Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - pilot "Awakening" missing scene

The 1979 broadcast version of this pilot was included in 2013 as an extra on the Season 2 DVD re-release. Unfortunately, a scene is missing.

It's the scene in which Dr. Theopolis shows Buck footage of the "holocaust" in which civilization was destroyed, explains the causes of its destruction, and refers to "Anarchia" (the 25th-century name for the ruins of Chicago). This scene would have to take place during the 16 hours Buck spends in the room with Dr. Theopolis just after being brought back to Earth.

Anyone know if this scene can be found anywhere on the interwebs?

 

I've been a fan of Buck Rogers since 1979, and this is the first I've ever heard of such a scene. The broadcast version on the DVD is exactly the way I remember it.

I hope you find it though, I'd love to see that.

 

I remember the scene. I don't know if it was in the broadcast version of "Awakening" or in the theatrical release. I was disappointed when it wasn't in the DVD of the episode I got (or the version on Netflix, which is the DVD version).

 

It was in the broadcast version. I have a clear memory of seeing it during the original transmission in 1979.

With this scene absent, it makes no sense for Buck to ask Wilma "Tell me about the holocaust" or to ask his home computer system "Tell me about Anarchia." He wouldn't even know enough to ask about those topics by name. Dr. Theopolis gave him sketchy information on those subjects in the missing scene, which admittedly is pure exposition but really shouldn't have been left off the DVD.

 

^Maybe the "footage of the holocaust" was stock footage licensed from another source, so the DVD distributors couldn't get the rights to it.

 

Guess that is possible. I just remember explosions and burning buildings, and maybe some decimated forests or something.

Buck was looking at a small screen, which may have actually been Theo using his own face as a screen.

 

Agree. As a boy in September 1979, I watched "Awakening" and later in the '80s purchased the VHS of the 1979 movie that it was originally released as. I do remember this scene.

 

But it wouldn't have been on the VHS, or at least I assume not?

 

Yes, I do not remember which one of the two I saw it from, just that I saw it.

 

Maybe someone who still has an early VHS release could enlighten us.

 

I just looked at the VHS the scene as you described is not shown. The holocaust is discussed in later scenes and Buck goes out to see the ruins of Chicago in which Dr. Theopolis on Twiki tells Buck about the horror of it, but no footage of the 1987 war.

 

Thanks. Elusive little scene, isn't it?

 

I wonder if it could be a deleted scene that was shown at a convention years after the fact, and THAT is what the OP is remembering? I have both the broadcast and theatrical versions on DVD, and neither have it.

Right after I first frond this thread, I went looking for my copy of the novelization, hoping to find the scene there, but now, I can't find the book. The only thing I DID discover is that my bookcases are not filed the way I thought they were.

 

^I didn't even know there was a novelization. I collected plenty of novelizations at the time, but I can't recall ever coming across that one. I did have one issue of the comics adaptation, though. Just one issue. I don't know why.

 

The TV version of the pilot movie is on Netflix with the missing scenes that were not in the movie.

-Chris

 

Book gnomes!

Nope, never been to a convention in my life. It was broadcast in 1979 and that scene stuck with me.

 

Yep. It was titled simply "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" and it was written by Addison E Steele, who wrote a second book called "That Man on Beta", which If I remember correctly, was an original novel using the TV characters. You can find both on Amazon.

 

It would be interesting to see what the novelization has to say.

It's kind of unsatisfying knowing that Buck spends 16 hours talking to Theo and yet never getting to hear any of it. That's a critical time for Buck, and we later hear him apologizing to Wilma for how he acted "yesterday," so it certainly begs the question of what happened in between to mellow him.

I'm glad there are some other people who remember this lost scene.

 

Addison Steele sounds like a pulp character himself. "Addison Steele in the 24 and 1/2 Century!!!!"

 

Direct descendant of Remington.