Observations in TNG: "Sarek"

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

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

"Sarek" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore

Description TNG		Other caps	Comparison TNG to TNG-R	Description TNG-R
The planet Vulcan appears for the first time on TNG. The footage is a re-use of Deneb IV from "Encounter at Farpoint" and not a red planet as we might have expected. Planet Mutations Re-Used Planets in TNG				Yet another CG planet was built for this episode. It retains the rather brownish color of the original planet model of TNG, while it includes oceans like those seen on Vulcan in Star Trek Enterprise.
The dress uniform was slightly changed since it was last seen in "Manhunt". It is no longer worn with black leggings but with more regular black trousers.		"Manhunt"		Only in HD, we can see that there is an adhesive bandage around Jonathan Frakes's right forefinger. It appears as well in a few other shots in this episode.
Sarek wears a black ring with a symbol on his right hand and a red one on the left hand. He also wore those same rings in the movies.	"Star Trek III"	"Star Trek IV"		Sarek in HD.
Sarek also wore this Vulcan necklace at the end of "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home".		"Star Trek IV"		Sarek in HD.
The tube reaching into the Legaran tank is similar to the warp plasma conduits in the Enterprise-D engineering, as well as to tubes seen in the geological lab in "Pen Pals" and on the bridge of the Promellian battlecruiser in "Booby Trap".	"Pen Pals"	"Booby Trap"		The set as it appears in TNG-R.
The wall panels behind Wesley and Geordi were earlier seen on the Tanguga IV research station in "A Matter of Perspective" and on the alternate USS Enterprise-D bridge in "Yesterday's Enterprise".	"A Matter of Perspective"	"Yesterday's Enterprise"
Geordi's new yellow scanner will reappear as Keiko's botanical tool in "Data's Day" and as Ro's engineering device in "Disaster".	"Data's Day"	"Disaster"
The walls of the conference room feature the same wall panels as the guest quarters on the Tanuga IV research station in "A Matter of Perspective". The wall panels were also seen in the turboshaft of the USS Enterprise-A in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier". The paintings, like the one visible behind Geordi, on the other hand, may have never appeared again.	"Star Trek V"	"A Matter of Perspective"
Another look at Vulcan.				Note the city lights on the night side of the remastered planet.
The slanted windows in Sarek's guest quarters are covered with padded walls, as, according to the script of the episode, "the blinds over the windows are closed". On the other hand, the ambassador probably does not mind the wall corner illumination, which is colorful as it is customary since this season.		"The Price"		Sarek's quarters as it appears in TNG-R.
Perrin's Vulcan necklace is identical to the necklace worn by one of the Vulcan maidens at the end of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". Interestingly, her headgear was worn on the hands by those maidens.		"Star Trek III"		Perrin and her necklace in HD.
The PADD Geordi is holding in this shot still features the graphic about nanotechnology, first seen in "Evolution".		"Evolution"		The HD close-up confirms that the display still shows the same.
The room in which Sarek secludes himself is an extension of the senior officers' crew quarters set that must have been erected in the corridor that is located to the right of the set's turbolift entrance.		Set floorplan		No changes
		Set floorplan		No changes
The conference room set was not directly connected to the large corridor set. This is evidenced by the wall behind Riker. This fake corridor wall is used if a set cannot be connected to the regular corridor set, like whenever the brig is seen. The wall was first seen in main engineering aboard the USS Hathaway in "Peak Performance".	"Peak Performance"	"The Hunted"		No changes
The ship's theater is a redress of Ten Forward. The set also appears in "The Nth Degree" and "Frame of Mind".		"Q Who"		The concert hall as it appears in TNG-R.
		"The Schizoid Man"
		"Q Who"
The three Vulcan symbols on the costumes of Ki Mendrossen and Perrin first appeared in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". The theater doors don't fully close when Sarek enters the room.		"Star Trek I"
It is hardly visible in SD, but the female violin player standing behind Data wears a 1st/2nd season uniform with the piping in the red division color on the shoulders, but already with the collar of the new uniform.				This is better visible in HD despite the limited depth of field.
Sarek's tear was added in post production.				The tear in HD.
The liquid timers in sickbay have appeared in several episodes since "We'll Always Have Paris". They also show up both in "Lower Decks" and in Star Trek: Lower Decks.	"Lower Decks"	LOW: "Much Ado About Boimler"		The props in HD.
Counselor Troi is again displaying a new painting in her office. Different pictures were seen in each earlier appearance of her office in "The Price" and "Hollow Pursuits".	"The Price"	"Hollow Pursuits"		No changes
Geordi is talking to a young boy in this Ten Forward scene. This is unusual, as children are normally not seen in the set. It is not known why an exception was made here.				A close-up of the boy.
After the starboard Ten Forward door was seen from the outside in "Q Who", the port door is seen here for the first time from the corridor leading to Ten Forward.		"Q Who"		No changes
A blue screen behind Picard's ready room window was covered in post production for the original episode.				This post production step was forgotten in one shot in the remastering. It is still not fixed in the Netflix release as of 2023.
We can see the Vulcan script from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" on Sakkath's costume as well.		"Star Trek I"		A better look at the costume in HD.
Someone left an episode script on the captain's chair.				No changes
As can be seen here, the other slanted windows in Sarek's quarters are also covered in this episode.				No changes
The ribbed frame of the ready room window can be nicely seen in this screenshot.				No changes
This is the last appearance of the celestial globe in Picard's ready room, after it was present in numerous episodes.		"The Schizoid Man"		No changes
This version of the Federation seal resembles the one seen on the Klingon bridge in TNG: "Heart of Glory". The emblem usually appears in blue/white.		"Heart of Glory"		No changes
Legara IV previously appeared as the eponymous planet in "Angel One" and as Minos in "The Arsenal of Freedom". It was also seen as Theta 116 VIII in "The Royale".	"The Arsenal of Freedom"	"The Royale"		Legara IV looks somewhat different than the three previous remastered green planets that were all the same in the original episodes.
The scene makes it seem as if Sarek is directly entering the Legaran conference room in this shot. The look through the door reveals, however, that he is entering sickbay opposite Crusher's office here, as the doors to the medical lab can be seen in the background. This was necessary, as the conference room was not directly connected to the corridor set. Sarek's costume too features the words from Spock's robe in "Star Trek I".				No changes
				No changes
The Mintakan tapestry, given to Picard at the end of "Who Watches the Watchers", is prominently seen in this scene.				An HD close-up of the tapestry.
The USS Enterprise-D in orbit of Legara IV.				Another good look at the remastered Legara IV.
Ki Mendrossen's costume was later worn by a Vulcan archaeologist in "Qpid".		"Qpid"		A better look at the costumes in HD.
The Vulcan jewelry/armor Sarek wears on his shoulders was originally seen on Vulcan guards at the end of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock".		"Star Trek III"		A better look at the costumes in HD.
A final look at Legara IV.				Another look at the remastered planet.