Giacchino: ‘Star Trek’ Score To Honor Original November 1, 2007
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Music, Star Trek (2009 film) , trackback
It looks the like nods to Original Series in the new Star Trek film will also extend to the music. In an interview with SciFi Wire, the longtime Abrams collaborator and Star Trek composer Michael Giacchino states he will be incorporating the original Alexander Courage Original Series theme into his score:
I think that the thing to do would be to hold on to the only thing that does speak—that says Star Trek—universally, which is the [opening theme from the original series]…To me, that fanfare, boom, that says it all right there. And this film is about everything that came before that. So, yes, I want to keep that.
This is welcome news, but should not be a big surprise. Giachinno took the same approach with his score for J.J. Abrams first film, Mission: Impossible: III. That score stood on its own, but also incorporated the original TV series’ theme by Lalo Schifrin nicely. Giacchino also acknowledged Trek film composers who have come before him, such as James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith:
I grew up listening to all of that great [Trek] music, and that’s part of what inspired me to do what I’m doing, So, yeah, it’s horrifying to think that I’ve got to go and stand in line with those guys.
Read the rest at SciFi Wire
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Giachhino Confirmed – Wants Score to Be Different
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Happy to hear the original score will be incorporated – I will be looking forward to that.
PLEASE USE THE TMP THEME AS WELL :D I can picture fanboys everywhere CREAMING if they here it!!!!!
lets think about this… is ‘craming fanboys’ something we want to see at a movie theatre?
I dunno but hearing the Enterprise theme when JTK first sees the Big E i would have a total and complete dorkgasm!!! but it is great to hear because the music is integral to what Star Trek is.
Glad to hear it. Looking forward to seeing what he cooks up.
#2 Yeah, I agree. Though the TMP theme isn’t strictly TOS they should definitely find a place to put it in…though I am very glad they’re keeping the TOS theme too :)
Hope they include the music from “Amok Time” that they reused for pretty much every fight scene thereafter too…perhaps the oft-used “Shore Leave” theme (with Finnegan) as well.
I really enjoyed how TOS reused scene music…every time you hear one of them it brings back a flood of memories…
One of the best things about Star Trek TOS is the original soundtrack and the wonderful music cues. None of the spin off series or movies had a soundtrack that is as recognizable or as memorable as the original. I would be hard pressed to even remember any music from the post TOS series or movies, except for their opening themes.
I’m happy to hear this announcement and I really look forward to hearing the soundtrack for the next movie.I hope it’s good!
Mike :o
I hate the TOS music TMP/TNG music for the win all the way ;)
It’s a question if “honor the original” means TOS or TMP.
I mean, both are the “original”.
The beginning is also included in the TNG score.
Would be great to hear a mix of both.
The soundtrack of TMP makes it the most “cineastic” ST-movie, i think ST XI is gonna be the same thing.
HAH! YES! I KNEW IT! I absolutely KNEW he’d use the fanfare!
> PLEASE USE THE TMP THEME AS WELL
Hmm… TOS fanfare + TMP theme = TNG theme. I doubt it’ll be used.
It may be a TOS movie, but the TMP theme has become the theme music for all of Star Trek, they HAVE to use that, even if it’s just at the end; it wouldn’t be a Star Trek movie without the TMP theme at the end!
“I grew up listening to all of that great [Trek] music, and that’s part of what inspired me to do what I’m doing, So, yeah, it’s horrifying to think that I’ve got to go and stand in line with those guys.”
Well, this is promising news. TOS had brilliant, memorable music written during each season–far and away the best of all Trek series, and it can only help that Giacchino respects that great musical legacy.
When people think of the Star Trek music, I’m sure what they think of is the music from TMP and TNG.
That’s the Star Trek music everybody knows!
There was a time when Horner’s music and Goldsmith’s was unique, but now there are a LOT of movies that “sound” like that. The Trek movie scors were good, but I really hope Giacchino travels back to TOS for his inspiration.
The music of TOS, not just the fanfare, is very unique and it a huge part of the show’s identity. I hope he retains a lot of that style and if he incorporates a cue or two from the show, including the fanfare, I’d be very content.
