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From: @RUTGERS.ARPA:francini%cygnus.DEC@decwrl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Star Trek II on ABC
Message-ID: <775@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 25-Feb-85 01:10:23 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.775
Posted: Mon Feb 25 01:10:23 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Feb-85 05:41:53 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 49

From: francini%cygnus.DEC@decwrl.ARPA  (Rabbit, you're - you're despicable!!)

I just watched Star Trek II on ABC this evening.  I wasn't expecting a good 
presentation, knowing how networks love to chop things up.  I really 
thought that things were bad when the words 'Edited for Television' 
appeared after the opening credits.

I was rather surprised.  For the most part, the commercial breaks were 
well-placed, coming (mostly) at logical points in the plot of the movie 
(except for the last few that took place in the middle of the end battle, 
which should have been shown in its entirety).  I didn't really notice that 
very much was cut out, which was also heartening.

What was most upsetting, however, was the fact that there was SEVERAL 
MINUTES OF NEVER-SEEN-BEFORE FOOTAGE IN THE PRESENTATION!!  There was a 
whole lot of MEANINGFUL dialog that NEVER made it to the wide screen or to 
cable or to videotape/disk.  Some of the extra bits seen tonight for the 
first time:

* Extra lines in the Kobayashi Maru (sp?) simulation scene

* More dialog in the scene where McCoy gives Kirk his glasses in Kirk's 
apartment

* We find out that Peter Preston is (1) Scotty's grandson or some such, and 
(2) has a big lip for such an underling.

* More dialog in the scene where Khan meets Chekov and the Reliant captain

* More dialog between Kirk, McCoy and Scotty in Sick Bay when Peter Preston 
dies, explaining WHY Scotty was upset to tears.

And on, and on, throughout the movie.

The question that comes to this observer is:  WHY did the NETWORKS end up 
with this 'augmented' version?  Why didn't this end up in the theaters? Or 
cable? Or videodisk/tape?  

The second one of course is when WILL it?

John Francini, DEC Maynard

p.s. My favorite new line is spoken by Spock in the beginning of the 
battle scene in the Mutara Nebula.  When asked by Savvik why Kirk knew that 
Khan would follow the Enterprise into the nebula, he replied,

"Remind me to tell you sometime about the concept of the human ego."

Warp speed.