Star Trek Generations CE DVD?? (1 Viewer)

[Bryan Tuck]

Sounds like a pretty good set. I'll surely grab this, even though it's my least favorite film in the entire series (there are some strong points that I like, however).

Lack of trailers is disappointing, especially since the packaging states they're on there. Weren't they on the original DVD? That is really strange; I too wonder what happened there.

 

[Rolando]

nope, this was the only original release that did NOT have the teaser/trailer.

 

[Frank@N]

Hope the case is black.

Also wish that they would use a slim-double, since there won't be an insert anyway.

 

[Bill Williams]

Bill Hunt did an excellent job with his pre-release review of the new set, but there are some solid points to bring up (Bill, hope you get a chance to respond! )

First, he states in the conclusion of his review that the three "Next Generation" sequels didn't financially exceed the $75 million box-office receipts of "Generations". While that may be true with "Insurrection" ($68 million) and "Nemesis" ($43 million), that's not the case with "First Contact". It brought in around $92 million in its release and remains the most financially successful of the four TNG films.

Second, he mentions that the alternate ending contained no finished visual effects. I'm assuming that this was taken from the first workprint assembly, dated 6-22-1994. There was a second workprint version of the film, circa August 1994, which contained the alternate ending as well as the alternate Picard/Nexus sequence, and the alternate ending in the second version contained finished visual effects. For that matter, the second workprint assembly had a temp track all the way throughout the film, using music from TNG, "Star Trek V", "Star Trek VI", "JFK", "Dances With Wolves", "Aliens", and "Clear and Present Danger", among others.

This leads to my next question, and probably one that will merit quite a bit of debate here. Now that we will get the original alternate ending on the DVD, which ending is better, the original alternate ending, or the version represented in the final released film? (And believe it or not, some 12-15 seconds of footage from that alternate ending is actually used in the final version.) For that matter, which version of the Picard/Nexus sequence works better, the original unreleased version, or the final version in the film? (My pick for the latter sequence: the final film version.)

Also, notice Bill's description of the ending being re-shot. Clever word play here, or a spoiler tip-off?

And where was the complete version of the Soran/Geordi sequence? Why Paramount chose not to include the rest of this footage and instead selected something of lesser importance is beyond me.

 

[Daniel Kikin]

Also, there is a scene where Geordi brings a shuttle to pick up Picard after he burys Kirk, is that inlcuded in the alternate ending?

 

[Ric Easton]

No Trailer? You have got to be kidding me? I loved this trailer! I love all the ST Trailers! The only thing I have it on is a crappy VHS tape. I wanted to see if I could burn all the ST Trailers onto one DVD! I know most of you probably think I'm crazy, but I am very disappointed in this news. Tell me it's a mistake.

Ric

 

[Bill Williams]

Just got word from a buddy of mine who has a pre-release copy for review, and he's confirmed it: the trailers are NOT on the DVD.

It wouldn't be the first time, Ric, that PHE has done this to one of its Trek films. They did it last year with the Nemesis DVD - no teaser or theatrical trailer on that DVD, though the teaser was on the TNG Season 5 DVD set.

 

[Bill Hunt]

Bill,

When I spoke of the following films, you'll recall I also mentioned lackluster storytelling in addition to the declining box office. I didn't care for First Contact as much as others did. I thought the Borg were poorly used, personally, and I never liked the idea of a Borg queen. That's one of those campy things done to give young male Trekkies a cheap thrill, and I've never liked that aspect of Trek. It tends to undermind the serious aspects of the story. Read my review of First Contact for my thoughts on that:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/review...stcontact.html

As for the Generations: SCE, all of the deleted footage contained on the disc has NO visual effects finished.

As for the original ending, personally, I quite liked the basic IDEA. At least Kirk didn't fall off a Bridge. The execution was a little lackluster however. I thought parts of the original ending could have been reshot to really ratchet up the tension - parts of the fight and the actual ending to the fight - and it would have been effective.

I agree with you on the Picard/Nexus footage. And I also wish the complete Soran/Geordi scene had been included. But, as it was, I'd bet the studio felt a little uncomfortable with a white guy who had a black guy strapped into a chair torturing him, so they ultimately trimmed it. But the scene would at least have given Soran more badly-needed screen time.


Daniel,

Yes, the brief scene with Geordi and Worf showing up to pick Picard up in the Shuttle Hawking IS in the alternate ending footage.


Ric,

No mistake on the trailer that I can see. I went over every inch of the disc and couldn't find it.

 

[Britton]

It really is a shame that the trailer isn't on the disc. Generations came out the same year I started at a new school and it was all I talked about for the first couple of months there. I would have liked to have watched the trailers and TV spots that were part of the marketing campaign that destroyed my social life for the next 5 years because I was branded a nerd.