His work on The INcredibles was awesome, so he has shown he can adapt various styles to suit the movie he is working on. I just hope his influence for TOS is TOS and not the movies.
TNG had no music, it was all background noise. The TNG theme was a hacked up version of TMP. TNG never stood on its own, and never will. Even the 20th Anniversary had to ride on top of the original series legacy.
When people think of Star Trek, it is all about the original series. Kirk and Spock are icons, Picard and gang aren’t.
The Movie/TNG fanfare for me is much more associated with TNG. The original TOS score stands by itself and is represents the original era on its own. So I’m hoping the Alexander Courage score is given the appropriate representation in the movie. If they want to slip the TNG fanfare in somewhere fine but I’m much more eager to hear the Space, the final frontier music.
Kirk/Spock fight music, as sung by Peter Griffin:
Nah na na na, na na, nahhh, na na neh neh!
# 15 jonboc, I agree with you 100%. I have a degree in Music and studied film scoring and to me it would seem a waste to try and revamp an already overly orchestral score from one of the films. The best way to get something unique but still “honour” the original music is to take the simple melodies from the the original series use them to build new cues with thicker harmonies and richer textures than they had in their original inceptions. My approach would be to assign some of those original themes to some of the charcters in the film and use them during the characters screen time. New themes with similar qualites to some of the originals could be created to strectch the TOS music library but still provide a continuity with the original music. The key would be to develop all off the themes into something much richer and more orchestrally interesting than what was heard during the series.
I am really happy to hear this! As a student of music, I’ve always been tuned in to hearing different soundtracks and hearing how it conveys a scene, apart from the acting.
When done well, the music can be a character all its own in any scene.
For TOS, the music, as has already been said, was quite a part of the series, and was used very well.
My 6 year-old daughter, when she’s playing like she’s giving the nerve pinch, will do the couple note musical cue for it also:
“dah-dah-da-dahhhhhhh!”
That’s a testament to how integral that music is.
#16 – I agree. Overall, to me, TNG is not much more than a sterilized, emotionless imitation of the original.
I also say F the ST:TMP TNG music. This new film has the potential to rock so hard with the right orchestral arrangements. I say in addition to the TOS main theme, they pluck TOS here and there – - stuff from Doomsday Machine, Mirror, Mirror. That stuff has POWER, and if they ramp it up for today’s audience, it will have the power to put hairs up on the back of people’s necks.
I’d love to hear (besides the Alexander Courage fanfare) the Gerald Fried Spock theme from “Amok Time” in the movie since it’s apparent that he’s to play a pivotal role. Also, if the Romulans are indeed the villains, I’d also love to hear Fred Steiner’s Romulan theme from “Balance of Terror.”
I agree with William that these original melodies can be fashioned into great music with “thicker harmonies and richer textures” in the new film. I would not however want any of Goldsmith’s TMP music or Horner’s for that matter. That, to me, says modern Trek and wouldn’t have the right vibe. Not that I don’t think highly of their music (Goldsmith is my favorite composer of all time) I just don’t think they’d be right for this film considering everything we’ve heard about it so far.
Keep in mind, though, that film scoring is a collaborative art and that Mr. Giacchino is going to be beholden not only to the director’s wishes, but also to the needs of the film. As much as I’d love to hear Fried’s and Steiner’s themes in the new film, if the film doesn’t call for it, I wouldn’t want them shoehorned in there either. That being said, Giacchino is one of my favorite composers and I have no doubt that he’ll do an awesome job.
Plus, think about all of the new music we’ll be getting! I’m sure that there will be characters and situations that we’ve never seen before in Trek and that will afford Giacchino an opportunity to boldly go where no composer has gone before! ;)
Maybe I am the minority, but I say, apart from the opening fanfare and *maybe* a nod here and there to the original theme (as Goldsmith did in the TMP score during a few “Captain’s Log” sequences), I think Giacchino should take advantage of the opportunity to create a new main theme for “Star Trek.” After all, hopefully this will be the first of many new Trek films with a new cast, and even though it will be (ostensibly) set in main Trek continuity, it will be in the minds of the general public a new franchise. Create a new theme, use it boldly, and only go to the original music for occasional seasoning — like Bear McCreary has done in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. Don’t be afraid to create a new audio identity for “Star Trek.”
