More Details On Alternative Version of ‘Where No Man Has Gone Before’ In TOS Season 3 Blu-ray Set

2009 has been the one of the best years ever for Star Trek on home video, with the next release being the the 2009 Star Trek movie on Blu-ray and DVD next week. However, the final release of the year will be Star Trek The Original Series on Blu-ray, coming December 15th. Today we have more details on the unaired version of the "Where No Man Has Gone Before" pilot, which is a key special feature of the set. 

 

Details on unaired "Where No Man Has Gone Before"

 Press Release

A New Beginning Forty Years In The Making

"WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE"

Unaired Alternate STAR TREK Pilot Found
And Digitally Restored For Blu-ray Release


"But now a new task. A probe out into where no man has gone before."
– Original opening monologue from Captain James T. Kirk

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (November 12, 2009) – "When we first discovered the original film print existed, we jumped at the chance to give STAR TREK fans the opportunity to add this never aired pilot to their collections," said Ken Ross, executive vice president and general manager of CBS Home Entertainment. "It will be a real treat for fans to see and hear how it all could have begun."

Origins
A film collector in Germany acquired the unique print several years ago and recently brought it to the attention of CBS Home Entertainment and its distributor Paramount Home Entertainment. The physical 35mm film print was transferred to HD video by Magic Picture Home Entertainment GmbH before it was transported to the United States this past September.

Restoration
As the next step, the Digital Restoration Department at CBS spent hours carefully color-correcting the video and carrying out a frame-by-frame dirt removal process in an effort to provide fans with the best picture quality possible.

The Pilot
Presented in three parts with 1970s-style act breaks, the alternative pilot offers an entirely different version of Captain James T. Kirk’s opening monologue, music that contrasts from the famous opening theme and an extended action sequence.

After the first pilot, "The Cage," was turned down by NBC for being "too cerebral,"
NBC commissioned an unprecedented second pilot and selected "Where No Man Has Gone Before" as it captured the sense of adventure and action that the network visualized for the series. Significantly, it was also the first episode featuring Captain James T. Kirk, a move that would set the precedent for the series and its counterparts. This version of "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was completed in 1965 and features archived footage that was not included in the pilot episode ultimately broadcasted. Never-before-aired, this newly recovered version is believed to be what was originally screened for NBC, and the basis for their decision to broadcast STAR TREK®.

This original version of the seminal series’ pilot episode is the centerpiece of the
STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON THREE Blu-ray release, available December 15 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment for the suggested retail price of $118.99 US and $136.99 CAN.

Set cover & details


 [also available: front view]

Disc One:

  • Spock’s Brain
  • The Enterprise Incident
  • The Paradise Syndrome
  • And the Children Shall Lead
  • Is There In Truth No Beauty?
  • Special Features:
    • Preview trailers for each episode
  • BD Live enabled, Mobile-Blu™ enabled

Disc Two:

  • Spectre of the Gun
  • Day of the Dove
  • For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
  • The Tholian Web
  • Plato’s Stepchildren
  • Special Features:
    • Preview trailers for each episode
  • BD Live enabled, Mobile-Blu™ enabled

Disc Three:

  • Wink of an Eye
  • The Empath
  • Elaan of Troyius
  • Whom Gods Destroy
  • Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
  • Special Features:
    • Preview trailers for each episode
  • BD Live enabled, Mobile-Blu™ enabled

Disc Four:

  • The Mark of Gideon
  • That Which Survives
  • The Lights of Zetar
  • Requiem for Methuselah
  • The Way to Eden
  • Special Features:
    • Preview trailers for each episode
  • BD Live enabled, Mobile-Blu™ enabled

Disc Five:

  • The Cloud Minders
  • The Savage Curtain
  • All Our Yesterdays
  • Turnabout Intruder
  • Special Features:
    • Preview trailers for each episode
    • Preview trailers for each episode
    • Life Beyond Trek: Walter Koenig
    • Chief Engineer’s Log
    • Memoir From Mr. Sulu
    • Captain’s Log: Bob Justman
  • BD Live enabled, Mobile-Blu™ enabled

