Memory Alpha:AOL chats/Ronald D. Moore/altgen.txt

The Missing "Star Trek: Generations" scenes, including the famous Alternate- Kirk ending--

This scene was how the movie was orginially supposed to open: (This scene was filmed, but cut.)

1      EXT. SPACE (VFX-I)     1 A vast and sparkling starfield. A pinpoint of light appears and starts moving toward the camera. A small and distant cylindrical object tumbling end over end, but we can't determine exactly what it is yet.

2      EXT. WHEATFIELD- DAY   2 A vast and undulating sea of wheat. We become aware that there are two heads sticking out of the stalks of wheat: two men standing and looking up at the sky. As we move towards them, we can see that the two men are SCOTTY and CHEKOV, dressed in civilian clothing.

CHEKOV

(points to sky) There he is- there, to the south!

SCOTTY (peers upward) What are ye, blind? That's a bird.

As they stare up at the sky

3      EXT. SPACE (VFX-I)     3 The cylinder tumbling through space is now closer, and we can now see that it is a bottle of some sort, and it is tumbling directly toward the camera.

4      EXT. WHEATFIELD- DAY   4 As before, Chekov and Scotty staring at the sky.

SCOTTY (concerned) Repelling the Crystalline Trench, rafting down lava flows, orbital skydiving.It's like the man is running a bloody decathlon across the galaxy.

Suddenly we hear a double sonic boom.

CHEKOV That should be him now. I think he's just crossed the sound barrier.

They shield their eyes against the sun and look up.

5      EXT. SPACE (VFX-I)     5 The bottle gets closer.

6      EXT. WHEATFIELD- DAY   6 A man in a high-tech body harness and parachute lands in the wheat flat on his back. His body-suit is charred, scorched, wisps of smoke still curling off it. There are small thrusters attached to his backpack and boots. Scotty and Chekov move to him. The man removes his helmet. It is KIRK. He smiles broadly, like a child who has just come off a rollercoaster.

KIRK Right on target! I jump out over the Arabian Peninsula and I end up here, right on the dime.

Kirk gets to his feet.

CHEKOV Actually, Captain, your precise target area was thirty-five meters (points)that way.

KIRK Thanks for pointing that out.

Kirk starts to pull off his suit, reacts to a sudden pain in his back.

KIRK Oh

SCOTTY I've warned ye about that back of yours. You should have a doctor take a look at it.

Kirk waves him away, and continues to remove his harness.

6A     EXT. SPACE (VFX-I)     6A The tumbling bottle rushes past, and we can now see that it is a champagne Bottle- Dom Perignon, 2265. Follow the bottle as it tumbles through space.

6B     EXT. WHEATFIELD- DAY   6B

Kirk, Scotty and Chekov as before.

KIRK Tomorrow I want to make a tri-elliptical jump. That's where you jump out over Northern China and make three complete orbits before you start re-entry.

CHEKOV Captain. Perhaps you have forgotten that tomorrow is the christening ceremony.

This strikes a nerve with Kirk- we see a flash of hesitation and irritation cross his face.

KIRK I'm not going (beat) Scotty, help me with this chute.

SCOTTY What do you mean, you're not going? We promised.

KIRK When I retired, I swore I'd never set foot on a starship again, and I meant it.

CHEKOV Captain

KIRK (firm) I don't want to hear anymore about it. I'm not going, and that's final.

7      EXT. SPACE (VFX-I)     7 The champagne bottle smashes onto the bow of a Federation starship (Excelsior class) sitting in its dock in orbit around Earth.

This leads in to the first scene of Generations, presented as written. Kirk has decided to go to the chirstening off screen in both the script and movie.

The following scene takes place in the Prologue to the movie, after Harriman, Scotty and Chekov arrive in the deflector control room to find no Kirk but a gaping hull breach.

INT. ENTERPRISE-B - BRIDGE

A short time later. Scotty, Harriman, and Chekov are listening to Demora, who is working the Helm console.

DEMORA I've checked the entire ship and the surrounding space... there's no sign of him.

A silent moment. Chekov looks to Scotty, hoping to hear some sort of miracle. Scotty takes a moment... looks at the empty command chair. Then he shakes his head. A long beat as everyone is forced to accept this terrible truth.

SCOTTY (quiet) Just a quick... run around the block.

CHEKOV I never thought it would end like this...

SCOTTY All things must end, Mister Chekov.

Harriman finally breaks the silence of the Bridge.

HARRIMAN Let's go home.

Harriman goes down to the Captain's chair and takes command of his ship.

Scotty and Chekov exchange a final look. Off the reactions of these two friends who've just lost someone very dear to them both...

(We cut to the Worf promotion scene. There's one nice exchange I'd like to include that wasn't in the movie:)

PICARD Don't you think you're taking this a little too far, Number One?

RIKER When we went to ancient Rome for Deanna's promotion, we threw her to the lions, remember?

-- This scene shows us elements cut from the Soran/Geordi interrogation scene. The lines cut from the final film explain Soran's comment to Lursa and B'Etor that La Forge's heart "just wasn't in it."