I agree, Mike P. There should definitely be a new main theme.
By the way, it wasn’t Jerry Goldsmith that scored those “Captain’s Log” sequences with Alexander Courage’s original theme. It was an uncredited… Fred Steiner!
#15. and #17.
you both make great points, i agree. the TMP theme is to be avoided.
surely the fanfare “says it all”, but a sharp composer might be inspired to rethink the spirit of the theme song as well (which i believe is the point of making this film-a recapture of spirit). maybe not down to the bongos, but why not a vocal (maybe choral), partly accapella signature? a sort of “enya, sail away” type mood?
that said, #23, i think a new theme would be a great step to rebranding the series (if there is one) as well.
also, gotta be said, the hacked-up cues from both TOS and TNG really helped make nemesis the crap that it is. IMHO.
Why I’m encouraged…
The Incredibles! He created an origanal score the was the best synthesis of the 60’s spy/action movies I’ve ever heard. It was dead-on for the feel and essence of the movie.
MI:3! Great score that borrowed heavily from the movie’s musical roots. And if I’m not mistaken, it wasn’t limited to the main theme. I think there were several moments where he lifted other familiar cues too. Hopefully Star Trek will get the same treatment. (Some of TOS best music didn’t come from Alexander Courage.)
I think he’ll apply those same sensibilities to the new movie; delivering a fresh but familiar take on classic Trek scoring. He’s certainly demonstrated that he “gets” and appreciates the 60’s vibe.
Can’t wait!
Yeah…sorry…no TMP music for a pre-refit Enterprise adventure.
That’s awesome news. I can’t wait to be sitting in the movie theatre and hear that the TOS theme as the lights go down!
I just get more and more excited about this movie each day!
#23
I disagree completely. Why make a new theme?? Courage’s theme IS Star Trek. This movie is an attempt to rekindle the magic of Star Trek after Berman and CO all but destroyed and tried to bury it. The problem with recent Trek is everybody tried to make their own version of it and re-create it. Screw that!! Give me the classic themes and music that this classic Trek fan has been dying for for years.
BTW, this is outstanding news that Giachinno is using the original theme!
Boy, I surely agree with the ‘music’ people above! I’d like to see the music reflect the best from the show and let’s move away from the sterile elevator music from the spinoff series. Plus, it would be wonderful to see GNP release a new album with music that hasn’t yet been released from the show. There is plenty of music that hasn’t been done from the second and third seasons.
#26 “The Incredibles! He created an origanal score the was the best synthesis of the 60’s spy/action movies I’ve ever heard. It was dead-on for the feel and essence of the movie.”
You said it! He nailed that “genre” and it went a long way into making that movie so much damn fun to watch. I sure hope he takes the same approach to Star Trek and gives us, not the exact same music, but the same style as TOS, only bigger and better.
Leave the generic music of modern Trek OUT of the equation, PLEASE.
#28
Why write a new theme?
Because the film may call for it. We don’t really know what this film is about yet and neither, really, does Mr. Giacchino.
Yes, he may have read the script, but he’s not going to start writing cues until the film is shot and locked (one hopes).
He may start developing ideas and sketch some themes based on the script, but the real music will come when the film is finished, which won’t be for a while.
Besides, Alexander Courage’s theme (that is, not the eight note fanfare) is a little too unmalleable. It wasn’t even used in TOS as part of the underscore as I recall, only the main title.
# 8 & #15 –
I agree completely. The TOS music was one of its creative strongpoints — not just Alexander Courage’s intro, but Fred Steiner’s scoring. (There were other composers, too, I think.)
So much of the original series’ bold emotionality, color schemes and artistic design were complemented by music. Really terrific music, too. I always heard a lot of 20th-century Russian touches to it — chromatic harmonies and spiky rhythms. Fantastic stuff, and really efficiently arranged with (I’m assuming) a small orchestra.
The TMP/TNG music? Meh. I’d rather hear Giacchino incorporate motifs from incidental music in TOS. . . or come up with something entirely new. And yeah, (re: #26), his work on The Incredibles is among my favorite recent scores. The guy has a real ear for different idioms, exactly what’s needed in a Trek reboot.
