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Observations in TNG: "New Ground"

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

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

"New Ground" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore

Description TNG		Other caps	Comparison TNG to TNG-R	Description TNG-R
This shot of the USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Bilana III was originally created for the second season opener "The Child". In that episode, the ship was in orbit of 'aucdet IX. Footage of the blue planet was re-used in several later episodes.				The planet was replaced by a CG version of the remastered episode.

This screenshot of main engineering shows the biggest modification done to the set between seasons 4 and 5: The console the engineering crewman next to La Forge is working on was turned 90 degrees. The shot from the season 4 episode "Remember Me" shows what the set looked like in the previous season.		"Remember Me"		A good look at the set in HD.
This engineering wall monitor was seen in use only once before, in "Legacy". The monitor on the opposite wall was also used in the season 1 episode "11001001".		"Legacy"		The display was reworked for TNG-R.
		"11001001"
The USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Bilana III. Like the earlier shot of the planet, the footage was originally seen in "The Child".				This shot too shows the CG planet.
Worf and Alexander are seen entering the teacher's office from the main corridor set. The door they are seen in front of is actually one of the entries to the junior officers quarters. When the shot switches to a shot showing the office from the inside, the corridor wall behind Worf and Alexander has changed, as it doesn't feature the dark reflective LCARS display anymore. This means the teacher's office wasn't actually connected to the corridor set but was a separate set only created for this episode.				A look at the teacher's office in HD.

Alexander played with the building blocks in the background the last time he was on the USS Enterprise-D.		"Reunion"		The toys in HD.
The teacher's office has a feature that is rarely seen on TNG: a narrow window similar to the one in Picard's ready room on deck 1.		"I, Borg"		No changes

The black and blue pen Picard is playing with in this scene was also used by Doctor Crusher in "Identity Crisis". Mistress Beata in "Angel One" and Caylem in "Resistance" have similar pens.	"Angel One"	"Identity Crisis"		An HD close-up of the pen.
	"Resistance"
This is the third shot of the USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Bilana III. Again, this is a re-use of footage from "The Child".				The shot in HD.
This animated graphic illustrates how the soliton wave drive works.				The animation was completely reconstructed for TNG-R. We can read the text in the close-ups. The problem with the partially obscured planet does not occur in TNG-R. The display surface is recessed and also slanted, as can be seen in other episodes too. This was accounted for when the new graphics were inserted for TNG-R. But (unlike in the original episode) a significant portion of the text is cut off on the right edge. Geordi and Worf can't see very much from the right side of the table. The display is a bad design if it is mounted like that.



The soliton wave is dissipated as can be seen in the second half of the animation. It seems as if parts of Lemma III disappear behind a black square as the wave leaves the planet. In the wide shot towards the end of the scene, the planet is complete again, though.



The door to Picard's ready room is standing open in this shot.				No changes
The consoles behind Alexander were first seen in the third season episode "Evolution".		"Evolution"		No changes
The biolab seen in several scenes in this episode is a redress of the science lab on Penthara IV from the previous episode. The large computer consoles seen in the lab were originally created for the classroom seen in "When the Bough Breaks". The consoles appeared in several other episodes but make their final appearance in this episode.	"When the Bough Breaks"	"A Matter of Time"		A good look at the animals in HD.
Among the stuffed animals seen in the biolab is a rare lapling as previously seen in "The Most Toys".		"The Most Toys"
A Corvan gilvo is seen again in the Deep Space 9 episode "The Nagus" where it appears as Quark's pet.		DS9: "The Nagus"
A large evolutionary table can be seen out of focus in the background. A slightly different version of the graphic is also seen on the large consoles in the biolab. The graphic first appeared on the same monitors in the classroom in "The Child".		"The Child"		Owing to the depth of field, we can't really recognize the chart better in HD.
Another re-used shot of the USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Bilana III.				The shot in HD.
The black and blue jar on the shelf (a new addition to the completely rebuilt junior officers quarters) was originally part of Kivas Fajos collection in "The Most Toys". Since then, it has also been seen in Crusher's quarters in "Family" and the O'Brien's quarters in "The Wounded".	"The Most Toys"	"Family"		No changes
		"The Wounded"
The story behind the sculpture of two fighting Klingons, first seen in Worf's quarters in "Peak Performance" is finally revealed in this episode. It depicts Kahless fighting with his brother Morath.		TNG-R: "Peak Performance"		The sculpture in HD.
Worf and Troi are seen entering the bridge by means of a turbolift. Normally, the turbolift doors briefly seen when the double doors open are gray when the lift is connected to the bridge. Here, the doors are orange, like when somebody is using the lifts attached to the main corridor set.		"The Best of Both Worlds I"		No changes
It seems Ja'Dar's office was filmed on a section of the interrogation room, last seen in "The Drumhead". The purple graphic behind Ja'Dar is similar to the blue graphic seen at the same spot in the interrogation room. The characteristic pattern was seen in several earlier episodes, including "When the Bough Breaks" and "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier". It seems Helena Rozhenko was also standing in front of lighted panels with the same pattern earlier in the episode. The monitor behind Ja'Dar was first seen in the brig in "Déjà Q".	"The Drumhead"	"Star Trek V"		A look at the set in HD.
	"When the Bough Breaks"	"Déjà Q"
		Earlier in this episode
The soliton wave is seen leaving orbit of Bilana III.				The recomposed sequence in TNG-R. It seems to re-use much of the old visuals of the soliton wave.
The soliton wave test rider was originally seen as a Mars defense perimeter ship in "The Best of Both Worlds II". The model also appeared in the Qualor II surplus depot in "Unification II".	"The Best of Both Worlds II"	"Unification II"
The test ship rides the soliton wave in these two screenshots.

