STAR TREK "This Other Eden"--V.2 Complete

[bionicbob]

STAR TREK "This Other Eden"


tagline: THE GOD-THING EDITION

A Madman hijacks the Enterprise in his quest to find GOD!

BionicBob takes this recycled TOS plot and attempts to craft it into a darker, more somber adventure. Gone is the studio dictated humor, and in it's place a story closer to writer/director William Shatner's original vision.

With this version BB has maintained his signature TV Style Cut but this time has forgone with the usual TOS music soundtrack and fully embraced the glorious film score of Jerry Goldsmith. Additionally, many of the poor F/X shots have been cut or replaced. With these changes, Bionic Bob hopes to have created an adventure worthy of the Star Trek Universe!

Basic details:
original film names: STAR TREK V THE FINAL FRONTIER The Special Collector's Edition
plus footage from Star Treks 1 thru 6, and TOS

new film name : STAR TREK "This Other Eden"
film studio name : Paramount Pictures
Date Original Film Was Released : Theatrical Release 1989, DVD Special Collector's Edition 2003
Date Edit Was Released : April 2011
Original Runtime : 106 min
New Runtime : 97 mins


Cuts removed/added/extended (add list of what was changed):
--added original Goldsmith score to Teaser
--added Goldsmith created Mind Meld sound f/x throughout movie
--added Starfleet title cards
--new opening credits
--restructured/altered Trinity Shore Leave
--trimmed out bad greenscreen from mountain fall
--cut out Marshmellons
--rescripted all Klingon dialogue and used Klingon title cards to cover original subtitles
--altered Klaa's introduction, no target practice, now in pursuit of a criminal fugitive
--cut Nimbus III Ambassadors introductions
--trimmed/altered return to Enterprise from Shore Leave
--cut Admiral Bob briefing
--altered Hostage Tape briefing slightly
--altered "Captain Chekov" gag slightly
--cut Uhura fan dance
--trimmed out some of the humor during Paradise City assault
--altered Klingon attack/Shuttle Craft manual landing
--trimmed Kirk/Sybok fight in Shuttle Hangar
--trimmed Trinity brig conversation
--altered Jail Break, no Turbo Shaft/Rocket Boots!!!!
--added music to Sybok's observation room speech
--dialed up music slightly during McCoy's Pain
--Legacy scene--Kirk's secret pain revealed
--added additional barrier breach shots
--colour correction God Planet, added Blue tint
--trimmed planet walk and God-Thing reveal
--added lots of Earthquake filter f/x
--added Evil Red to God-Thing
--altered Klingon attack on Enterprise
--added additional shots of the God-Thing in pursuit of Kirk
--trimmed Bird of Prey reveal slightly
--trimmed Epilogue
--added new closing credit
--fade to black breaks[/QUOTE]

Editing Details:
Used iMac 10.5, Mac the Ripper, MPEG Streamclip, Final Cut Pro 6, GarageBand, and DVD Studio Pro 4.

 

[bionicbob]

For those you who may have missed it---

 

[LastSurvivor]

I know the edit has probably only just been put up for download, but it appears file 3 is missing

 

[havok1977]

I know the edit has probably only just been put up for download, but it appears file 3 is missing

For me it's part 2 that is missing in the container ...

 

[Dwight Fry]

For me it's part 2 that is missing in the container ...

Yep, it does lack part 2. Hope it's fixed soon, I'm dying to watch this!

 

[LastSurvivor]

Sorry, it is indeed Part 2... my apologies.

Hope it's fixed soon, I'm dying to watch this!

Me too!

 

[L8wrtr]

Part 2 is on MU, but is reporting temporarily offline. If this does not resolve by tonight I will re-up Part 2 and update the DLC.

 

[L8wrtr]

DLC has been replaced, part 2 is a new link, all others are the originals.

 

[JetSetWilly]

Been looking forward to this for a long time. Am grabbing this now, and really can't wait to see it.

