Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)

[whbinder]

Star Trek: The Animated Series Blu-ray

Most Star Trek threads are filled with speculation of Deep Space Nine or Voyager coming to Blu-ray despite some pretty amazing time and resources being needed for such an undertaking. Usually somewhere in there is an aside mentioning that the Animated Series was shot on film, so it could potentially be scanned in HD pretty easily.

Netflix has recently added The Animated Series in HD. It could be an upconvert, but the later live action series don't have HD streams and it certainly looks like a legitimate HD print.

Is it possible that with Enterprise and TNG wrapping up this year, that we might see this arriving on Blu?

[Bucky]

Originally Posted by whbinder

Most Star Trek threads are filled with speculation of Deep Space Nine or Voyager coming to Blu-ray despite some pretty amazing time and resources being needed for such an undertaking. Usually somewhere in there is an aside mentioning that the Animated Series was shot on film, so it could potentially be scanned in HD pretty easily.

Netflix has recently added The Animated Series in HD. It could be an upconvert, but the later live action series don't have HD streams and it certainly looks like a legitimate HD print.

Is it possible that with Enterprise and TNG wrapping up this year, that we might see this arriving on Blu?

Not sure if there would be as much demand for TAS as there is for DS9 and even Voyager.

[MifuneFan]

There's a ton of HD content streaming out there that have little chance of getting a BD release.

[yojoeski]

I'd say there's a better chance of TAS coming to blu-ray than Voyager or Deep Space Nine because TAS has already been scanned in HD so all that needs to be done is to put them on blu-ray discs and ship them out. There was a report last year that it was coming but the person who made the statement retracted it a few days later which leads me to believe that it will be coming and that the person who said spilled the beans a little too soon.

[rrpmpstck]

I am all for it being released. I remember watching it when I was younger. Always liked it.

[Rixx]

With the final season of Enterprise being released in a few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if CBS got Robert Meyer Burnett & Roger Lay Jr. to make VAM for the animated series and released it on Blu at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

[Blades1370]

Originally Posted by yojoeski

I'd say there's a better chance of TAS coming to blu-ray than Voyager or Deep Space Nine because TAS has already been scanned in HD so all that needs to be done is to put them on blu-ray discs and ship them out. There was a report last year that it was coming but the person who made the statement retracted it a few days later which leads me to believe that it will be coming and that the person who said spilled the beans a little too soon.

If this is true I will hold purchasing the DVD for now, I have been toying with buying this the last 4-6 months, but something keeps telling me to hold off. I'll give it another year and see what happens.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

There's a ton of HD content streaming out there that have little chance of getting a BD release.

Which should make all of us very sad. Everything came out on DVD. Blu-ray will never be a replacement to DVD. By this I mean there are films I own on DVD that will never release on blu-ray, which is why I still hang on to so many DVDs. I love the format but sadly like you said there are a ton of films that will never hit blu-ray due to marketing decisions. What's more hurtful is that they are out there in HD for broadcast and streaming.

People want to buy films on blu-ray, and they won't let us. I saw "Screamers" on a retail shelf the other day - on blu-ray and on DVD. 2 days later I went back to the store and noticed the DVD was still there and the blu-ray was sold. Screamers for crying out loud! People will buy even rare oddball titles like that on blu-ray. But you can't buy them if they aren't released.

[GuruAskew]

This show isn't the red-headed stepchild of the Star Trek franchise that it used to be. It features the original cast and several episodes written by the original writers and even sequels to original episodes. And the mandate that the show is non-canon has fallen out of favor in recent years and things that originated in the animation have crept into other canon Trek episodes and films.

In the JJ era those connections to TOS are more valuable than ever. You could easily make the case that animated Kirk and Spock are more recognizable to millennials than TNG, DS9, Voyager or Enterprise characters.

Furthermore, some of the same sources that reported the other Blu-ray releases have similarly hinted that a Blu-ray release for the animated series is in the works too. I personally have practically no doubt that we'll see a release.

Even if they do don't wanna show their hand or commit to anything I think it's safe to say that Paramount will eventually get to DS9, Voyager, TAS and upgrades of the first 10 films on Blu.

[Batmon77]

I wonder if they can top the packaging of the DVD box which was beautiful.

[yojoeski]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

I wonder if they can top the packaging of the DVD box which was beautiful.

God, I hope you're kidding. That packaging is beyond atrocious and frankly, other than the so-called "budget re-releases" of the shows, nearly every Star Trek TV show DVD package I can think of was just horrendous. Especially TAS and Voyager.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by yojoeski

God, I hope you're kidding. That packaging is beyond atrocious and frankly, other than the so-called "budget re-releases" of the shows, nearly every Star Trek TV show DVD package I can think of was just horrendous. Especially TAS and Voyager.

i disagree.....i like how it resembled the tv show set and opens like a communicator. cool space age shape.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

I wonder if they can top the packaging of the DVD box which was beautiful.

