I am in the process of moving. Saying that I am counting my chickens (it is not all confirmed yet) but I wanted to get a head start so I am putting stuff in bags. Once again I am becoming aware just how much stuff I have accumulated and I am a bit annoyed at my past self.
…your living areas are bursting with useless junk. Then you die, your relatives sell everything, and start the cycle all over again.
Odo (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Q-Less)
None, or virtually none, of the accumulated stuff would be worth anything which makes getting rid of stuff a bit easier. I have books, CDs and DVDs and many of them will be able to go.
You might be wondering why I am keeping some of this stuff. I wonder the same thing sometimes. So why don’t I get rid of it all and rely on streaming services? One word: change.
Buffy is the most extreme example of which I am aware. I am keeping my Buffy dvds because I don’t want to not have the best version of the show. The Friends DVDs have the full version – last time I looked on Netflix they were the shorter broadcast version.
This can also effect music, although less directly, owing to the various versions of the song – and often the same artist has many versions. This means having to give very specific instructions: Okay, Google. Play: Deep Space Nice Opening Credits season 4-7. For example.
That is not to say that all remastering is bad. I don’t own these but the remastered Star Trek: The Original Series is outstanding. They did an excellent job and managed to keep the spirit of the show. The episode The Doomsday Machine in particular looks amazing. To my eyes the special efforts blend well with the live action. It still has a 60s feel. The Blu-ray, I’m given to understand, has the option of playing the old or new version. This is the perfect compromise between old and new. Actually it is better than a compromise. A compromise means not getting all that you want – normally a fact of life – in this instance a thing not required.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Star Wars. Star Wars has been changed many times. Some changes make sense, such as a tidying up of the images and improving things like the Death Star explosion, but in other places unnecessary CGI has been added, and some scenes are worse off for them. To me the best example is Vader’s turn at the end of Jedi. The silence of it perfectly communicates what he is going through. We don’t need him to say anything. Now he says: ‘Nooo’.
At this juncture someone usual mentions that the film makers made it they can change it. And so they can – no argument. The problem is when a decision is taken that there is one true version. If Blu-rays were released of the original trilogy with just a bit of a clean up but otherwise untouched they would sell so well. You know they would. In closing I just want to say: ‘Han shot first!’
I also want to say that this post is the very definition of a first world problem. I know this. I know it is unimportant. Given the heaviness of the news recently I wanted something light for this week.
Places are coming out of lock down now. So I hope you are all doing well as we begin to get back to the new normal.
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.
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