#30, agreed.
Assuming they’re trying to recapture the swashbuckling spirit of TOS (and not do something “arty” again like TMP), I’d LOVE if the new music sounded like a bigger and richer version of the 1960s TOS style.
The one thing I don’t want to hear is the TNG theme again. I loved that show dearly, but it never had the strongest theme and I’ve REALLY gotten sick of it after the last few movies.
The more they stick to TOS the better off this movie will be. That includes music, sets, storyline, ships, etc.
I wonder just HOW much the original TOS Main Theme will be ‘referenced’ by Michael. As much as I loved Jerry Goldsmith’s Main Theme for ST:TMP, I didn’t think it sounded in any way like the TOS series Main Theme by Alexander Courage, and I missed that.
I hope he does his own spin on an ‘extended’ Alexander Courage Main Theme, much like the brilliant 3 minute 40 second one done by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra a few years ago…rather than JUST include a ‘few bars’ at the beginning…
BUT, what I really would like, is for him to weave in some of the fantastically mysteriously foreboding and exciting CUES that peppered the original series, to REALLY generate some true TOS-era flavour… :)
New theme, please, with occassional use of the fanfare. This is, for intents and purposes, a “new” Star Trek. Why bother too much with recycling old music just for the sake of giving a few of us a thrill? Take a cue from Goldsmith (pun DEFINITELY intended!!) and put a new stamp on things, but nod to the past at the same time.
You know, if the lyrics Gene R. wrote for Alexander Courage’s music were sung by Nyota Uhura in this film (as a slow, broadly-felt love-ballad), that might—if done right—add a whole new dimension to the series. Here are those lyrics:
“Beyond the rim of starlight
My love is wandring in starflight.
I know he’ll find in star-clustered reaches:
Love, strange love a star-woman teaches.
I know his journey ends never,
His star trek will go on forever.
But, tell him while he wanders his starry sea……
Remember, remember me.”
(The last line there was a title of an episode of TNG [---yes, with a nod to TOS lyrics of the theme song---], when Beverly Crusher disappeared into Wesley’s warp bubble on the engineering deck.)
I’d love to hear some of the creativeness and intelligent writing the original show had. I’d love for it to have some of that color. Some of that flavor.
I always knew that the score would pay tribute to the original series. Just listen to Mr. Giacchino’s score for M:i:III, he not only used the theme that we all know and love, but he used a few more that Mr. Schifrin did for that show. And Mr. Giacchino is easily the best composer working today, so can’t wait to hear what he has in store for us next year.
To me, the Horner music has been what the movies are all about-especially since they continued to use it in most all the trailers after the first one. I think if they really want to recapture that sort of magic of the original cast films, they should use that again. Anything to remind people of Wrath of Khan will probably only help.
This no surprise. Now, if they incorporate some of that eerie 1st season TOS episode music that will be a surprise.
47:
“Tenacious-D” has a live version of the TOS theme out there in a mp3 format…with GR’s lyrics…interesting…
Fnaboy in me says it would be VERY COOL to see the closing credits reflect TOS closing credits, with still shots from the movie we have just seen in the BG…at least for the first 60 seconds…
Also, whichever label produces the soundtrack, let’s hope they release a version with “all the music” first, not a later release we would have to buy again…
very excited about the movie at this point…hope they keep up the pace!!!
Wow, I’m always caught off guard to find fellow trekmovie.com members that are trained musicians. Shouldn’t surprise me though as musicians are the most well rounded and enlightened forward thinkers known to man. Easy, I’m just teasing the rest of you. A little;).
Now as most of us realize. for a lot of of folks, the only taste they have resides in their mouth. That having been said, I think it would be cool to utilize some of the incidental music from TOS. TV hasn’t had good cue music for years and years and I think that it would be a good nod to the fans AND it is viable music that can be used as part of a score. Go ahead, hum the love themes. Doomsday Machine tension music. Spock’s “theme” as it were. All are well known and are almost as much a part of the lexicon of Trek as the characters.
