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Observations in TNG: "Datalore"

A joint project with TrekCore, by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

Here are some observations about sets, props and visual effects in TNG: "Datalore" without a specific theme,and a comparison of the original TV release (TNG) with the remastered episode (TNG-R).

"Datalore" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore

Description TNG		Other caps	Comparison TNG to TNG-R	Description TNG-R
The graphic of Omicron Theta has already appeared in several previous episodes. It was seen in "The Naked Now", "Hide and Q" (representing Quadra Sigma III) and "The Big Goodbye" (as "Torona IV" according to the episode draft).	"The Naked Now"	"Hide and Q"		A better look at the display in HD
Captain Kirk's quarters from "Star Trek I" and "Star Trek II" has been fully transformed into Data's quarters, which appear for the first time in this episode. Data's desk, which was originally Kirk's desk, has been moved to the position where it would stay until the end of the series. A large side view of the USS Enterprise-D and some smaller LCARS displays have been added to the wall behind the desk. The curved walls have been covered with blue carpet. This carpet was replaced by a ribbed material in the second half of season 2. Re-Used Starship Sets		"Star Trek II"		A first look at the set in HD.
A nice shot of the Omicron Theta star system.				New celestial bodies were built for TNG-R.
Data's home planet is very blurry in the original release.				New celestial bodies were built for TNG-R.
The surface of Omicron Theta.				Nothing was changed about this shot in TNG-R. Only the overall hue is more realistic.
A painted extension of the wide tunnels on Omicron Theta is used to make the tunnel appear longer than it really is. Prop and Set Oddities				The painted corridor is quite noticeable in HD too.
Gratings on ceilings, floors or walls were commonplace in early TNG. The grating on the corridor ceiling in "Datalore" is the same as on the walls of the 21st century courtroom seen in "Encounter at Farpoint", the Edo hall in "Justice" and in the tunnels in "Too Short a Season". Re-Uses of Freezer Spacers	"Encounter at Farpoint"	"Too Short a Season"		No changes
For the first time in a TNG episode, various consoles and computer terminals appear that are not made especially for Star Trek but rented from Modern Props. Several of the consoles already showed up in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and will be seen in countless later episodes and films. We can see the famous "blinking tubes" and two other bulky consoles in this episode. Consoles by Modern Props in Star Trek		"Star Trek II"		Soong's lab equipment in HD.
		"Star Trek II"
		"Star Trek II"
The wall panels with rows of flashing lights also appear in "Home Soil" and several later episodes.		"Home Soil"		No changes
In the take of Data looking at the children's drawings, he incorrectly wears the rank pips of a commander.				No changes
Chinese writing can be seen in various places. These particular characters reappear in Soong's second laboratory in "Brothers". It can be translated as "chemical examination lab". Chinese Writing in Noonien Soong's Labs The consoles to the left and to the right were rented from Modern Props as well.		"Brothers"		A better look at the Chinese label.
The Enterprise leaves the Omicron Theta system.				Another look at the rebuilt planet in TNG-R.
Two rolling side tables with four glass jars make their first appearance in this episode. In "Datalore" the glass jars contain various pieces of Lore. When the jars on the table appear in sickbay in later episodes, they usually contain blue and pink liquids.		"Ethics"		The jars in HD.
This scanner originally appeared in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock", where it is used by Sulu to short-circuit the turbolift controls of the Starbase brig. Beginning with "Datalore", the scanner showed up in countless TNG episodes. The prop is later identified as a "sequencer" in "In Theory". Note the seams on Lore's torso!		"Star Trek III"		The torso and tool in HD.
This and the other children's drawings of the Crystalline Entity were created by Rick Sternbach. "Josh M." refers to his son.				No changes
Data's biobed cover in "Datalore" is the original one, as also seen in "Where No One Has Gone Before". The LCARS displays on the side are the same ones, the large display on top was replaced by an opening with a lens effect and three dark areas where added on the right side. In the original episode this shot is very blurry because of the work that had to be done in post production.		"Where No One Has Gone Before"		In the HD transfer, it is very clear and the details of Data's and Lore's circuitry can be seen much better. Also, much more of the original footage is seen in HD now.
The sickbay monitor still displays the scan of Picard's brain that was created for "The Battle".		"The Battle"		No changes
This is the last time the sliding glass walls (here seen behind Lore) separating the two halves of the crew quarters set are seen. These walls first appeared in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". When the set is next seen as Data's quarters in "The Schizoid Man", the glass walls are gone and are replaced by a solid wall.		"Star Trek I"		The set in HD.
Data's chair was originally created for Star Trek Phase II (based on a Hunsaker Big Boy racing seat) and was first seen on the bridge of the Klingon battlecruiser Amar in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". It then appeared in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" in the transporter room where Uhura works. The chair later showed up in several season 1 TNG episodes in various crew quarters.	"Star Trek I"	"Haven"		No changes
The planetary graphic behind Lore and Data appeared in several earlier episodes, "The Battle" and "Too Short a Season", for example.		"The Battle"		The graphic in HD.
