Chapter 8: Stealing the Ship - Star Trek V The Final Frontier (VFX Recreation)

[@blcreative]

Thank you all for such wonderful and positive remarks! I didn't think this would blow up the way it has. You've truly humbled me. I've been trying to respond to the comments but there are so many now, which is a great problem to have. I really appreciate you all and I'm definitely encouraged to complete this project. I'm trying to save up to get a new rig so I can keep up the renders, so stay tuned for more content for sure!

[@NeoTechni]

"I didn't think this would blow up the way it has" It's cause your ship wasn't cloaked, we were able to find her

[@blcreative]

@@NeoTechni Haha so that's what it was!

[@lovipoekimo176]

As derided as this film was, what I love about it is that Shatner took the time to give each TOS character a moment: Scotty with the jailbreak, Chekov in command, Uhura with the fan dance, Sulu with that badass shuttle landing, etc. It didnt feel like just the Kirk-Spock-Bones show.

[@k1productions87]

It still was largely the Kirk-Spock-McCoy Show, but they were given much more to do than in Wrath of Khan. Search for Spock and Voyage Home are still the best ensemble Trek films.

[@LaurenceQuint]

Trek 5 is, sadly, not a good movie, but even at the time, I liked how every character got a moment to shine, unlike some other films where the rest of the crew make what are basically glorified cameos.

[@lonestarr86]

It's a solid two-parter. A bit of a mess like Generations, but terrible it is not.

[@Concreteowl]

If some of the forced humour (added by studio edict) was toned down and the effects were fixed it would be a very good entry into the series.

[@Evohunter7]

V is very much a guilty pleasure.

[@quoniam426]

Always appreciated that Chekov, often overlooked and goofy, actually took the right decisions at the right moment during this attack. Instead of waiting for the shot to come, he ordered Red Alert, shields and orders the shuttle to get to safety first until situation was resolved. Then he ordered the jump to avoid confrontation with the Klingons while they were gonna tend to the injured occupants of the shuttlecraft.

[@DRod1517]

Imagine if he'd been in command of the Enterprise in wrath of Khan.

[@cellarboy72]

So much better than the original. If ever there was a movie in need of a “directors edition” or “ special edition” with completely replaced VFX it’s ST:5.

[@cbspock1701]

I love how the wings move down as the BOP cloaks, and now the shuttle bay looks correct.

[@k1productions87]

I totally missed that the first time, good catch

[@boydebrook]

The BOP torpedo shot before the Enterprise goes to warp is MILES better than the original version. There actually was sone tension there.

[@mikep8442]

Ooh yeah! I saw this in the theater in the 80's ... this has the right look and feel of the TOS films!

[@sdfried4877]

Reminiscent of the shot from Reliant when Enterprise is running for the Mutara Nebula.

[@boydebrook]

​@@sdfried4877 True!!

[@lonestarr86]

This felt like the BoP against the D in Generations. Nicely executed.

[@AnthonyEspinosa]

the re-creation tweaks give more impact -- I like !

[@alexfuji86]

Now that Skydance has purchased Paramount, maybe they can hire you and JTVFX to fix this film. The way it was meant to be seen. This is excellent work.

[@rolandsmash]

Howard Day and Robert Wilde are also doing phenomenal work on here. Paramount needs to hire them all.

[@alexfuji86]

​@@rolandsmash Yes! Now you're talking.

[@EVAUnit4A]

It's incredible how _ignorant_ people are to this recent $8bln sale... _Skydance_ are the ones directly responsible for the entirety of the alternate license that Trekkies have suffered through non-stop since 2009. _Skydance_ funds _both_ Bad Robot (which produced all three Kelvin Timeline movies) _and_ Secret Hideout (which produces the nutrek regime). Both JarJar Abrams _and_ Alex Kluztman didn't just fight the battles _against Star Trek's_ own legacy and format- which effectively lead to the downfall of Paramount Pictures and CBS Television- but as of the other day, they just _won the war_ and got _everything_ they wanted: complete and total _ownership and domination_ of the _Star Trek_ brand to the very bitter end. This is absolutely thee worst-case scenario-made-manifest, and I do not see how turning the entirety of _Star Trek_ over _to the very monsters who _*_destroyed_*_ it_ is _any_ kind of victory... ...Skydance would only hire these obviously talented-and-passionate fan artists to _silence them._