 

[Daniel Kikin]

Thanks for the confirmation Bill, I was always curious about that scene since I saw the pictures from it in the novelization and calendar.

 

[Bill Williams]

Excellent analysis, Bill. I can also verify that the original ending, in the second workprint assembly of the film, runs about half the length, about 6-7 minutes, so obviously there was quite a bit of extraneous material that got cut even from the first assembly of footage.

You do have an interesting perspective on the original cut of the Soran/Geordi torture scene, one I hadn't considered until now. The original length of the scene ran about four and a half minutes long and really explained some things that were alluded to in the final film yet weren't explained. Those details were heavily evident in the first workprint assembly, and Geordi displayed significant bravery in the scene. In the second workprint version, part of the scene is cut by a third to just under three minutes, and some of the actual torture is removed - very likely for the reasons you suggested. That sequence would then be trimmed down even further in the final version, leaving things a bit vague - again, very possibly for the reasons you brought up.

I did a lengthy analysis for TrekWeb of all three versions of the film about three years ago and noticed so many significant and subtle differences that would astound most people. Of course, the cutting down of a picture to a suitable running time is commonplace in cinema, but if we'd seen the film as originally conceived and prepared, it would have gone about 2 1/2 hours long - and that's not counting the reshoots done for the Picard/Nexus sequence and the reshot finale.

In any event, this will be one interesting DVD to pick up when it comes out.

 

[Ric Easton]

Man, I cannot tell you how disappointed I am about no trailers. I love to see how a movie is marketed and sometimes a good trailer is an artform in and of itself.

Yep, I remembered that Nemesis was alos missing the trailers, I assumed that this would be corrected in a collector's edition. Now, I guess we can't assume anything.

Is anyone aware of the Generations trailer available on any other DVD?

They didn't happen to stick it on the new TOS season one set, did they?

Ric

 

[Tony Whalen]

So Ric, when you gonna update your cover for this one?

 

[Jaxon's Dad]

I'm bummed over the lack of trailers also. Any chance of getting an explanation from Paramount? Anyone with isider info? This rots.

 

[ZackR]

Like Ric,



I am VERY interested to know if the Generations trailer is on any other DVD somewhere...it is really annoying when studios leave off the trailers.



Oh well, I will still pick this up, but I am disappointed. I absolutely LOVE trailers.

 

[Sean Laughter]

quote:Also, notice Bill's description of the ending being re-shot. Clever word play here, or a spoiler tip-off?



Anyone that's read the novelization of the film knows the answer to that. In fact, if memory serves the novelization is basically the uncut and un-reshot version of the film, from the scene with Geordi and Soran to the ending (can't remember what the Picard/Nexus sequence was in the novelizaton though.



I'm also bummed about the trailers being missing. I don't remember much about the actual trailer, but the first teaser was nothing but shots from the TV show (including some Scotty shots from the episode "Relics") edited together at a fast pace with I believe the TV show theme playing over it. I remember, because I saw it during the previews when I saw "Forrest Gump" - the teaser was definately the only thing worth seeing that night.

I prefer the First Contact trailers to the Generation ones though. The first FC trailer with that huge Borg version of that weird Starfleet insignia was really cool on the big screen IMO.

 

[Moore Maxx]

Could the trailer possibly be included on a Best Buy bonus disc? Have they released any bonus discs for any of the other films?



Maxx

 

[Ric Easton]

quote:So Ric, when you gonna update your cover for this one?

Give me one or two days after release date. It should be a fairly easy update.



Well, I found my precious Generations trailers! They are on the following VHS tapes in dreaded Fullscreen...


William Shatner's Star Trek Memories

From Here to Infinity: The Ultimate Voyage - Hosted by Patrick Stewart.


Both tapes have the same trailer, its about 2 and a half minutes. If anyone finds this thing in a wider aspect ratio than 3x4, please let me know!



Ric

 

[Devin_C]

"From Here to Infinity: The Ultimate Voyage - Hosted by Patrick Stewart." - That's in the recently release Picard Collection on DVD, but it doesn't sound like the Generations trailer made it to there...

 

[Bill Williams]

Unfortunately, the "Generations" theatrical trailer or even the teaser trailer are not on any of the recent DVDs, not Star Trek: TOS Season 1, not the Picard Collection, not the Voyager sets, nothing. And it wasn't even on the first single-disc release of the film, either. Oh well...


To date, the only bonus disc that Best Buy has included on any of the Trek films has been the little mini CD-ROM with the "Nemesis" DVD last year. And all that had was basically screensavers and photos.