Qual é a história do planeta Zeist vs. Earth?

De Highlander 2 Wikipedia:

On the planet Zeist, a last meeting is held between the members of a rebellion against the rule of General Katana. The rebellion’s leader, Ramirez, chooses "a man of great destiny" from among them — Connor — to carry out a mission against Katana. At this moment, Katana and his troops attack, crushing the rebellion. Katana orders his men to capture Ramirez and Connor alive, and kill the rest of the rebels. The two captives are put on trial by Zeist’s priests, who sentence them to be exiled and reborn on Earth in pursuit of "The Prize." Winning the Prize gives the victor the choice to either grow old and die on Earth, or to return to Zeist. It is worth noting that alternate cuts of the film have these events transpire in Earth's distant past rather than on Zeist. Katana is unsatisfied with their decision, but the sentence is executed, leading to the events of the original 1986 film.

Qual é exatamente a história por trás desses "cortes alternativos" - que são pelo menos um pouco compatíveis com o primeiro filme "Highlander" - contra a trama de Zeist que claramente a contradiz? Por que a versão de Zeist universalmente odiada por fãs foi escolhida?

Estou bem com uma resposta fora do universo, mas deve ser baseada em fontes relacionadas à franquia (e especialmente no filme H2), e não em meras especulações / palpites.