And I'm a huge Trek fan.

I haven't seen any of the modified episodes, but based on stills I'd say Tom is quite right about the job they've done.

Thing is, an artist like Hitchcock put on film pretty much exactly what he wanted to put on film, from my readings. Altering his work would be like applying fingerpaints to an original Renoir.

But the TOS experience was vastly different. The wires and matte lines are visible in effects shots because they had neither the budget nor the technology to do a better job. Their fx budget, if I recall correctly, was about $5k per episode, a pittance even in adjusted dollars. The only logical assumption (if you'll permit me) is that they'd have gladly done a better job on the effects at the time if they'd could.

Now, if the quality of the effects was actually due to an aesthetic choice, as in the case of, say, Saul of the Molemen, it would be a different story...specifically, the whole fingerpaints and Renoir thingy again.