Disc Six:

  • The Cage
  • The Cage (Extended Version)
  • Where No Man Has Gone Before (The Unaired Alternate Version of the Pilot)
  • Special Features:
    • David Gerrold Hosts “2009 Convention Coverage”
    • “The Anthropology of Star Trek” Comic-Con Panel 2009
    • “The World of Rod Roddenberry” Comic-Con 2009
    • Billy Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories Part 3
    • “To Boldly Go…” Season Three
    • Collectible Trek
    • Star Trek’s Impact
  • BD Live enabled, Mobile-Blu™ enabled

 

 

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Must have this set!!!

So how was it different than the one we have already seen?

I’ma gonna buy this! I work at best buy and i’ll get my hands on it before it hits the shelves! … but i don’t get to walk out the door with it until it does hit the shelves…

#2

“Presented in three parts with 1970s-style act breaks, the alternative pilot offers an entirely different version of Captain James T. Kirk’s opening monologue, music that contrasts from the famous opening theme and an extended action sequence.”

#2: I’ve seen it on a crappy VHS transfer, aside from the different opening/closing music, Kirk monologue and the “act breaks” it’s unnoticably different than the one we’ve all seen. Other than it’s historical significance to Star Trek lore, there’s not much to see.

1970’s style act breaks? Quinn Martin shows had already established this style when the pilot was made. Who writes these press releases?

Bootlegs of this version have been circulating for years, and you can see the alternate footage on Youtube.

What is this “extended version” of The Cage?

#2—Aside from the different opening monologue, music, and “1970’s-style act breaks”, it apparently (as noted in the article) features what is described as “an extended action sequence”. My guess is that the fight between Kirk and Gary Mitchell is longer in this version of the second pilot. We’ll see….X-Mas is going to come about 10 days early this year.

One….jealous god….if all this makes a god!

#2 This has been on YouTube since 2006 so I doubt there’s a real problem posting it here, espceially considering its quality. But this will give you an idea what was changed from the original WNMHGB pilot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xe5SUxq25I

I am hoping this complete print will offer even more juicy material that did not make it into these fan reels.

#5—-“…aside from the different opening/closing music, Kirk monologue and the “act breaks” it’s unnoticably different than the one we’ve all seen.”

What do they mean then by “extended action sequence”? I take it you didn’t notice a longer scene?

#6. “What is this “extended version” of The Cage?”

I am guessing that this is the B&W version with the introduction by Gene Roddenberry from 1986 VHS release.

There is a very slight possibility that it contains the trimmed footage from various scenes that was shot but cut. There is quite a bit of completed material there that has never been seen. At one point Roddenberry wanted Hunter to come back and complete a few scenes that would have allowed this to be released as a feature length film.

No effing way on God’s green earth am I going to shill out yet more money for yet another version of TOS just because they have decided to put out a slightly different version of an episode. Just wait, they will come up with a 3D version of TOS that has a PORTION of the blooper reel attached. Or in the future a version that has some improved screen graphics on the bridge with the REST of the blooper reel. Or yet another version on the newly invented in the future super duper mega bluray format that features some other amazingly just discovered archival footage. Although I bought the remastered version the first time it came out I felt like a chump because I now had two versions on DVD and one on VHS.

It has officially moved beyond ridiculous.

I’ve also seen a bad VHS copy of this. I bought it at a convention in 1998. The additional scenes are mostly “reaction shots” by various actors in the episode. I don’t recall any additional dialogue in the body of the episode, with the exception of Captain Kirk’s narration at the very beginning. The “extended action sequences” might refer to the fist fight between Kirk and Mitchell. It seems to run a little longer than in the aired version. If you are a fan that knows every frame of this episode, then it should be fun to see the little extras here and there. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but any “new” material is welcome stuff.

Does anyone know if the original version of the pilot will have newly created effects, or the original effects shots?

Great times for TOS fans! Restoring this “lost” pilot print is really going the extra mile. Thanks CBS, consider it bought!

