But from the very first STAR TREK sequel, on, this has been used ... sometimes, entire sequences, practically, like in TWoK. And, to be fair, it does look - to the untrained eye, at least - as though there had been some additions to the Bird of Prey explosion, like more, or different, debris and some generic fire. I'm confident that this pivitol TUC moment had been somehow modified for Generations.
I personally doubt it, but I'm not about to pop in my DVDs or searching on YouTube to double-check. It seems to me that any effort to differentiate the footage defeats the purpose of reusing the SFX in the first place. The entire point is to save time and money.
I personally don't have an issue with the TMP drydock sequence being reused in TWOK, as I'd imagine that the
Enterprise leaving drydock looks more or less the same every time.
Yes, even that one guy in the spacesuit waving to the ship.