And quit bashing on TMP’s score. There was a nod to Courage’s opening theme used, albeit briefly. And TNG’s incidental music did what it was supposed to do: stay in the background. It was a different time stylistically and didn’t make such a large statement as music from the previous eras had. Remember, there is no bad music. Except country.
I’m kidding again. Sheesh!
I remember a QVC or Home Shopping Network slot, when they were offering the CDs of music that had the re-orchestrated TOS music (was it on Varese Sarabande label?), and they had Gerald Fried as a guest.
He brought a flute, and played the “Scotty Theme” and the fight music from “The Trouble With Tribbles”.
That was an immense treat, to see that stuff played live, and to remember what those pieces went to.
One thing some folks may not know (maybe all of you know), but the TOS Theme is 2 different parts: the fanfare being titled “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, and the main body of music being titled “(Theme From) Star Trek”.
The stand out musics from star trek the franchise are…
TMP Theme – Nemesis Version at the end etc
TOS Theme – Not that I like it, but it is well known
Voyager Theme – The best of all the series
First Contact – Opening
Undiscovered Country – Opening
Nemesis – Opening
#43
I’m with you. I’ve cited several times how the original music and the composers from that era were doing great stuff. Really well schooled musician/composers who were essentially writing their own masterpieces in little chunks that were only heard in spurts. I guess they figured if they were’nt going to be played by the major symphonies of the world, they were going to make it great for the home audience people. If only in limited playing time. And they were overlapping, writing for other shows like Wild Wild West, Mission Impossible, Twilight Zone and others. I’d really love to heard some stuff that lends a nod to the old show’s music.
#44 I would love to have seen that. Do you think it’s Youtubed?
#37
The reason Roddenberry wrote those “lyrics” is so that he would be credited as co-writer for the theme and get a piece of the royalties.
Though this was a common practice in those days, Courage was so incensed at Roddenberry’s under-handedness that he never wrote music for Star Trek again.
46 – I don’t see it out there. Unless it may be under another name. I tried his name, then “Star Trek QVC” and “Star Trek HSN”, but no soap.
I’m going to have to look for that somewhere, because it really was cool. It was when they’d have folks like Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio on to sell signed baseballs or bats, and I love Fried’s work, so for me it was amazing to see.
Gerald Fried also souped up Jerry Goldsmith’s version of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” theme, and really modded it up for the 2nd and 3rd seasons of that series. I believe he also scored “Roots”. Wonderful composer.
Given Giacchino’s prior work, I rank him with David Arnold (current composer of the Bond movies) as someone who “gets it”. They know their sources, and can pull it off beautifully.
#45
I had forgotten that opening music from Undiscovered Country. So radically different from the rest and absolutely dripping with tension and anticipation. Thinking back on sitting in the theater for my first viewing of that movie, I remember feeling that I was in for something quite different than the usual. As a result, VI has remained my favorite Trek movie. So much like a really well done Trek novel rather than a long version of a great extended episode.
“TOS Theme – Not that I like it, but it is well known”
“Voyager Theme – The best of all the series”
oh my god you must be kidding.
#48
Yeah,
I looked for it too. That sounds like one of those little rare treats that are not advertised before or even acknowledged afterwards. Still would love to see it.
Actually the Star Trek: Legacy tune is not bad…if something like that became the theme I wouldn’t complain
44… “One thing some folks may not know (maybe all of you know), but the TOS Theme is 2 different parts: the fanfare being titled “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, and the main body of music being titled “(Theme From) Star Trek”. ”
And another very well-known piece, sounding somewhat like the WNMHGB piece, is called “Kirk’s Command” from The Corbomite Maneuver. I hope it is used in the movie.
And… count my vote also for the magnificent “Voyager” theme as “Best Star Trek series theme.”
Hope he’ll do more than just the fanfare. Love all the TOS music cues by Fred Steiner, etc. … it woud be nice to hear some of those again.
I loved the TMP theme, but got sick of hearing the crappy version of it that played on TNG.
I agree with all those who say we should have a new theme.
But go ahead and use the TOS theme too.
And please, don’t use that Klingon theme from TMP if there are any Klingons that appear. Again, that’s a them I loved, but it bugged me in First Contact when they used it whenever Worf was on screen.
