in 2022, yet is still brighter than even the ’99 edition.

In what is perhaps the biggest misstep of the entire package, the director’s cut of  Star Trek VI — which features Rene Auberjonois as Colonel West , West’s reveal as the assassin at the end of the film, and a few other cuts and edits throughout — is only available on the 4K disc, and  not included on the remastered Blu-ray disc.

Unlike the  Star Trek II director’s cut, these are not just a few trimmed scenes — there are multiple shot changes, different audio cues, and video overlays (the derided flashbacks during the Valeris mind-meld sequence) which require more space on the Blu-ray disc than that storage medium is capable of holding.

Even with seamless branching, both cuts of Star Trek VI won’t fit on a single standard Blu-ray disc, but they will both fit on the large BD-100 disc used for the 4K presentation.

The real solution, of course, would be to have included a second Blu-ray disc to hold the director’s cut in the packaging — but it seems Paramount chose not to do so, perhaps because of the extra cost.

It is still part of the iTunes streaming release ‘bonus features’ however, so if you’ve purchased the film there (or redeemed the included digital code), you’ll be able to watch the Star Trek VI director’s cut in high definition on that service — as well as on Vudu where it is listed as a separate entry from the theatrical edition.

Here are a collection of comparison screencaps between the 2009 Blu-ray and remastered presentation of the Star Trek VI theatrical cut:

The two remastered editions of of Star Trek VI is available in the 6-film box set or as a standalone 4K + Blu-ray release. The theatrical cut is also available as a standalone Blu-ray. 

A few minor quibbles aside, the new  Star Trek — The Original Motion Picture 6-Movie Collection is the best way to revisit the big-screen adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew — and these new editions of each film are taking over the old 2009-era presentations on streaming services to bring them to the forefront of viewing options.

Illustrated below from iTunes ( picture by @StarTrekVHS on Twitter ), the remastered editions of each  Star Trek film are identified by the rainbow-colored artwork on many streaming services like Vudu (though not on Paramount+, naturally).

While there’s been no formal announcement, the four films starring the  Next Generation cast are expected to get the 4K upgrade next; if things follow the last two years, we should hopefully see them get their own 4K UHD Blu-ray box set by September 2023.

Our coverage of the new  Star Trek home media releases will continue later this week, as we dive into the new  Star Trek: The Motion Picture — The Director’s Edition 4K edition, and break down all the different versions of the first Star Trek film now available on disc.

• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek: The Original Series
• Trek Merchandise
• Trek Movies

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The Star Trek: Origins movie shouldn't ignore Star Trek: Enterprise

A new origins movie for Star Trek is set to go into production later on this year for a possible 2025 or 2026 release. There's has been a lot of speculation about the timeline of the film, with Inverse offering plenty of detail about the Star Trek timeline and how a film set in the 2210s or 2220s wouldn't rattle too much of Trek's history in either timeline with the caveat that "if you don't think about the prequel series, Star Trek: Enterprise."

Enterprise was set during 2151, and the events of the series were interwoven with other series in the franchise, such as the Ferengi's first appearance on the series instead of Star Trek: The Next Generation and, of course, the horrible series finale that connected The Next Generation's Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis). Yes, plenty of fans would love to forget the finale, but the fact remains that it happened. And even Star Trek: Discovery referenced Archer's visit to Qo'noS from the premiere of the series. So it's kind of hard to jettison the series as a whole.

With the Origins movie supposedly set before the Kirk and Spock era as the movie has been touted, that could put it after Enterprise, but, if the movie is set during the Prime timeline, there are a lot of landmines that could potentially disrupt canon. Some fans, of course, will say that canon has been shredded by various other series already, but a film on the big screen takes things to a new level, especially if it's supposed to be the origination of some aspect of Star Trek.

One possible idea would be to take the story back to Captain Pike's origins, which would still put the movie in the 2230s, roughly, with Strange New Worlds being set in 2259. Since Strange New Worlds is an ongoing series, that would be a great tie-in. Another option would be the origins of Captain April who helmed the Enterprise in 2245. Hopefully, the movie won't take the origin storyline so far back in time that it will disrupt everything that has been created. And, if that's the choice that is taken, then we can just hope the movie gets set in the Kelvin timeline so the Prime timeline remains as unaffected as possible!

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as The Star Trek: Origins movie shouldn't ignore Star Trek: Enterprise .

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 7 (Remastered) [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

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The intergalactic voyage reaches infinite new depths in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Seven. Featuring the crystal clarity of 1080p high-definition Blu-ray, digitally remastered 7.1 sound, and effects rebuilt from the original elements, you’ll experience the mission of the USS Enterprise like never before. In this Emmy-nominated final season, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) confronts an alliance between his sinister duplicate and the unstoppable Borg; Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) guides his son in becoming a warrior; and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) faces a time-shattering confrontation with the mysterious, god-like Q – in the landmark finale that won science fiction’s prestigious Hugo Award. Plus, discover unexpected secrets of the Star Trek universe with a rich array of special features.

Product details

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.59 x 6.77 inches; 2.82 ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ DVD, Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 21 hours and 40 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ December 15, 2014
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ Italian, French, German
• Language ‏ : ‎ German (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount Home Entertainment
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00M821UQG
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 6
• #48,022 in Blu-ray

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