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BIG BIG question - Episode I; what was the trailer shown before the film at the cinema?

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 (Edited)

This has been driving me nuts ever since the original home video release of Episode I: TPM came out.

Does anyone remember a prologue before the actual film that went something like this:

It showed the planet Earth hanging in space.

NARRATOR: At first, we all thought Earth would always be the perfect home for us. But then…

Then a bunch of little spaceships zipped into frame, started shooting lasers at Earth, and blasted it to pieces (Star Wars ships). If I remember correctly, at least one ship escaped Earth; I can’t remember, though. I only saw Episode I once in the theatre.

Did ANYONE else see this scene in the theatre? My brother remembered this scene distinctly. He went to the same showing that I did. Everyone else I have asked has NO memory of this.

Please help? Have I gone mad? Has anyone else seen this scene? Is it available on any prints anywhere?

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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Sounds like Titan A.E.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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That's an interesting prospect. So I could just be remembering a preview for the "Titan" film before the Star Wars film.

I could've sworn, though, that it blended together with the film, misleading me to think that it was a prologue to the film. It didn't look like a preview, more like a prologue. And the twentieth-century thing came immediately afterwards.

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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I don't think this is the trailer you saw (there are some different versions), but maybe it'll jog your memory. Trailer

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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I SHAN'T be expecting any1 to attempt a 'restoration' of this alternate cinema version
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(holding thumb and index finger together forming an 'o' and waving hand)

That is not the trailer you are looking for...

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Hey, it's the only one I could find.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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I spent years swearing I had seen this scene in Aliens with auto guns (must've seen it on TV when i was a kid). It drove me nuts.
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That's the Director's Cut, although I know of at least one time that I've seen that version on TV. The current DVD collection contains both versions.

It also includes Ripley talking about her child, and Newt's family coming across a face-hugger.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
That's the Director's Cut, although I know of at least one time that I've seen that version on TV. The current DVD collection contains both versions.

It also includes Ripley talking about her child, and Newt's family coming across a face-hugger.


I know, when I first got to college years ago I was able to get ahold of a VHS bootleg from Laserdisc. Was relieved to find out I hadn't gone completely mad.
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This is the short 30 second Titan A.E. trailer that played in front of TPM. Remember when TPM came out and Lucas said all the trailers in front of it had to be 30 seconds or less? What an ass! Funny thing is, most of the studios played along ad special short trailers were sent out just for TPM.

Neil

Well at least the reversed surround channels have been addressed.

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That's really interesting. Cool info Neil!

To contact me outside the forum, for trades and such my email address is my OT.com username @gmail.com

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I remember it well. We had trailers for three movies in front of Episode I:
Titan A.E.
Fight Club
The Beach

The friggin Beach came out, like, a year later. It was awful marketing. The trailers sucked and I remember everybody looking at each other when we saw that bar of soap at the end of Fight Club and murmuring WTF?!?!?! I guess it made sense in the context of the film, but what a dumb marketing strategy.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
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Remember when TPM came out and Lucas said all the trailers in front of it had to be 30 seconds or less? What an ass!


No, the request was that no more than three trailers total could be attached. 20th Century Fox, realizing this, created a trailer that combined two different combination of 3 30 second ads: Titan AE, The Beach, and either Anna and the King, or Fight Club. So that way, they could get 3 times the trailer exposure than any other company that happened to get their trailers attached to the movie. The 30 second triple trailer idea was all 20th Century Fox, not Lucas.

Not that it really mattered. Lucas also requested that only THX theaters play his movie. Neither request was followed by all the chains. Many of them attached 5 or 6 trailers, and a lot of those screenings were in theaters NOT certified by THX. Although a lot of theaters scrambled to get their screens certified in time.

The Best Show You've Never Heard
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definetly Titan A.E.

although it stirred up memories of Battlestar Galactica
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Originally posted by: The Bizzle
Remember when TPM came out and Lucas said all the trailers in front of it had to be 30 seconds or less? What an ass!


No, the request was that no more than three trailers total could be attached. 20th Century Fox, realizing this, created a trailer that combined two different combination of 3 30 second ads: Titan AE, The Beach, and either Anna and the King, or Fight Club. So that way, they could get 3 times the trailer exposure than any other company that happened to get their trailers attached to the movie. The 30 second triple trailer idea was all 20th Century Fox, not Lucas.

Not that it really mattered. Lucas also requested that only THX theaters play his movie. Neither request was followed by all the chains. Many of them attached 5 or 6 trailers, and a lot of those screenings were in theaters NOT certified by THX. Although a lot of theaters scrambled to get their screens certified in time.

Then please explain to me the 30 second Austin Powers 2 trailer I have in my posession that played on TPM? Or The Generals Daughter? Or Wild Wild West? They all came in the cans for The Fandom Penance and had labels affixed that said they were only for TPM.

Neil

Well at least the reversed surround channels have been addressed.

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Agreed. I can't understand why, if the number of ads was the sole criteria, then the ads themselves would be only 30 seconds. Seems like something's amiss here.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>