ST:TMP - Lost Footage from the Trench

[trevanian]

Now, you posting these pictures...and not puttin' out -- is a real tease!

Me tease? Never.

Looks like Kirk is going to enter the Red Room seen at the end of TWIN PEAKS.
Talk about higher dimensions!

(honestly, that's a pretty funny image, thanks.)

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Presenting the Captain Kirk burlesque show.


Kidding aside, I'm looking forward to this.

 

[Basill]

Presenting the Captain Kirk burlesque show.


Kidding aside, I'm looking forward to this.

Spock to Kirk "Is that a screwdriver in your hand Jim, or are you just happy to see me?"

More kidding aside, that little tidbit looks like some good quality imagery. Compared to the few little morsels we've had thrown to us pigeons so far anyway. Don't get me wrong... I love morsels. "Coo, coo."

 

[cardinal biggles]

It's The Muppet Show, with our very special guest star, Mr. William Shatner! Yaaaaaaaaaay!!!

 

[QuasarVM]

It's The Muppet Show, with our very special guest star, Mr. William Shatner! Yaaaaaaaaaay!!!

So THAT's what it reminded me of...

 

[Joker]

How on earth does a private collector end up with something like this, anyway?

Why has he sat on such a thing for so long?

 

[QuasarVM]

THAT's what I want to know, Elton!

The beeotch!!!

You know, if I had all this rare footage they'd have to tie me down to keep me from sharing it with the fans!

 

[alchemist]

It's The Muppet Show, with our very special guest star, Mr. William Shatner! Yaaaaaaaaaay!!!

Too funny!!

OK, seriously now...

I assume you guys realize that it's far simpler to digitally restore a single frame than it is 2.5 minutes of footage. So in other words, the entire "movie" will not be as good as the stills I post. The dailies I telecined were on pre-1980 Eastman stock, and you know what that means. And to be fair, one of the rolls, in particular, was stored in less than ideal conditions, so there was some fading from the sun. None-the-less, we've already done a couple rounds of correction on them, so I think they look pretty good, all things considered.

And with regards to elton's comment and inquiry, there's a story, of course, but I'm sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

Dave

PS. Thanks for all of the comments and encouragement!

 

[QuasarVM]

It's The Muppet Show, with our very special guest star, Mr. William Shatner! Yaaaaaaaaaay!!!

Too funny!!

OK, seriously now...

I assume you guys realize that it's far simpler to digitally restore a single frame than it is 2.5 minutes of footage. So in other words, the entire "movie" will not be as good as the stills I post. The dailies I telecined were on pre-1980 Eastman stock, and you know what that means. And to be fair, one of the rolls, in particular, was stored in less than ideal conditions, so there was some fading from the sun. None-the-less, we've already done a couple rounds of correction on them, so I think they look pretty good, all things considered.

And with regards to elton's comment and inquiry, there's a story, of course, but I'm sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

Dave

PS. Thanks for all of the comments and encouragement!

You COULD restore the entire 2.5 minute clip, but that would be 3600 frames of restoration -- at 24 fps.

Quite a labor-intensive endeavor!

 

[Christopher]

That footage, in addition to the trench/memory wall and security guard getting zapped by the V'Ger probe have never been seen...

I thought the security guard getting zapped was in either the theatrical or the ABC version. Was it only in the novel and comic?

 

[trevanian]

That footage, in addition to the trench/memory wall and security guard getting zapped by the V'Ger probe have never been seen...

I thought the security guard getting zapped was in either the theatrical or the ABC version. Was it only in the novel and comic?

only in the print versions.

Part of the problem with including it in any film version is the dialog at the end that has only Ilia and Decker listed as casualties, which suggests I suppose that the security guard getting zapped had already been dropped before they even had a rough cut.

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

That footage, in addition to the trench/memory wall and security guard getting zapped by the V'Ger probe have never been seen...

I thought the security guard getting zapped was in either the theatrical or the ABC version. Was it only in the novel and comic?

only in the print versions.

Part of the problem with including it in any film version is the dialog at the end that has only Ilia and Decker listed as casualties, which suggests I suppose that the security guard getting zapped had already been dropped before they even had a rough cut.

Walter Koenig (Mr. Chekov) said about TMP while they were filming it, the film was a 3 act play and we had no third act. I think I read that back in 1979 in a Starlog magazine which had an excerpt from Koenig's book "Chekov's Enterprise" .

Like others here have said, I too am eager to see this missing "Memory Wall" sequence. TMP is my favorite Star Trek film, the sequels were seriously lacking the aesthetics and verisimilitude of TMP.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[trevanian]

I thought the security guard getting zapped was in either the theatrical or the ABC version. Was it only in the novel and comic?

only in the print versions.

