Date: 04/23/1999
From: TemporalFlux

Well, where to begin. First of all, I find the whole "passing the torch" scene to be very foreboding...at that time they weren't supposed to know that Jerry was leaving, yet the placement was there. A much more touching scene that it was probably ever intended to be (and yes, I'm throwing to the wind the fact that Quinn was actually going to let Remmy go back alone to drive off the Maggs...some friend, eh?).

Overall, I thought the episode was well done...once again one of the better of season four. I am however disappointed at the opportunity they missed at the end. Quite easily, they could have ended the episode with the Sliders climbing to the top of the train from an entrance on the front of the car...they run back to the end, out of space. The cops are coming up the ladder. It is at this point, just as the cops are pulling their guns, that Quinn just somberly looks down to activate the timer....pointing it toward the forward motion of the train. With all the Sliders hunched together, the stationary vortex would seem to have zipped in and scooped them up just as the police began to fire (no bullets hit because they would have been on the back of the vortex and the Sliders would have been long gone). That would have made more sense, been more dramatic, kept the somber feel of Quinn not finding "home"...etc. It just seems to me that no thought was put into it. But then again...the writer's heart wasn't in it.

Did you find yourself feeling that the ending of this episode was somewhat flat? Were you disappointed that no real revelation was given except for the fact that the Sliders hadn't found Kromagg Prime (not really a major revelation that we were promised by the title and the fact of it being a season finale)? There is a reason for your disappointment...the episode you just saw wasn't the original story to hold the name "Revelations".

At DragonCon, MSZ let us in on the real story of it. And though he never named names...he highly alluded to who made the changes (you would have to have a conversation with the man in person to understand...he is the ultimate master of tact. He gets his point across without ever saying anything where you can pin down he postively said it. It's really fascinating to listen to him...) You see, the original story for "Revelations" was to have the Sliders make it back to the REAL Kromagg homeworld by finding the book and author. So as you can...the first parts of the ep on gas station world were relatively unchanged (except for Issac's mention of the different coordinates). The change comes when they get to the Kromagg homeworld.

Upon arriving, Colin was going to have a slight change in personality. The revelation was going to be that Colin was in fact not Quinn's brother...he was a genetically altered clone of Quinn made from skin samples taken in "Invasion" (the genetically altered was done so that he wouldn't be a twin...but a more believable lost brother in the Kromagg's little plan). Of course, that lead to the other revelation that the microdots were false (which Quinn was to find out from his father when he mentioned them - the father was supposed to have the same reaction...it didn't change in the final script). So, this all leads to one big thing...the microdots, the "Super"Quinn story, the long lost brother...all of it was a Kromagg scheme to help them get to the homeworld (in other words, the Kromaggs on the outside had found a way to break the Slidecage, but they needed one of the Mallory sons DNA to do it - and one of those sons was dead and the other missing...our Quinn's was close enough as they were supposed to have found out in "Invasion"). Colin was the final back up of that plan...and once the father on Kromagg world reveals the dots to not exist...Colin's programming kicks fully in.

He was programmed to tag along with the Sliders as a final backup...if they made it the Kromagg homeworld alive (in other words, if Remmy failed to kill them in the Slidecage)...then Colin was to kill who was left on the Sliders on Kromagg world. Also, he was to make sure and "keep the door open" on the cloaking device long enough for the Kromagg invasion fleet to make it through. The season was supposed to end with brother fighting "brother" as the Kromagg fleet made their way onto the world.

Unfortunately all of this was dropped. As MSZ explained, certain elements in production (Exec Prod Peckinpah) didn't like the idea and didn't want to do it. And they used Lipschtiz Live! as the excuse. All of the production team liked that story...but it featured a Colin double (i.e. how can a genetically altered clone have a double? He should be unique). Lipschitz could have been altered while keeping the story's integrity...but certain elements of production (Peck) didn't want to...and subsequently used that to kill the other idea he didn't like. So, halfway through season four production, gears had to be switched around and everything was changed to what we finally saw...but as was pointed out, it is obvious that large parts of the original season finale were used to make the one we saw (the work was already done...they just retooled it).

It's quite sad really...the original tale would have been much better and a great cap on the season. But, once again Peck has stepped in to destroy it all (just like when he made the Kromaggs Nazis in "Genesis"...that was Peck's decision alone as sole Exec Prod). But thankfully, Peck is gone...which should make for a better season five. As always though...we'll have to wait and see.

Tf
temporalflux@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/8120

I have to agree

Date: 04/23/1999
From: Chaser9

The original Revelations sounds much better than what we ended up with. I had heard of MSZ plan to have Colin be a clone, but I never knew how it was all going to pan out. Obviously, the great destroyer of all things sliders (i.e. Peckinpah) ruined what could have been a wonderful finale to a so-so season.

Thanks for the info TF!

--Chaser9

you're so right

Date: 04/24/1999
From: buffy510

The episode you just described would have been so much bette. It's so sad that the stupid peck didn't agree. But if his fired then hopefully we will have a better season.

lets hope that the problems that jerry, sabrina and the prof. had with the scifi staff get resolve and we could at least have them for a few episodes.

you know just because jerry is leaving that doesn't necessarily mean that his brother charlie needs to go as well, his character even thought that it hasn't been developed, seems like a likeble one.

What a shame.....

Date: 04/24/1999
From: SliderDude2

I haven't posted here for ages...

It's a shame the original idea wasn't used for Revelations. The title doesn't even fit the final episode!
I have never bought the Quinn-Colin story. It simply does not fit with earlier continuity. Quinn has demonstrated himself to be a gullable idiot for believing it all.
As far as I am concerned, we are watching a different group of Sliders, now. The original team is still out there, trying to get home.
I am not looking forward to Sliders without JOC. I miss the original cast, they were a speical group.
RIP Sliders.

What a total gip...

Date: 04/24/1999
From: Slider142

Now I really wish Peck wasn't Executive Producer. The ending was lame, compared to even fanfics. Andhe totally changed the story ?!! Eww, out, now ! :-)

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