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Star Trek: The Original Series on CBS Action
Muzer
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Does anyone know if this was (when it was shown before) or will be (when it will soon be shown again) cut for time? TOS is around 50 minutes per episode because ad breaks were shorter back in the '60s - and I know many channels nowadays therefore cut down the episodes to fit better into today's 45-ish-minute programmes and longer ad breaks. Did CBS Action do this, and will they do it again?
On a similar note, does anyone know if they broadcast them in 16:9 cropped as they used to? Or if they will make it properly 4:3 like their DS9 is this time?
On a similar note, does anyone know if they broadcast them in 16:9 cropped as they used to? Or if they will make it properly 4:3 like their DS9 is this time?
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Don't know if they were cut for time but the fact they were showing the 16:9 crop shows they don't really care about keeping the show intact. I also remember reading that cut versions for syndication in the US were made when making the remaster so they might be showing these. I don't remember seeing any cuts when I watched it before on cbs but I didn't have any reference to compare it to.
As DS9 is not HD and is unlikely to be for a long time I'm not aware of any 16:9 versions .
Has it been shown that way before?
So back to the original question - does anyone know if they are cut for time?
Just 16:9 and with better effects.
Was that the first pilot ,(The Cage) the second pilot ,(Where No Man Has Gone Before) the first in production (The Corbomite Maneuver) or the first on original broadcast (The Man Trap)
Whats the next thing Il love lucy or Rawhide.Wagon train Gun Law :yawn::yawn:.
Now I wouldnt mind seeing 'I Love Lucy' again! last time I saw it was when it was on Paramount Comedy!
Its not been on since :mad:
Thats unusual.
These days the broadcasts and even the dvd and Blurays have reverted to the original US order starting with The Man Trap and The Cage gets shown at the end.
Production order is far better so good on CBS for doing that although I suspect they've shot themselves in the foot and shown it widescreen again
The remastered versions with new CGI effects are available in the correct 4:3 ratio.
They are out on dvd.
The Blurays offer you the choice to see the original old effects or the new CGI ones .
Both versions are in HD
I think the currently available dvd's only have the new CGI versions due to the restricted capacity of dvd.
The increased capacity of Bluray allows for both.
The previous dvd releases do have the old effects only but they are not restored and really are quite tatty versions mastered for the original US dvd's back in 1998 (although those first US discs did at least stick to production order)
I can live with the new CGI effects in 4:3 but its the widescreen that I don't like the most.
Supermarket Bluray players for £50.
Even Sony players around £99 from some retailers.
If you already have an HD tv you'll be glad you did
Rawhide is currently running on TCM and Lucy can be seen on Film24 (Sky CH 157) and Open Access 3 (190)
Its not 'I Love Lucy' on Film24 - they are showing 'The Lucy Show' which is not the classic 'I Love Lucy'
I Love Lucy starred Lucille Ball, Dezi Arnez, William Frawley and Vivian Vance and was in black & white
Those who like The Lucy Show wont have much time to keep watching her, as both OA3 and Film24 end shortly to make way for Sony Entertainment Television
Can anyone confirm these boxsets are only 4:3?
..and do we know if Paramount are going to release the widescreen versions at any time? Quite frankly I don't think it's worth my money buying a 4:3 version.. given I have a widescreen TV like most people in the world.
Regards,
The boxsets are in the correct 4:3 ratio which is the way the series was made.
I have no doubt that Paramount expect anyone interested enough to buy the show to want it in the correct format.
Widescreen versions are created to pander to those who don't really care about the fact that 1/3 of the image has been chopped off the top and bottom of the image as long as there are no black borders.
So if you fall into the latter category you best record them from CBS as the Blurays and dvd's are not likely to ever feature the show with bits of the picture cut off.
If black borders are more important than seeing the show as it should be you can buy the dvd's then chop the picture up using the ratio adjustments of your tv (not possible with Bluray on some tv's)
"The Cage" was the 1964 pilot..
"The Man Trap" was the first broadcast episode.. but not the first in Stardate chronological order..
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" was indeed the second pilot episode.. and the first in production order..
"The Man Trap" was stardate 1513.1, whilst "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was stardate 1312.4..
"The Corbomite Manoeuvre" was the next to be produced after the "The Man Trap".. but was broadcast as Episode 10..
Why have you repeated what I originally posted but added some errors?
How can Where No Man Has Gone Before be the first in production order when The Cage was made a year earlier?
WNMHGB was not in any order - it was made as a pilot ( it's not a series episode )and the version as produced as the pilot has never been aired .
Its similar in format to The Cage .
The unbroadcast version is a bonus feature on the Bluray and in HD too.( not sure if the dvd's include it)
The version included in the series has been re-edited to fit in with the rest of the series.
The Man Trap was made AFTER The Corbomite Maneuver
As for stardates: does anyone really care as they don't follow chronologically in either production nor broadcast order.
Here's production order for you - as released on the first UK VHS tapes and the first US dvd's in 1998.
All subsequent releases in the US and all dvd releases in the UK were in US broadcast order.
http://www.sfwriter.com/2009/10/first-season-star-trek-pisodes-in.html
Sorry but the only mistake I've made was Re: The Corbonite Mavoeuvre after Man Trap.. I meant to say after Where No Man.. but that was it.
The Cage wasn't a Star Trek episode intended for broadcast.. given it was made over 2 years before the first episode - it was made to persuade the TV execs that this was a series worth commisioning.
Where No Man Has Gone Before was the pilot of the 1st Season but it actually aired as Episode 3 (September 22 1966) after Man Trap and Charlie X in the U.S Even though it was made two years after The Cage, it's still the first in the original 1st Series
Stardates are important.. The Next Generation all the episodes are stardate chronological order.. progression of the series and crew is important.. there's no point when making a reference to an event in the past, when it hasn't even aired yet.. that's only going to confuse the TV audience..
..you will notice the uniforms changing between episodes and Mr.Spocks eyebrows are steeper in the episode Where No Man, similar to The Cage compared to Charlie X when running in airdate order.. rather than production order.
thanks for your comments.
I've no interest in buying something to create work for myself only to view it as I want to. The Widescreen versions are not missing any detail.. these have been created from the original 35mm film used to record the series on. If there was any chopping, then we would see plenty of actors heads chopped off completely in close up shots - we don't get when watching on CBS action. There are plenty of wide angle shots, showing 3 or 4 cast members in full view, which you don't get when watching the old VHS versions side-by-side.
There is a general misconception by a great many people who think that black bars on a picture, mean that something is being lost - when in fact it isn't... it actually means you're seeing more of the picture. and if you want to see it how originally was, then flick out of widescreen letterbox to 4:3 mode on your TV/decoder to see things chopped off. Then you will understand.
From an interview with CBS Paramount executive vice president David La Fountaine in 2006.
Full article here: http://www.trektoday.com/news/301006_02.shtml
I would suggest you watch the episodes on CBS more closely as their was a scene in one of the early episodes this week whereby the actor was stood on a rock and the top of his head was missing because their were actors sat at the bottom of the rock.