Observations in TNG: "The Mind's Eye"

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

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


"The Mind's Eye" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore

Description TNG Other caps Comparison TNG to TNG-R Description TNG-R
Footage of the shuttlepod flying away from the camera was originally created for "Devil's Due". The shuttlepod in HD.
After glasses with the Federation logo from the era of the first few Star Trek films were seen in several TNG episodes so far, this is the first time a glass with the 24th century Federation logo appears.
"Star Trek III"

"Allegiance"
An HD close-up of the glass.
The shot of the decloaking Romulan Warbird was newly created for this episode.
Appearances of the Romulan Warbird
The great shot in HD.
For the first time in the series, the Romulan transporter effect is seen. The reconstructed effect in TNG-R.
The interior of the shuttlepod clearly only features one seat in this episode. When it is seen in the shuttlebay later in the episode, the shuttlepod has acquired a second seat. The cockpit consoles clearly have not changed since earlier appearances of the shuttlepod.
Variations of the Type-15 Shuttle

"The Ensigns of Command"
A better look at the interior of the shuttlepod.

"The Price"
The USS Enterprise-D slowly approaches the camera.
Enterprise Flybys in TNG and TNG-R
As this footage could not be located, the ship had to be replaced by a CG model for the remastering.
A rare close-up of the painting in Picard's ready room. The painting in HD. The depth of field doesn't allow to recognize more details.
The sash worn by Ambassador Kell in this episode was also worn by the Klingon ambassador in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country".
"Star Trek IV"
Kell's clothing in HD.
This impressive shot of the Romulan Warbird was newly created for this episode. The footage of the shuttlepod is also new. The awesome shot in HD.
This interior section of the Romulan Warbird is usually seen at the aft end of a Warbird's bridge. It appeared in episodes like "Tin Man" and "Data's Day" and features the Romulan logo.
"Tin Man"

"Future Imperfect"
A look at the set in HD, showing especially the Romulan eagle in great detail.
The ceiling of the Romulan torture room reveals that the set is a redressing of the Romulan Warbird bridge as seen in "Data's Day". The aft section has become the front section, though.
"Data's Day"
No changes

The two consoles in the background and the vertical light sources in the wall have been seen inside a Romulan Warbird before, on the bridge of the Warbird in "Contagion". They were also seen on the bridge of a Ferengi Marauder in "Peak Performance" and in the Ferengi lab in "Ménage à Troi".

The Romulan torture chair was later seen as a Cardassian torture chair in "Tribunal".


"Contagion"

"Ménage à Troi"
A look at the chair in HD.

"Peak Performance"

DS9: "Tribunal"
The female Romulan clearly is not blond, like Sela in the later episodes in which she appears. In the original version of this episode, Sela's face was artificially darkened in post-production to hide the fact that Denise Crosby wasn't actually on set. In the remastered episode the face wasn't darkened. We can recognize that it's not Denise Crosby.
Another shot with the stand-in for Denise Crosby.
The bottom part of the Romulan console to the left of Geordi La Forge has previously appeared as a matter replicator in "The Survivors" and as a Federation console in "Transfigurations".
"The Survivors"

"Transfigurations"
A look at the console in HD.
The tactical lab seen in this episode does not look like the tactical lab seen in "The Emissary" at all. In that episode, the set was a redress of the USS Enterprise-D battle bridge, while the set here is a redress of the science lab, last seen in "Clues".
"The Emissary"
An HD close-up of the map.
The console was originally created as the transporter room console for "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier". The star map showing Starfleet operations in select sectors was later re-used as a map of the Typhon Expanse in "Cause and Effect".
"Star Trek V"

"Cause and Effect"
In the medical lab set, this door leads to the short waiting area in front of Doctor Crusher's office.
"Clues"
No changes
When Kell turns around, a map of the Milky Way Galaxy is briefly seen. This map was originally created for "Conspiracy", but was also seen in the court room in "The Measure of a Man" and the tactical lab in "The Emissary".
"Conspiracy"

