Trek Canon: How Deleted Scenes Fit In

[Dr. Crusher]

I was just curious about scenes that were ultimately deleted from Trek shows, or particularly, Trek movies. I'm not sure about TOS films, but I know that there were many scenes filmed for the TNG films that never made it to the screen. However, it seems many people still believe that they actually did "happen" by canon standards. Most of these scenes seem to have appeared in DVD extras.

What is the official line on this?

And, probably more importantly, what do you think the official line should be?

 

[Nerys Myk]

They don't. If they don't appear as part of the narrative, they aren't part of the story.

 

[F. King Daniel]

The offical policy is that deleted and alternatescenes are not canon.

The Star Trek novels are obliged to follow canon, but they were allowed to ignore the Martin Madden character from the alternate ending of Nemesis and install Worf as first officer instead. The novels also had a completely different reason for Wesley being at the Riker/Troi wedding that the vague "back in Starfleet" given in his deleted scene.

Some tie-ins have built upon deleted scenes (like the Nero comic), but they were not forced to do so.

If a future canon Star Trek production wants to establish that Nero was, in fact, on Risa for those 25 years that the deleted scenes say he was in a Klingon jail, it could do so.

 

[captcalhoun]

they don't. they're deleted. end of line.

 

[Relayer1]

they don't. they're deleted. end of line.

And then a Special Edition or Directors Cut puts them back in...

A distinction should be made between scenes the film-makers removed as they didn't want the event to 'happen', and those that were removed for pacing or running time reasons.

 

[F. King Daniel]

And then there are the subtle changes made in Star Trek Remastered. Which design of the S.S. Aurora is canon? etc.

 

[captcalhoun]

in the case of the Aurora, the one that's NOT a Tholian ship with nacelles stuck on.

 

[JarodRussell]

How important is it really? The Director's Cuts of the movies don't really add anything galaxy-shattering. There's no Director's Cut of Nemesis, so there's no canon First Officer replacement for Riker. The subtle changes in TOS-R have no influence on anything.

 

[KirksStuntMan]

I was just curious about scenes that were ultimately deleted from Trek shows, or particularly, Trek movies. /QUOTE]

I know that most television production companies film extra scenes that eventually have to be edited because of time constraints. ST is no exception. I'm sure everyone is aware that GR was selling the ST cutting room floor film through Lincoln Enterprises during the series run and after wards. I actually bought some of these film clips in the early 1970's. I recently found a internet media consultant who has been trying to refurbish these "lost scenes". Last I saw he was working on a deleted crewmans' lounge scene from "Elaan of Troyius". How he is accomplishing this and how far he has progressed are unknown to me.

 

[Nerys Myk]

And then there are the subtle changes made in Star Trek Remastered. Which design of the S.S. Aurora is canon? etc.

Both

 

[F. King Daniel]

Re: Trek Canon: How Deleted Scenes Fit In

in the case of the Aurora, the one that's NOT a Tholian ship with nacelles stuck on.

So the blatant re-use of Harry Mudd's ship is somehow better than the blatant re-use of the Tholian ship?

 

[captcalhoun]

i just used that one as one example. i'd also say the version of the Woden that's not a reuse of Botany Bay and the Klingon ship that's not a glowing flat-iron etc.

 

[Start Wreck]

How important is it really? The Director's Cuts of the movies don't really add anything galaxy-shattering.

The Director's Cut of The Motion Picture removes the moons (planets?) from the sky of Vulcan, to keep it in line with Spock's assertion (from TOS) that Vulcan has no moon.

Spock telling a lie would be pretty galaxy-shattering!

 

[JarodRussell]

How important is it really? The Director's Cuts of the movies don't really add anything galaxy-shattering.

The Director's Cut of The Motion Picture removes the moons (planets?) from the sky of Vulcan, to keep it in line with Spock's assertion (from TOS) that Vulcan has no moon.

Spock telling a lie would be pretty galaxy-shattering!

But Star Trek 2009 re-inserted a moon called Delta Vega.

 

[Mike Ram]

How important is it really? The Director's Cuts of the movies don't really add anything galaxy-shattering.

The Director's Cut of The Motion Picture removes the moons (planets?) from the sky of Vulcan, to keep it in line with Spock's assertion (from TOS) that Vulcan has no moon.

Spock telling a lie would be pretty galaxy-shattering!

But Star Trek 2009 re-inserted a moon called Delta Vega.

Alternate timeline, so...

 

[Nerys Myk]

How important is it really? The Director's Cuts of the movies don't really add anything galaxy-shattering.

The Director's Cut of The Motion Picture removes the moons (planets?) from the sky of Vulcan, to keep it in line with Spock's assertion (from TOS) that Vulcan has no moon.

Spock telling a lie would be pretty galaxy-shattering!

Since he lies quite often, not really. Unless he is a Vulcan trader, was a traitor and did have orders to go to the Talos system.

Aren't both Delta Vegas planets/planetoids and not moons. We also saw Vulcan moons in TAS (Yesteryear)

 

[JarodRussell]

The Director's Cut of The Motion Picture removes the moons (planets?) from the sky of Vulcan, to keep it in line with Spock's assertion (from TOS) that Vulcan has no moon.

Spock telling a lie would be pretty galaxy-shattering!

But Star Trek 2009 re-inserted a moon called Delta Vega.

Alternate timeline, so...

Haha, the alternate timeline argument. How exactly did the Narada's appearance in front of the Kelvin create a new Vulcan moon?

 

[Nerys Myk]

"That's no moon!!!!!"

 

[F. King Daniel]

Vulcan's just a very busy star system with a shitload of planets (some of those have moons) that all come perilously close to each other when dramatic scenes or cool vistas require it.

And in all those episodes and films where we don't see them, they're always just opposite the camera.

Also: Spock lies all the time. Only one of those substances in TOS he kept crowing about could really have been the hardest substance known to science. Then there's his lecture about ships not having viewscreens or brigs and using atomic weapons during the Romulan war.... he's lucky none of Kirk's crew watched Enterprise.

 

[erastus25]

I, personally, consider them canon, but that's just me. I also consider Enterprise an alternate timeline so your mileage may vary... ;-)

More curiously, do any deleted scenes from TNG or DS9 exist? Either in bootleg or official release form? I know some are mentioned in the companions but I've never seen them floating around.