Have Episodes Been Split Up / Merged?

[CaptainXaviOfEarth]

The Powers That Be might talk more about this at a later date, but I’ve just heard that:

• The original episodes 1 and 2 were stretched out into three episodes.

• The original episodes 7 and 8 were combined together into one episode, with a little bit of original episode 8 edited into original episode 9, to become the new episode 8 that airs next week.

Any evidence of this being the case?

 

[Tuskin38]

They've been saying since before the show started production that it would be 10 episodes long.

 

[AndorianAle]

Frakes said he directed a couple episodes before they adjusted the story and asked him to reprise his role as Riker. So the story itself has been in flux well into the process, so it’s possible.

 

[CaptainXaviOfEarth]

They've been saying since before the show started production that it would be 10 episodes long.

And?

If they added an episode (splitting episode 2 in two episodes) and removed another (merging episodes 7 and 8), that would still equal 10.

 

[DaveyNY]

Why does it even matter?
We're still getting TEN Episodes.

Let's go back to discussing the loss of "Gene's Vision", at least that's interesting.

 

[Tuskin38]

Frakes said he directed a couple episodes before they adjusted the story and asked him to reprise his role as Riker. So the story itself has been in flux well into the process, so it’s possible.

Though Chabon said that wasn’t true, Riker was intended to be in from the start.

I think Frakes just worded it weird.

 

[Relayer1]

Let's go back to discussing the loss of "Gene's Vision", at least that's interesting.

It is ?

 

[ATimson]

The original episodes 1 and 2 were stretched out into three episodes.

Any evidence of this being the case?

The writing credits on the first three episodes argue against this. If so, it was done at the script stage, not during editing.

 

[The Wormhole]

First I heard about any of this. It is true the first three episodes were edited together for the premiere screening, but they were always intended to be released as separate episodes.

 

[Lord Garth]

It is ?

It was. Then, before we knew it, it was 1993.

 

[CaptainXaviOfEarth]

The writing credits on the first three episodes argue against this. If so, it was done at the script stage, not during editing.

I fail to understand this. The same bunch of writers wrote all three, suggesting it could easily be two episodes edited into three episodes.

Where is Doug Aarniokoski’s 2nd episode?

 

[Campe]

This matters... why?

 

[gvn2fly]

Some of the scenes for episode 2 and 3 were filmed later in the show's production cycle when they realized they wanted to set some things up better. I know the Picard / Raffi flashback scene was one such scene and the CSI type scene at Dahj's apartment in episode 2 were filmed and added later. If they originally filed the Oh/Agnes scene for episode 7, they could have decided to add some of it to episode 3 as well. It also explains the weird lengths for episodes 2 and 3 that were shorter than the others have been. And I've felt that the first 3 would have worked better as 2 longer episodes, so it's interesting they took the approach they did. This was the first I had heard about rearranging scenes in episodes 7/8/9, but it wouldn't be surprising.

Also, Jonathan Frakes has said that Riker wasn't planned to appear in episode 7 when he was directing episodes 4 and 5 so that seemed to be a late decision to the season's plan - definitely for the better in my opinion. When Frakes directed episodes 4 and 5 they were episodes 3 and 4 at the time, so the decision to film and add scenes to make episodes 2 and 3 what they became was definitely made later in the season.

 

[gvn2fly]

This matters... why?

Interesting question from someone on a Star Trek Picard message board. Does anything discussed here matter? Some people are interested in the production and creative process.

 

[thribs]

The pilot was split into 3 episodes and episode 7 was added in as an afterthought.

 

[eschaton]

Some of the scenes for episode 2 and 3 were filmed later in the show's production cycle when they realized they wanted to set some things up better. I know the Picard / Raffi flashback scene was one such scene and the CSI type scene at Dahj's apartment in episode 2 were filmed and added later. If they originally filed the Oh/Agnes scene for episode 7, they could have decided to add some of it to episode 3 as well. It also explains the weird lengths for episodes 2 and 3 that were shorter than the others have been. And I've felt that the first 3 would have worked better as 2 longer episodes, so it's interesting they took the approach they did. This was the first I had heard about rearranging scenes in episodes 7/8/9, but it wouldn't be surprising.

Also, Jonathan Frakes has said that Riker wasn't planned to appear in episode 7 when he was directing episodes 4 and 5 so that seemed to be a late decision to the season's plan - definitely for the better in my opinion. When Frakes directed episodes 4 and 5 they were episodes 3 and 4 at the time, so the decision to film and add scenes to make episodes 2 and 3 what they became was definitely made later in the season.

Episodes 2/3 are actually labeled 102a/102b in terms of production order, with 4 as 103, 5 as 104, etc. Which makes it pretty damn clear what was originally intended.

 

[fireproof78]

Does anything discussed here matter?

The subject matter does not, no.

 

[CaptainXaviOfEarth]

This matters... why?

It perhaps doesn't matter. But it's interesting to know what changes were made during the production process.

There is a DC Comics show called Titans that had a 13 episode order for its first season. It filmed the first episode twice during the shoot, scrapped its 4th episode almost entirely (they added one or two of its scenes in other episodes), removed an entire subplot set in outer-space (though they only filmed the greenscreen elements) and then delayed and re-edited its season 1 finale into the season 2 premiere. Even then, they cut two expensive fight scenes that no longer made sense to keep in season 2.

I personally find this stuff interesting.

 

[CaptainXaviOfEarth]

Episodes 2/3 are actually labeled 102a/102b in terms of production order, with 4 as 103, 5 as 104, etc. Which makes it pretty damn clear what was originally intended.

Do you know the labels for the rest of the season?

 

[Cyrus]

Where is Doug Aarniokoski’s 2nd episode?

Each director was supposed to do 2 episodes. But when the pilot episodes went from 2 to 3 Culpepper ended up directing 3. So someone had to do 1. Aarniokoski is already getting credit as co-executive producer on all episodes (making him the lead director of the series Similar to Osunsanmi on Discovery) so I guess it was easy for him to give up one episode.