Removed Ultima IX cutscenes

A lot of movie-cutscenes were either altered or removed during the development of Ultima IX, when the plot was changed significantly. Most of it is probably lost forever, but some portions can be restored either from old teaser trailer videos or the introduction of Ultima Online: Third Dawn, which used a lot of the unused footage (it is from Ultima IX as another teaser video proves). More material is found in an interview with Richard Garriott, which is found in the Ultima Collection. The quality is not stellar, but this is the best possible quality available, considering the original source. Gaps are filled in from the remaining footage in the game that were published.

The Guardian's First Sending: Pagan Revisited[edit]

This is possibly the best reconstructed sequence, as it was very prominent throughout the promotion of the game, therefore most of it still is in the game and the rest can be reconstructed easily from the various teasers. In the sequence, the Guardian sends Lord British a dream where he watches from his castle balcony the Avatar summoning Pyros to destroy Pagan and in the end getting destroyed himself by the king of daemons.

The in-game video in the final game cut away all references to Lord British and the castle in the background was obscured with clouds, although not entirely successful, as a small part of the wall can be seen, when Pyros' hand emerges.

Reconstructed from the in-game video and all four teaser trailers.

Zoom in on the castle
On the highest balcony...
...Lord British watches over Britain
Suddenly the weather goes strange...
Lord British wonders what is going on
It is now almost pitch-black
Suddenly...
The Avatar?
He seems to...
What is he DOING?
He's summoning something
He's summoning something BIG
A daemon?!
This is no ordinary daemon...
...but Pyros himself
Yet, the price for power is coming
Pure horror
Oh uh!
This doesn't look good...
However, the Avatar has no time to gloat
...and gets dragged to hell as a punishment

Another Nightmare[edit]

While it is not certain if these sequences go together, the Third Dawn introduction suggests so. The appearance in trailers clearly proves that this video originally was made for Ultima IX. In another of the Guardian's nightmares, Lord British sees himself sitting old and weak on his throne. Suddenly red hands appear and drag him into the ground (like happened to the Avatar in the Pyros-dream) and he wakes up in fright.

This video never appeared in the final game.

Reconstructed from the Third Dawn introduction and the July trailer.

Lord British is asleep
But his sleep is far from peaceful
He dreams of being alone in his throne room
Weak as never before...
But suddenly...
...something uses this weakness without mercy
He only notices when it is too late...
...and he's already trapped
He tries to resist, but it is useless
Lord British is dragged straight to hell for his weakness
He awakens with a fright
...and wonders what is wrong with him lately

The Prison Dream[edit]

In this dream, Lord British dreams he's sitting in his throne room, when suddenly everything fades into a prison cell. However, he is not alone for long, when suddenly the Avatar is thrown into the cell. This video had a variation, where the real imprisonment was lacking Lord British.

In the final game, only the variation video without Lord British was used.

Reconstructed from the in-game video, the Third Dawn introduction and the promotional trailer.

Lord British suddenly finds himself in a prison cell
Alone in the darkness
But he won't be alone for long
The Avatar is brought into the cell...
...and rudely thrown in
Knocking away a skull...
...that lands at Lord British's feet
He doesn't understand. Why is the Avatar imprisoned?

The Army Nightmare[edit]

In a dream, the Guardian tells Lord British that the Avatar wants to usurp his throne. First Lord British dreams waking up, seeing lights in his bedroom. Suddenly he sees a huge army and then... The Avatar is leading it and war leaders swear loyalty to him. The soldiers cheer and the Avatar raises his arms in triumph. Lord British now is sure... the Avatar is a traitor. In the real world, the scene shows the armies that had almost clashed at the Shrine of Justice.

This video never appeared in the final game.

Reconstructed from the Heavy Metal trailer, a Richard Garriott interview, the Third Dawn introduction and some stills found separately.

What is happening?
Looking from his bed, Lord British freezes
What is this huge army doing there?
And who could be leading it?... The person the commanders are kneeling before at the command tent?
The Avatar?
Are they swearing loyalty to an usurper?
Look how he raises his arms in triumph and the soldiers cheering! He's a traitor!

Original Endgame[edit]

In the original endgame, after the people in Skara Brae got to safety, Lord British and the Avatar initiate Armageddon from the roof of Stonegate. This sequence remained mostly intact, just with the beginning – them casting the spell – and the ending – both looking at the aftermath – missing.

The original ending, minus the part where the people on Skara Brae get to safety, is found here as a video.

It has to be done, even if it tears them apart
It is too late to go back now
Powering up...
The critical energy level is reached
...and now destruction will destroy Britannia and the Guardian
Everything will burn away
The destruction spreads...
...nothing and no one can escape it
They didn't believe when told of the coming destruction
Now it is too late
They see the end coming
Nothing can stop it
And for their refusal to believe what will happen, they are blown to dust
"We did what he had to do..."
"Now we can only wait for a fast end."

The Guardian's Eyes[edit]

These shots obviously factor into the nightmares the Guardian sends Lord British. The eyes feature prominently. There seem to be two sets of animations, each at the beginning and the end of a sequence of "sending". At the beginning, the face of the Guardian is seen and after some seconds everything apart from his eyes fades to black, the two flames ignite and then Lord British's bedroom fades in. The end is the process in reverse, only that the Guardian's face isn't visible at the end, just the eyes over the flames.

None of these appear in the final game.

Reconstructed from the promotional trailer, the Heavy Metal trailer and the interview with Richard Garriott.