No one responded to my challenge of fanediting Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, so I made a start myself.
When Buck Rogers was released in 1979, there were two versions of the pilot: one theatrical release (who does that anymore, to release the pilot of a TV show in the cinema?) and one TV release. The latter was cut into two parts and extended to fit the TV-series timing. On the bluray release, the TV version has superior visuals because of its 1080p HD master. The audio also sounds cleaner, less muffled than the theatrical version. The theatrical version is merely upscaled from PAL. It has 4% PAL speed-up.
This edit is a workprint. It merges the two versions of Buck Rogers' first adventure into the longest possible version.
Visual cuts are finished. I have done no color correction, so most transitions between the two sources are visible (dark scenes blend nicely, bright ones don't).
Audio cuts have clean dialog, but background sounds have not been smoothed out for all cuts. And the slightly muffled sound from the PAL version has not been manipulated to match the HD master. So transitions between the two sources are audible.
I have no plans at this time to perfect those transitions. Therefore I will not submit this edit to the database. For my personal enjoyment of Buck's first adventure, I don't mind the transitions. It's enjoyable to watch for true fans, but not ready for any casual viewer.
So, this post is intended for fans of Gil Gerard's interpretation of Buck Rogers. If you've imagined in your mind how the two versions would merge into one longer story, PM me. If you have only a casual interest in the disco-1980s version of Buck Rogers, and you're still reading this post, PM me too. If enough people are interested, I'll complete this workprint into a finished edit at a later point.
If you're not sure, watch the clip below. If your first reaction is "Oh, yeah!", join the party. If it's "WTF?", then these shiny tight pants are not for you. Password: fanedit.org
Original runtime: 97 minutes (TV version), 85 minutes (theatrical version)
Edited runtime: 102 minutes
Video: 1080p (1440x1080 MKV, uncompressed from the blu-ray)
Audio: AC3 2.0 (448kbps, converted from the LPCM two-channel mono)
Filesize: 13.5GB
Subtitles: Yes, English (not hard-coded).
The theatrical version contains 5 minutes of material not used in the TV version:
+ The different Conrad opening narration.
+ The “sexy” opening credits.
+ Buck has a longer talk with Wilma before going to the irradiated old city.
+ Buck calls Wilma “ballsy”.
+ When Wilma comes after Buck in old Chicago, she has her soldier stun Buck. She says “Captain, you got away once, but not this time. Lieutenant?” and he shoots Buck. The words “time. Lieutenant?” and the moment the soldier points the gun and pulls the trigger, are included in this theatrical version but (erroneously) cut in the TV version.
+ Kane talks with Huer at the dance party.
+ Wilma kisses Buck [different version].
+ Twiki says that he’s "freezing his ball-bearings off".
+ Buck comments that the Draconian uniforms aren't Gucci.
+ Buck kicks Tiger-Man in the balls near the end of the film. The TV version cut the actual kick: it shows Tiger-Man facing off with Buck then suddenly howling in pain.
+ Kane’s communication with Emperor Draco. The scene was cut from the TV version, Draco was not seen at all in the series.
+ Wilma gushes to Buck after the final battle.
The TV version contains 15 minutes not used in the theatrical version:
- The interior of Buck's apartment.
- Buck has two talks with Theo about what happened in the past 500 years. After the second one, he goes to sleep.
- The first part of Buck's walk into the irradiated area of old Chicago.
- Dr Huer pleads with the computer council to stay Buck's verdict.
- Princess Ardala and Kane are seen scheming a bit more.
- Wilma kisses Buck [different version]. The two versions have been merged, losing one line of text.
- After the final battle, Princess Ardala and Kane are seen bickering a bit more.
- Buck makes his apartment "homey".
- The films ends with Dr Huer offering Buck a job.
The bluray lacks subtitles, those were edited from the old DVDs.