Info Starships Fleet Yards Treknology

Episodes Database Fandom Community

Observations in TNG: "The Host"

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

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

"The Host" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore

Description TNG		Other caps	Comparison TNG to TNG-R	Description TNG-R
There is a discrepancy in the turbolift scene at the beginning of the episode: Data is seen entering the turbolift from the short corridor located between Ten Forward and the senior crew quarters. At the end of the ride, when Crusher and Data leave the turbolift, the same corridor set can briefly be seen through the opening doors. When the scene switches to a different camera angle, though, Crusher and Data are seen entering the large corridor set, close to the transporter room.				No changes



The scene in which Odan enters his guest quarters involves a moving camera with the FX of the warp streaks seen through the window. In order to accomplish this, the shot was filmed anamorphically. Using "pan and scan", the camera movement could be achieved. Pan & Scan Effects in TNG				No changes

The cube-shaped bottle filled with a blue liquid was also seen in Dr. Dalen Quaice's guest quarters in "Remember Me", where it was filled with a green liquid.		"Remember Me"		A better look at the set in HD.
A prop that was often seen as a dermal regenerator on DS9 appears for the first time in this episode. According to the script, Odan uses the device to "feed" the yet unknown symbiont with light. After this first use, the prop appeared again in its original color scheme in "Q-Less" and "Battle Lines". In both episodes, it was used as an engineering tool. When it next appeared in O'Brien's toolbox in "In the Hands of the Prophets", the prop had been repainted to its more familiar gray, the same color it had when it first appeared as a dermal regenerator in "The Homecoming" and during the rest of the series. Re-Used Props - Medical Instruments	DS9: "Q-Less"	DS9: "In the Hands of..."		The device in HD.
	DS9: "Battle Lines"	DS9: "The Homecoming"
A good look at the make-up of the Trills in this episode. In DS9, all Trills will have a completely different make-up with characteristic spots. The Trill Problem				The Trill make-up in HD.
This shot of the USS Enterprise-D approaching the camera appears four times in the episode. In two of these appearances, the ship slows down to a halt at the end of the shot. Enterprise Flybys in TNG and TNG-R				As the footage of this sequence could not be located for the remastering of TNG, the ship had to be replaced by a CG model. This is very noticeable in the shots when the ship slows down when it is closest to the camera.
The USS Enterprise-D approaches Peliar Zel II and its two moons. The footage of the ship previously appeared in "The Nth Degree" (approach 1), while the planets are seen for the first time in this episode.	"The Nth Degree" approach 1	"The Nth Degree" approach 2		The blurriness of the original planet is gone. Peliar Zel retains the basic colors in HD but with lots of surface detail. The HD version doesn't use the same footage of the ship as the original episode (approach 1), however. The camera angle and the shadows on the saucer are different. The shots used for TNG-R are taken from "The Nth Degree" as well, where they appear a little later in the episode (approach 2). In TNG-R: "The Host" approach 2 is enlarged to make it fit with the originally seen approach 1.
	"The Nth Degree" approach 1	"The Nth Degree" approach 2
Leka Trion is the first Peliar Zel native we ever meet. Members of her species showed up in the background in countless DS9 episodes. Here, she can be seen wearing an intricate piece of jewelry in her "upper" nose hole.				A good look at the alien make-up and clothing in HD.
Leka Trion wears the same insignia on her hat and on her costume. It is a re-use of the post-atomic horror insignia seen in "Encounter at Farpoint", which was later re-used as a Romulan insignia in "Contagion". After that, it appeared on the uniform of the Angosian captain in "The Hunted", For that episode, the insignia was attached to a larger piece of metal.	"Encounter at Farpoint" HD	"Contagion" HD
		"The Hunted" HD
An animation shows the orbits of Alpha and Beta moon and how the Alpha moon's use of the energy field of Peliar Zel II causes problems for the Betans.				The animation was redone for TNG-R and is very close to the original.

A special tool is used to apply nail polish to Crusher's toenails.				An HD close-up of the device.
The barbershop has not changed noticeably since its last appearance in "Data's Day". A circular piece of wall decoration, often found in crew quarters, has been added to the set but there's still a Bolian working in the barbershop.		"Data's Day"		A good look at the set in HD.
		"Data's Day"
		"Data's Day"
The USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Peliar Zell II with the Alpha moon in the background. The same shot was re-used in "Unification II" where the large planet represents Galorndon Core.				Another look at the awesome new Peliar Zel II.
The graphic displayed on Picard's desktop monitor was originally created for "Night Terrors" and illustrates the Tyken's rift encountered by the crew in that episode.		"Night Terrors"		An HD close-up of the monitor.
After two years, this is the first good look at the door at the very end of the extended corridor set. As can be seen, this door does not consist of two halves, so it does not open at this stage. When the set was modified between seasons 4 and 5, this door was finally connected to the redesigned junior officers crew quarters set and thus was made functional.				No changes
Odan's suitcase was originally created for "Final Mission" where it was carried by Dirgo. For this re-appearance, the suitcase was repainted green.		"Final Mission"		No changes
This is the last time new footage of the full-size mock-up of the Type-7 shuttle is seen. The mock-up was last seen in "Unnatural Selection". Appearances of the shuttle from "Samaritan Snare" and "Ship in a Bottle" are re-uses of that original footage. As can be seen, the exterior markings of the mock-up were modified since its last appearance in accordance with the modifications made to the filming miniature. Variations of the Type-7 Shuttle		"Unnatural Selection"		The shuttle mock-up exterior in HD.