CUT TO:

83     INT. KLINGON BIRD OF PREY- QUARTERS (VFX-P)    83 A dimly-lit room somewhere in the bowels of the Klingon ship. Like every other room on this decrepit ship, the room looks well-worn and ill-maintained. Soran is seated behind a table, holding the VISOR. A PADD and Soran's pocketwatch sit on the table. La Forge is sitting in a chair across from him- his shirt has been removed. He looks very tense.

SORAN (re: VISOR) A remarkable piece of equipment, but a little inelegant, wouldn't you say? (beat) Have you ever considered a prosthesis that would make you look a little more...normal?

LA FORGE What's normal?

SORAN Normal is what everyone else is, and what you are not.

LA FORGE What do you want?

Soran takes a moment.

SORAN As you may or may not be aware, I am an El-Aurian. Some people call us a race of "listeners". We listen. (beat) Right now, Mr. La Forge, you have my undivided attention. I want to listen to everything you know about trilithium- and me.

La Forge thinks.

LA FORGE Trilithium is an experimental compund developed by the Romulans. I think it's a derivative of-

Soran picks up the PADD from the desk and activates it. Suddenly something small, with sharp edges, can be seen moving just underneath La Forge's skin near his chest. La Forge moves his hand to the spot, but then the protrusion is suddenly gone.

SORAN I don't want a science lecture. You were on that observatory looking for trilithium. Why?

LA FORGE I was ordered to by the Captain.

On the PADD in Soran's hand, we can now see an interior graphic of La Forge's body sitting in the chair. The graphic is interactive, moving as La Forge moves. A blinking dot represents the movement of the probe inside his body. Right now, the dot is in the middle of his chest.

SORAN Let's try to move beyond the usual prisoner-interrogator banter, shall we? You have information and I need it. (beat) Did the Captain explain his orders to you? Did he say why you were searching for trilithium?

LA FORGE No.

SORAN What about Guinan? What has she told you about me?

LA FORGE Guinan? I don't know what you're talking about.

On the PADD, we now see the dot has moved to a position next to La Forge's heart. Soran looks up at La Forge.

SORAN My instincts tell me you're lying. And I know that can't be easy for you. (off PADD) I can see you have a good heart.

Soran taps a control on the PADD. Suddenly La Forge grabs his chest in pain. Soran watches La Forge for a few seconds, then taps the PADD again. La Forge gasps and starts to breathe.

SORAN

Oh, I forgot to tell you. While you were unconscious, I injected a nano-probe into your bloodstream. It's been navigating your cardiovascular system, and right now I've attached it to your left ventricle. (smiles) A little trick I picked up from the Borg.

LA FORGE (gasping) Yeah, they're full of great ideas.

SORAN I just stopped your heart for five seconds. It felt like an eternity, didn't it? Did you know that you can stop the human heart for up to ten minutes before the onset of brain damage?

LA FORGE No, I didn't know that.

SORAN We learn something new about ourselves every day. (beat) Now. Maybe I didn't make myself clear. It is very important that you tell me exactly what Captain Picard knows.

LA FORGE I told you everything. You might as well just kill me right now.

Soran's features soften as he smiles slightly. For a moment, he looks genuinely compassionate- and it's a disturbing contrast to his usual dark intensity.

SORAN I'm not a killer, Mr. La Forge. (beat) Let's try thirty seconds.

Soran taps a control on the PADD. La Forge gasps and strains against an unimaginable pain.

Soran picks up his pocketwatch and opens the cover, sits back in his chair, watching the seconds tick.

-

This ending was reshot due to porr reactions from test audiences. Kirk dies in a very different manner in the original version of the script.
 * The Alternate Kirk's Death ending--

FADE IN:

EXT. MOUNTAINTOP - DAY

Soran is standing in front of the forcefield, facing Picard.

SORAN Now, if you'll excuse me, Captain, I have an appointment with eternity and I don't want to be late.

We realize that we are watching the same events play again.

Soran turns and begins to climb up the scaffolding toward the top of the rockface. Picard drops to the ground on his back and begins trying to wriggle underneath the forcefield. Picard accidentally TOUCHES the field...

SORAN

turns at the sound of the field, sees Picard, and then draws his weapon. Soran quickly FIRES at Picard.

THE GROUND

is BLASTED APART, creating a cloud of dirt and debris, obscuring Picard and the whole area momentarily.

-- Soran jumps down a level, his disruptor still in his hand, ready just in case Picard somehow survived.

-- The dust CLEARS... but Picard is gone along with several feet of the ground where he was crawling.

SORAN

Soran glances up at the sky and sees the ENERGY RIBBON, then begins to climb the scaffolding. Suddenly, a BOOT kicks him in the head.

REVEAL KIRK

who is attacking Soran in Picard's place. The two men begin to fight.

NEW ANGLE

as Picard rushes to the probe launcher and steps up onto the control platform and desperately begins trying to shut down the launcher...

The following happens very quickly:

-- Kirk FIGHTS with Soran, hand-to-hand, brutal.