[@therizinosaurus214]

@@EVAUnit4A on the other hand Skydance is the reason that did not stay as a dead franchise after Enterprise was cancelled and Nemesis flopped harder a magicarp. While i dont enjoy all of it, i dont hate all of it as well.

[@EVAUnit4A]

@@therizinosaurus214 No, you're absolutely right- Skydance, Bad Robot and Secret Hideout are _zombies,_ leeching onto something they did not create, and beating the corpses that they destroy over and over without mercy or regard. And then as soon as the money dries-up and they get bored, they move on and do it all over again to someone else's franchise. So far as I'm concerned, I would _gladly_ watch the really bad _Star Trek Nemesis_ 100 times _rather than one_ full viewing of -star trek into dankness.- I would _gladly_ watch _Star Trek Enterprise_ from "Broken Bow" to "These Are The Voyages..." 100 times _rather than one_ full viewing of -star trek peehard,- including the massive memberberry bait-pile that is season three. Also, I think it's fairly safe to say that- as _you_ brought it up- _none_ of the Kelvin Timeline movies made _any profit whatsoever_ in the years they came out. So, there goes your implication that _Star Trek Nemesis_ was thee _only_ dud in the brand's history at the box office.

[@MartinBraunHST]

I wish, Paramount would overhaul the effects on Star Trek V itself, it´s really, really, really about time! This is a fantastic example, how it could look like.

[@JeffreyPiatt]

it s the Blac sheep of the TOS film franchise. it managed to hit every pothole of development and production hell. Roddenberry was mad because the current paramount suits were sold on te enterprise meeting god when Shattner sold it but not himand on te filmshe was still locked away as the ceremonial advisor. ILM was booked and the movie was stuck using stock footage and a lesser effects company during a strike the teamsters blew up a truck near filming.. it's basically the only film paramount refuses to have a directors edition made with cgi effects replacing the incomplete practical.

[@aldomir]

Talbot looks at the Enterprise's hull and landing strip lights: "We're approaching the shuttle bay. Tell me, Kirk, how many lights do you see?"

[@rickjohnston2667]

I get it. Talbot is also the Cardassian that tortured Picard (Actor David Warner).

[@aldomir]

@@rickjohnston2667 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@calvinnickel9995]

I thought he said “don’t let it end this way Captain!”

[@odius94]

@@aldomir There. Are. SIX. CLAPS.

[@pferreira1983]

Underrated comment! 😂😂

[@darthcarto]

I LOVE THIS!!! The effects fit so well. The ships feel like they have the actual filming model weight of the TOS movies, no impossible swoopy camera movement that feel out of place, but creative angles, and call backs to some the ILM effects. As someone who saw this in theaters in '89, I can say THIS is what STV has needed all along VFX wise! They finally fit Goldsmith's score!

[@ortizmo]

So. Much. BETTER. My god, that scene is actually exciting now.

[@RionE23]

That moment when the shuttle crashes into the enterprise and it switches to live action was perfect.. well done. I actually like this film, oh it’s campy and has its problems sure, but it’s way better than Star Trek Insurrection.

[@Jokie155]

No argument here. Insurrection was pure character assassination of the TNG crew. Final Frontier is just Shatner being an egotist. I honestly think it would be far better as a comedic musical film. Tweak the story to be Starfleet begrudgingly sending Kirk to help Sybok's quest for diplomatic reasons or whatever, let each of the TOS crew have a focus song, and bam. Fun tribute to the franchise instead of a self-gratifying acid trip.

[@sdfried4877]

@@Jokie155 Wasn’t one song more than enough?

