Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Frozen in a freak mishap, astronaut Captain William "Buck" Rogers is returned to Earth ... 500 YEARS LATER!
User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Wed Sep 04, 2013 10:26 am

Does anyone remember a scene when the Buck Rogers TV pilot was first transmitted, in which Dr. Theopolis sat in a room with Buck and showed him footage on a small screen of the destruction of 20th-century civilization, while telling him about "the holocaust" and "Anarchia"? I remember it quite vividly, and yet the scene does not appear in the 2013 DVD release of the broadcast pilot.

Not only did this scene seem like the emotional center of the story, but it also explained where Buck learned the terminology to ask Wilma, "Tell me about the holocaust," and to ask his home computer system, "Tell me about Anarchia."

I've encountered other people on the net who remember this scene as well. I wonder if it still exists in Universal's archives and whether we'll ever see it again.



User avatar
Red Eye
Cylon Empire VIP & BYC.net Gallery Admin
Posts: 4837
Joined: Sat May 20, 2006 10:11 am
Location: Germany
It’s my birthday

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Red Eye » Wed Sep 04, 2013 10:40 am

There were several altered and extended scenes which were included in the TV version of the pilot episode, but I've never heard of the footage you mentioned.

Would be fun to see it.

What a shame Universal didn't put any of the deleted scenes as free bonus to their DVD box set like they did on BSG. :sad:
"There can be no survivors. So long as one human remains alive the Alliance is threatened."

Image

User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:15 am

Theo may actually have used his own face as the screen. Not sure about that, though.

I suppose it's possible that they had to license the stock footage of destruction and devastation and didn't acquire the rights to use it again...

The TV pilot seems complete on the 2013 set, except for that one scene. Incongruously, the pilot is not on the Season 1 set where it belongs, but merely appears as an extra on the Season 2 set.

User avatar
Red Eye
Cylon Empire VIP & BYC.net Gallery Admin
Posts: 4837
Joined: Sat May 20, 2006 10:11 am
Location: Germany
It’s my birthday

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Red Eye » Wed Sep 04, 2013 1:14 pm

On my set, the theatrical version of the pilot is included.
"There can be no survivors. So long as one human remains alive the Alliance is threatened."

Image

User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Wed Sep 04, 2013 4:43 pm

Red Eye wrote:On my set, the theatrical version of the pilot is included.
The theatrical version is on both editions of the DVD set. They didn't include the broadcast version until the recent re-release... again, without that particular scene. :ugh:

User avatar
Red Eye
Cylon Empire VIP & BYC.net Gallery Admin
Posts: 4837
Joined: Sat May 20, 2006 10:11 am
Location: Germany
It’s my birthday

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Red Eye » Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:57 am

Hm, that's odd.

Hope they'll fix it in a future release (if there would be any).
"There can be no survivors. So long as one human remains alive the Alliance is threatened."

Image

Scott
Raider Gunner
Posts: 131
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:32 pm

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Scott » Thu Oct 03, 2013 3:22 pm

I don't remember a scene like that at all.

Not in the TV pilot version, or the theatrical release.

Somewhere I have the original broadcast. As you stated it's not on any of the DVD releases, and it's not on any other the videotape releases (U.S. or overseas) that I have.

I'll give it a shot on tracking it down.

User avatar
GoldCylon
Founder
Posts: 6945
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:02 pm
Location: Sacramento
Contact:

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by GoldCylon » Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:56 am

I recall Buck sitting down to watch that video, but I am not sure if I recall seeing anything on the monitor. If there was video on the monitor it was old recycled stuff Uni has used for decades.

User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Wed Oct 09, 2013 8:40 am

Scott wrote:I don't remember a scene like that at all.

Not in the TV pilot version, or the theatrical release.

Somewhere I have the original broadcast. As you stated it's not on any of the DVD releases, and it's not on any other the videotape releases (U.S. or overseas) that I have.

I'll give it a shot on tracking it down.
It's actually my strongest memory from watching the pilot in '79.

Dude, if you can find it you will be officially a national treasure! :salute:
"I may move to the command chamber. I'm sure they're talking about me while I'm in here."
Image
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sufferin ... 2291161676

User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Sat Nov 15, 2014 5:51 pm

And I had been hoping for a chance to ask Glen Larson about this someday. :sad:
"I may move to the command chamber. I'm sure they're talking about me while I'm in here."
Image
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sufferin ... 2291161676

User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Thu Jun 04, 2015 8:22 pm

I had another thought about where this lost scene might have been placed. It could have been after Buck goes with Wilma to check out his ship, and therefore just before he returns to his apartment and asks the computer to tell him about Anarchia.

If that's correct, then maybe it was Dr. Huer who showed Buck the images of the holocaust and Theo wasn't in the room at all, because Theo is already in Buck's apartment and takes him by surprise.

This placement probably makes the most sense, since Huer tells Buck that Anarchia is a forbidden subject. Buck is very anxious to go there and find proof of what happened, to satisfy himself that his family was killed shortly after he left Earth. So as soon as he learns about Anarchia, he marches back to his apartment to try to get the information he's frustrated about.

Just like I'm frustrated about this scene. :soapbox:
"I may move to the command chamber. I'm sure they're talking about me while I'm in here."
Image
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sufferin ... 2291161676

User avatar
Cylon-Knight
Site Administrator
Posts: 6396
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:32 pm
Location: Kansas City
Contact:

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Cylon-Knight » Thu Jun 04, 2015 11:35 pm

I think I remember that... we're they watching it either on a box like display (something a like TOS Star Trek table top monitor) - or a screen in a wall? (Maybe a red wall?)
"All Baseships are now in range to attack the Colonies."
Image

User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Fri Jun 05, 2015 5:25 am

I remember it as a boxlike tabletop monitor. Also, I remember Buck could see Old Chicago in the distance through large windows behind Huer.
Here's a sketch I did a while back of how I remember the master shot from that scene.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ilzeeuasfiec ... w.png?dl=0
Just pretend that it's a boxlike viewer on the table instead of Theo. At the time, I thought Theo might have been there and used his face as a screen, but now I think that was just me conflating it with the earlier scene when Twiki set Theo on the table. (And maybe a little bit the circular library viewers from "All Our Yesterdays" on Star Trek.)
"I may move to the command chamber. I'm sure they're talking about me while I'm in here."
Image
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sufferin ... 2291161676

Scott
Raider Gunner
Posts: 131
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:32 pm

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Scott » Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:06 am

I've officially given up my quest for a original broadcast copy of the pilot. :sad:

Someone out there has a copy...

User avatar
Hope It Is The Grog
Squadron Leader
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Location: a shining planet known as Earth

Re: Buck Rogers 1979 pilot "Awakening" - missing scene?

Post by Hope It Is The Grog » Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:57 am

Bummer. :sad:

Wonder if Glen Larson's son would have access to a copy. Anyone know him?
"I may move to the command chamber. I'm sure they're talking about me while I'm in here."
Image
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sufferin ... 2291161676

Post Reply

Return to “Buck Rogers - General Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests