TWOK Director’s Cut Omitted Dialogue

[Shatner_Fan]

I saw TWOK at the theater last week as part of the Fathom Event. It’s always interesting just how many cuts of a film will float around over the years. While some additions to the Director’s Cut seem to just unnecessarily pad things out, others add to the plot, such as the Peter Preston/Scotty connection. But I did notice one kinda neat exchange was omitted. It was on the longer cut of the film I had recorded off TV many years ago.

After returning to the Enterprise from the Genesis Cave, and preparing for the final battle with Khan, there’s a shot of Kirk & Spock climbing by ladder through a narrow tube. As I watched it in the theater, there was no dialogue. But the old TV version had lines:

Kirk: That young man is my son.

Spock: Fascinating.

I always liked that. Wonder why it was cut out. By that point it had been revealed to the audience that David was Kirk’s son, but perhaps Meyer felt that having Kirk say it weakened the impact of David later saying, “I’m proud to be your son.” Who knows.

 

[Leviathan]

wasn't there also a line about 'rich Corinthian leather'?

 

[Shatner_Fan]

wasn't there also a line about 'rich Corinthian leather'?

No. It was his real chest.

 

[Kor]

Kirk: That young man is my son.

Spock: Fascinating.

Interestingly, the "Director's Cut" released on blu-ray last year and played in the theater earlier this week is a slightly different edit than the "Director's Edition" that was released on DVD in 2002.

The Director's Edition on DVD did include that dialog exchange, but it was not included on the 2016 cut. I don't know if Meyer has commented on this or not.

However, Nimoy's reading of the line "Fascinating" always seemed strangely phoned in.

Kor

 

[JonnyQuest037]

As I watched it in the theater, there was no dialogue. But the old TV version had lines:

Kirk: That young man is my son.

Spock: Fascinating.

I always liked that. Wonder why it was cut out.

I think it was probably for the same reason that Sulu's "Any chance to go aboard the Enterprise, however briefly, is always an excuse for nostalgia" line was cut. The actor gave a pretty crappy line reading. (And with the Sulu scene, it was incredibly stilted dialogue, too.)

However, Nimoy's reading of the line "Fascinating" always seemed strangely phoned in.

Yep. Nimoy's "Fascinating" there sounds bored as hell and practically sarcastic. Maybe Spock wouldn't be utterly amazed by that information at that point in the film, but that line reading sounds more like Parks and Recreation's April Ludgate than Spock.

 

[David cgc]

According to this review, the lines were cut (or re-cut) at Meyer's direction.[/url]

I don't know, Spock's exasperation at finding out he just met Kirk's son was always a bit amusing to me. Helped make up for the fact that I preferred the takes used in the theatrical version of the engineering inspection and the single-shot meeting on Regula.

 

[Jeyl]

I think it was probably for the same reason that Sulu's "Any chance to go aboard the Enterprise, however briefly, is always an excuse for nostalgia" line was cut. The actor gave a pretty crappy line reading. (And with the Sulu scene, it was incredibly stilted dialogue, too.)

I'm not entirely convinced that was the case. If someone didn't like the way the line was delivered, they could have brought the actor in to redo the line. I mean, the film has many obvious moments when the audio switches from audio that was recorded on set to audio that was re-recorded in ADR. Sometimes within the same scene!

On Set Audio / ADR

"I know some of you weren't expecting this. I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to ask you to grow up a little sooner than expected."
"You may ask. That's a little joke. We learn by doing."​

Even Star Trek III is guilty of doing it.

"Until the Federation makes policy, you are all under orders not to discuss with anyone your knowledge of Genesis. Consider it a quarantined planet and a forbidden subject."​

I'm more inclined to believe that Shatner wanted most of Sulu's dialogue scenes cut due to their feud. That scene was to establish that Sulu would be getting his own command.

Also if anyone is curious, I highly recommend watching these comparison videos showcasing the differences between all the cuts made to TWOK. For example, the audio heard on the ABC Cut is WAY better on the DVD/BluRay presentations.

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Just compare the sound used in the ladder scene to how it sounds on the DVD/BluRay.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

wasn't there also a line about 'rich Corinthian leather'?

During the Mutara Nebula battle, Khan says "To the last, I grapple with thee!", and he purposefully overemphasizes 'to the last'. I always took this to be an in-joke referencing Montalban's Maxwell House coffee commercials ("Good to the last drop!").

