The actual AI upscaling was also not a "one-click" process. The project's creator tested dozens of different AI models and settings within Topaz VEAI, each with a codename like "Artemis" and "Gaia-CG," to find the best balance of sharpness, detail, and reduction of artifacts. The sheer compute power required was staggering: the test rigs included an AMD Threadripper 3990X CPU with an RTX 2080 GPU, and processing a single episode could sometimes take . This painstaking work, however, led to the creation of groundbreaking "presets" like "Rubicon," which were later shared with the community to help others get better results faster.
While TNG received a multi-million dollar, painstaking manual remaster to 1080p (and later 4K upscales), DS9 was left behind. The reason? Economics. TNG was shot on 35mm film (easy to rescan) but edited on video tape. DS9 (and Voyager) were shot on film but had their visual effects (CGI ships, phaser fire, Dominion bugs) rendered in standard definition (480i). To remaster DS9 properly would mean rebuilding every VFX shot from scratch—a cost CBS deemed too high for a “serialized” show that didn’t sell as well in syndication.
Here is a deep dive into how the "Star Trek Deep Space 9 S01 AI Upscale 4K 2020" workflow happened, why it looks so much better, and why it represents the future of television preservation. star+trek+deep+space+9+s01+ai+upscale+4k+2020+better
The Definitive Review: Does the 2020 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine S01 AI 4K Upscale Actually Look Better?
The early 2020s marked a major turning point for fans of 1990s television sci-fi, driven by breakthroughs in consumer-accessible artificial intelligence. Among the most sought-after candidates for visual preservation was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Unlike its predecessor The Next Generation , which received a costly, native HD remaster from the original 35mm film elements, DS9 remained locked in standard definition. However, around 2020, dedicated community projects proved that AI video upscaling could finally bridge the gap, offering fans a glimpse of what a 4k presentation of the show's pilot season could look like. The Standard Definition Bottleneck The actual AI upscaling was also not a "one-click" process
To help you get the best viewing experience or learn more about the technical process behind these episodes,
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) has long been considered a narrative masterpiece of the 24th-century Trek canon, yet its visual presentation has suffered from being trapped in 480p DVD resolution. Unlike The Next Generation , DS9 was not fully remastered in high definition by CBS, leaving fans seeking alternative methods to experience the dark, gritty Dominion War-era saga in modern fidelity. This painstaking work, however, led to the creation
Look for "Project Defiant DS9 4K" or "QueerWorm DS9 AI Upscale" to find the most commonly cited, well-regarded versions.
Links to projects that focus on 1440p vs. 4K, which often yield better results for SD content.