I knew it. I knew it.. I remember seeing this as a kid, the memory is faint, I knew I wasn’t imagining it.. 40 years of wonder is satisfied.

Peace,

Vince

#15

Nice site, Vince. I live just south of you sorta kinda (if you are in B.C.) and am a jazz and blues musician.

Anthony…

Do you know or can you find out if William Shatner has seen any of these new Blue Ray’s of TOS?

If not…. shoud we get him the complete set as a gift from TrekMovie.Com?

What’s the “Extended Version” of “The Cage?” How come I’ve never heard of that?

#13 – my guess is not. It sort of defeats the purpose of the original pilot and CBS-D would have had to do a lot more work than just cleaning it up to create new CGI for all of the new fx shots. I suppose they could create a seamless-branching option like with the original vs. restored fx shots, but I would think it would be considerably harder to set that up since it is not a straight swap out of different material of the same duration.

#9 Since the Mitchell Kirk fight scene is not in the YouTube fan reel, who knows where that material originated. The fight may have been trimmed later after someone made off with the missing bits and the fight trims never saved. Likewise be with the missing Cage footage, which I would love to see, but is unlikely to be included in this version, if it even exists anymore.

http://www.startrekhistory.com/cagepage.html

Wow. I knew Star Trek was ahead of its time, but “1970s style act breaks” for a show produced in 1966? That’s incredible.

#18. The TOS Purist aka The Purolator – see #10 & #19

Does anyone know the running time is for Where No Man Has Gone Before (The Unaired Alternate Version of the Pilot)

Have I missed something….Have ST:TOS Seasons 1 & 2 come out already on Blue Ray?? This story isonly about Season 3…..Please let me know

#23, yes and there was a Star Trek movie in the theaters this Summer too. Kind of a fun re-boot of TOS.

Duh! Where have you been?

Just click on the “TOS Remastered” link on the far right and you’ll see everything in great detail.

17.

You’ve gotta be kidding! Shatner hasn’t even watched the new movie yet (or so he says). And he is on record as stating that he doesn’t like watching his own performances. So then? BTW, are you planning to finance the purchase of the Blue Ray sets or are you volunteering Anthony Pascale to do that?

…Spock’s Brain?

i gues not every episode can be The Enterprise Incident…

16.
*off topic*
THX-1138
Are you Charles? I’d like to know more about your music, contact me through the site if you like.

Thanks

Vince

Ha ha, I love how for the previous sets they promoted the great, iconic episodes from each season (Tribbles, Doomsday, etc) but for Season Three they have to resort to promoting an alternate edit of a Season One pilot. lol

In addition to the aforementioned differences, there are some other small bits of footage and an extra line of dialogue:

1) During the chess scene, Kirk says to Spock; “Terrible having bad blood like that…but you may learn to enjoy it someday.” The second part of the sentence was cut from the aired version, although the dialogue was included in script excerpts in “the Making Of Star Trek” and in James Blish’ adaptation in “Star Trek 8”. Too bad, because it was a nice foreshadowing of the eventual development of Spock’s character.

2) After Scotty says; “It’s begun transmitting,sir.”, the camera changes to a wide shot behind all of the characters looking into the transporter chamber while the Valiant’s recorder marker blinks. They hold their positions as in-show titles fade in over the scene; “Tonight’s Episode: “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. After holding for a beat the action resumes as in the episode, and Kirk and Spock exit. But instead of cutting there for the show titles, more credits are shown over Kirk and Spock walking down the corridor. The camera cuts to and pans with Sulu and Piper walking past as more credits are shown. Then a different angle down ( presumably ) another corridor as a crewman comes down the access ladder, and Gary Mitchell comes around a corner. The camera follows him as he walks behind Yeoman Smith, making a caressing gesture in the air ( foreshadowing his god-like hand gestures later ). The camera then cuts to Kirk and Spock entering the elevator and the action returns to the aired version.

Tiny judiciously edited parts of this footage appeared in “The Man Trap” as they called the ship to general quarters.