I wouldn’t mind hearing a bit of the Horner stuff, and there was some a slower theme used in TMP which was different than the main theme – I wouldn’t mind bits of it either.
But really, there is a wealth of music back in the TOS. And it is so unique and unusual that using some of it for inspiration would be pretty cool.
Love the original theme. But, please give Opera Lady the day off. (She was only second season of TOS, wasn’t she?)
We in a Hallmark store looking at ornaments. The saleslady hit the button on one and the theme came up. As soon as Opera Lady began wailing, the saleswoman scrunched her face and said, “Oh, I’d forgotten how cheesy that was.”
Again, Alexander Courage did great work. It could be updated, either with a big, big orchestra or some new arrangement, or be grafted onto a newish theme, with brilliant flourishes and dreamy interludes.
Can’t wait.
I was, sted We
Sometimes purist can really hamper fandom, no room in their hearts or minds to grow and embrace other gems that are spawned from the original incarnation. And then there are those “Late Bloomers” who love the latter series but can’t be bothered to acknowledge or respect the true value of the classic that started it all.
Star Trek fandom has sadly become gangland territory, the TOS Bloods and the TNG Era Crips, and then there are those of us caught in the middle who love and appreciate all of Star Trek (My love begins with TOS/TNG and ends with DS9, but I don’t “hate” the other two shows.)
We in the middle have the hardest time because we have to constantly “dodge the bullets” of spewed venom shooting back and forth between the factions. It’s not just Trek fandom I’ve seen this in, it’s neary ALL of genre fandom that goes to severe extremes to show their hate and contempt for a property while championing the one they love, but I never thought Trek would get like that within ourselves. I remember when it was “us” against them (Star Wars fans, B5 fans) but never would I have thought it would be us against us. We all have opinions, we all have favorites, but at what point does opinion stop and becomes full on intolerance?
Sorry for the rant.
Back to the topic….
I would love for Giacchino to give this film a more Saturday afternoon serial type of score (Much like the TOS sound, but less Star Wars.) We’ve had so many epic scores in this series that I think it’s time for a good old swashbuckling score again, save the epic score for the New Crew’s eventual exploration film.
With that said, I wouldn’t mind hearing the TMP theme again, because to me that represents theatrical Star Trek and Courage’s fanfare is all of Star Trek. Besides “The Enterprise”, Courage and Goldsmith’s combined theme represents the only thing that lovingly embraces both TOS and TNG, making them one.
Well…how about…
Bob Dylan’s My Back Pages? “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now…”
Jim Croce? “If I could save time in a bottle…”
Streisand? “The way we were…”
Simon & Garfunkle, The Boxer…”after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same.”
Led Zep, Rock n Roll, “carry me back, carry me back…”
Yes, I’m kidding.
TOS theme was great, STTMP theme was great…anything but
“Faith of the Heart.”
I did like what Giacchino did with the M:I theme for the opening credits to M:I III. He was able to take the original theme, keep it rooted in an orchestral style, but make it an expanded, more lavish sound.
I really have confidence in having him as composer for Star Trek. For me, this will be every bit as integral to the movie’s feeling as the sets and costumes. Maybe even more so.
Once, a professor did a drama course, and used several TV shows as examples, but audio only. TOS was one of the selected shows, and the students were able to indentify some of the scenes and the mood they conveyed, by the music playing during a scene.
If you hear Mission: Impossible, the original series, from another room, you will know exactly when the tape recorder self-destructs, when Jim Phelps (or Dan Briggs for old-school) is selecting the team, and when any of the I.M.F. are implementing a piece of equipment or getting into position.
That’s the power of good movie or television scoring.
The TMP Theme is a classic, but it is a bit bombastic, and this movie needs TOS connections. I think they can incorporate the TOS theme into a more contemporary soundtrack. James Horner did it beautifully for TWOK, and I would expect Giacchino recognizes how successful that worked out. Of all the Trek movie soundtracks, TWOK captured the TOS spirit the most for me, and advanced it greatly. I’m definitely hoping to get something more along those lines. Cheers!
i’d LOVE to hear it with lyrics!
and the poem with “my love has wings”, maybe in the end of the movie…
I like the music at the end of First Contact when they start fading up to space after Cochran meets with the Vulcans.
good news!