 

[Pagz]

I really enjoyed this edit, far superior to the original. If I might offer 2 observations: There's an error in one of the subtitles aboard Klaa's ship: "We must not allow the terrans to keep the hostages. They will ours or no ones!" should be "They will be ours or no one's!" Also, in the scene where Sybok is using his mental powers on Uhura and Sulu, I would keep the heartbeat sound effect going through the end of that cut, it feels too short to my ears and would give the impression, to me at least, that he's still exerting his influence over them as we pause for the commercial break.

 

[bionicbob]

D'oh!!!!
Damn typos!!! You know this thing was previewed with audiences four times, plus copies I sent out to friends, and no one caught it or mentioned it!!! :frusty:

Well I am glad atleast you enjoyed the edit.
It is still a flawed movie. The movie climax is still some what lacking and illogical, but I tried to make the best of it.

 

[jamiemark]

The rar file for the artwork isn't extracting for me

 

[Dwight Fry]

Review:

Ah, Star Trek V. The one nobody seems to like. However, for all that’s wrong with this movie, it has a more than intriguing premise and a lot of interesting ideas within that have made me have a soft spot for it, warts and all. And so does BionicBob, who in this newer entry of his TOS-ized Trek film series removes a lot of contrivance and stupidity, and about all of the really offensive material of the theatrical cut, to deliver an excellent edit that’s one of his best and makes up for the slight disappointment that was his version of IV, which I still liked a lot, just not as much as the previous three. Interestingly, I tend to like the odd-numbered entries in the Bionic Trek saga better than the even-numbered ones, unlike what most Trekkers seem to feel about the official cuts.


Gone is the Uhura/Scotty romance, gone is the dance of Uhura’s body double, gone is the belching Klingon, gone is Scotty hitting his head, gone are the worst FX shots, and gone are all the inconsistences that could be removed without the aid of deleted scenes. I expected that Sybok would no longer be Spock’s brother in this version, but he still is. Not the worst of problems with STV, anyway. The overall result? Pretty solid Trek that streamlines the best The Final Frontier had to offer.


This time around the excellent Jerry Goldsmith music is kept, and for good reason as it’s by far one of the best Trek scores. We also get a different TV-style intro than the one in the previous edits, which is somewhat controversial apparently, but I personally love it. A celebration of the Enterprise that’s a comeback to the classic TOS intro, plus the amazing Goldsmith theme. What’s not to like?


On the downside, Bob left in some silly and overly comedic bits, with lines like “I ought to knock you on your ass” and moments like Spock nerve-pinching a horse, while I would have preferred the feel to go further towards the serious, as I think the material in question demands that (but hell, I’m the guy whose favorite ST film is the deadly serious TMP and would like a similar treatment being applied to this one, so most people will no doubt disagree). Also, Bob added a tiny flash-forward near the beginning and reprised it near the end. I understand why he has done it and have nothing but respect for his decision, but I think both sequences (particularly the first) worked better without it. It’s a bit too obvious, and a bit of overkill. On the other hand, I loved the “Kirk’s pain” sequence. One of the best TOS montages by Bob.


Technical stuff… let me joyfully shout it: IT’S 16:9 ANAMORPHIC!

And no interlacing either! Finally! This is how all of Bob’s edits deserve to look like. Other people have pointed out technical problems, but I haven’t noticed much other than some slight blocking in one shot, and maybe the music being a bit too loud during the characters’ walk through the Sha-Ka-Ree desert. The audio level problems in IV bothered me much more. Yet keep in mind I have watched the edit on a computer, so in a proper Home Cinema system there may be more noticeable flaws.


Overall? I’ll just say: someone send the Shat a copy of this edit! Let him see how good his maligned movie can actually be. I think he… would… love… it. 9/10


Looking forward to VI.

 

[bionicbob]

Thank you to Dwightfry, Captain K and Rogue for taking the time to post their thoughts and reviews.
It is all very much appreciated.

The Flash Forward clip is there to explain how Kirk knows how he is going to die (it is no longer just a feeling for him, its a fact) and connects/explains the other Flash Forward scene in "Full Circle".

