What additional scenes would have made episodes better?

[CrazyMatt]

While/after watching an episode, I'm sure many of us have thought "I would have really liked to have seen that," or "If they had shown that, then I would understand the plot better."

For example, at the end of "Wink of An Eye," it would have made our heroes look a lot better--and provided a more satisfying ending--if they had actually proposed, or better yet, found a solution to the Scalosian's plight (instead of moving directly from 'Kirk wins' to 'Goodbye Deela,' making it appear that Kirk didn't give a flying crap about if they lived or died).

How about you? Is there a scene in an episode you wish had been filmed and included in the final cut that would have made the episode significantly better or filled in some key missing info?

(note: for the purpose of this thought experiment, please ignore the reality that each filmed episode had to be a finite length... otherwise it becomes a thread on the writing and editing--not the intention here (but maybe another idea or two to explore).

 

[Corylea]

There's a whole subset of fan fiction where the scenes that should have been included are provided by the author. Of course, some of that is just romantic stuff that would never actually have been included, but some of the stories are about scenes that could legitimately have been aired.

There's a ton of stuff I would like to have seen; I think we could probably go through each episode. Taking the first episode made after the pilot, I would have liked to have seen a coda to "The Corbomite Maneuver" where Kirk, McCoy, and Scotty teach Spock to play poker. In my imagination, Spock grasps the probabilities quickly, can count cards better than humans ... and wipes the floor with his teachers.

Let's see, what's next? "Mudd's Women," anyone?

 

[Spock's Barber]

I'm thinking of "The Devil in the Dark". An ending shot of the miners working next to the mother Horta and her baby Hortas would have been cool.

 

[EnsignHarper]

There's a whole subset of fan fiction where the scenes that should have been included are provided by the author. Of course, some of that is just romantic stuff that would never actually have been included, but some of the stories are about scenes that could legitimately have been aired.

There's a ton of stuff I would like to have seen; I think we could probably go through each episode. Taking the first episode made after the pilot, I would have liked to have seen a coda to "The Corbomite Maneuver" where Kirk, McCoy, and Scotty teach Spock to play poker. In my imagination, Spock grasps the probabilities quickly, can count cards better than humans ... and wipes the floor with his teachers.

Let's see, what's next? "Mudd's Women," anyone?

except:

a) Kirk occasionally beat Spock at chess

b) "Vulcans never bluff

also - Data lost at poker to any number of the 1701-D people

 

[Corylea]

I would have liked to have seen a coda to "The Corbomite Maneuver" where Kirk, McCoy, and Scotty teach Spock to play poker. In my imagination, Spock grasps the probabilities quickly, can count cards better than humans ... and wipes the floor with his teachers.

except:

a) Kirk occasionally beat Spock at chess

b) "Vulcans never bluff

also - Data lost at poker to any number of the 1701-D people

1. Chess is mostly strategy, and Kirk excels at strategy, so I think it's reasonable that he beats Spock at chess occasionally. Poker is about probabilities, and the guy who could work on time warp calculations in his head while holding a conversation with McCoy (in the transporter room in "Tomorrow is Yesterday") should be able to calculate probabilities -- in his head and on the fly -- superlatively.

2. Surely you don't believe Spock when he says Vulcans do this and Vulcans don't do that? He tells the Romulan commander that Vulcans don't lie in "The Enterprise Incident," then proceeds to tell her a number of whoppers. I always figured that "Vulcans never X" WAS Spock bluffing.

3. Data is an android; Spock is a Vulcan-human hybrid. Those aren't the same thing!

But as I said, this is just in my own mind; you get to write your "after the credits" fan fiction however you like.

 

[johnnybear]

The Enterprise crew landing on Melkot and meeting their leaders or The ship reaching a star base and depositing the Romulan commander before leaving for their next mission! Kirk beams Kang and crew over to a klingon ship on the edge of The Klingon neutral zone or Kirk and Spock leaving the Paradise planet after burying Miramanee! The ideas are endless!
JB

 

[Push The Button]

I read that there was a scene in the script for A Taste of Armageddon where Scotty and McCoy discuss (argue over?) whether or not they will follow through with executing GO24 if and when the deadline had passed, I think the story needed those few moments of Scotty having to deal with the implications of what he was ordered to do.

 

[BillJ]

Ron Tracey fighting the Yangs in "The Omega Glory" and a shot of the Horta chamber full of thousands of eggs in "The Devil in the Dark".

 

[Gassy Man]

I thought that Star Trek's episodes were well written and subsequently edited -- even the crappy ones in the third season. The only thing I wanted to see was more starships and more varieties to provide the illusion of an actual Starfleet,

 

[Melakon]

If Kirk were required to have one shirtless scene in every episode, Shatner might have kept his weight down.

 

[CrazyMatt]

I thought that Star Trek's episodes were well written and subsequently edited -- even the crappy ones in the third season. The only thing I wanted to see was more starships and more varieties to provide the illusion of an actual Starfleet,

YES!

 

[Maurice]

I read that there was a scene in the script for A Taste of Armageddon where Scotty and McCoy discuss (argue over?) whether or not they will follow through with executing GO24 if and when the deadline had passed, I think the story needed those few moments of Scotty having to deal with the implications of what he was ordered to do.

That's covered by Sir Rhosis on his Orion Press piece on the episode:

EXT. ENTERPRISE - ORBITING SHOT - ESTABLISHING

INT. BRIDGE

Scott is sitting silently in the command seat. McCoy stands
by, staring sympathetically at him. There is a long moment
of silence.

McCOY
Are you going to do it?

SCOTT
You heard the captain. The order
was clear.

McCOY
They'll die down there.

SCOTT
Blast you, McCoy! Don't you
think I know that?​

McCoy stares at him, shakes his head, turns away and stands
there silently, staring at nothing. The bridge is totally silent.

 

[plynch]

"Blast you, McCoy"?

Sounds like bad fan film dialog.

Though I know this was in the pre- everyone's on a first name basis, like now. Was watching Adam-12 while we briefly had the cable, and even the everyday sarge, "Mac" calls veteran Pete Molloy, "Molloy." I've heard it came from WWII and peacetime draft where every male wore their last name only, on their shirt for two years.