In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the first broadcast, Paramount owner CBS started to restore the episodes for an HD release on Blu-ray but also for future broadcasts and the online distribution. A simple conversion of the final cuts was impossible because they only were available on video in SD. Consequently, the original negatives were scanned in HD. In order to do so, more than 25,000 reels had to be dug up from the Paramount archieves and cleaned. Also because the original visual effects had been made for an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the aspect ratio of the new HD versions remains unchanged. Some visual effects such as phaser shots and beaming processes have been re-created instead of converted. Furthermore, perspective goofs in space and misguided shadows have been corrected and so have some paintings.


This is a comparison between the Original Version and the Remastered Version.

In order to keep it simple, repeated effects will be illustrated only once.

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The Enterprise's crew gets some help. Tam Elbrun, a telepathic Betazoid, is supposed to make contact with an unknown lifeform. The being can be found in the Beta Stomgren System's orbig and is in great danger since a star close by is about to explode. Tam Elbrun should warn the being, however, the mysterious lifeform does not want to leave the orbit and rather die. Captain Picard is searching for a solution. To make things worse a Romulan battleship appears…

07:01
The planet was digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

07:23
The planet and the alien spaceship were digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

07:49
The alien spaceship's profile was digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

13:20
The stars that pass by were digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

13:41
The stars that pass by were digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

13:55
The stars that pass by were digitally enhanced.

14:07
The stars that pass by were digitally enhanced.

18:17
The planet was digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

18:28
The alien spaceship in front of the digitally enhanced planet.

Original Version	Remastered Version

19:24
The Warbird's phaser attack was digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

24:59
The alien spaceship in front of the digitally enhanced planet is a lifeform and gets mad at the Romulans.

Original Version	Remastered Version

25:07
The beam was digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

34:31
The alien spaceship in front of the digitally enhanced planet.

Original Version	Remastered Version

35:47
The alien spaceship in front of the digitally enhanced planet.

38:00
The effect of the chair coming out of the floor was altered.

Original Version	Remastered Version

38:57
The digitally enhanced planet.

Original Version	Remastered Version

39:38
The alien spaceship in front of the digitally enhanced planet.

Original Version	Remastered Version

39:50
The beam was digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version

40:43
The effect was digitally enhanced.

Original Version	Remastered Version