So Dwight you didn't like the Horse Nerve Pinch, eh? Actually, in my first rough version, I cut both the Spock/Horse gag and Kirk's cat fight. But the after viewing it, it the whole raid on Paradise felt too short. Plus, I just wanted to inject a little fun. So back in came the Horse gag, and come on!!! It's Capt. Kirk fighting a THREE BREASTED CAT WOMAN!!! What's not to love!:-D

Yes, Sybok is still Spock's half brother. Some people suggested I should either edit Sybok as just a rogue Vulcan or make him Spock's FULL blood brother. Making Sybok a rogue Vulcan required too many cuts and many scenes lost their rhythem. As for being Spock's half brother, I have no issue with this. A Half- Brother or Full Brother, family is still family and the bonds are just as powerful. Plus, Spock was always designed to be a mysterious character, not counting novels or comics, there are only a very small handful of episodes that explore Spock's past, and nothing that would contradict him having a Half Brother.

Ah yes.... sound issues! The bane of all my edits! One day maybe I will get it right....

So far, all the feedback I have got back, both public and private, regarding the Legacy Scene, everyone seems to like it for a nice change.
Was everyone able to identify all the characters and the role they played in shaping Kirk's Pain?

Thanks again everyone!

 

[L8wrtr]

In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, BionicBob takes on what is in my opinion, his greatest challenge in the Original Cast Trek movie series. This review, more than any of my review of Bob's previous edits takes into account the distance traveled from the original to his final product, and that is because in my experience so far, rarely has a faneditor had so little to work with and achieved so much, and this is coming from someone who has edited The Phantom Menace.

First, let's get the technical stuff out of the way first.

Audio: As far as the levels go, this is a MASSIVE improvement over Full Circle, I was able to put down the remote and not worry about it. I found that transitions were fine, no complaints.

Video: Bob has taken his first step into a much larger (16:9) universe. I know that he must be getting sick of Star Trek at this point and has some pretty large plans for post-Trek editing, but I truly hope that say in a year's time Bob circles back and revisits Trek 1-4, his Trek series is in my opinion one of the most epic, comprehensive and thematically unified projects on the site, and it would a real treat to fans of Trek to have these edits in full 16:9. Beyond the big boost to wider format, the vid quality was acceptable, though I didnt compare it to the original so I don't know if there is degradation, or if the original source just is kind of Meh.

Editing: The quality of the editing is strong as always. No flash-frames or hard cuts. Audio blends well and I didn't notice any artifacts of deleted scenes.

Story/Improvement over the original: In the interest of full-disclosure; I really cannot stand the original Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. This movie should never have been made/released, at least not in the form that it was. I was in my late teens when this travesty was thrust upon an unsuspecting and trusting public, and this was one the first times where I had seen a movie and understood enough to know that I had been ripped off (the first time was Caddyshack 2).

So, was Bob able to rescue this movie? Well, yes.. and no. He has succeeded in making the absolute worst bits watchable, and has made the best parts even better. If you love Star Trek, this is the only version of 5 you should ever watch.

I see this as a movie of 2 halves. Everything leading up to the escape from the Brig, and everything after.

FIRST HALF
Opening Credits: Since Bob retained the Goldsmith soundtrack, he abandoned the classic TOS opening style in favor for one that pays tribute to The Next Generation style opening. It is well-done and I understand the reasoning, but personally, I prefer the classic TOS opening.

The positives:
Bob has done just about all he could in order to make the first half watchable. The opening sequence is intriguing and reels you in, Sybok's character and the lone figure he enlists in the harsh desert is cinematic and mysterious. Bob has mercifully relieved the viewer an amazing amount of head-scratching camp and awfulness which plagues the first half of the movie. He also does an admirable job of resolving the types of Trek-universe contradictions which bother hard-core Trek fans. One of his most ambitious and clever undertakings is to try and restore some honor to the Klingon Empire. Through the use of subtitles he has crafted new introduction of the Klingons which give them deeper motivations and actions. However, even as talented and creative as Bob is, he can only do so much, which leads us into the...

