Star Trek VGER Version 2

[Dethryl]

Bob, this was amazing. I've never cared for the movie in the first place (too slow), but your edit pulled out a good storyline and refocused on the characters we care about. I love all the old music and sound cues. This is being burned and put on the shelf next to the official release. I may never watch the original again. Fabulous work.

 

[Neglify]

Watched this edit tonight for the first time. Here's the review I wrote:

I only watched Star Trek TMP once and I liked it but thought it was a little too boring for my tastes. I really dug Bob’s edit “The V’Ger Incident”. For me, the pacing was much better and I felt the story flowed really nicely.

There are some technical issues that other reviewers have brought up, such as the audio levels and the letterboxed picture. For me, these didn’t bother me too much, but still factors into it.

Overall Rating – 8/10

 

[bionicbob]

Thanks Neglify.

Ahhhh.... V'GER, my first ever official fan edit. Looking back now, a few years later and a bit more experienced,
I definitely see some those "technical issues". But I am also surprised and happy the core edited story still stands up so well and people still express interest and seem to appreciate it.

I have plans to go back and do a VERSION TWO, just don't know when.... stay tuned.;-)

 

[Rogue-theX]

Didn't Zepplinrox make an animorphically enhanced version of this at one point?

 

[bionicbob]

Didn't Zepplinrox make an animorphically enhanced version of this at one point?

I remember there was talk about it, but I don't recall if it ever actually happened?

 

[Nic]

I've seen the edit, and I would love to be able to give a proper rating, but I don't think I can. Being a child of the 90s, I never saw the original series and Star Trek in general isn't something I actively seek out on netflix, but I do like to keep up with reviews by SF Debris so I have some sort of understanding of it all. And while I did like how much quicker the edit went by, I did miss the "Kirk takes the ship back" part of the plot, because when Decker says "you havn't piloted a ship in 2 and a half years" it makes wonder a bit. If this is supposed to be an episode of the series, is it acting as though the the series was never cancelled, or a pilot/reintroduction of a new series? If it acts like it was never cancelled, why has Kirk been away for 2 years? If it's a new series, then Kirk sort of needs a reintroduction to explain where he's been while he's been away. I feel that I may have to rewatch the edit before I fully commit to my feelings proper, but I think a problem with trying to make this feel like an episode is that the production designs are too good for an episode, but that's just me

 

[bionicbob]

Thanks Nic for showing the interest and taking the time to post your thoughts.

Based on past reviews and input from others, I tend to think this edit (in fact, I suppose all my Trek edits) skews more to the long time classic Trek fan than the casual or non-viewer.

That said, this was my first official fan edit and looking back there are some story structure issues, namely the Kirk/Decker confrontation, that definitely need more polishing. It is one of the few edits I have done that I have seriously considered going back and doing a second version to tighten it up even more and maybe use some different music cues and fx shots. But on the whole I am still pretty happy with the general edit and new ending.

 

[bionicbob]

Hello fellow Trek Truehearts!

I am finally seriously thinking about doing a version two (or should I say PHASE II...?) of THE VGER INCIDENT.

I watched VGER again for the first time in well over a year, and for the most part I am still happy with the original story structure I created.

To be honest though, the idea of just recreating the exact same edit except in the correct aspect ratio (along with little audio fixes) does not entirely appeal to me.

At the same time, as another fellow editor I greatly respect advised me, I don't want to pull a "Lucas" on the audience.

So I thought I should put some feelers out there first, to see if there is even an interest in a new version of VGER?

Changes I am thinking about include....

--somehow fixing the conference room scene between Kirk and Decker, to resolve the whole "haven't logged a single star hour in 2.5 years"
--I think I want to re-insert more Vulcan footage instead of the brief 10 second flashback to give Spock a bit more depth
--I am considering maybe making it a more cinematic cut.... in other words no fade to black commercial breaks.
--Which then leads to me thinking instead of TOS soundtrack music maybe adding more Goldsmith or even using the soundtrack from the 2009 remake?

There is a couple of reasons I am considering these changes....

One, just the challenge of creating a slightly different narrative.
Two, I have of course lost all my notes from the original cut, including my music list....
which leads to Three, I lost my entire TOS music library when my computer HD burned up last year.

So there you have it.

If you are interested in a version two of VGER, now is the time to speak up.

And if you are, what would you like to see changed or improved or removed or added????

 

[Sunarep]

firstly : yes! great idea

i was recently rewatching the motionless picture and thought of this edit.

personally i think a classic 40min episode is somewhere in this film

 

[Mojo_LA]

I'd love to offer my suggestions on V2... but first I need to see V1!

And it's not available... at least the files seems to be offline :-(

A little help?

I really would love to see the community come up with a better system of fan edit availablity. Over the last week I've been trying to watch a lot of edits, but well over half of them are not online. They fall into these catagories:

- The editor has no folder on the .info site
- The .info folder is empty
- The files are no longer available

So much work goes into making these, it seems like a crime that a person would go through so much effort to make an edit and then no one can see it!

