Observations in TNG: "Future Imperfect"

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

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


"Future Imperfect" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore

Description TNG Other caps Comparison TNG to TNG-R Description TNG-R
This is the first time a birthday cake with a futuristic blue frosting is seen on Star Trek. Cakes like this often appear in Star Trek Voyager. The arguably most famous creation of this type, however, is the "cellular peptide cake" in Data's dream in "Phantasms".
"Phantasms"

VOY: "Twisted"
A better look at the cake in HD.
It seems Jonathan Frakes briefly forgot his next line in this scene, as Marina Sirtis's reaction and laughter seem very authentic in this shot. A look at the Riker and Troi in HD.
A good look at several aft bridge stations, including the starship status display first seen up close in "Brothers". A good look at the aft consoles in HD.
The particle-wave emission analysis only consists of a series of numbers. For what it's worth, we can now recognize all numbers.
Interesting how somebody (Worf?) decided to cut one single piece of cake out of the side of the cake. No changes
Alpha Onias III previously appeared as Ramatis III in "Loud as a Whisper" and as Gamma Hromi II in "The Vengeance Factor".
Re-Used Planets in TNG
A new planet was created for TNG-R: "Future Imperfect". The planets from the three episodes are not alike any more.
The matte painting of the caves on Alpha Onias III. The matte painting remains unchanged but looks more convincing in TNG-R.
Like in "The Enemy", the cable powering the palm beacon can clearly be seen in this shot. Here, it runs down the back of Riker's hand, however.
"The Enemy"
We can see the cable in TNG-R too.
For some reason, the transporter console is placed at an angle of about 90 degrees to the back wall, instead of being parallel to and right in front of it, like later in the episode and in the rest of the series.
Later in this episode
No changes
A good look at Riker's gray hair and the unique communicator created for this episode (that would reappear in the alternate realities in "Parallels").
"Parallels"
An HD close up of the aged Riker and his communicator.
One of the small cylinders filled with water and oil is seen on the medical cart in this shot. Small pink drops of oil (or some other liquid) can be seen slowly running down the spiral in the cylinder. The cylinders are often seen in Doctor Crusher's office but first appeared on Velara III in "Home Soil". In contrast to earlier appearances this season, the sickbay replicator now features two regular LCARS displays instead of just simple white light strips.
"Home Soil"

"Reunion"
No changes
The three ceiling LCARS displays are the major modification done to the sickbay set for this episode. A good look at the redesigned sickbay in HD.
The wall with the large sickbay LCARS display was painted in a darker color when the set was turned into its future version. The LCARS display remained the same, however.
"Remember Me"
No changes
A scan of Riker's brain. The complete sequence was reconstructed with enhanced resolution for the remastered release.
The next time a Klingon female seen in a Starfleet uniform was in Star Trek Voyager. No changes
In order to turn the corridor set into a future version, gray stripes were added to the walls and brown stripes were added to the doors. A better look at the redesigned corridor.
Brown stripes were also added on the bridge doors and around the door labels for this episode.
The Evolution of the Enterprise-D Bridge
An HD close-up of the door label. Note the alternate Starfleet symbol.
The wall panels on the side walls of the bridge were also added when the ship was turned into its alternate universe counterpart in "Yesterday's Enterprise".
"Yesterday's Enterprise"
No changes
A Ferengi in a Starfleet uniform wouldn't be seen until Cadet Nog in Deep Space Nine. The modified bridge in HD.
Brown stripes and rectangles were also added to the aft bridge stations and the front of the tactical station.
No new footage of a Romulan Warbird was created for this episode. The footage of the decloaking Warbird was originally created for "The Neutral Zone".
Appearances of the Romulan Warbird

"The Neutral Zone"
A look at the remastered Warbird.
Seen on Admiral Picard's desk is a model of a Romulan Warbird. The AMT/Ertl model kit was used here. The Romulan Warbird bridge set also appeared in "The Defector" and "Tin Man". The color of the lighting was different in every episode, though.
"The Defector"

"Tin Man"
The shot of Picard, Troi and the model in HD.
This shot of the Romulan Warbird on the viewscreen was also originally created for "The Neutral Zone".
"The Neutral Zone"
Another look at the remastered Warbird.
The door label on the aft bridge turbolift door has magically disappeared when Riker and Crusher leave the bridge to welcome Picard and Troi. The label is still missing in TNG-R.
In addition to adding brown stripes to the doors, the observation lounge set was changed in two ways: The paintings normally hanging next to the doors were replaced with round pieces of wall decoration, often seen in crew quarters in later seasons. The backrests of the observation lounge chairs were also modified for this episode.
"Legacy"
No changes
It can only barely be made out, but the Federation carpet, usually found in Picard's quarters, is seen in Riker's quarters in this episode.
"Where Silence Has Lease"
No changes
A PADD displaying facts about the Fornax Disaster. HD close-ups of the PADD.
Riker's future quarters feature a Risian horga'hn, last seen in "Captain's Holiday". A horga'hn is finally seen in Riker's actual quarters in "Conundrum". No changes
Riker's service record is illegible in the original SD version of the episode. The complete text of two pages was reconstructed and is readable in HD. We can see that Riker's first command will be the USS Titan!
A good look at Admiral Picard's uniform. Only in HD, it can finally be fully seen that the Admiral's rank pin/communicator features a small silver star in the golden Starfleet arrowhead.
The star map seen in the new LCARS displays on both sides of the bridge were originally seen on the USS Lantree bridge in "Unnatural Selection". The map was also seen in the courtroom in "The Measure of a Man".
"Unnatural Selection"
No changes