[@DancingRasputin]

This is perfection. THIS is what Star Trek V should have been.

[@ChristopherRowe-pt4vj]

4:48 is probably the most beautiful scene I have seen! The original warp away shot in V really annoyed me.. this is just pure joy!

[@desdenova1]

My left ear really enjoyed the dialog.

[@blcreative]

Yeah, that's the 5 channel surround for you. Not sure why it's mixed like that, but that's a direct video rip my source tells me and it is indeed laid out with the vocals mostly coming from the left. I'm going to attempt a full remix in the next videos.

[@gothikia]

Damn this looks absolutely stunning!

[@anglachel1]

This makes me miss real Star Trek!

[@bensisko-theemissary4940]

That was Way, WAY better than the effects in the movie, its not even close. EXCELLENT JOB!!!

[@aloysiusbelisarius9992]

Had the effects been this good originally (and I know they could have been), this movie would likely not have had gained all the vitriol it received and still holds. I really liked the story and the interactions; the effects they relegated to, not so much. Magnificent restoration/upgrade!

[@sarahbembry7512]

Now that’s how you out warp a torpedo

[@viciousiceman]

Nice touch on having the impulse engines shut down just before warp!

[@stratfordbaby]

The colouration of the torpedo and the warp out were excellent.

[@cps2204]

I’ve always loved the little technical details that they were able to get in here - for example, when Enterprise goes to Red Alert, the shuttle syncs with the Enterprise’s alert status and goes to Red Alert. Subtle, but a really nice touch.

[@andrewgilbertson5672]

Fantastic! The nacelles coming off looked especially good! I look forward to seeing more of these!

[@segagagagagagaga]

Wow, that is by far the best fan version I've seen. I'd definitely trade my official version for this one! Excellent work

[@Where_we_go]

Man, this totally redeems the vfx failures of the original production. Well, the space visuals, anyway! 😊

[@optimega]

Sulu "I can fly anything"in any dire situation,best helmsman in the United Federation of Planets.Mr. Sulu is Star Trek's true top gun and the franchise's all-time greatest helmsman.Kirk never doubted that Sulu can do it.

[@softdreams1776]

Amazing work ^_^ this is so much better :)

[@ShinGallon]

This film deserves a TMP:DE style update, and what you've done here is a fantastic look at what could be. While not perfect, it has some excellent moments and lines, and this clip shows that redoing the VFX can help tremendously.

[@ericthornton1092]

Where the hell were you 36 years ago?! Absolutely terrific!

[@johnbowden1968]

I have a soft spot in my heart for ST5. Thanks for sharing. Well done and proof of what the movie could have been with better special effects,

[@purefoldnz3070]

the best part about this movie was having Chekov on the captain's chair.

[@venkman7]

This is wonderful, the entire movie needs to have it's VFX redone and then it will be much more watchable!

[@NickMichalak]

Pretty nice job! This film should get the Director’s Edition treatment. Shatner is in his 90’s (and looking very good for that age), but give him a chance to do it!

[@FilmCompos3r]

This was pretty incredible. Great new angles, incredibly tasteful, seamlessly melds with the existing footage. Bravo.

[@Star-qc4br]

BEAUTIFUL!!! So wish the actual film was this good!

[@kaseyshafsky1193]

Excellent work!! Thank you!

[@roysmart6545]

Beautifully and respectfully done! You improved without taking anything away. This has always been my favorite OST but never got the respect it deserved. Would love to see you do the full length.

[@blcreative]

Thanks, that's the plan!

[@JamesPoremba]

You have built a fantastic moment of tension as the torpedo heads towards the Enterprise, the extended break in the score is perfect. Goldsmith's original track had a very brief break for that moment in the scene, I feel like you extended what he was already thinking when scoring it. The VFX are top notch as well, well done.

[@EarlJWoods]

Stunning, beautiful work. Tremendously improves the scene.

[@LaurenceQuint]

I usually find these recreations kind of pointless, but I always thought this had the potential to be a cool sequence, but it was ruined in the movie by seriously subpar effects. You did a great job and gave this scene its due. Loved it!