I own the DVD set and the packaging is indeed gorgeous. A bit odd in shape and doesn't fit perfectly on my shelf but I don't even care it's so nice. At least on the outside. I hate the way the discs are stored inside. But I do like the plastic outer shell.

[RancorKeeper]

I got TAS as a gift when it was first released on dvd. The packaging was a bit odd, but it did fit in line with the TOS sets I had at the time. (Since upgraded to Blu.)

I love TOS and a few of the movies, but never even heard of this series until I got it. I wasn't expecting much going into it. After about two episodes I found myself in supreme joy. It really feels like a 4th season and it even has the original cast voicing their characters. The latter half of the series episodes are weak in comparison to the first, but totally fun for any trek fan.

After viewing the series - I wondered why they never made another animated series based on another crew. TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, or even go with a new trek creation. Just think about how cool it would be to see any of those above series' in animated form. They would have to keep it the same style as TAS - which should be cheaper.

Imo - I think they should come out with a new series or movie set in and continuing the original timeline.

It would be neat to see a young Kirk type figure getting busted for sleeping with an admiral's wife and is forced into a position, (like exiled scotty in '09), to a research post deep in the middle of nowhere.
Then Dominion War comes to a head and Starfleet is asking for evey ship it has even the decomissioned ones in musuems.
I would like to see a new series or movie where this exiled figure musters together a crew. He and this crew blow the dust off an old TOS starship and head into battle. All along the way making repairs and updating the old ship to newer standards. The war ends before they can get there, but something happens to where they showed valor in battle and Starfleet recomissions the updated vessel with it's new crew. Holodeck later in the season.

Anything would be cool to see though .... trek drought sucks!

[Girls With Guns]

Originally Posted by RancorKeeper

Imo - I think they should come out with a new series or movie set in and continuing the original timeline....

... Anything would be cool to see though .... trek drought sucks!

You will probably be interested in the new Star Trek Indie movie coming out in late 2015, "Star Trek: Axanar" which takes place in the TOS timeline but 20 years before TOS - there are quite a few actors from previous Star Trek series and the new Battlestar Galactica Series. This was a crowd-funded movie production on Kickstarter.

Here is the homepage for the movie, including a 20 minute 1080p HD documentary-style "Prelude to Axanar" which gives a bit of a preview to what to expect in the movie. The movie itself will not be in documentary format.

http://www.startrekaxanar.com/

...and here is the Kickstarter page for the project, which was just successfully funded about a week ago...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ar-trek-axanar

[popeflick]

Originally Posted by GuruAskew

This show isn't the red-headed stepchild of the Star Trek franchise that it used to be. It features the original cast and several episodes written by the original writers and even sequels to original episodes. And the mandate that the show is non-canon has fallen out of favor in recent years and things that originated in the animation have crept into other canon Trek episodes and films.

In the JJ era those connections to TOS are more valuable than ever. You could easily make the case that animated Kirk and Spock are more recognizable to millennials than TNG, DS9, Voyager or Enterprise characters.

Furthermore, some of the same sources that reported the other Blu-ray releases have similarly hinted that a Blu-ray release for the animated series is in the works too. I personally have practically no doubt that we'll see a release.

Even if they do don't wanna show their hand or commit to anything I think it's safe to say that Paramount will eventually get to DS9, Voyager, TAS and upgrades of the first 10 films on Blu.

I just watched Yesteryear the other day and there's a scene pretty much lifted from there for the 2009 reboot where Spock is getting picked on by other Vulcans.

Season 2 TOS already has one episode on HD (the tribble sequel) and the only thing it does is expose how poor the animation was.

[GuruAskew]

There are plans afoot to bring The Animated Series to Blu-ray, and I have an idea that would be crazy to pull off, but if we could it would be really interesting – I like The Animated Series a great deal, despite its shortcomings.

TNG Blu producer Robert Burnett on ST:TAS.

http://trekcore.com/blog/2013/01/exc...rview-part-vi/

[yojoeski]

Yes, that's the statement I was referring to. Burnett later retracted the statement which, as I said, leads me to believe it's in the works, he just spilled the beans too soon.

[GuruAskew]

And some kind of dramatic animation overhaul would account for a lot of things like the crazy idea comment, the timeframe (his comment was over a year ago) and the denial later which would support the theory that Paramount has bigger-than-usual plans for the show.

If the episodes are being redone or even augmented with modern animation I'm sure they'd wanna prepare a big push for marketing or even debuting them on TV like the remastered TOS eps.

[Gold Ranger]

I wonder why they never did a Next Generation Animated Series?