 

[Khan 2.0]

forgotten now but was the omission of the 'yo spock that dudes my son' / 'well aint that just fascinating!' lines the only difference between the original DVD DC and the blu DC?

 

[2takesfrakes]

After returning to the Enterprise from the Genesis Cave, and preparing for the final battle with Khan, there’s a shot of Kirk & Spock climbing by ladder through a narrow tube. As I watched it in the theater, there was no dialogue. But the old TV version had lines:

Kirk: That young man is my son.

Spock: Fascinating.

I always liked that. Wonder why it was cut out.

I have no information on why these lines were omitted, but I can say that the delivery of them, by both actors, was atrocious. It was flat and unfunny and deserved to be taken out of the final film. In fact the theatrical version of TWoK is as good as it is because all of what got taken out was taken out. The "... concept of the Human Ego" bit with Saavik and Spock was another very awkwardly acted moment. The alternate "scientists arguing" scene that has David telling his mum, "scientists have always been pawns of the military" really sucks and is only in the Director's Cut because Meyer wanted to include that lost line, at the end. For (supposedly) being the best of the STAR TREK movies, TWoK had some really shitty scenes and acting in it! Thankfully, that was all incised and we got what we got, in the end ...

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I'm more inclined to believe that Shatner wanted most of Sulu's dialogue scenes cut due to their feud. That scene was to establish that Sulu would be getting his own command.

Pardon my French, but I think that's total bullshit and Takei's paranoia talking. The Shatner/Takei feud is almost entirely one-sided, with Takei constantly drumming up stories about what an asshole Shatner is/was, and Shatner rarely responding in kind. I honestly don't see Shatner giving a shit whether or not Sulu got a command of his own.

Bottom line: those lines were pretty extraneous to the plot. They only matter as a part of Kirk's subplot, where one his former crewmen is doing what Kirk wishes he could still be doing and getting a command of his own. And since we have plenty of other things in the movie establishing Kirk's midlife crisis, out it goes.

Despite George Takei's fondest dreams, Star Trek is not, and has never been, about Sulu. He's a supporting character who didn't officially get a first name for 25 years, and only then because Peter David happened to be on set when they shot that scene in STVI.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

During the Mutara Nebula battle, Khan says "To the last, I grapple with thee!", and he purposefully overemphasizes 'to the last'. I always took this to be an in-joke referencing Montalban's Maxwell House coffee commercials ("Good to the last drop!").

Or he was just, you know, acting.

 

[Green]

I've seen the Sulu promotion scene and Shatner did not sabotage it as Takei claimed -- so doubtful he lobbied against it either.

 

[Leviathan]

Or he was just, you know, acting.

Overacting. Or to be precise overoveroveroveroverover acting.

 

[Kor]

forgotten now but was the omission of the 'yo spock that dudes my son' / 'well aint that just fascinating!' lines the only difference between the original DVD DC and the blu DC?

That's the only difference I noticed.

...
For (supposedly) being the best of the STAR TREK movies, TWoK had some really shitty scenes and acting in it! Thankfully, that was all incised and we got what we got, in the end ...

I tie TWOK and TMP as both embodying the best of different aspects of classic Trek. But so what if there was footage with bad acting? The same can be said of just about every movie that's ever made. That's why they shoot multiple takes and use editing to streamline everything before release.

Kor

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Overacting. Or to be precise overoveroveroveroverover acting.

Khan is an operatic, larger than life character that requires a larger than life performance.

 

[Leviathan]

Khan is operatic, larger than life character that requires a larger than life performance.

Yo Khan's so fat, he stepped on a scale and it said: "To be continued."

 

[Trekfan12]

No. It was his real chest.

LOL good one

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Was there ever a scene in TWOK where during the inspection that cadet tries to catch kirk out with a wrench and a question about the wrench, or some similar tool, or am i making stuff up in my head, because i could have sworn there was a scene like that at some point.

 

[Firebird]

Was there ever a scene in TWOK where during the inspection that cadet tries to catch kirk out with a wrench and a question about the wrench, or some similar tool, or am i making stuff up in my head, because i could have sworn there was a scene like that at some point.

It's in the novelization, but not in the script.