Teddy Bear in ST: Generations

[Stroudarian]

Does anybody happen to know why the director of the film added that scene where the little girl drops the teddy bear, while everyone is evacuating the star drive section to the saucer dection? When I first saw the film, I thought that maybe it was a precursor or some form of foreshadowing, thinking that the little girl might try to go back and get her teddy bear, but since that does not happen in the film, I am wondering why this scene was not cut from the final picture. Does this scene, or some later scene in the movie, contain some element that I am missing? Why is the scene of that little girl reaching for her fallen teddy bear, so important or necessary to the film?

 

[ItIsGreen]

It was to show how upset she was that she dropped her teddy bear...

Serious answer, I think it was there to create a sense of the panic people were in to evacuate the drive section. The thing was about to blow up, and they had literally minutes to gtfo of there on the saucer. No time to stop and pick up the teddy bear, kiddo.

 

[SevenOfNiven]

As a kid watching this, it traumatized me more than it probably should have.

 

[Stroudarian]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I think it's more worrying that the kids just seemed to be abandoned in the corridor during the evacuation!

 

[2takesfrakes]

The Enterprise being separated and about to blow up might've had a hard time registering as a personal loss to many audiences. The ship doesn't really register as a "home" so much as it does a floating, flying fort that military people busy themselves in. So, having that kid reaching out for her teddy was intended to be something we could "relate" to, as a deeply intimate loss. Also, a lost sense of security, as well. This kid doesn't know what the "D" is all about. It's just where she lives, it's her neighbourhood, the safety of which she's always been allowed to take for granted. In a moment, as in the instant of dropping something so precious and rife with personal history, it's being unceremoniously robbed from her. It's emotional manipulation used for dramatic effect, that's all.

 

[sbk1234]

Honestly, as much as I understand all the reasons for including it, as have been mentioned here already, I always cringe a bit at that sequence. To me, it seems like very contrived drama. Very childlike, like something I'd see on a kid's Saturday morning show. If the intent was to show how dangerous a situation it was, I'm sure they could have found a more creative, less cliche way than a little girl reaching out for her lost Teddy.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I too feared it was setting up some "oh no, we have to find a child that went back for it's teddy" sequence.

Thank goodness it didn't. And then they had the stupid kid in Insurrection go back for his pet slug

 

[diankra]

It is a triumph of 'moment' over sense, given that the families should be based in the saucer rather than the stardrive. But it adds to the way it plays, so the director (etc) put it in.

 

[Maurice]

It's stupid hamfisted cliché is what it is.

 

[The Wormhole]

What always bothered me about that scene is you have a shipful of Starfleet's finest and in a crisis, the whole lot of them are perfectly content to leave children abandoned to die. The only one who shows any concern for the children is Geordi, and he has to order someone else to help him.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Eh, it's the same movie that expected us to get more choked up over Data finding his damn cat than Captain Kirk dying. Its priorities were all out of whack.

 

[Orac]

Mmmmm hamfist.

 

[Mojochi]

Because nothing trivially symbalizes tragic loss better than a lost teddy bear, apparently

 

[2takesfrakes]

Eh, it's the same movie that expected us to get more choked up over Data finding his damn cat than Captain Kirk dying. Its priorities were all out of whack.

Hey ... I happen to be quite fond of that particular moment. Data's weeping in a bucket as he indicates to Troi that the contradiction between his joy and his crying at the same time must mean his chip's broken and Dee's all like, "... I think it's working perfectly." It's such a Troi moment, very much in character. I thought it was cute, the way Marina played it.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Glad it worked for you. I just sat there in disbelief that the filmmakers expected me to give a shit that Data had found his cat.

 

[Mage]

The Enterprise being separated and about to blow up might've had a hard time registering as a personal loss to many audiences. The ship doesn't really register as a "home" so much as it does a floating, flying fort that military people busy themselves in.

I don't agree. For a lot of people, there was a sense of community aboard the E-D, with plenty of scenes in Ten Forward example, showing not just our heroes but many people from the ship gathering and relaxing and simply being together. That's definatly part of a home-life to me. Also, never ever did the E-D register as a fort or a military enviroment to me. If anything, I think of all the science labs where are the non-Starfleet personal do all their daily work.

What bothers me more is, why where their kids the Stardrive section anyway? Shouldn't that whole part of the ship be void of anything for kids?

 

[Kamdan]

I remember this scene well when I first saw it because I was in kindergarten when the film came out. Our class had a stuffed toy rabbit that served as our “class pet.” One of us would take him home over the weekend and we’d have our parents write in a journal what all we did with the rabbit over the weekend to share with the class.

I got the coveted Christmas vacation spot and I wanted to take him to the movie with me. After some protesting with my parents who thought I’d lose him, I eventually won and I put him in a seat next to me. When that scene with the teddy bear came up, I remember grabbing him and holding real tight when the Enterprise came crashing down and it was nice to him close by when Kirk died. I had gone through the death of my grandpa the year earlier and that reminded me a lot of that. Needless to say, my mom wrote a really solid journal entry that shocked and amazed the teacher.

I think also the bear was there for merchandising as well. I believe the director mentions on the commentary that the bear was named Trekkie.

 

[Tenacity]

I just sat there in disbelief that the filmmakers expected me to give a shit that Data had found his cat.

Not a cat person huh? When people lose their homes (fire, tornado) finding a pet afterwards brings relief and happiness when surrounded by disaster.

It's a Human experience.

Data finding his cat had more impact on me than several minutes of pew-pew with the Klingons. As did the little girl losing her toy. As did Picard's emotional response to the news of the deaths in his family. As did Kirk's death.

If the run time were to have remained the same, what would you have replaced these scenes with, more meaningless special effects?

 

[2takesfrakes]

I don't agree. For a lot of people, there was a sense of community aboard the E-D, with plenty of scenes in Ten Forward example, showing not just our heroes but many people from the ship gathering and relaxing and simply being together. That's definatly part of a home-life to me. Also, never ever did the E-D register as a fort or a military enviroment to me. If anything, I think of all the science labs where are the non-Starfleet personal do all their daily work.

What bothers me more is, why where their kids the Stardrive section anyway? Shouldn't that whole part of the ship be void of anything for kids?

I simply meant that the movie couldn't assume that knowledgable TNG fans were Generations' only audience. The crew was certainly playing up the military aspects, from the first introduction, when they're playing at Captain Hook, and all of the phaser and warbird fights later on. And even amongst long-time Trekkies -- perhaps, especially -- anything that ups the drama is always appreciated. But yes ... even casual TNG fans had to have been aware that the "D" was more than military might ...

... She was The Ship of Dreams!