'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Remastered in HD Using Machine Learning

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has long been the black sheep of the Star Trek franchise. It's fan adore the series, but it's dark tone and being set on a space station put off many longtime Star Trek fans. Its fans would love to see Deep Space Nine get the same HD remastering that Star Trek: The Next Generation received for its Blu-ray release. The logistics suggest that it will never happen, as Deep Space Nine Blu-rays are unlikely to sell well enough to justify the cost of the remaster. One fan took it upon himself to offer a glimpse at what a remastered Deep Space Nine could look like.

Stefan Rumen, aka CaptRobau, is the fan behind the Final Fantasy VII HD remake mod. He used the same neural networking technology to enhance scenes from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, giving them an HD sheen. Enhancing live-action television is a difficult task. It is also a different challenge than enhancing the pre-rendered elements of a game like Final Fantasy VII. Because of this, CaptRobau's enhancements don't live up to the quality of The Next Generation's Blu-ray release — and who would expect them to? — but they do show the potential in an HD remaster of the series. You can take a look in the video above.

Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr helped helm a documentary about the series. Titled What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the film will release with scenes from the show updated in high definition. Behr delayed the release of the film to make sure the scenes were completed, as he feels this will be the only chance to see such an update.

"[T]his is an opportunity, perhaps the only opportunity for years to come to show how great Deep Space Nine look in HD, and I'm afraid I can't pass that up," Behr said in an update in December. "And...the guys, they came around, and I hope you will too. So in spite of the cost, in spite of this annoying delay, that's what we're going to do."

Last week, Shout! Studios announced its acquisition of the distribution rights to What We Left Behind. The studio is pursuing several distribution platforms, including a theatrical release.

"Deep Space Nine has a passionate fanbase—as shown by the successful crowdfunding campaign that brought this movie to life—and we're thrilled to share their love of and dedication to the show by bringing the What We Left Behind to an even wider audience," said Michael Ribas, vice president of marketing at Shout! Studios when it announced the acquisition.

Do you hope that Deep Space Nine gets a full HD remastering one day? Let us know how you feel in the comments.

(h/t io9)

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