The LCARS display that Lore is working on.				Only in HD, we can see that the LCARS buttons are labeled with the first few letters of the names of various people involved in the history of Star Trek, like John Trimble (JN TRI), Bjo Trimble (BJ TRI) and Richard Arnold (RI ARN).
One more star chart originally created for the Spaceflight Chronology is seen in this screen cap. Several more star charts that were previously seen in "The Naked Now" and "The Last Outpost" appear again.		Spaceflight Chronology		The text "The Jewel Stars" can be made out now.
An unidentified alien.				The creature roughly looks like somebody flipping a finger and wears a belt.
The alien creatures from the Spaceflight Chronology, previously seen in "The Last Outpost", can be seen much better in these screen caps.		Spaceflight Chronology		Additional details are visible in HD.
		Spaceflight Chronology		Additional details are visible in HD.
This graphic of a planetary system previously appeared in "The Battle", depicting the Maxia Zeta star system. It could be seen again, showing the Mira system in "Conspiracy" and the Tau Cygna system in "The Ensigns of Command". Re-Used Graphics	"The Battle"	"The Ensigns of Command"		Some of the labels are recognizable in HD.
The monitor also briefly shows an image of the USS Enterprise of TOS in its original configuration. The two graphics of a Constitution class starship (NCC-1700) were taken from the Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph. The dorsal view of the ship was also seen in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". Spotting the Ships from the Star Fleet Technical Manual		Star Fleet Technical Manual		We can read the labels in HD.
		Star Fleet Technical Manual
		"Star Trek III"
A computer reconstruction of the Crystalline Entity.				The graphics were redone for TNG-R.
The comparison screen cap what the set looked like in "The Battle" when it represented Picard's quarters aboard the USS Stargazer.		"The Battle"		More details of the wall are recognizable in HD.
A bottle of Altairian Grand Premier champagne.				In HD, the text on the bottle of is legible. The bottle contains 1 liter (Sol Standard) of champagne and the grapes were grown on the Southern Vineyard. Apparently, the beverage is created "to sooth [sic!] the soul".
This part of the crew quarters set didn't look too different in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan".		"Star Trek II"		No changes
These transparent panels are later seen in Dr. Paul Stubbs's quarters in "Evolution" and are after that sometimes seen in Doctor Crusher's sickbay office. They were first seen in the Federation Council in "Star Trek: The Voyage Home".	"Star Trek IV"	"Evolution"		The panels in HD.
	"Evolution"	"Rascals"		The panels in HD.
This door was not connected to the regular corridor set at the time, explaining why the corridor wall behind Wesley looks so different.				No changes
Data uses these wall drawers again in "The Measure of a Man".		"The Measure of a Man"		The drawers in HD.
The Crystalline Entity is perhaps the first CGI in a Star Trek series, and definitely the first CGI species. When the Crystalline Entity reappears in "Silicon Avatar", its shape has changed. Mike Okuda: "Yes, the original Crystalline Entity was created on a computer system that probably no longer exists. CBS Digital's Neil Wray rebuilt it from scratch, retaining the original design, but making it more beautiful than ever." CGI in Star Trek	"Silicon Avatar" SD	"Silicon Avatar" HD		The previously blunt Crystalline Entity is now crystal clear.
	"Silicon Avatar" SD	"Silicon Avatar" HD
An inner and an outer shield bubble is clearly visible in this shot. Mike Okuda: "Sternbach and I envisioned multiple shield layers, and 'Datalore' reflects this concept. The problem with this is that it required more time to create the visual effect, and in some shots, multiple layers would make it less clear as to what was happening (usually, an enemy energy beam hitting the shield bubble). As a result, in some episodes, the visual effects supervisors elected to go with a single layer. I attribute it to subspace compression."				The double shield bubble was faithfully recreated for TNG-R.
Very similar octagonal cargo containers appear in several V episodes, and in a couple of other TNG episodes too. More than 30 later, they can also be seen in a similar form in Star Trek Picard.	V - The Final Battle	PIC: "The Next Generation"		No changes
The cargo transporter with a roof only appears one more time, in "Symbiosis". In later episodes the cargo transporter is much less elaborate and usually only consists of a round transporter platform. When the platform is seen again in "Symbiosis", the pattern on the back wall of the transporter platform has noticeably changed.	"Symbiosis"	"The Hunted"		A better look at the transporter in HD.
The two brown structures in the foreground were previously seen in "Code of Honor" on Ligon II as part of Lutan's Centerplace.		"Code of Honor"		A better look at the transporter in HD.
For some reason, the text above and underneath the LCARS display of the Crystalline Entity in space is badly garbled.				In the remastered version of the episode, the window with the new footage of the Crystalline Entity has been much better integrated into the LCARS display but the letters are still garbled.
The Vulcan writing on the octagonal cargo container reveals that it was previously used on Vulcan in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home". Indeed, exactly the same container can be seen behind Kirk and McCoy in the screenshot from the fourth feature film.		"Star Trek IV"		The label in HD.
The shot of the USS Enterprise-D (the two-foot model) going to warp is mirror-inverted.				The shot still is mirror-inverted in TNG-R.

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