[@PetersPianoShoppe]

You know what…. This is actually pretty darn good! Most VFX redux’s I see on uTube are shit, but this is professional level. There’s always more detail, more improvement to be found, but as in all art: it’s never ever really “finished”; you just have to decide not to work on it forever.

[@hammerman199374]

That was great! Much better than the original. I only wish they hadn't got the interior scale of the shuttlebay so wrong. That's on them. I know you did what you could and it matches up with the other scenes shot in the bay itself perfectly. But it makes the Enterprise look like it's only big enough for about 20 people.

[@lightning3822]

If I remember correctly, the shuttlebay set was built on the bones of the Throne Room from Coming to America, so the size was already set.

[@hammerman199374]

@@lightning3822 Interesting, I didn't know that. I'm always fascinated with the BTS info. But it's no excuse for showing something that had previously been established as being much bigger in scale. I'm guessing it's another example of how much Shatner was in over his head with directing the film. They could have easily made a bigger bay using a blue/green screen, even in 1989. They did it in 1979 for the Motion Picture with a matte painting.

[@sdfried4877]

@@hammerman199374 Based on the blue screen work for El Capitan, it probably would have looked terrible as well.

[@Concreteowl]

You could argue that the shuttle doesnt land in the entirety of the bay. But rather into an aft compartment. TMP shows the bay doors opening directly into a large section of the secondary section of the ship. The refit may have introduced partition walls that can be raised and lowered for safety. The space seen in TMP is much larger than that seen in the original series.

[@hammerman199374]

@@Concreteowl Maybe, but the shuttles themselves are too big in scale compared to the Enterprise itself. It's not just about the layout. In fact, that's the only thing I like: They made the interior design look closer to the Original Series version. It's just too small.

[@JohnL2112]

Well, it’s not the effects that are dumb now :) just the plot and the acting. Good job!

[@electrictheatre75]

Absolutely spot on - top work - seamless integration of refreshed effects. I don't know how Shatner can't look at this and be motivated to return and revise the movie. But yeah top work guys!

[@gavc6442]

He has suggested it many times but for some odd reason Paramount stiffs seem reluctant

[@thelisanalgaib9702]

essentially the best scene of the movie

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

The shot from astern looks a lot more reasonable since the BOP was targeting the shuttle and it is _much_ easier to get a positive hit from behind rather than at a steep angle. Also a callback to the "Explain it to them!" torpedo shot from _Wrath of Khan,_ a dramatic "oooh is the torpedo going to hit Enterprise??" moment. And the warp effect from the end of _The Voyage Home._ Nicely done overall.

[@marcbeaumont62]

What with everyone praising the effects here, which are superb and a massive improvement, I also want to compliment the editing with the original scenes. Flawless.

[@Grift76600]

Real good work! Manages to mix really well with the already exiting footage and it feels like a late 80's VFX.

[@Rich.Colours]

Fantastic! I never even noticed that the shuttles naccels were missing till you showed them getting torn off. Theres some great moments in this scene that was totally undermined by the dodgy vfx and it feels like you've brought it all up to another level. 11/10 :D

[@loommovies]

Great Work! Sadly, ILM didn‘t do 5, the only one they haven’t done from the og movies i think, therefore I really appreciate your effort for this one.❤

[@cbspock1701]

They didn’t do TMP and it has the best effects work

[@andrewgilbertson5672]

@@cbspock1701 Very true. But that was 24/7 shifts and handfuls of money thrown at it; not a very sustainable model. I wish Trumbul and Dykstra had been kept on for the rest, though...

[@sdfried4877]

@@cbspock1701 Well, it was very ambitious but highly rushed. It had Matt lines, ghost images, poor matte painting alignment, wobble, etc. lots of little problems. That being said, it’s almost impossible to imagine how they did many of those optical effects in 1979. I’ve seen the director’s cut and I really think the sequence of V’Ger launching the orbital weapons around Earth is far better in the original.