"The Measure of a Man"
No changes

"The Emissary"
The world seen through Geordi's eyes, including Romulan subliminal messages. Geordi's POV was also seen in "Heart of Glory" and "The Enemy".
"Heart of Glory"

"The Enemy"
This episode is the first one in which the effect of Geordi's POV was completely redone for the remastering instead of just re-using the SD footage from the original episodes.
Krios in this episode is a re-use of the Starbase 6 planet seen in "The Schizoid Man". It also appeared as Acamar III in "The Vengeance Factor" and Ventax II in "Devil's Due". A different planet Krios appears in "The Perfect Mate".
Planet Mutations
Ex Astris Scientia - Re-Used Planets in TNG
The shot in HD shows a new CG planet.
The shuttlepod Onizuka in shuttlebay 2. As mentioned before, the shuttlepod has acquired a second seat all of a sudden. The great shot in HD.
Filming equipment pops into view in the top part of this shot. No equipment is visible in TNG-R. It has probably been digitally removed.
This section of the large corridor set is rarely seen. This short corridor section is located to the left of the MSD in main engineering, which is removed when the set doubles as the corridor lounge. The corridor plugs at both sides of engineering are also removed when this set is turned into an extension of the corridors and a double door at the end of a very short corridor can be seen instead.
"The Loss"
No changes
The surface shot of Krios is the heavily modified/Klingonized matte painting originally created for "Angel One".
Re-Uses of the Angel One Matte Painting

"Angel One"
Several elements of the matte painting were modified for TNG-R. Most notably one building in the background was replaced with a pyramidal one that looks more like the buildings on the Qo'noS matte painting. Also, the hills in the background were reworked to appear sharper.
The two Klingon maces seen in Governor Vagh's office are often re-used as Klingon wall decoration. They were seen in use in Worf's calisthenics program in "Where Silence Has Lease".
"Where Silence Has Lease"

"Night Terrors"
The decoration in HD.
This is the first appearance of a 24th Starfleet phaser rifle. It will show up in only two more TNG episodes, "Descent I" und "Lower Decks". Phaser rifles of this type will appear in several DS9 episodes, however. A look at the phaser rifle in HD.
Engineers are seen on all three levels of main engineering during the briefing in this shot. The set as it looks in TNG-R.
A nice close-up of the phaser rifle showing its finder sight. The weapon test in HD.
Geordi and Data test the Starfleet phaser rifle dangerously close to the warp core.
The ribbed wall to the left of Vagh has been a part of Klingon interior architecture since it was first seen in season 2's "A Matter of Honor". In that episode, it was lit red, however.
"A Matter of Honor"
The decorative wall in TNG-R.
While this shot of the USS Enterprise-D (filmed using the 6-foot model) has been used before, this must be the closest the camera has ever come to the ship in this sequence. The close-up of the saucer in HD.
Data looks at an E-band analysis on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D. The console and screen in HD.
Cargo containers like the big one in the foreground has appeared on the show since the very beginning. Years before they were seen on TNG, they appeared in Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers.
"Battlestar Galactica"

"Code of Honor"
We can recognize more details on the containers in HD.

"Buck Rogers"
The small red case Geordi is seen holding in this shot is similar to cases carried by the Starbase 74 technicians in "11001001". Cases like this also appeared in sickbay in some episodes and Wesley Crusher also used one in "Evolution". In each appearance, the case (a modified cassette case) was repainted.
"11001001"

"Evolution"

"The Neutral Zone"
Vagh's office features a characteristic Klingon X-shaped pattern in the wall and a metallic Klingon table. Both were first seen in the Klingon-themed episode "Sins of the Father".
"Sins of the Father"

"Sins of the Father"
A look at the set in HD.
All shots featuring Klingon starships in this episode were originally created for "Reunion", including these four shots of Vagh's attack cruiser and two Klingon Birds-of-Prey. For the last shot, footage of the Vor'cha-class attach cruiser and the Klingon Bird-of-Prey on the left (in the shot from "Reunion") were recomposited.
"Reunion"
The ships in HD.