#11: “No effing way on God’s green earth am I going to shill out yet more money for yet another version of TOS just because they have decided to put out a slightly different version of an episode.”

THX, get a hold of yourself… not every fan fan owns the earlier boxed sets… It’s your choice to buy or not.

Personally, I am waiting for Paramount to release the TOS boxed sets that include lens flares!

I can’t wait!!!

20. ety3… “Wow. I knew Star Trek was ahead of its time, but “1970s style act breaks” for a show produced in 1966? That’s incredible.”

Not really. The original author is a bit confused. “Act Breaks” were around long before the 1970s. “The Untouchables” (also Desilu) and “The Fugitive” both used them before “Star Trek”.

#30

Please read the 9th word in my comment. From this one might glean that I am talking about myself. All the rest of you may do as you please. The intent of my comment is to give my personal take on what I see as Paramount and CBS seemingly miraculously coming up with some new added goody that every Trek fan must have. And that the old version of the nearly exact same product is somehow not quite as good as the brand new shiny version of practically the exact same product you have. I completely understand releasing Trek in the new Bluray format. In that very same breath I GUARANTEE that before the disc format of video storage is finished we will see at least two more versions of TOS. It starts to look something like a snake oil pitch.

Also it would seem that I have a definitive and firm grip on myself, but thank you for your concern.

I wouldn’t be surprised if having different theme music and other “packaging” was just a sales gimmick to immediately differentiate the second pilot from the first and Roddenberry always intended to revert to the music and style of the opening seen in The Cage. Or it may have been NBC’s choice. Either way, it turned out for the best.

The Empath is one of the 5 best episodes

A lot of the problem is Paramount made the mistake of going with HD-DVD instead of blu-ray in the first place. They bet on the wrong horse and had to change course in midstream (that’s it, I’m all out of metaphors)–otherwise we would have had TOS in HD a year or two ago and we wouldn’t have seen all this duplication. If you don’t care to have TOS in HD, I can only say that you’re not a real fan. :) Just my personal opinion. I can’t watch it any other way now.

#25 I was wondering the same thing? who is he to volunteer the owner of this site to buy the box sets for Shatner? I am sure William Shatner has oodles of money let him get it himself.

#32 – I would ask one thing. Do you still use an IBM PC made in 1995, with an Intel Pentium processor and run Windows 95 with a dialup modem? Because that machine can still do most things a modern computer can do, albeit much more slowly. But it’s no less effective at creating documents and spreadsheets, checking e-mail and light web-browsing. However, if like most people you bought a new computer in 2000, and again in 2005 and may even be considering a purchase this Christmas, then I would argue there is no difference to upgrading your Star Trek collection from VHS, to DVD, to Blu Ray, with an eye toward “3D-ray” in the near future. Each successive upgrade doesn’t do anything more than than its predecessor, except it looks better, is easier to access, offers more bells an whistles and runs faster.

So let’s say you want the best picture possible for your Star Trek collection and see the benefit of upgrading technology, or adding a different version to your collection. It is a choice you make, just like upgrading your PC to add wireless networking, or buy a laptop when you already own a desktop.

Don’t blame Paramount for offering improvements in their product any more than you can blame the computer industry for offering improvements in theirs. If you don’t see the added benefit, then don’t buy it. It’s not a conspiracy to drain patrons of its product, it’s merely the march of progress.

Personally, I bought Star Trek on Beta thinking it was the superior product. Then had to replace much of the collection with VHS when Sony dropped the platform. I then bought a laser disk, only to end up replacing some of that product to move to DVD. I chose not to buy the remastered on DVD because the whole point was that they were HD. So I have been waiting to move into Blu Ray until the price drops. This Christmas seems like a good time to do it with the new film coming out and then I may start to replace my DVD collection with Blu-ray so I can start enjoying the superior picture quality (I have become quite the HD junkie). So if anybody should be upset it is me. But I only have myself to blame. I wanted the product as soon as it became available and I paid a steep price for being an early adopter. But I enjoyed every minute. And NOBODY twisted my arm. I am responsible for my own actions, NOT Paramount.