 

[havok1977]

Changes I am thinking about include....

--somehow fixing the conference room scene between Kirk and Decker, to resolve the whole "haven't logged a single star hour in 2.5 years"
--I think I want to re-insert more Vulcan footage instead of the brief 10 second flashback to give Spock a bit more depth
--I am considering maybe making it a more cinematic cut.... in other words no fade to black commercial breaks.
--Which then leads to me thinking instead of TOS soundtrack music maybe adding more Goldsmith or even using the soundtrack from the 2009 remake?

There is a couple of reasons I am considering these changes....

One, just the challenge of creating a slightly different narrative.
Two, I have of course lost all my notes from the original cut, including my music list....
which leads to Three, I lost my entire TOS music library when my computer HD burned up last year.

So there you have it.

If you are interested in a version two of VGER, now is the time to speak up.

And if you are, what would you like to see changed or improved or removed or added????

Nice to hear a new version tickles you bob I have to say that I agree 100% with the first three points you raise; as you might remember I have never been a big fan of commercial style fade outs so getting red of them altogether would be worth the re-do IMO.
I wouldn't change the score, this is a TOS experience after all - let's keep it that way.


But you know what? Just ignore all of that if you want - in the end it would all come down to this: might I suggest removing the twist at the end? That change would make this edit the go to version for Star Trek TMP for me. Im on my knees begging here :hail:

 

[Neglify]

I'd love to offer my suggestions on V2... but first I need to see V1!

And it's not available... at least the files seems to be offline :-(

A little help?

I really would love to see the community come up with a better system of fan edit availablity. Over the last week I've been trying to watch a lot of edits, but well over half of them are not online. They fall into these catagories:

- The editor has no folder on the .info site
- The .info folder is empty
- The files are no longer available

So much work goes into making these, it seems like a crime that a person would go through so much effort to make an edit and then no one can see it!

You need to reread the rules to understand some things.

http://www.fanedit.org/forums/misc.php?do=vsarules

Fanedit.org/Internet Fanedit Database does not host fanedits, faneditors are responsible for making their edits available and use a variety of methods including usenet, newsgroups, file lockers etc... Often times you can find fanedit downloading information at fanedit.info, however this site is not run or controlled by fanedit.org in any way, but it is a popular resource for locating specific edits.

If things aren't available at Info, there's nothing we can do about it. Fanedit.org does not run Info. The fanedit.org forums are not a place to go to bitch about Info or troubleshoot Info problems.

File Hosting Availability. It is 100% up to the editor to decide where to host their fanedits. Fanedit.org does not mandate where fanedits are uploaded to because that is not the business of the site, but the business of the individuals uploading.

The Internet Fanedit Database hosts information for all approved fanedits through the years of fanedit.org. Some of these fanedits are very old and may no longer be available. This is a sad thing, but it’s part of the facts of life. Do not get upset or discouraged if a fanedit you want to see is offline.

If a fanedit is offline, please first review the forum thread for the edit to see if the editor has posted information about this. Then check the Trades and Requests Forum to see if anybody has already brought the issue up. If nobody has mentioned it, you are free to send a private message to the faneditor or start a new thread in the Trades and Requests Forum.

Do not post things such as “Can somebody send me the links for this fanedit?” in a thread not in the Trades and Requests Forum. Posts like that will be deleted and the users will be redirected to the Trades and Requests Forum and these Rules.

Posting “This fanedit is offline” or “The links are down “ in an edit’s discussion thread is highly discouraged. Instead of doing that, send a PM to the editor or go to the Trades and Request Forum to see if some kind soul has reuploaded the fanedit.

If a fanedit is offline, there's nothing the site can do about it. Fanedits being available are 100% the responsibility of the individual editors. Of course older edits are offline because those editors aren't around anymore. Individual members can reupload fanedits, but the uploading of fanedits in general is not controlled by fanedit.org. Complaining about fanedits not being available will get you nowhere. Initiating trades may get you some of the fanedits you want to see.

 

[bionicbob]

I wouldn't change the score, this is a TOS experience after all - let's keep it that way.


But you know what? Just ignore all of that if you want - in the end it would all come down to this: might I suggest removing the twist at the end? That change would make this edit the go to version for Star Trek TMP for me. Im on my knees begging here :hail:

Well, if I go the classic TOS score route again, there would probably be a few changes since I no longer have my entire Trek Music Library anymore or even my edit notes listing all the titles I used.

One insane idea I had was maybe using the score from the 2009 reboot, though it might clash too much with Goldsmith's work.

Not a fan of the Twist Ending? Say it ain't so!!!!

I dunno. I am kind of fond of it, though it could be executed better.
But who knows, I am pretty open on this second version. If enough people let me know whether they want it gone or not, then I may consider it.;-)

 

[Dwight Fry]

The twist ending is GREAT. Blew me away when I first watched the movie.