The test rider is seen exploding on the main viewscreen of the USS Enterprise-D.


Worf's calisthenics program was last seen in the season 2 episode "The Emissary" after it debuted in "Where Silence Has Lease".	"Where Silence Has Lease"	"The Emissary"		The holodeck scenario in HD.
The only holographic opponent seen in this episode is the skull monster. The same antagonist was also present in the previous two appearances of the holoprogram. The monster appears one final time in the DS9 episode "The Way of the Warrior" when Jadzia Dax tries out the program.	"Where Silence Has Lease"	DS9: "The Way of the Warrior"
	"The Emissary"
Alexander finishes off the monster by slicing it in half. The effect seen here is different from the more gruesome effect seen in "The Emissary".		"The Emissary"		The effect was reconstructed for TNG-R.
Alexander's outfit is a miniature version of the mok'bara dresses seen in "Clues".		"Clues"		A look at the costume in HD.
Ja'Dar is seen on a bridge aft monitor.				The text within the video footage was recreated for the remastering of the episode.
We get a very good look at one of the round pieces of wall decoration seen in Troi's office and several other rooms aboard the USS Enterprise-D since the beginning of season 4. Similar pieces of wall decoration were seen on TNG and Star Trek Voyager until the end of both series.				A look at the decoration in HD.
Worf's quarters, as they appear in seasons 5-7, can be seen very well in these two screenshots. When the set is redressed as Data's quarters, different parts of the modular set are used.		Worf's quarters floorplan		The set in HD.

Alexander puts several small props into his suitcase when he packs because he no longer wants to live with Worf. The suitcase itself was originally created for "Final Mission" where it is used by Captain Dirgo. Ambassador Odan also used the repainted case in "The Host". The white PADD appeared in several seasons 1 and 2 episode, like in "11001001" where it is used by Doctor Crusher. The smaller PADD was originally a Zibalian fingerprint scanner in "The Most Toys".	"Final Mission"	"11001001"		The case in HD.
	"The Host"	"The Most Toys"
As mentioned before, the biolab is a redress of the Penthara IV science lab, seen in the previous episode.		"A Matter of Time"		The set in HD.
The USS Enterprise-D's deflector shields hit the soliton wave.				The effect in TNG-R.
Riker's console is partially animated in this shot. The graphic, showing side and top views of the USS Enterprise-D, has been displayed on the console since the beginning of season 5. In the previous four seasons, a much simpler graphic was used instead.		"Allegiance"		The unchanged graphic in HD.
Exposed circuitry can be seen behind the corridor wall panel next to the biolab doors in this shot. The small black box with several isolinear chips first showed up in "The Mind's Eye".		"The Mind's Eye"		HD close-ups of the circuitry.

The biolab set was lit on fire at several spots. The large computer console first seen in "When the Bough Breaks" are also on fire, or close to burning walls. They were most likely damaged by the fire or destroyed after this episode, explaining why the large set pieces never appear again after this episode.				The set on fire in HD.
In the biolab set, the cage with the Corvan gilvos is found where the three large windows were located in the Penthara IV lab set.		"A Matter of Time"		A look at the cage in HD.
		"A Matter of Time"
As can be seen in these two shots, the Corvan gilvos are clearly hand puppets.				The puppet in HD.

The soliton wave is dissipated by a volley of photon torpedoes.				The effects sequence looks much more impressive in HD.


The frequently re-used flyby of the Enterprise-D. Enterprise Flybys in TNG and TNG-R				In TNG-R, we see a similar shot with the 4-foot model, as the original footage was missing. Actually, it is a shot of the Enterprise flying into the opposite direction that was mirror-inverted.

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