"The Measure of a Man"
The reflection of a microphone boom can be seen in the reflective surface of the panel above the USS Enterprise-D graphic. The reflection is still present in TNG-R.
Riker's future ready room features two models: a model of the Apollo Lunar Module and a model of a Nebula class prototype.
Proto-Nebula Class Reconstruction
We can recognize a few more details of the model in HD.
The painting of the USS Enterprise-D, normally found in Picard's ready room, was replaced with a space painting when the set was turned into Riker's future ready room.
"Suddenly Human"
No changes
The medical tool both Dr. Crusher and nurse Ogawa use in this episode to heal the wound in Jean-Luc Riker's hand is later used as a cardiostimulator in "The Inner Light" and "The Wire". It also appears in the DS9 episode "A Man Alone".
"The Inner Light"

"A Man Alone"
An HD close-up of the device.

"The Wire"
Gray patches (evoking the LCARS look) were also added to the future sickbay walls for this episode. The stripes are more noticeable due to the enhanced contrast in TNG-R.
Jean-Luc Riker wears a Parrises squares uniform similar to the ones seen in "11001001".
"11001001"
Jean-Luc Riker's suit in HD.
The Federation logo appears very blurry in this shot. The Federation logo was rebuilt for TNG-R.
Min Riker is of course based on Minuet, seen in "11001001". Who does Riker look at in this shot?
"11001001"
The photo in HD.

A close look at Geordi La Forge without his VISOR or white contact lenses. We could previously see Geordi's eyes in "Hide and Q".
Geordi's VISOR and Eyes

The commander version of the alternate communicator can also nicely be seen in this shot.


"Hide and Q"
Geordi's eyes in HD.
The holographic crew members disappear. Only in a direct comparison with the original shot (evidently the same take) we can see that Worf's left hand is not lying flat on the console, but that the four fingers in front of the console are cut off in TNG-R. This small mistake happened when the scene was recomposed. The holograms vanish gradually (the characters are gone before the rest of the bridge), so the console was filmed separately and was placed in front of Worf.
Two shots of the Romulan holodeck, which was realized as a model. The Romulan in the control booth was added in both production. Note that the windows of the room are still opaque (or highly reflective) in the wide shot. The HD shots still don't give away that it's just a model.
Riker's wrinkles, gray hair and alternate communicator are removed with a Romulan gadget. The effect was reconstructed for TNG-R. The beam has changed its color, though, from green to red.
Both the chair Riker is sitting in and the console behind him were originally created for the cockpit of the Ferengi shuttle, first seen in "The Price". Both the chair and the console also appeared in other Romulan-themed episodes, like "The Defector", "The Next Phase" and "Face of the Enemy".
"The Price"

"Face of the Enemy"
A good look at the Romulan furniture in HD.

"The Defector"

"Face of the Enemy"

"The Next Phase"
The consoles in the Romulan corridor also showed up in the Regula I lab in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". The consoles were rented from Modern Props.
Consoles by Modern Props in Star Trek

"Star Trek II"
A better look at the console and the corridor in HD.
The corridor, including the ladder on the back wall, was also used as the Jefferies tube in "The Hunted" and as a Klingon tunnel in "Sins of the Father".
"The Hunted"

"Sins of the Father"
A Romulan forcefield is seen for the first time in this episode. Here, it is seen collapsing in a unique way. The reconstructed effect in HD.
The same padded metallic fabric seen here covers a conduit behind the warp core in main engineering.
"The Dauphin"
The padded fabric in HD.
A Romulan disruptor pistol is seen firing for the first time in this episode. The reconstructed effect in TNG-R.
Riker and Ethan run past the same console and through the same corridor they did just a few seconds ago. The tunnel as it appears in TNG-R.
Ethan's map is first made from a transparent material that mysteriously transforms into parchment when the shot changes. We can see a bit more of the floorplan in HD.
The Romulans use conical cargo crates also used by Starfleet in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and several TNG episodes, as well as by Kivas Fajo in "The Most Toys".
"Star Trek II"

"The Most Toys"
A better look at the container in HD.
The Romulan cargo crates seen behind Ethan are made from the same material as the holodeck walls seen earlier in the episode. The crates are later seen in "Birthright II" and "Face of the Enemy".
Earlier in this episode

"Face of the Enemy"
The cargo crates in HD. We had to increase the gamma of this HD cap considerably to make them visible again.

"Birthright II"
The large cargo crates blocking the door also appear aboard the USS Enterprise-D in countless episodes. Crates of this type also showed up in the original Battlestar Galactica and in Buck Rogers.
"Battlestar Galactica"

"Code of Honor"
No changes

"Buck Rogers"
Another look at Alpha Onias III. Another look at the new planet.
Data looks at a graphic of Alpha Onias III. The graphic was newly created for TNG-R, obviously because the resolution was not deemed good enough for HD.
The holographic projectors in the caves of Alpha Onias III are revealed. The reconstructed emitters are much better defined in the remastered episode, perhaps a tad to crisp.
Barash's true appearance. We can see Barash better in HD, also because there seems to be fewer mist.
Like in the opening credits, people are again having a meeting behind the observation lounge windows. The illuminated observation lounge in HD.

 


Back to Observations index

TopShare
View as gallery