I don’t think it’s a bad idea to be slavishly copying the original 60s visual effects.  I just think it should be done more accurately.  That way, when you do go off and do new shots or compositions, the setup is already there and the look of the new shot will be consistent with the rest of the show.  Above are my interpretations of the standard Blue phasers and then the special “proximity phasers” shown in “Balance of Terror”.  Click on the above pictures to see a larger view of this shots. My version of the shot from the show can be seen by clicking the smaller link above.