Negatives:
While the subtitles give more noble purpose to the characters, Captain Klaa and his first officer are still absolutely terrible in both physical appearance and line-delivery. The new subtitles cannot hide their hackneyed and one-dimensional delivery. While as oddly-cast as Christopher Lloyd was as Kruge, he delivered a performance which portrayed Klingons as a mixture of blood-thirsty warriors with a tradition of defined honor. Klaa was simply a physical, brutish and immature teenager/metal-head with access to a warship, and that still shows. This is of course not Bob's fault and his solution works better than can be hoped, but it highlights the major problem of the film which still bubbles through into this edit; with the exception of a handful of scenes between the Trek Trinity at Yosemite, the first half is just weighed down with terrible dialog, terrible action, and mediocre plot-lines. While Bob has removed everything he can while still retaining a recognizable (and actually more coherent) plot, it's hard for me to get past just how awful the original material is.

SECOND HALF
Once the Trinity break out of the Brig, this edit really finds it's feet and becomes enjoyable. The scene for 'Kirk's pain' is WONDERFUL. Absolutely classic BionicBob editing at it's best here. His scene selections for the flashbacks are fantastic. I'll admit it took me a little while to get all of them (the governor from "The Conscience of the King" was the toughest to pull up from the old mental database). Every scene ties into Kirk's history beautifully, and when you see all these little moments tied together, for me at least, it really made me take stock of how deep Kirk's character actually is. While it's easy to discount him as a fist-a-cuff diplomat who falls into bed with any green-skinned alien in his path, you realize that the arc and depth of the character's experience is really quite rich when you see it in context.

Also, from that scene forward, of all the ST movies, this plays out the most like a classic TOS episode in my opinion, particularly when they get to the planet, complete with terrible filters to give it an other-worldly feeling (although that wasn't really intentional). My brother and I (who eagerly await every BB Trek release) had to re-watch the exchange between Kirk and the God Thing several times for the sheer joy of seeing how well Shatner inhabits the character of Kirk for this scene, it's Kirk at his finest, and Bob has paired the sequence very nicely.

I cannot imagine a better version of this movie being crafted, and Bob's work and explanations, help absolve Shatner of the disdain I used to feel towards him for creating this let-down. You can now glimpse what Shatner was trying to achieve, and it truly was a bold and admirable goal in my mind. Bob does a great job of taking a mis-guided movie and returning it to, as best as possible, the original vision.

EXTRAS The menus are a new departure for Bob and work well. His 'about this edit' feature is fantastic and gives tremendous insight into both the history of the film as well as how Bob went about improving it and what went behind his decisions.

Also as noted, 16:9 is a wonderful step forward, and for audio, I didn't have any gripes, particularly after Full Circle's audio ups and downs. Visual quality still has some room for improvement, but a welcomed step-up from previous releases.

OVERALL
When it is all said and done, I'm still not a fan of Final Frontier. The studio cut the heart, soul and intelligence out of Shatner's vision. For me the original movie is a 3/10, easily one of the most unwatchable movies released in my lifetime, particularly given my expectations. This edit doesn't magically turn it from something terrible into something amazing. In the end, it still suffers the sins of the original; unforgivable special effects, an uneven story (particularly for the first half) and a less than satisfying climax as far as defeating the God Thing. But it is now a watchable movie with a charm, depth and character which the original lacks. When I look at the level of improvement, I have to give this an 8/10 due to the technical qualities and story improvement, even though the film itself remains my least favorite installment in the franchise.

May the..

Oh.. sorry..

Live long, and prosper.

 

[bionicbob]

Thank You L8 for your indepth review and honesty.

As always you bring up some great points. I have to agree the final climax is still somewhat weak. I am the first to admit it. I mean really, a photon torpedeo can not stop the God-Thing but a Klingon Bird of Prey disruptor can? Now that I have a had some time and distance, I think if I ever did a version two of Eden (and I am not saying I will), I would insert a shot of the God-Thing after Kirk is beamed aboard the Klingon ship to make clear the Klingons only slowed/distracted the God-Thing long enough to make their escape.

