I know that episode two-parter very well. I know when people say, "I don't think there's anything missing" and that somebody comes in and says, "Ah, there's like 30minutes missing. How could you not hear all that?".
There's litterally nothing I know of missing combining those FSM cues and the GNP. Certainly not a good deal. All minor and major pieces accounted for. This wasn't wall-to-wall scored.
The only thing missing isa good and proper remastering of the GNP release.
I seem to remember Lukas saying something to the effect that luckily there was exactly 4:59 left, or something.
Maybe. I'd think that would be mentioned in the extensive liner notes, though, and it's not. The notes state only "Disc 12, tracks 35–40 feature exactly 5:00 of unreleased music: short cues left off the GNP/Crescendo CD to facilitate a better album experience, but included here to flesh out the scores’ subtler moments." If this were every last second, I'd think the notes would say "the remaining 5:00" or the like.
There are still some bits left. Not a whole hell of a lot, though. The act 1 intro music, for example, is still missing from both parts (right after the opening credits, under the episode titles). I don't have the music memorized, so that's all I remember off hand. There's a little more, though.
There's very little missing, all transitional cues. Slate numbers are just a guess. From Part I:
M12 and M13, about fifteen seconds each. M15, a few seconds to close the first act.
There's a few seconds of unreleased music before M24 (Hansen's Message) starts.
M3?, a few seconds to close the third act.
M44, about 18 seconds. Closes the fourth act.
Part II:
M12, about fifteen seconds.
Personally, everything I wanted to hear was on the GNP disc but it's nice to have the extra stuff Lukas released. Hoping this score gets the remastering it deserves.
I would love a remastered version of the GNP CD with all the remaining cues inserted, especially the cue "Borg Reach Saturn" from the FSM box. The old CD was released over 20 years (!) so I see nothing wrong about it.
While I sure won't mind a new remastering, for me the missing transitional pieces aren't at all important to me, to be honest. When it comes to "Borg"-scores, I'd rather see "Scorpion" and/or "Dark Frontier" than a new edition of "Best of Both Worlds".
While I sure won't mind a new remastering, for me the missing transitional pieces aren't at all important to me, to be honest. When it comes to "Borg"-scores, I'd rather see "Scorpion" and/or "Dark Frontier" than a new edition of "Best of Both Worlds". smile
Definitely hoping that LaLaLand releases a Voyager set with excerpts from those two. I don't think either score would be serviced well in complete form (especially "Dark Frontier", which has some very long cues where not much happens).
Same here. Best of Both Worlds is my favorite NextGen score. Would buy an expanded/remastered edition in a heartbeat.
Exactly. If this were just another score I could maybe understand it not getting a facelift. But for many people this is their single favorite TNG score for their single favorite TNG episode, so I feel it's really warranted. Hopefully Ford's comments in this thread are a good sign it'll happen.
And thanks to Scott M and jb1234 for letting us know about the couple missing minutes. I'd add that there many also be some alternates recorded which of course Lukas wouldn't have prioritized for the Jones box (chock full of alternates) if he was limited to only 5:00 of material.
I have to concur, OLD GRINGO is fantastic music and an expanded remastered edition would be wonderful!
Nice to see there's some interest in other GNP stuff too. This one's at the top of my list. How about it, Ford?
Was also wondering if GNP had perpetuity rights on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea because user filmusicnow wrote the following in my "What Goldsmith scores are left to expand?" thread:
The COMPLETE score to "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" episode "Jonah And The Whale" with the percussion whacks restored on the main and end titles (the one on the G.N.P. Crescendo C.D. doesn't have them).
Just to lend fuel to the idea that Best of Both Worlds deserves its own remastered complete CD release, the two-part episode it was written for is getting its own remastered "film-style" (edited without a break between the final episode of season 3 and the first episode of season 4) DVD release with exclusive bonus features! This just goes to show how highly this episode is held -- I don't believe any Trek episode has received this treatment before:
It'd be great if we could have a spiffy new BoBW CD to accompany it, even if we have to wait until after the hiatus!
Funnily enough I thought of this thread when I saw that BoBW was getting it's own bluray release. Would be great to get a fully complete and remastered copy and would finally "complete" the Ron Jones set.
Just to lend fuel to the idea that Best of Both Worlds deserves its own remastered complete CD release, the two-part episode it was written for is getting its own remastered "film-style" (edited without a break between the final episode of season 3 and the first episode of season 4) DVD release with exclusive bonus features! This just goes to show how highly this episode is held -- I don't believe any Trek episode has received this treatment before:
I don't know if it's been done for home video releases before, but when the TOS two-parter "The Menagerie" was shown theatrically some years ago in its remastered form, it did have the two parts edited together into a single "movie," with combined end credits for both parts at the end.