[@dragonma69]

A wrath of Khan vibe to that escape from the Klingons!! I dig this! Kudos to you and your team; I actually feel like checking out The Final Frontier again!!

[@AAX1975]

Epic! Didn't even know I wasn't watching the original!

[@JohnInTheShelter]

Outstanding work. I might've liked the movie if the FX were up to this standard back then. The shuttle crash is much more effective this way, and the torpedo bearing on the Enterprise and the warp jump are no longer laughable. Whenever I see clips of this movie I'm blown away by Goldsmith's score. One of the great SF scores.

[@Michael-xo9rp]

This is excellent! The shuttle hitting the shuttle bay at 4:27 was cinema quality!

[@GeorgeKayaian]

That was fantastic work! If only this was the official version! Love it!!!!!

[@johnn.4407]

ILM did not work on ST-V and it shows. Your updated FX makes the movie watchable.

[@danielturner5]

Lovely work, very impressive! The warp out at the end looks just like STIV. Will be watching more in future!

[@DEFlanMan]

Wow...excellent work. This really does make me wish the whole film could be redone and re-released by Paramount. It would make a great "special edition."

[@enceladus3318]

There you go! I always thought this film was entertaining, but lacked quality VFX. Shatner deserved better from lack of studio executives support. Now if only we could get re-edits of STV and Superman IV with these recreations!? 👏

[@JeremyBaugh]

Wow!!! Paramount needs to hire you to reimagine the original films!!! Amazing work!! I'd love to see your take on Star Trek 3's "Stealing the Enterprise!!"

[@ShumaiAxeman]

Wow, fantastic work! I like how you managed to keep that special look the movies had for the ship models while updating and cleaning up the vfx! Most of the time people make them look really cheap or too much like the later shows which lack that special something the models brought.

[@porter0311]

OG Chekov in command I LIKE IT!

[@TheBillyFitzgerald]

This is fantastic work. I love how much it feels like ILM's work. Kudos!

[@blcreative]

Thanks, that's been the goal!

[@danielshock1]

A VAST improvement!! The shuttle bay is one of my favorite design elements of this enterprise. The model shots from five are atrocious. You have shown great respect to this favorite ship!

[@whalers59]

FANTASTIC! Especially the warp out at the end. Perfect!

[@stefanfeyle1096]

That's how it was meant to look like. Awesome. 👍🏼😃

[@CaptainSisko1972]

Much better!!! Great job! I wish they would remaster all of the special effects for that movie.

[@destinycaptain247]

Wow. That is the best rework I’ve seen from anyone since YT began. Flows clean and smooth like it belongs there. Not a criticism - just a comment: I always thought the BOP should attempt to square up on the shuttle as it rises from the plant. The shuttle should skim the command pod of the BOP at the last minute as it ignites the boosters. It then rolls hard to the left and arcs back to the shuttle bay and crashes. The BOP spins around and fires as the Enterprise warps away. Anywho: What you have here is pretty damn great.

[@captainspire9094]

Freaking awesome. The attention to detail and timing were perfect. The lowering of the BOP's wings as it went to cloak did not go unnoticed. Thank you for putting all this together.

[@arturoh1]

Outstanding job, a thousand times better than the original, especially the landing and going to warp.

[@dradiscontact2003]

This is absolutely incredible. I like the movie, but the original effects were terrible due to the low budget. This movie deserves an upgrade. They need to hire you guys. Give me this movie with 4K and updated effects please. ❤

[@MinorMotionPicture]

This is absolutely incredible! Thank you so much for keeping the shots grounded and simple.

[@dandbfilms8022]

Ngl the enterprise is looking gorgeous

[@stevensharp5135]

That was great. I always feel disappointed by the effects on this movie. You've shown what could be.

[@viceroy7792]

This is a really, really nice take on the whole thing. It looked polished and well-thought out. Great camera angles and shots. A big improvement over the original...