Anyway, thank you again. Hopefully the next one will be more to your liking.

 

[L8wrtr]

I think if I ever did a version two of Eden (and I am not saying I will), I would insert a shot of the God-Thing after Kirk is beamed aboard the Klingon ship to make clear the Klingons only slowed/distracted the God-Thing long enough to make their escape.

^THIS!!!!!

That would make this edit 100% better than it already is, and allow the ending to be believable.

Anyway, thank you again. Hopefully the next one will be more to your liking.

Your editing and choices were great, so please know I'm not critical of your edit, it far exceeded my hopes or expectations, this is just one of those edits where there is only so much that can be achieved. I apologize if the review came off as harsh, that was never my intent. As I enjoyed Trek 6 greatly, I fully anticipate that your final installment will be a joy to watch. From what you've hinted at already, I'm excited.

 

[bionicbob]

No worries L8, I did not take your review as being harsh in slightest.

These things are all subjective. It is all good.

 

[LastSurvivor]

It's strange how some films obtain a bad reputation and yet at the same time attract many hardcore defenders at the same time. Or perhaps it isn't. I for one am rarely put off a film by poor reviews - in fact some might say I actively seek them out to see if they really are that bad. One such movie back upon its release in the blockbuster packed summer of 1989 was of course WIlliam Shatner's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The general opinion then, and indeed now, seems to be that it's probably the worst of the series.

As the years have gone by it's become general film knowledge that Shatner's original vision for the film was severely compromised by various contributing factors; it is quite obvious that Paramount slashed the budget and that the wizards of ILM were not available to perform special effects duty. Yet, upon my first viewing of the film at the cinema I genuinely loved it - warts and all. So, when Bionic Bob reached this particularly chapter in his Original Series Trek Edits, I was very intrigued and excited to see what he would do.

First off, as much as I love the new classic TV style intro which has been seen in BB's other Trek edits, I was delighted to see a new intro which whilst still obviously intended as a TV series intro, retains the wonderful Jerry Goldsmith score. I loved seeing all the various shots of the Enterprise and Bob timed it perfectly with the music. Hopefully this intro will be retained for the final Trek BB edit to come shortly.

Indeed, watching this edit reminded me just how amazing Goldsmith's score is - I'd forgotten how good it really is and I truly think it stands alongside The Motion Picture as his best Trek score. As soon as we arrive on Nimbus III I knew I was gonna love this - Bob uses Jerry's original score for the superbly staged pre-credits sequence and I immediately had a beaming smile on my face. The trimming of the shore leave sequence works a treat, particularly the cut of the awful green screen rock fall sequence. I must admit I kind of missed "row, row, row your boat" but by keeping the discussion about Bones' secret beans recipe in there, I'm more than willing to forgive

Indeed, the one thing I am glad about is that Bob decided not to try and cut all the humor out of the movie. For me, the interplay between the main trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy is at its absolute best here. Director Shatner deserves massive credit for this (along with his script writers of course!), and I still believe this is a quite beautifully directed Trek movie.

The idea to rescript all the Klingon dialogue with new subtitles (nice Starfleet title cards btw) works absolutely fine. I'll admit I can't remember how different it is to the original, but if the intention is to make the Klingon's as ruthless as we knew them previously, then Bob definitely succeeds.

Uhura's fan dance is not missed at all, neither is the turbo shaft/rocket boots from the jailbreak. Only thing I thought was that it's strange that Scotty appears and then in the next scene is just gone without us knowing what he's up to, but I think it still works well enough. What's more, the turbo shaft scene always felt like an added scene - at least the humour certainly did. By removing it and getting on straight with the story as Kirk, McCoy and Spock have to face their pain, the movie is all the better for it. Ah yes, the pain. Have to give Bob massive credit here, as when he announced we were going to see Kirk's pain for the first time I was somewhat skeptical as to how he would achieve this. Well, the clips he used from the classic series and the preceeding movies are superbly chosen, not to mention how skillfully he intercuts them with the scenes on the observation deck. I'm sure he worked on it for some time and it's one of the best moments in the edit for me. Also, by adding music to the scene it seems to lend even more emotional weight.

