Deleted scenes

This entry talks about deleted scenes in general. For a comprehensive list of deleted scenes from the Re-imagined Series, see List of Deleted Scenes (RDM). For deleted scenes from the Original Series, see List of Deleted Scenes (TOS).

Deleted scenes are scenes from an episode that were already filmed, but removed during post-production of an episode.

Primarily, scenes are removed as:

• the scene may be unnecessary, as it does not
  • add anything to the story,
  • add anything to character development
• the scene makes an episode too long (a one-hour episode normally cannot exceed approximately 44 minutes to allow for commercials)
• an alternate version was filmed, thus rendering the scene unusable.

There are other reasons, such as contractual disputes, studio orders, or the like that can cause a scene to be deleted from the final cut.

The "official" status of these scenes is debatable. Many were removed from the final version simply because the episode ran long. As Ronald Moore has explained in the podcasts, the shooting scripts are almost always too long because the writers try to cram as much storyline into an episode as possible. These scenes might be thought of as completely valid, and the writers usually consider them to have actually happened. Again, a future writer might generate an episode and might feel free to contradict information in a deleted scene, which would invalidate their content.

Other scenes contain subplots that were abandoned (i.e. most of Boxey's appearances in the Re-imagined Series) and the writers wouldn't have included them even if they did have the time. The veracity of these scenes is dubious, though it provides insight into the writing process on the show. Some scenes (like Tyrol freeing Socinus from the brig in "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I") are necessary to fully understand the aired version. Scenes which are completely alternate versions contradicted by the aired version are definitely not canonical.

At least one deleted scene has involved a major development involving a recurring character: a scene cut from "The Road Less Traveled" in which Gaius Baltar's "Virtual Six" says farewell to Baltar and fades away; the character has not appeared in any subsequent episode so far and her absence in lieu of the deleted scene has not been explained.

A special case in regards to deleted scenes is the episode "Pegasus". Most episodes have 4 acts, while the Season 2 finale "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II" was a 6 act, 90 minute special (including ads). However, "Pegasus" ran so long in production that there was enough material for 5 acts, but this was too short to make a 6 act special.

As a result, an extended version of this mid-season cliffhanger episode was created and released in the Season 2.5 DVD set (RC1) and Season 2 (RC 2,4) sets, which actually has these deleted scenes re-edited into the course of the episode. Because of this, none of the deleted scenes from "Pegasus" were released on the Season 2.0 DVD set, as were deleted scenes from other episodes in that collection. These restored scenes on the extended cut of "Pegasus" are as canonical as if they actually aired.