-- Picard works the control panel, trying to make sense of it all. It won't respond. The control panel is bizarre and confusing -- many different screens and alien graphics. The alien countdown graphics continue to race by...

THE SKY

the distant Energy Ribbon can be seen getting closer...

THE MOUNTAINTOP

Soran tries to pull his disruptor, but Kirk knocks it to the ground. There's a struggle for the weapon...

-- Picard looks helplessly at the control panel. Nothing he does has any effect. He keeps hitting buttons... looking for other control panels, anything to affect the launcher.

ANGLE

Suddenly, Picard touches one particular control and the screen CHANGES to an image of the Veridian SUN, held in the center of an alien CROSS-HAIR.

PICARD

begins working the control panel... desperate... he looks at the screen... hits a control. Suddenly the probe CLOAKS. Picard reacts at his mistake. Picard is left standing on an invisible platform three feet in the air -- a bizarre sight. Picard isn't sure what to do -- he can feel the console but he can't see any of the controls...

-- Kirk punches Soran and sends him flying backward. Soran lands heavily on the ground, unconscious. Kirk stands over him, breathing heavily. He holds his back in pain -- that old back pain from the beginning of the movie (note from John: from the orbital skydiving scene)

PICARD (desperate) Kirk -- there's a control PADD in his right pocket!

KIRK

sees Picard standing in mid-air and then reaches down, pulls the control PADD out of Soran's pocket. He begins working it.

CLOSE ON SORAN

His eyes open... he sees what Kirk is doing... looks around quickly... sees the disruptor lying a few feet away, just beyond his reach...

THE PROBE LAUNCHER

DECLOAKS. Picard goes back to working the controls.

KIRK

he smiles.

KIRK The twenty-fourth century isn't so tough.

Without warning, Kirk is BLASTED forward, shot from behind. Reveal Soran on the ground with the disruptor in his hand. He gets up, whirls around, points the weapon at Picard.

MOUNTAIN TOP - WIDE

The probe is suddenly LAUNCHED in a roar of flame. Soran freezes. His eyes follow the probe as it arcs into the sky. The two men watch the probe as it heads toward the sun...

THE PROBE

makes a sweeping turn to the right and arcs back down toward the planet. Soran watches in horror as the probe crashes harmlessly into the distant jungle. We hear a muffled explosion.

SORAN

can't believe that his dreams have been shattered. He looks into the sky and sees the distant Ribbon streaking overhead. The disruptor falls from his hand as he rushes to the top of the scaffolding.

PICARD

moves to Kirk, checks his pulse. The captain's eyes flutter -- he's still holding on, but he's badly wounded.

SORAN

is standing on the rock ledge. He reaches up toward the sky as if trying to grab the Ribbon with his bare hands... but the Ribbon passes by and disappears.

SORAN No...

His look of shock turns to fury and madness. He turns to Picard.

SORAN YOU!!

NEW ANGLE

He jumps down a few levels and then DIVES off the scaffolding at Picard. But Picard is quicker. He GRABS the disruptor and FIRES -- the BLAST CATCHES SORAN IN MID-AIR.

Soran drops to the ground a short distance away. Dead. The pocketwatch has been shattered.

PICARD

turns back to Kirk, cradles the dying man's head in his lap. Kirk's eyes flick open, and he takes a ragged breath.

KIRK Nice shot.

Kirk coughs. His eyes flutter, he's fading fast.

PICARD I'll find a way to contact the Enterprise. You're going to be all right.

KIRK Did we do it? Did we make a difference?

PICARD Yes. (beat) Thank you.

KIRK Least I could do... for a Captain of the Enterprise.

Kirk coughs again.

PICARD Try to hang on.

Kirk looks up at the sky... the sunlight is warm on his face. A quiet moment... then, with a last smile on his face.

KIRK It was fun.

Kirk dies.

Hold the scene for a long moment, the two men in the quiet clearing.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. MOUNTAINTOP - SUNSET

CLOSE ON PICARD'S HAND

as he places a stone on a large pile of other stones. MOVE TO REVEAL that Picard is placing the final few rocks on Kirk's grave.

He reaches into a pocket and pulls out Kirk's command insignia pin. He carefully places it on the grave... and stands there silently for a few moments.

A distant WHINE of engines can be heard. Picard looks up into the sky...

PICARD'S POV

An Enterprise SHUTTLECRAFT is flying through the sky toward the mountaintop.

EXT. MOUNTAINTOP - SUNSET

The shuttle has just landed, and the door OPENS as Picard enters the clearing. Worf, Geordi, and N.D. security guards jump out to meet him.

WORF Captain, are you all right?

PICARD Yes.

GEORDI What about Doctor Soran?

PICARD You needn't worry about the Doctor anymore.

Picard moves toward the shuttle... then stops as he notices that the shuttle is damaged. Picard turns and notices for the first time that Geordi has a bandage on his face and Worf's uniform is torn.

PICARD Was there a problem with the Klingons?

Worf and Geordi exchange a look.

GEORDI You could say that...

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