The previous post hit it dead-on: increasing pressure on the writers for the final season of the show and introduction of TNG to the big screen was a lot to undertake in 2 year period. These guys were pretty much burnt out. Ron Moore noted in an interview that it was a miracle the TNG finale, "All Good Things", turned out so great.
I really like that proposed alternate ending. Would have been much better.
Of course, it doesn't address one problem I have with the film, which is the fact that they destroyed the Enterprise-D in the first place. I would have liked to have seen it get more screentime in at least one more film, and I think having the Enterprise-D would have made First Contact more interesting in that it's the Enterprise we know getting assimilated and not some brand new one to which we've just been introduced.
I agree that the Enterprise-D needed one more film (at least). The whole purpose of my alternate ending, though, was to take as much as was filmed as possible, and tweak it into a better ending.
The reason they destroyed the Ent-D, however, was that they would have had to build a completely new model of it, because it really was not detailed enought for film use. This why we never get a good look at it in Generations.
And then they thought they might as well build a new ship for the movie series, thus the Ent-E.
Alot of the shots were CGI though (at least the ones of it going to warp), and the saucer crash required them to build a huge new model of the saucer section anyway, which still wasn't large enough because that sequence looks pretty crappy and doesn't nearly have the right amount of scale on film (I remember reading in some article that the budget forced them to make a saucer only half as big as they would have liked for the model work in those shots - it shows).
I also didn't like how incompetent they made Harriman look, especially considering the guy is the Captain of the Enterprise, the top ship in the fleet. The books do a great job of fleshing out Harriman character into a strong, confident, and decisive person, instead of the person who could only say "Tuesday" and then quickly defer to Kirk in Generations, but unfortunately the books aren't considered to be canon.
Love that ending Nathan. It would've rounded off Generations in a very satisfying way, but the film still wouldn't be able to shake off the whole 'big budget episode' feeling that it has. Many of the shots of the Enterprise are Scope versions of what we saw week after week in TNG, and the use of re-framed ST:VI footage of the Klingon ship blowing up is inexcusable. That's not to say that Trek film-makers haven't done this before, because they have, but it just felt so cheap to deny a spectacular end to the Enterprise-D's final adversary. I guess they blew their cash on the saucer crash, with thrilling (but also kinda odd-looking) results.
And yet, in spite of all this (and the fact that the Nexus is an incredibly lazy plot device that really does cheapen the whole film) I still enjoy Generations, so I'm eagerly awaiting the new DVD. It'd be nice if it had dts, as the sound on the original DVD felt very low-key. The AC3 on the LD sounds much better, but things like the saucer crash still lack a certain something.
Just saw the first half of this last night just before bed. Man I love this movie. Is it my favorite? no, not even second or third on the list but DAMN it's good. Seeing those first few minutes with the Classic crew were gold.
I could not stand Captain Harriman I admit. Yes to have an incompetent captain on the Enterprise is not only un-realistic but just plain stupid. That scene could have work just as good if not better with Kirk helping a competent captain rather than "rescuing" a loser that slipped through the rigourous Star Fleet Academy.
That aside however the initial death scene
still brought a tear to my eye even though I knew he wasn't really dead
.
Basically I agree with many that it needed work. Yes I was just as annoyed at having Data reduced to comedy relief. Man those scenes with him joking and laughing are SO annoying. And I am very much dreading watching the end tonight for those final minutes. Killing Kirk off
like that is an insult to him and the fans. useless. they should have just left him in the Nexus
.
But the movie is still so much Star Trek fun. Seeing picard tell Troy about his family... man, how can you not brake down and cry with him. Ok maybe I am just to sensitive, my wife thinks I am nuts to have tears over a Sci-Fi movie but damn Patrick Stewart makes you feel it!
And Sorrin, great bad guy. Don't tell me and other "single" Next Gen movie had a bad guy as good as this. Motives we can almost relate to and a performance... WOW.
They say that time is the fire in which we burn..." CLASSIC!
Can't wait for the SE so I can finally have it in all it's anamorphic glory! And a re-cut with added scenes would just send me over the edge. Here's hoping!
Just watched the Babylon 5 series finale Sleeping in Light (for the first time since it aired in 1998), and I can't help but think that this is the kind of send-off that Capt. Kirk should have gotten. Seeing Sleeping in Light with all the emotion, purpose and affection that was obviously put into it, it seems to me even more that Generations shortchanged Trek fans and the character of Kirk.
Or they could have just brought Kirk back in Star Trek 8 as Shatner did in one of his books. I cannot remember the title right now but Kirk is brought back to life by the Borg after dying in Star Trek 7. Spock is involved throughout the book and the plot follows closely the story told in Star Trek 8(I always wanted to know who had the idea for this story first-the Shatner book or the movie-they are too closely related to be completely independent). I much preferred that outcome than the ending of Generations-I refuse to watch that movie due to the way Kirk dies. Same thing with Nemesis now-I enjoyed the first part of the flick but when it became a carbon copy of The Wrath of Khan, I will never watch it again. It's time for Berman to be replaced as the arbiter of all things Trek if it is to have a future in this 21st century.
Please take all this with a grain of salt until the official announcement is made. Should be any day now.
Disc 1 -Audio Commentary by Brannon Braga and Ron Moore -Text Commentary by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda
Disc 2 The Star Trek Universe -A Tribute to Matt Jefferies -The Enterprise Lineage -Captain Picard's Family Album -Creating 24th Century Weapons Production -Uniting Two Legends -Stellar Cartography: Creating the Illusion -Strange New Worlds: The Valley of Fire Visual Effects -Inside ILM: Models and Miniatures -Crashing the Enterprise Scene Deconstruction -Main Title Sequence -The Nexus Ribbon -Saucer Crash Sequence Deleted Scenes -Orbital Skydiving -Walking the Plank -Christmas with the Picards -Alternate Ending Archives -Storyboards -Production Gallery Trailers -Teaser Trailer -Theatrical Trailer
Video -Widescreen 1.85:1 Color
Audio -ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 -ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround -ENGLISH: DTS Surround -FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles -English
A couple things.
One: it doesn't mention anamorphic but I think that's a given anyway. The film's aspect ratio is 2.35:1, not 1.85:1.
Two: no director on the commentary? That's a Trek first. Maybe David Carson wasn't available. Or maybe these specs are BS. We'll just have to wait and see.
Three: DTS?? I guess anything's possible. Who knows?
Oooh...the deleted scenes include the skydiving scene and an (perhaps the) 'alternate ending'? The option of dts would be great too. If that info is genuine, this looks like a good set.