Space Mutiny Question

[continosbuckle]

Since we're asking questions about the movies that were riffed, here's a question I have about Space Mutiny.

It's one of those things that you may need to have pointed out to you, but once it has been, you're left wondering how you weren't able to notice it before; the Bellarian scenes were obviously filmed separately and apart from the other scenes. The only actor the Bellarian scenes had in common with the rest of the movie was Cameron Mitchell, and every time the Bellarians were mentioned in the presence of the other characters, they pulled a "the camera is focused on a character who is not speaking" in a way that would have made Coleman Francis proud. There is never a scene where Kalgan, Rider, Lea or any of the other characters acknowledges the Bellarians while the camera is on them.

So my question is, to anyone who knows the answer, is whether Space Mutiny was originally just the Bellarian-less scenes that we originally saw, (a truly slight, short, uninvolved film, if so) or if there were large portions of the "original" Space Mutiny cut out in order to add the Bellarian scenes.

Because really, the Bellarians were tacked on, presumably well after they had finished filming the rest of the movie and thus couldn't incorporate them better. But if what was left was what was originally intended to be a movie, I can't imagine anyone thought that was sufficient time-wise. Maybe it was supposed to be an hour long TV special.

[falseprofit]

I think they cut out big sections then added in the new scenes, i'm not saying it's what happened that it just my guess from after watching it.

[Captain Hygiene]

This thread reminded me how long it had been since I'd watched the episode, so I played it again. To be honest, I didn't ever get the feeling that the Bellarian scenes were separate from the rest of the film or edited in later. Sure, they were pretty much tangential to the "plot," but I only got the feeling that this was because of the horrible writing evident in every other part of the film (seeing as how things like continuity and character motivation were apparently left out by some directorial oversight). The scenes were obviously shot separately, but I just assume that they were done by a second (third? fifteenth?) unit, rather than anything made well after the fact and edited in later.

I could be wrong, this is just the feeling that I got while watching. I haven't found any info online to suggest later shooting/editing, though.

[Crowfan]

In the credits there is a mention of the Bellarian sequences, so they were supposed to be in the movie. Clearly they were not shot by the first unit, though.

[CBG]

How can it be anything else but crappy editing? I mean, a dead woman appears in the scene after the scene she's killed in. C'mon!

[DON3k]

I have the un-MSTied version, but have never watched it. I guess I should, just to see what I can catch, besides an illness.

[continosbuckle]

I understand how second unit footage works, but that shouldn't have limited the screenwriter from alluding or referencing any of the Bellarian scenes in any of the "main" film scenes. For the "main" film, there are three references to the Bellarians:

(Edit: Oops, "VO" in this post means Voiceover.)

1. Lt. Lamont (the dead woman back at her desk) is looking at a computer screen as a VO mentions the Bellarians. Lamont says nothing nor makes any acknowledgment of the VO.
2. John-Waters-looking guy calls up Kalgan to inform him of the Bellarians. There is an obviously recycled shot of Kalgan staring at a computer screen while a J-W-l-g has a VO. Again, Kalgan makes no acknowledgment of the VO.
3. While the camera is on Major Devers, Cameron Mitchell mentions that he'd like to research about the Bellarians. This is actually the smoothest transition, but Major Devers says nothing about the Bellarians. Again, the camera does not show Cameron Mitchell, so his line about the Bellarians was a VO.

At no other point in the "main" film are the Bellarians referenced or did they serve any purpose whatsoever. It really, really seems like it was a subplot scripted, shot and subsequently shoehorned in well after the "main" film was made for some reason, and I'm wondering why that was. It's not simply bad writing, the lack of connection there would be way too coincidental in my view for that to be the case.

2nd edit: I will also note that the way they did it with all new actors for the Enforcers would have been more expensive than if they had simply continued to use the actors who had been portraying Enforcers in the "main" film, which also suggests to me that it wasn't something planned originally.

[notundercovercop32]

I never really noticed, but it does appear that it was tacked on. It seems like they needed a "Use the force" aspect to make the movie work.

Mabye we should start a thread for MST plot questions. I just watched soultaker and I have a bunch of questions about that film.

[travis]

Perhaps this has something to do with it?

From the IMDB:

Most of the film was actually directed by Neal Sundstrom rather than David Winters, who had to drop out in an early stage of filming due to the death of a close relative. However, Sundstrom was not pleased with the end result, blaming a lack of care and attention in pre-production, and refused to be credited as anything more than co-director. Winters was equally unhappy with the film and attempted to have his name replaced with that of the fictional Alan Smithee, but due to his contract he was unable to do so.