But still, yes, I think it's safe to say "The Best of Both Worlds" is highly regarded by fans, and this special-edition release is no doubt a reflection of that. Like you, I hope it does indeed indicate a willingness to release a more comprehensive soundtrack for the paired episodes.
They combined these episodes into a "movie" before for home video. The problem is, the chilling moment at the very end of part one where Riker says "Fire" goes straight into part two. There's no other way they could do it, but it robs us of the great cut to black and Ron Jones's exciting cue. If a remastered CD does come along (and I'm betting it will), it would obviously not reflect that edit.
Incidentally, to me, the most satisfying version of this story would include the next episode, "Family," as its third act. The second part of "Best of Both Worlds" is spectacular, but it doesn't resonate emotionally until Picard reckons with what happened to him in the next episode.
They combined these episodes into a "movie" before for home video. The problem is, the chilling moment at the very end of part one where Riker says "Fire" goes straight into part two. There's no other way they could do it, but it robs us of the great cut to black and Ron Jones's exciting cue. If a remastered CD does come along (and I'm betting it will), it would obviously not reflect that edit.
If I recall correctly, didn't he spoof himself on FAMILY GUY with that cue?
Incidentally, to me, the most satisfying version of this story would include the next episode, "Family," as its third act. The second part of "Best of Both Worlds" is spectacular, but it doesn't resonate emotionally until Picard reckons with what happened to him in the next episode.
I've never really thought about it like that before, but now that you point it out, I think it would actually make for a great viewing experience. I wonder if the studios ever considered it?
Yes, in "Stewie Kills Louis: PArt 1", at the end of the episode he spoofed Locutus' theme, and the dramatic ST:TNG "The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1" closer.
They combined these episodes into a "movie" before for home video. The problem is, the chilling moment at the very end of part one where Riker says "Fire" goes straight into part two. There's no other way they could do it, but it robs us of the great cut to black and Ron Jones's exciting cue. If a remastered CD does come along (and I'm betting it will), it would obviously not reflect that edit.
Incidentally, to me, the most satisfying version of this story would include the next episode, "Family," as its third act. The second part of "Best of Both Worlds" is spectacular, but it doesn't resonate emotionally until Picard reckons with what happened to him in the next episode.
I agree on all counts. When I heard about this I knew it wouldn't have "Family" so I thought "Why bother." I remember meeting some of the cast and crew when this aired and they all thought of Family as "part 3".
No one can believe in this day and age that we all thought that they might use this as a device to have Frakes or Stewart leave the show. So it really was a cliff hanger in every sense.
Hey, it's too late for Family to be put on the DVD release, but BoBW complete would still leave enough time on a single CD for another complete score! If McCarthy's work on that episode is good (I don't remember it, but then it was a 4th season score by McCarthy so maybe despite the strong episode it was wallpapery?) I think it'd be a great filler for the disc! It's not as if GNP has to stick to only episodes they have perpetuity rights for, and it'd add extra incentive to buy for those who aren't interested just for the remaster and few missing BoBW cues.
Another possibility if Family isn't a strong enough score to be released complete is to perhaps put a couple highlight cues from it but focus on filling out the rest of the disc by any other unreleased Borg-connected music from episodes not written by Jones and included in the FSM box...you know, Jay Chattaway's scores to I, Borg and the two-part Descent. Unless I'm mistaken only one 2.5 minute cue of I, Borg has been released (on LLL's TNG Vol. 1) and only three cues from Descent were released on the Chattaway TNG release (GNP's TNG Vol. 4).
I don't know if it's been done for home video releases before, but when the TOS two-parter "The Menagerie" was shown theatrically some years ago in its remastered form, it did have the two parts edited together into a single "movie," with combined end credits for both parts at the end.
Also, back just before TNN was rebranded as Spike, they had a special Friday night TNG block where they would show two-part episodes edited together into feature-length movies.
I'll be curious to see how they handle the editing for combining both "BoBW" episodes. The season sets are too expensive for me at the moment, so I'll be buying this individual release to help hold me over.
Incidentally, to me, the most satisfying version of this story would include the next episode, "Family," as its third act. The second part of "Best of Both Worlds" is spectacular, but it doesn't resonate emotionally until Picard reckons with what happened to him in the next episode.
For my money, the payoff and the real meat has always been in Family.
Of course, when you're 8 years old you want to see Borgs get shot up and pew pew pew and the Enterprise going woosh... and not Picard crying in a vineyard and covered in mud. But now that I'm older, I see that that is really what the whole story was about and its a shame the series so very rarely treated the material with such a deft hand.
