Star Trek PhD Thesis Wins Academic Prize

[BJ_M]

"A PhD thesis based on Star Trek has won an Australian university's top academic prize. Dr Djoymi Baker's 90,000 word dissertation 'Broadcast Space: TV Culture, Myth and Star Trek' was awarded the University of Melbourne's Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in the PhD. Dr Baker watched over 700 Star Trek episodes — more than 624 hours — to investigate the relationship between ancient mythology and today's popular culture. American academics thought her research was 'superlative' and suitable for teaching."


http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/now-for-star-treks-enterprising-thesis/2006/08/...617211732.html

[teegee420]

With the amount of "research" I've done over the years, I should have earned at least a master's degree.

[yoda313]

700.....

Isn't that close to the sum total of all the series combined????

[teegee420]

Sounds about right to me.

[lordsmurf]

Why do I get the distinct feeling I've done more research than this guy? I've probably seen most episodes of all the shows 2-3 times each, and then I've read tons of mythology and period-based cultural history since I was a child.

I should start writing mine.

How many pages is 90,000 words? Hmmm.... About 500 words per page, so around 175-200 pages. That's a book. Somebody should teach this guy how to edit, I bet it's full of rambling.

[BJ_M]

'Star Trek' May Go Where It Went Before


Rumors sped at light speed on the Internet Tuesday that Paramount is working on an enhanced version of the original 79 Star Trek episodes that it plans to sell as a syndication package to broadcast stations. According to the reports, state-of-the-art visual effects will replace those in the series, new music will be added, and the show will be offered in high definition. Presumably, the new series will also be packaged for sale on high-definition DVD after the syndication package airs. The website DigitalBits, however, observed that "rather than going with a proven effects house, CBS has chosen to do the new CG work in-house. One hopes that they've got someone with REAL Trek effects experience and knowledge involved in the effort -- and they they're taking care to preserve the look and feel of the original shots."

[teegee420]

I'll believe it when I see it. Not that I particularly want to, I just don't think this is true.

[gadgetguy]

I don't see any reason to do this. The original series stands on it's own quite well without the need to "enhance" anything. The New Voyages episode that had the CGI enhanced "doomsday machine" looked too cartoonish to me. If that's the type of "enhancement" they're talking about, then no thanks. I'll stick with my VHS set.

I don't mean this as a slam to the folks at New Voyages. They're doing an awesome job.

[teegee420]

Offical CBS Studios press release:

The Original Series Returns To Broadcast Syndication For The First Time In 16 Years With Brand-New Digitally Remastered Episodes To Celebrate Its 40th Anniversary

Hollywood, Calif. -- STAR TREK is getting a 21st century makeover. CBS Paramount Domestic Television is releasing digitally remastered episodes of the iconic 1960s sci-fi series, with all new special effects and music, to celebrate the groundbreaking series' 40th anniversary, it was announced today by John Nogawski, president of CBS Paramount Domestic Television.

The new episodes also mark the first time in 16 years that the original STAR TREK series can be seen in broadcast syndication. The episodes will begin airing on the more than 200 stations that own the rights to the weekend broadcast syndication window starting Sept. 16 (check local listings for station and dates). All 79 episodes of the original STAR TREK series will eventually be remastered, with the first batch of episodes chosen from a list of STAR TREK fans' favorite shows.

"STAR TREK redefined science-fiction and constantly pushed the envelope with concepts that were ahead of their time," Nogawski said. "By giving the series a digital upgrade using the best technology available today, it will continue to be a leader in cutting-edge television programming as we introduce the series to a new generation of viewers."

The most noticeable change will be redoing many of the special effects, created with 1960s technology, with 21st century computer-generated imagery (CGI). That includes:

• Space ship exteriors -- The space ship Enterprise, as well as other Starships, will be replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The new computer-generated Enterprise is based on the exact measurements of the original model, which now rests in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

• Show opening -- The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence will be redone, giving them depth and dimension for the first time.

• Galaxy shots -- All the graphics of the galaxy, so frequently seen through the window on the Enterprise's bridge, will be redone.

• Exteriors -- The battle scenes, planets and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) will be updated.

• Background scenes -- Some of the iconic, yet flat, matte paintings used as backdrops for the strange, new worlds explored by the Enterprise crew will get a CGI face-lift, adding atmosphere and lighting.

The refurbished episodes also feature higher quality sound for the famous opening theme. The original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Alexander Courage has been re-recorded in state-of-the-art digital stereo audio with an orchestra and a female singer belting out the famous vocals. A digitally remastered version of William Shatner's classic original recording of the 38-word "Space, the final frontier…" monologue continues to open each episode.

The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a High-Definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture than before, even when viewed in standard definition. Once stations upgrade and start broadcasting HD signals, the episodes will be all ready for viewers to enjoy in HD.

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES originally premiered on Sept. 8, 1966. Distributed by CBS Paramount Domestic Television, the series was created by Gene Roddenberry. The program stars William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, DeForest Kelley as Dr. "Bones" McCoy, James Doohan as Scotty, Walter Koenig as Chekov, Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and George Takei as Sulu.

CBS Paramount Domestic Television is a unit of CBS Corp.

Found this too:

[gadgetguy]

I know this is an old thread but one of my local stations has been broadcasting the "enhanced" episodes and my opinion holds. It was a bad idea. The exterior space shots look plastic and cartoonish. The cleanup and enhancement on the characters looks good, but they shouldn't have changed the controls and equipment on the ship. A glaring example of this is in the episode "The Naked Time" where the chronometer is rolling backwards. This has been changed to a digital readout and in my opinion lacks the dramatic impact of the mechanical rolling numbers. I won't be purchasing this "enhanced"version when it becomes available, even if it's the only version available in the desired format (whatever that turns out to be).

[teegee420]

I disagree. I've been enjoying the enhanced episodes a lot.