I welcome Paramount continuing to offer new and varied products for me to chose from.

#32 THX-1138 – “… it would seem that I have a definitive and firm grip on myself…”

TMI

#29 nice summing up

#9:

Yeah I didn’t notice an extended sequence. I didn’t know about it when I first saw the different version so I wasn’t really looking for extended scenes

I guess the term: “Extended sequence” is a bit overexagerated. The scenes have alternate camera angles, “slightly” added to dialogue or brief snibits of footage not shown in aired pilot. Beginning showed shots of corridor shots from overhead looking down through ceiling gratings, with use of shadows. As with thousands of Trek fans, I too have mulitple poor vhs quality multigenerational copies of this footage. It’s not hugely different than the aired 2nd pilot, but it is slightly altered and arranged in acts, not a free flowing straight run episode. The fact CBS ponied up the $ to HD it and clean up the print, speaks well to it’s viewing enjoyment being emensly welcome. Thr opening and closing credits are vastly different tan the series used version.

Actually it was the first and last episode to feature James “R” Kirk.

I have this on VHS and it’ different. A small difference, but worth having in the collection. And being an early cut version of the episode, it’s different.

Yes, it is.

You’re not a hard-core fan unless you have the first season in HD-DVD.
(I’m just trying to rationalize my jumping the gun…)
And hey, I’ve even got the phaser remote! (*cringe*)

#44 – LOL, yup. The expense of HD-DVD & Blu-ray at the time ended my days of being a hard-core fan.

But, has Paramount done anything like Warner Bros. Red2Blu conversion promotion?

http://red2blu.com/

While one cannot expect any company to pay for betting on the wrong horse, something CBS & Paramount has surely already done without reimbursing consumers for their purchases, it would sure go a long way toward customer satisfaction to offer a replacement disk for those consumers loyal enough to pony up for the HD-DVD format even when it was clear in the marketplace, the battle was far from over.

If CBS wanted to improve the perception that they are milking fans, such an exchange program would be a prudent move. But then again when you are the only game in town, where’s the necessity?

Yes but is Wax-Kirk featured in this set?

#32: “Please read the 9th word in my comment. From this one might glean that I am talking about myself.”

Gotcha… you might also note I said, “It’s your choice to buy or not.”

I was just noting that some people (and not necessarily referring to you) jump on their soapbox saying Paramount is milking the fans. I’ve never felt that with all the new stuff, that all too often, is not all that different from the older stuff, is a ploy to get folks to keep buying the “new and improved” product.

I’d like to think most fans aren’t that gullible.

I was merely noting that even with all the different versions out there, you can bet someone still doesn’t have one. I, for example, have not yet purchased the boxed sets of ST: TNG or DS9… someday, though!

I love how the alternate WNMHGB is the centerpiece of this set, and not Season 3. ;-)

I don’t own any of the seasons yet, but I hope to get these on Blu Ray once I get my player (soon!)

Ooo, a must-have. I only have a fuzzy copy on Beta tape.

#32. ,

Being an audio/visual geek from the 60s on, I definitely get your point.

For me, I’m only interested in recreating the original artist’s work as it was intended. ToS may have been mastered on 35mm film but the end product was always intended to be presented on 16mm for distributuion. So as long as I can recreate a pristine 16mm episode presentation, I’m happy – even more so now that it’s so economical.

For a-r-c-h-i-v-a-l preservation, I’m glad all these superior image copies are out there but there’s no compelling artistic reason to spend excessively and immediately to acquire the series re-rendered for HD.

As for the un-aired pilots which were intended as a sales tool and presented to the suits in their eye-popping 35mm, I’m interested in acquiring them in HD restored as much as possible to their original presentation form – but I’m not going to repurchase the entire series in HD just to get them. I’ll wait until CBS comes out with a STAR TREK: THE UNAIRED PILOTS HD box collection for all the series or releases them individually.