"Reunion"
In the close-ups of the MSD seen in this episode, nearly all the in-jokes have been removed or covered, except for the two small figures seen in the top right corners of the second and fourth screenshots. In the wide shot at the beginning of the scene, all in-jokes (including the duck and the Porsche) are still visible, though. When the episode was remastered, the two figures were removed for the remastering as well. The other in-jokes are still present in the wide shot, though.
This scanner, often used by Geordi La Forge, was originally created for "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock".
"Star Trek III"
A close-up of the device in HD.
This hatch was added to the cargo bay set for this episode. A small black box holding several isolinear optical chips is part of the access hatch. This box appeared in several later episodes, like "New Ground", "Schisms" and "Ship in a Bottle".
"New Ground"
The box in HD.

"Schisms"

"Ship in a Bottle"
This shot of the USS Enterprise-D (the 4-foot model) was originally created for "Yesterday's Enterprise". The camera comes much closer to the hull of the ship in this shot, though. This is curious, considering that earlier in the episode we could see a similar extreme close-up of the very different 6-foot model.
The Saucer Rim on the Galaxy Class
The close-up of the saucer in HD.
A nice selection of Klingon food can be seen in this shot. Kell uses the Klingon tableware first introduced in "A Matter of Honor".
"A Matter of Honor"
The food looks more delicious in HD.
The same painting was seen behind Geordi's bed in "The Most Toys".
Space Art in Star Trek: The Next Generation

"The Most Toys"
No changes
Both Doctors Crusher and Pulaski used the same scanner to scan Geordi's eyes in earlier episodes.
"Encounter at Farpoint"

"Loud as a Whisper"
HD close-ups of the medical devices.
The medical tricorder and hand scanner used in season 4 can be nicely seen in this screenshot.
According to some sources, the transporter platform ceiling lights are re-uses of the transporter room floor plates of the USS Enterprise transporter room seen on TOS.
TOS: "The Enemy Within"
The ceiling in HD.
Another look at the E-band signal analysis studied by Data earlier in the episode. The sequence on the monitor was reconstructed for TNG-R.
A rare close-up of the small type 1 phaser, nicknamed the "cricket". The phaser in HD. We can see that the buttons are just stickers.
A similar shot of the shuttlebay set was seen in "Final Mission". In that episode, the set was darkly lit, however.
"Final Mission"
The shuttlebay in HD.
The aft section of the shuttlepod was last seen in "The Most Toys". As can be seen, the "trunk" has noticeably changed since that episode.
"The Most Toys"
The very detailed panel in HD. We can read "Environmental Systems" on the red labels but not the in-jokes that are probably in the fine print.
The cargo containers in the foreground were originally created as Romulan containers in "Future Imperfect". They appear again as Romulan cargo containers in "Birthright II" and "Face of the Enemy".
"Future Imperfect"

"Face of the Enemy"
Once again, the HD shot allows to recognize many more details even on less prominent props.

"Birthright II"
After the medical tricorder was seen up close earlier in the episode, the regular tricorder can be nicely seen in this shot. An HD close-up of the device.
Cargo containers like the one seen behind Worf in this shot, were also seen on Gamma Hromi II in "The Vengeance Factor" and on the Talarian observation craft in "Suddenly Human".
"The Vengeance Factor"

"Suddenly Human"
No changes
The episode features several nice wide shots of the cargo bay set, like these three. The cargo bay set in HD.
This is the first time the 24th century transporter effect of the Klingons is featured on the show. The effect was reconstructed for TNG-R.
One unique feature of Geordi La Forge's quarters, a large shelf, can be seen behind the chief engineer in this shot. The shelf first appeared in his quarters in "Galaxy's Child".
"Galaxy's Child"
No changes

 


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