 

[L8wrtr]

While I prefer the commercial fades, I could be OK with losing them, but TOS music is one of the things that truly made this a gem for me. I can understand the want for making changes to make the edit worth it, and fixing Decker/Kirk, the commercials and Spock are all things that aren't just changes for the sake of changes, but address various issues that people had about the original (outside of tech issues).

But for me, I implore... keep TOS music if possible (or as an alternate audio track a la Shadow of the Sith).

That's my input. And honestly, I'd be willing to buy and donate the music, I love it that much.

 

[Nic]

I do feel we need more Kirk/Decker and Spock. I'd suggest starting on Vulcan where Spock is undergoing the Kolinahr and when he senses V'ger, have brief cuts to the the Klingon ships being destroyed. However, if you go that route, you might have to explain why Kirk has been absent from command for 2.5 years and treat the edit like a re-introduction to the series.

I loved the TOS soundtrack and could take or leave the fades to black, but I'd prefer to see this treated like a movie rather than an extended pilot. As for the twist ending, I'd have to say I thought it was rather clever and ironic, though if you go that route, you might have to do an edit of First Contact down the line.

 

[bionicbob]

Okay.

So Classic TOS music IN!

Commercial breaks -- undecided.

Twist Ending -- I think it will stay, as it definitely gives the edit a unique spin.

I definitely do not want MORE Decker. Less Decker is always better.

I do sort of like the idea of instead of the VGER/KLINGON attack being from the perspective of the Epsilon station, but from a psychic connection between Spock and VGER. It would definitely strengthen Spock's role and make his motives even more questionable. Something for me to seriously consider.... ;-)

 

[havok1977]

Not a fan of the Twist Ending? Say it ain't so!!!!

I dunno. I am kind of fond of it, though it could be executed better.
But who knows, I am pretty open on this second version. If enough people let me know whether they want it gone or not, then I may consider it.;-)

I'll try to put about my gripes with the twist ending in perspective:

Reveal message

I get that this is supposed to be the first/only (or at least a very early) event involving a merge of a human and a mechanical consciousness/A.I. in the Trek universe; when ST:TMP came out it was a somewhat revolutionary SciFi concept and it was presented with such a feeling of hope and resolution that the best possible outcome for the problem was achieved.

You can tell that Roddenberry was still very much in charge here, this type of ending and overall tone captures the general optimism and philosophy that made TOS a classic and made it endure while other scifi TV shows of its time faded considerably more from memory over the years.

Plus it gave Dekker's arc a resolution by having him ending up fused with what remiained of Illya somehow - yeah yeah maybe I'm being corny here, so sue me.

Having said that, what doesn't sit right with me is just how could this new entity could become the Borg?!?!? I mean those f*ckers with their hive mind/A.I. (I guess you can't call them a race) are the single most relentless, disregardful force against individuality and natural evolution.
I just find it hard to swallow going from the positive original ending and the overall good nature of this new entity's - I dont know ingredients? - to such a bleak twist in just a matter of seconds just felt wrong to me.

Not to mention how that contradicts the common belief that the Borg originated and evolved in the Delta quadrant while TPM clearly takes place in Alpha - even tho the quadrants hadn't come up yet at that point in the series. Maybe Im nitpicking here but the sure fire way to kill suspension of disbelief is thru things such as this IMO.

But heck man, its your edit and of course you can do whatever you want with it; I just wanted to elaborate on where I'm coming from and hope you'll take it into consideration

 

[Sunarep]

Not to mention how that contradicts the common belief that the Borg originated and evolved in the Delta quadrant while TPM clearly takes place in Alpha - even tho the quadrants hadn't come up yet at that point in the series. Maybe Im nitpicking here but the sure fire way to kill suspension of disbelief is thru things such as this IMO.

don't worry. wormholes fix those nasty timeproblems in star trek

But I really agree with you Havok, I am a big fan of the Roddenberry/Asimov optimism and the merging of human and a.i. should imo be something to be cherrished and be optimistic about - the enterprise has witnessed something unique and beautiful and it drives forward the idea of self improvement and working on ourselves... and the twist ending would then say "well kirk kinda killed millions of people with this and he should have destroyed vger"

 

[havok1977]

don't worry. wormholes fix those nasty timeproblems in star trek

I know right?

But I really agree with you Havok, I am a big fan of the Roddenberry/Asimov optimism and the merging of human and a.i. should imo be something to be cherrished and be optimistic about - the enterprise has witnessed something unique and beautiful and it drives forward the idea of self improvement and working on ourselves... and the twist ending would then say "well kirk kinda killed millions of people with this and he should have destroyed vger"

Yes exactly Sunarep! I thought about mentioning Asimov's obvious influence here but decided against it to not derail from my point; well that and to not sound smug about my scifi geekdom hehe