[@FrostUK]

Many have tried to recreate or improve this sequence, this is easily the best one. They feel like shots ILM would've opted for, and they fit in well with the live action footage. Bravo!

[@paulbutcher6713]

You've improved hugely what was originally a good sequence in the movie. Bravo! Would love to see a Directors Edition of V with all new FX done faithfully like TMP 👍🏻

[@Moochtv]

Excellent work. You've actually improved this underappreciated adventure! (it is one of the weakest movies, but I have fond memories of 1989 when this came out, so it's an occasional guilty pleasure!)

[@reneschmidt9799]

Very well done. Finally great effects in this Star Trek movie. All the best.

[@ItsaMichachu]

This is a DAMN good edit. I'd love to see the whole movie with these VFX

[@Toni_Galvez]

Really amazing job!!! Love the way the movie looks and your CGi speccial Effects look so good, like the other ST movies. Congratulations!!! I hope you can do a complete fan edit of this movie.

[@VanessaB]

Simply amazing! You have made watching this scene a whole new, and quite frankly much more intense experience!

[@ericmadsen7470]

I like the VFX recreation better than the original release.

[@blcreative]

Thanks, really appreciate it!

[@trainsplanesmore]

Fixing the atrocious "visual effects" (such as they are) in "Trek V" is indeed a good idea!

[@MrSnaztastic]

This is really impressive stuff. You really nailed the feel of the Klingon bird of prey here, the way it moves and is lit perfectly. The only thing that everyone never seems to get quite right is the classic warp drive effect. I know ILM themselves even simplified it a tad (this looks pretty close to the STIV version) but the ship doesn't just vanish usually, it shrinks down and has its lights actually trailing behind as if in redshift. It's a tricky thing to pull off, that's for sure. I wonder if they did a slow aperture thing on Star Trek 2 like when you see car headlights in time lapse.

[@wmlau69]

That was a great job! Better than some of the updated vfx fixes I’ve seen on youtube. Well done!

[@Thunderpuddle]

Oh my god. Such a better scene

[@TheZort]

Beautiful! Great job. I... we! appreciate the time and dedication demonstrated by putting this together 🎉❤

[@benives254]

This all looks so good! but my biggest love is that you made the torpedo not look like shite now!! Xxx

[@scottbartholomew451]

Much much better!!! Well done!

[@bytesaber]

As the torpedo approaches the Enterprise, the ship looks like it does from Star Trek II or III. I really feel this is what the movie lacked. It was a very CG looking ship the entire movie.

[@Martiandawn]

Very nice! You did a great job of blending in your new VFX shots 😊

[@joshuaniven]

1:26 NGl love that shield deployment effect

[@zebra1915]

Very Well Done. I hope you have the time an interest to do more ( secretly hopes for all) ST:V VFX shots. What I liked specifically was 1) The BOP wing movement to attack posture when clocking 2) BOP actually doing a fly by when De-clocking for attack 3) The entirety of the Final Torpedo shot. Of course all the remaining model shots were excellent your CGI textures looked really close to an actual model lighting rather then the typical sheen with a CGI model.

[@braveintofuture]

This is insanely good, look at this ship 0:30

[@Nehpets1701G]

Exceptional work, profound thanks for sharing your hard work and talents!

[@severett86]

This is a great recreation. If you're going to revisit this in the future, I'd try to reproduce the Bird of Prey de-cloaking a bit more closely to how the film does it - the visuals of the ship coming almost straight for the viewer was a really great shot in the movie.

[@SprocketListLiveUK]

“He’s good”. Yes indeed BL Creative is, be you he or she or a group. The beautiful FX also help to enhance everything about the scene, including Jerry Goldsmith’s underrated score.

[@blcreative]

Thank you! Just me, all by myself. One guy trying to do my part in making the world a better place. :)

[@meiray]

I am not blowing smoke up your ass when I say this is an insane improvement over the original. It 100% lines up with what ILM might have done at the time, even thoguh it's CGI approximating practicals. Well done. This deserves inclusion in a Special Edition of the movie.