David Lynch’s forbidden Star Trek TNG pilot

Many elite fans believe David Lynch’s Star Trek remains the closest to the spirit of original Trek ever made

As his screen adaption of DUNE was undergoing final post-production special effects, David Lynch was approached by Paramount as the hot new scifi director to helm the studios upcoming Star Trek : The Next Generation.

Lynch’s 3 h 17 minute pilot episode was screened to a select audience of Paramount executives, major advertisers and committed fans of the original Star Trek in early 1984. The executive producer in charge of the production was fired the same day.

Lynch’s choice to have every line of dialogue recorded then reversed at half speed via tape-to-tape was defended by some as “classic Lynch”. His design for the bridge of the Enterprise was called by one actor who saw it as “VERY RED”.

Many elite fans believe David Lynch’s Star Trek remains the closest to the spirit of original Trek ever made, while others pray to Q that the pilot never escapes the vaults. The only documentary evidence of it’s existence are a small collection of hard-to-find stills harvested from a Betamax bootleg in ‘88.

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