It’s still cool though that they are using the original Alexander Courage theme. Maybe it can be a mix of TOS and the TNG themes?
As an aside, I think that not enough credit is given to the theme from Voyager. Love the show or hate the show, musically and especially visually, that opening has to be considered one of the best in television.
Just as long as Simon Pegg’s Scotty is whistling “Faith of the Heart” while working on the warp engines, then we can all have a good laugh.
But seriously, glad to see the composer understands the task before him so well.
About rerecorded TOS music ; I’ve got 4 cd’s done by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra released in 1985 and 86. 2 are from Varese Sarabande ; cat. no. VCD47235 &VCD47240. The other 2 are from Label X ; Cat. no. LXCD 703 & LXCD 704. I haven’t listened to them in several years but they were good and kind of different sound than the original music. My fav Piece of Trek music is the enterprise fanfare used only in the 2nd season and about half the episodes. I use it for when my computer boots up. BG
Yes use the original Star Trek theme…But I hope that he uses the style that I think that is his most impressive work yet…believe it or not …The Medal Of Honor Game score. Give it a listen…and imagine that cinematic style with the original themes and you will have a masterpiece on your hands!!!
#43
Yeah, I’m one of those trained “trekkie” musicians to. I’m actually working on my masters now.
It will be interesting to hear what they do with the original theme. I mean, it’s a given they’d use the fanfare (Who wouldn’t?) but if the new guy can modernize the original theme with it’s descending notes that would be neat.
Since we never heard the TMP theme in TOS, I do NOT believe it should be used in this film. The Alexander Courage theme, augmented — maybe — with something original should be good enough.
As much as I love the TMP soundtrack and theme, I think it would be out of place in this film as it represents everything POST-TOS…
Let’s not make Trek a mishmash. The music should represent certain things!
I hear a lot of people referencing the theme….and that’s great. It is important. But I’m concerned also with the inner music. The incidental stuff. The stuff that helped make the original show. Motive. Motive. Motive. There’s a reason people still know the fight music from Amok Time all these years later. It was great stuff.
What an awesome announcement. I’ve only quickly skimmed through these posts so if someone has already been this specific, my apologies..
I hope they incorporate the piece, The Enterprise, which was heard during Kirk’s inspection of the big-E in TMP. If I remember correctly in the special edition DVD commentary it was stated that the music in this scene was to be more of a “romantic” nature than a march. And, in my opinion its one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Given all the effort being put into the movie, it seems fitting.
The Enterprise along with the TOS music: cool!!
:-)
#21, I agree with you, they should take some of those memorable cues and use them as a template for the score. They just have to make sure they don’t slip into parody. However, Galaxy Quest was a better Star Trek film than all of the TNG were.
music makes things exciting. give me a few bars of star trek and I can name you an episode or a scene.. forget it in modern trek # 74 is correct.
All of you that want the new movie to be just like TOS, please rent or better yet, buy the DVDs.
You have the “virgin” version and slowly but surely the “enhanced” version to keep you entertained.
As for the movie, I wish the filmmakers take the Roddenberry vision and re-imagine it now just as the original series makers did back in the 60’s. Mini-skits on the bridge might have been a vision of the future back in the 60’s, but not so much now in 2007! I also don’t want to see knobs anywhere in the bridge, or analog counters. Re-imagine and re-launch the franchise from a 2007 perspective, please!
Do bring back The Motion Picture Enterprise intact. It still holds up as a vision of the future and doesn’t require any “tweaking”.
and I dont want any more bland sets. bring on the look and feel of star trek the way it used to be
I hope we hear an arrangement of the theme thats more Courage than Goldsmith, and i’m sick of he TMP theme so I hope to not hear that. I’m a fan of Goldsmith but man that theme has really been ridden into the ground.
I expect we’ll hear mostly original (newly written)stuff, maybe the fanfare, but I am prepared to hear something new
I am one of those guys that wans he new score to acnowledge was has gone before but not copy it. I would be very open to a score that hits like ST II or ST VI. Those were original stuff, similar to what had come before, acnowledging wht had come before, but not a copy.