One aspect I wasn't too keen on were the flash forward scenes where Kirk foresees his death. I can see what Bob was trying to do, but the placement of the scenes just feels jarring and don't work that well for me. I know that Bob states it ties in with his last Trek fanedit, which I have to admit I haven't viewed yet, so it may well work better if one has seen that first.

All the colour correction on the God planet works without distracting, and I liked the new Klingon gun sound effects - very nice. As for the earthquake filter effects, for the most part they work surprisingly well. It was only when I noticed that the actual 2.35:1 framing was moving as well as the image inside the frame that it became distracting. A shame, as I thought it worked really well otherwise and is a great idea.

The freeze frame style fades, as if going to an advert break, mostly work very well. There was just the one on the observation deck where we hear Sybok continuing to speak after his image is frozen that didn't work for me. Otherwise, all good.
The picture quality is very good throughout and for the most part the audio is far better than the previous BB Trek edit I watched, The V'ger Incident. However, there are still moments where the background sound/music overpower the dialogue somewhat, which is a shame, but I have to say it certainly doesn't lessen the impact of the edit.

Most importantly of all though is how good the actual fanediting is here. BB has done a brilliant job and if you hadn't seen the movie before you would never know where the editing was to tell the truth. I still love the original theatrical version, turbo shaft scene and all. Yet, for the most part Bionic Bob's This Other Eden has the edge and would now be my go to version, as the saying goes.

I now look forward to seeing Bob's other Trek edits, and it will be kinda sad when he finally leaves the Trek universe upon the completion of his fanedit of Star Trek VI. However, at least it opens the pathways for Cyborg, his long awaited Six Million Dollar Man edit... now that's one I really can't wait for

 

[bionicbob]

I would like to shout out a THANK YOU to UnknownFactor and LastSurvivor for their reviews and thoughts.

Been alot of interesting feedback on this edit. Some people liking the new format, some surprised (and maybe disappointed?) by it.

It is a slight departure from Trek edits 1-4, specifically not using TOS music this time around. Some like it, some don't.

I don't think it should have come as a surprise to anyone in the change of format, as I was very upfront about the changes from the very beginning while it was IN THE WORKS section. But I may not have explained fully why I made these changes in style from my previous edits. So I thought I would take the opportunity now to share...

Yes, I made it clear I LOVE the Jerry Goldsmith score and wanted it to be the main soundtrack of this edit.
But there are other reasons why I chose not to use TOS music/cues.

Firstly, by the time I completed "FULL CIRCLE" I had pretty much exhausted my entire TOS music library. In fact, you may have noticed in "Full Circle" I was re-using many of the same music cues I had already used in my previous edits. For many, this may be okay, and they may claim this is what gives the edit its classic flavour, and I would have agree with that.

But as the fan editor spending months on Trek projects, it was starting to feel repetitious and uninteresting. It was also getting more and difficult to add a classic cue to a modern movie and make it seem to flow naturally. It just seemed natural to me, with "Full Circle" closing off the Genesis Trilogy, it was a good time to make a change.

In my mind, edits 1-4 represent a mythical season four, while Treks 5 and 6 represent a new season five.

And with a new season, comes a new intro and new music.

I felt, as I approached the finishing line with the Trek edits, the intro and soundtrack should begin to align more with the later Trek tv series. Thus, I tried to mimic the style and pacing of Voyager, DS9 and Enterprise for the new opening credits sequence. I really like the new intro but I can understand if the change may have caught some off guard.

By using only the movie soundtrack for fade to black breaks and to heighten other scenes, I think the edits still retain a quasi-television flavour but in a slightly more modern storytelling style.

Is it still TOS Style?

Maybe not completely, but it is still very much STAR TREK.