Star Trek: Nemesis

[Webmaster 20]

From StarTrek.com:

 

The tenth Star Trek movie won't be out on DVD until May 20, and for those who can't wait we can confirm the complete contents of the seven deleted scenes that will be featured as bonus materials on the disc.

 

According to Rick Berman's introduction to the deleted scenes segment, the movie ran about 45 minutes longer than the theatrical release. In the editing room, the film was slowly whittled down to just under two hours in length. However as Berman points out, the process was, at times, "really painful."

 

In the first deleted scene, we see Data and Jean-Luc Picard share a bottle of vintage 2267 Chateau Picard in the captain's quarters, following the wedding of Deanna Troi and Will Riker. Data, never losing his sense of curiosity at humanity, observes that he noticed a "confluence of emotion at the wedding." He goes on to express his wonder at how humans have the capacity to express both pleasure and sadness simultaneously. What follows is a touching conversation between these two icons ranging from the sadness of loss, the importance of decision-making about one's life and the acceptance of those decisions, and facing new challenges. The scene is introduced by Patrick Stewart, who sums up his character's choices in life — that he was wed to Starfleet and the crew comprise his proverbial "children."

 

The second deleted scene is where we would have seen Shinzon for the first time had it remained in the film. But, as director Stuart Baird points out in the introduction, it would have diminished the impact of the later scene where Shinzon, emerging from shadow, is introduced to Picard. This scene begins with a hallway conversation between Commanders Donatra and Suran, then the Reman Viceroy piping in with the " ... in darkness there is strength" line. The action then moves into the Romulan senate (cleaned up, no doubt, following the messy first scene of the film!) where we see Shinzon addressing a nearly deserted senate. Some of the foreboding Shinzon sound bites heard in promotional material of the film come from this scene: "The 'mighty' Federation will fall ... the time we have dreamed of is at hand."

 

The next scene involves Worf and Picard, and is an extension of the scene from the Observation Lounge where Data briefs the crew on the Remans. Following the meeting's dismissal, Worf goes to Picard and makes his own suggestion of raising the shields and going to red alert prior to their arrival at Romulus. Picard assures Worf that if any protocols are breached, they will go on the defensive, just not before — this is a diplomatic mission. Worf then thanks his captain, assured that he will do the right thing at the right time.

 

The fourth scene features the empathic Deanna Troi and Picard in a corridor walk and talk. In her role as counselor, she is trying reassure him that his feelings, his anger from meeting his clone, are appropriate. Also, Troi senses that Shinzon's strongest emotion was his curiosity about the man he was cloned from. Picard tells Troi that he felt powerless and violated by this act of genetic theft. Deanna tells him he has experienced a loss of self, and our inherent sense of uniqueness is something we all share.

 

The fifth, and perhaps most notorious deleted scene — seen briefly in the trailer for the film — is what has come to be known as the second "mental rape" of Deanna Troi. Occurring in the turbolift, Deanna enters the empty chamber and requests her destination. As the camera spins around once (using what Baird describes as a "snorkel camera") we then see Shinzon, or the apparition of, lying in wait. Shinzon, although back on his ship and being mentally abetted by his Viceroy, commits an act of mental intrusion on Troi. Shinzon insists that her heart longs to discover him, to know him and to be with him. She breaks his mental bond, but the damage is done. She sinks to her knees and catches her breath.

 

This Troi/Shinzon scene is introduced by director Stuart Baird, who claims it was hard to let this one go.

 

Next is a somber Sickbay scene with Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher, in anticipation of a battle with Shinzon. The nice continuity touch here is Picard's quoting of Zefram Cochrane, "To seek out new life and new civilizations ..." He also mentions how Charles Darwin journeyed on the H.M.S. Beagle without benefit of a single musket. "That was another time," adds Crusher.

 

"How far we've come," responds Picard.

 

The seventh and final deleted scene is actually the original ending to the film. The last scene in the released version has B-4's gentle refrain of "Blue Skies," with Picard adding the "shining so bright ... going so right" lines, followed by Picard walking through the corridor with a slight smile, then the pullback out into space.

 

For the original ending, we see a bit of good-natured initiation from Riker to the new first officer, Commander Madden. When Madden reports for duty, Riker informs him that Picard is not really a by-the-book type and he likes to be called "Jean-Luc." When Madden meets Picard and makes the faux pas of addressing him as Jean-Luc, we see a knowing glint in the captain's eyes that says, "Ah, that Riker!"

 

Picard is then shown to his new captain's chair where an ensign instructs him to push a certain button. In a flash, over the shoulder and around the waist seatbelts envelop the captain. "It's about time," he proclaims. Picard then instructs Madden on their first assignment in the Denab system.

 

With a profound sense of duty and acceptance, Picard says, "It's a place ... where no one has gone before."

 

The scene then pulls back and the familiar refrain of the main theme music comes under ...

 

[Please note: Until the DVD is actually mastered, the above information is subject to change.]