My two cents, I really liked the TOS music in seasons #1 and #2. You can argue the music from the “Cage”/”Where No Man Has Gone Before” may have been the best (since most of it was incorporated into the regular TOS). The soundtrack from Shoreleave was TOTALLY CLASSIC!!!! If there is a Finnegan in this movie, I would love to hear “snippets” of that. None of the other Star Trek series music comes close to TOS, perhaps the soundtrack from “Yesterday’s Enterprise”. In short, I want a TOS soundtrack in this movie!!!!!
Regarding STVI — I did enjoy the soundtrack, it was different, darker that anything from prior movies (though Horner did an outstanding job in STII and STIII).
Part of me will always see the James Horner era stuff as the “definitive movie music”, as that was the period when I truly connected with Trek, and also when the movie series finally came into it’s own.
Still, very excited about the new score :-)
#69 Kempec
One of my brats had that ‘Medal of Honour’ game, and the music in it was indeed fantastic, and would have made great ‘Movie-music’…
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#81
3rd season stuff I’ve always thought was a bit out of character from the show I knew from the first two seasons. We hear evidence of it right away with “Spock’s Brain”. Which I thought was weak. However, it did have it’s moments. The stuff that was written just for the one with the OK Corral…what’s that called,…uh “Specter of the Gun”, had some interesting moments. The bar room piano with the twisted, off kilter approach was nice. And there were some nice moments in “Enterprise Incident” but I really like the bible that was laid out early on from music that was written for The Cage and later eps.
This is great news
#15
I aggree with everyone here that TOS music is 30% of what made it work great. It would be nice to have a few cues included in the new film like JJ did with MI:111. Those little touches really made the third MI movie work and was fun to hear. It is really to bad Mr. Lalo Schifrin has never had a chance to add the Star Trek canon other than MI music in the bloopers. It is also possible for Bill Shatner to at least do the classis intro and maybe re-word it a bit, with the original fan fare. Can’t wait to hear it. Let them do there magic.
To me it makes perfect sense to use the original TOS fanfare and theme tune.
Why? Because this movie is supposed to be about TOS. It’s a celebration of TOS and what made it work. In my opinion, the TOS theme tune is just as big a part of TOS than any of the characters, or the Enterprise. It’s integral to the very heart of the show.
Modernise the theme, sure. But use it!
I’m a musician and here’s how I’d go about doing the theme myself… I would be sure to keep the exact same melody and the exact same chords. They’re both very important. The counter-melodies (i.e. parts of the tune that aren’t the main melody) would almost certainly be altered, and I’d probably make them a lot heavier and more dominating, to allow a new emphasis to be given to an old piece.
The instrumentation would absolutely be altered (mainly, beefed up to match the scale of a massive movie), with obvious homages paid to the original instrumentation, without it detracting from the overall feel. The rhythm and tempo would also be adjusted.
In terms of structure, I would probably extend the original theme quite heavily by having loads of ‘new bits’ that added to the drama and scale of the movie, with the original theme there in the middle, possibly with different-paced sections. Certainly, it would need to end on a big, exciting uptempo pace, like the original (which slowed down right at the end, like the original).
Generally speaking, though, I think the series of films need to have a strong theme tune that does not change, and is only adapted slightly to fit into new contexts.
the fanfare, sure, but i never want to hear that opening theme again.
#88 Jamie
Have you ever heard the fantastic John Williams extended version from a few years ago? You’d like it i’m sure.
16
And after having read your post. Right on, brother.
go and listen to wrath of khan’s opening score – the use of TOS theme at the start is great, tells you this is a star trek film, then makes the music it’s own.
I loved Gerry Goldsmith’s theme, but James Horner made those movies stand out with their music far more i think. Let’s hope for a Horner-esque soundtrack!
David – thanks for the reminder. I almost forgot that the TOS theme was at the start of Wrath of Khan. You are right. It does accomplish telling you the movie is a Trek film and then makes the music its own. The soundtrack contains some of my favorite music of all time.
And – Spock’s theme, from Wrath of Khan, was incorporated throughout Search For Spock, btw.. With the new movie being a Spock story, it is going to be mighty interesting to see what we will hear in the new movie. Can’t wait!!!