After the HD remaster of TNG suffered poor Blu-ray sales, Paramount deemed a DS9 remaster financially unviable.
The focus on Season 1 in 2020 was strategic. Season 1 of DS9 is the weakest in terms of story ("Move Along Home" anyone?) but it is visually the most important to prove concept. It contains the highest volume of optical effects (ship models shot on film) mixed with early CG. If the AI could handle the clunky energy tendrils of the "Emissary" pilot, it could handle anything.
: Background elements that were previously lost—such as the fine text on LCARS displays or the intricate textures of the promenade—become visible for the first time in a way that mimics 1080p. The "Waxy" Artifact Problem Skin Textures
The Holy Grail of Modern Sci-Fi: The 2020 Deep Space Nine 4K AI Upscale Movement star trek deep space 9 s01 ai upscale 4k 2020
For the DS9 fan, watching this upscale is like putting on glasses for the first time. The stories—the tension of "Duet," the paean of "Emissary"—hit harder when you are not distracted by macroblocking. While we may never get a studio-backed 4K DS9, 2020 showed that the spirit of Star Trek—innovation, community, and boldly going where no one has gone before—is alive and well in the fan restoration scene.
The specific software often used in these circles is . The software is trained on millions of low-res/high-res image pairs. When presented with a blurry frame from 1993 DS9, the AI recognizes patterns—skin texture, metal grating, fabric weaves—and reconstructs them in high definition.
Here is everything you need to know about this innovative fan project, from its technical foundations to how you can create or watch it for yourself. After the HD remaster of TNG suffered poor
The Final Frontier in Ultra-HD: The 2020 AI Upscale Revolution of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 1
He pointed at a shadowy figure in the background of the docking ring. A figure that had never been in the original shot. A figure with cold, Vulcan-like ears, wearing a tattered Starfleet uniform from a century in the future.
The DVD source had notoriously flat, washed-out colors and a slight red push. The 2020 upscale project included a manual color pass, boosting contrast and bringing the blacks to true level. This was critical for DS9’s setting—the dark, moody interiors of the station needed depth, not muddy gray. It contains the highest volume of optical effects
: Because the source is interlaced video, rapid movements can occasionally cause shimmering or "ghosting" artifacts that the AI struggle to interpret correctly. CGI and Special Effects Mixed Results
Consequently, Deep Space Nine remained trapped in a 480p standard-definition format, a look that appears soft, muddy, and filled with digital artifacts like jagged lines (aliasing) on modern 4K televisions. For nearly two decades, this was the only way to watch the acclaimed series. The DS9UP emerged directly from this frustration, aiming to harness the new power of AI to give the show a new lease on life.