This is also the last appearance of the interior of the Type-7 shuttle before the set was destroyed between seasons 4 and 5. No noticeable changes since its last appearance in "The Nth Degree" can be made out.				No changes

The Type-7 shuttle Hawking is attacked by a Betan ship with both Beta moon (left) and Alpha moon (right) in the background. Footage of the shuttle and the alien ship was newly filmed for this episode. The Betan ship is a re-use of the Merchantman from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock", which previously appeared as the Atlec ship in "The Outrageous Okona" and the Sheliak colony ship in "The Ensigns of Command". The modifications made to the model for the latter appearance were all removed for this episode.				The sequence with the original models and new planets in HD.




This beauty shot of the 4-foot model was originally filmed for "The Hunted" and was also re-used in "Legacy", where the ship is seen firing its phasers. In this episode, a tractor beam was added into the shot. Unfortunately, the tractor beam emanates from the forward torpedo launcher.		"The Hunted"		This error was fixed for the remastered episode and the tractor beam now emanates from the proper spot, slightly above the torpedo tube. Notice how in the previous two appearances of the shot, the starboard Bussard collector is not casting a red glow on the underside of the saucer section.
		"Legacy"
The Hawking escapes from the Betan ship which returns to the Beta moon. This is again new footage especially filmed for this episode.				The sequence in HD.




A nice assortment of medical tools can be seen on the medical cart behind Odan.				A good look at Beverly's instruments in HD.
The medical tool nurse Ogawa uses to scan Odan has appeared in several earlier TNG episodes. It was also seen in "Unnatural Selection" and "Night Terrors". In the former episode it was used by Doctor Pulaski to dissolve styrolite.	"Unnatural Selection" HD	"Night Terrors"		An HD close-up of the tool.
The USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Peliar Zel II. The Beta moon can be nicely seen in this shot. It is a re-use of Nelvana III from "The Defector". The footage of the USS Enterprise has appeared in several earlier episodes, like "Evolution", "Booby Trap" and "A Matter of Perspective". For this appearance, however, the footage was flipped, thus the registry on the nacelle strut is flipped as well.	"Ménage à Troi"	"Booby Trap"		Another great HD scene of the new planet.
	"Evolution"	"A Matter of Perspective"
Doctor Crusher cuts open Riker's abdomen. The laser scalpel prop would later appear as a dermal regenerator in "Frame of Mind" and as a laser torch in DS9: "Destiny". Re-Used Props - Medical Instruments		"Frame of Mind"		HD close-ups of the scalpel.
		DS9: "Destiny"
Transparent containers, like the one in which the Trill symbiont is kept, would later appear in some Voyager episodes, like "Phage" where the containers house organs harvested by the Vidiians.		VOY: "Phage"		A look at the container in TNG-R.

The medical scanner used by Doctor Crusher in this scene evokes the "salt shaker" scanners used by Doctor McCoy in TOS.		TOS-R: "The Naked Time"		An HD close-up of the device.
The device Crusher uses to scan Riker is the same medical tool that is used whenever Geordi's eyes are scanned. The graphic has been changed though. The left half of the screen now features blinking lights and the right half features a new LCARS graphic, most likely displaying nerve cells.	"Encounter at Farpoint" HD	"Loud as a Whisper" HD		The device in HD.
The surface of Peliar Zel II, featuring a tree with red foliage, can be seen in the background of this shot.				An HD close-up. The tree may be just a backdrop.
The latter half of this shot of the USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Peliar Zel II was later re-used in "Unification II", again to represent Galorndon Core.				The TNG-R version of the scene.

Another shot of the USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Peliar Zel II, also featuring the Alpha moon.				In TNG-R, the previously blunt planet has continents and clouds.
A nice close-up if the medical tricorder.				The device in HD.
The Trill symbionts have lost all their colorful spots when they are seen again in DS9. The Trill Problem		DS9: "Emissary"		An HD close-up of Odan.
The container with the Trill container is resting on a small table especially built for this episode. The same table appeared in some later episodes, like "Ethics" (featuring an inbuilt holoemitter), where it was still used in sickbay, and in "The Masterpiece Society" and "Birthright I", where it was used in main engineering. In the latter episode, the table was turned upside down.	"Ethics"	"The Masterpiece Society"		The great shot in HD.
	"Ethics"	"Birthright I"
The shot of the Trill ship was originally created for "Samaritan Snare", where it depicted the Pakled ship Mondor. The same footage, appeared in "The Vengeance Factor" and "Cost of Living", where the hull color was changed in post production.	"The Vengeance Factor"	"Samaritan Snare"		The two ships in HD.
		"Cost of Living"
A desktop monitor originally created for "Family" can be seen in the background. The same console also appeared in sickbay in "Identity Crisis". Here, it is resting on the wrong side, the viewscreen is on the bottom. The monitor was turned into a Klingon device for "Unification", early in the fifth season.	"Family"	"Identity Crisis"		We can's really see more of the monitor in HD, but at least Beverly's hair color is more brilliant.
		"Unification II"

Credits

Thanks to TrekBBS users Start Wreck und MickJo1701 for pointing out the use of different footage for the Enterprise approaching Peliar Zel.

Back to Observations index

Top

View as gallery