Part of the problem with including it in any film version is the dialog at the end that has only Ilia and Decker listed as casualties, which suggests I suppose that the security guard getting zapped had already been dropped before they even had a rough cut.

Walter Koenig (Mr. Chekov) said about TMP while they were filming it, the film was a 3 act play and we had no third act. I think I read that back in 1979 in a Starlog magazine which had an excerpt from Koenig's book "Chekov's Enterprise" .

Like others here have said, I too am eager to see this missing "Memory Wall" sequence. TMP is my favorite Star Trek film, the sequels were seriously lacking the aesthetics and verisimilitude of TMP.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

That's a good point. I haven't read it in awhile, but I do remember that while they were still shooting they had timed things out so the show was seeming to run seriously over (hence Koenig's fear that they would cut the scene where he admits Spock to the ship.)

Maybe that is part of why the guard zap went (either that or they really WERE running scared of getting a PG, which was a seriously dumbass thing to stay away from ... even GL knew that a PG would be an attractor for a space movie, and that G spells death for a lot of moviegoers, as in 'i'd rather be dead than caught in a g-rated movie.')

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

Maybe that is part of why the guard zap went (either that or they really WERE running scared of getting a PG, which was a seriously dumbass thing to stay away from ... even GL knew that a PG would be an attractor for a space movie, and that G spells death for a lot of moviegoers, as in 'i'd rather be dead than caught in a g-rated movie.')

I think the part of the guard zap was deleted from the film because either the Director Robert Wise or Producer Gene Roddenberry felt the scene at the end where Kirk says to Lt. Uhura to list Lt. Ilia and Commader Decker as casualties was less dramatic when the guard was also listed in that report with them.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[Indysolo]

That makes the most sense. The outcome of the movie wouldn't mean as much if Kirk said something like, "Report three casualties: Lieutenant Ilia, Captain Decker and Security Guard Jones." Two of the characters were pivotal to the story. The other runs in and gets zapped. There is Topps trading card of this moment, too.

Neil

 

[QuasarVM]

That footage, in addition to the trench/memory wall and security guard getting zapped by the V'Ger probe have never been seen...

I thought the security guard getting zapped was in either the theatrical or the ABC version. Was it only in the novel and comic?

only in the print versions.

Part of the problem with including it in any film version is the dialog at the end that has only Ilia and Decker listed as casualties, which suggests I suppose that the security guard getting zapped had already been dropped before they even had a rough cut.

No, Kirks casualty list included the security guard. They edited his name out for the final cut...

 

[trevanian]

I thought the security guard getting zapped was in either the theatrical or the ABC version. Was it only in the novel and comic?

only in the print versions.

Part of the problem with including it in any film version is the dialog at the end that has only Ilia and Decker listed as casualties, which suggests I suppose that the security guard getting zapped had already been dropped before they even had a rough cut.

No, Kirks casualty list included the security guard. They edited his name out for the final cut...

I know the third name is in the script, but it WAS filmed?

So the idea is 'list them as missing' means the security guard is in some nebulous form as well? Figured he was seriously dead,myself.

 

[Indysolo]

The line "Report two casualties" is clearly looped in the film.

Neil

 

[QuasarVM]

only in the print versions.

Part of the problem with including it in any film version is the dialog at the end that has only Ilia and Decker listed as casualties, which suggests I suppose that the security guard getting zapped had already been dropped before they even had a rough cut.

No, Kirks casualty list included the security guard. They edited his name out for the final cut...

I know the third name is in the script, but it WAS filmed?

So the idea is 'list them as missing' means the security guard is in some nebulous form as well? Figured he was seriously dead,myself.

Hmmm...not sure if it was shot like that or not. I was referring to the script. It seems like once upon a time, I did see an alternate take of Kirks final log somewhere where he did mention the guard...

As for whether he was dead or not, the original script and the book made it seem like V'Ger didn't actually kill anyone per se* -- just stored them as data. Epsilon 9, the Klingon ships and Illia were all seen at the memory wall during the unused Kirk/Spock spacewalk.

*Although original pre-production paintings show V'Ger blasting a warp nacelle off one of the K'Tinga cruisers -- which would indicate at least in one draft of the script V'Ger DID kill...so, it's anyone's guess.

 

[trevanian]

Well, Abel's approach to the klingon ships was to blow them up (shot in 16mm test form I think), so the digitalization thing is apparently a Trumbull/Dykstra notion that came late.)