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Best and Worst Star Trek movie themes

post #1 of 47
4/11/09 at 7:08pm
Thread Starter 
I've been listening to these lately. I'm expecting big things from Michael Giacchino when I see the new movie.

Best of the bunch: The Motion Picture, Khan, Undiscovered Country, First Contact

Worst: Generations (nothing but AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHs)

Motion Picture
Khan
Search for Spock
Voyage Home
Final Frontier
Undiscovered Country
Generations
First Contact
Nemesis

*couldn't find INSURRECTION
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post #2 of 47
4/11/09 at 7:39pm
My Best Trek Scores
1) Star Trek II-James Horner
2) Star Trek III-James Horner
3) Star Trek TMP-Jerry Goldsmith

The Worst Trek Scores
All The Rest
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post #3 of 47
4/11/09 at 7:55pm
This is actually the Voyage Home title, Wade. The one you linked was just some guy playing it on his keyboard.
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post #4 of 47
4/11/09 at 8:11pm
Favorites: Final Frontier, Undiscovered Country, First Contact.

Least Favorites: Generations, Insurrection.

And as stylistically different from the rest as it is, I really like The Voyage Home theme.
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post #5 of 47
4/11/09 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luca S. View Post
This is actually the Voyage Home title, Wade. The one you linked was just some guy playing it on his keyboard.
lol well that explains it. When I think of the Voyage Home, this is the music that comes to mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIVqLHULuSs
I love the extra 80s funk that kicks in at 2:30.

Time to edit!
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post #6 of 47
4/11/09 at 8:35pm
I love how they think dressing Spock up as some weird cultist makes him less conspicuous.
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post #7 of 47
4/11/09 at 8:44pm
Thread Starter 
80s San Fran was so WILD AND WACKY that no one noticed! And everyone is rude!

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post #8 of 47
4/11/09 at 9:50pm
"The crew of the starship enterprise face a WHAAAALLLE of a problem!"
-The Voyage Home VHS commercial

I also look forward to M.G.'s new Star Trek music. Jerry Goldsmith is my favorite so far. James Horner is ok but I can't enjoy it as much knowing that the exact same music has appeared in 350 other movies that Horner has scored! The Voyage Home soundtrack is very jolly and heartwarming when it plays over still frames of memorable moments during the end credits.
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post #9 of 47
4/11/09 at 10:18pm
Thread Starter 
I really want to hear what Giacchino has done with the original Alexander COURAGE theme.

The upbeat and fancy free Voyage Home music really works when the crew has a wild pool party at the end of the movie. However, Shatner takes it too far when he basically assaults Nimoy and shoves him into the water.
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post #10 of 47
4/11/09 at 10:22pm
Wadew1, Maybe Shatner dunked Nimoy in the water because he didn't get a chance to drop him in the dunk tank, on Battle Of The Network Stars.
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post #11 of 47
4/11/09 at 10:40pm
I'll stick up for the end title music from Generations. I even thought it would have worked as the theme for Enterprise. But I'll agree the rest of the score is sort of blah.

And I love the main theme for First Contact. Really underappreciated.

But damn, that main theme for Motion Picture. The way Goldsmith slowed it down for "The Enterprise"? Just sublime.
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post #12 of 47
4/11/09 at 10:40pm
TMP
Wrath of Kahn
First Contact
Voyage Home
Search for Spock
Final Frontier
Undiscovered Country
Generations
Insurrection
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post #13 of 47
4/11/09 at 11:01pm
Without a doubt, Goldsmith's score for THE MOTION PICTURE is still the musical pinnacle of the series so far. It beautifully combines epic adventure, bittersweet romance and otherworldly mystery into an elegant and sweeping journey. None of the other TREK scores comes even remotely close, in my opinion.

Other good TREK scores: THE WRATH OF KHAN, THE FINAL FRONTIER, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY and, fuck it, I'll say it, GENERATIONS. The GENERATIONS fanfare is pretty rousing but I really love the ethereal Nexus theme.

Worst TREK score, by far, is THE VOYAGE HOME. Leonard Rosenman's score truly plays like an uninspired halfway point between his scores for LORD OF THE RINGS and ROBOCOP 2, all of which feel like scores composed for a U.S. Coast Guard instructional video on how to tie knots.

The rest are kind of "meh" for me. Especially the later Goldsmith scores, sadly.
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post #14 of 47
4/11/09 at 11:08pm
I can't remember a single note of Generations. Probably because I only watched the movie once.

Final Frontier has some lovely moments. 'The Mountain' gives me chills.
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post #15 of 47
4/11/09 at 11:38pm
[QUOTE=Hans Gruber's EYE CONDITION!;2565213] James Horner is ok but I can't enjoy it as much knowing that the exact same music has appeared in 350 other movies that Horner has scored! QUOTE]

Yeah, but this is before all of that.

Atleast after reading about Danny Elfman's refusal to work with Sam Raimi any more, partially due to Sam asking over and over again for one of the cues to sound like a Christopher Young cue, you have to wonder sometimes if directors haven't asked Horner to make it sound like "Aliens" here- do something like "Khan" here... and instead of writing something in the same vein, he just went over to the xerox machine.
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post #16 of 47
4/11/09 at 11:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hans Gruber's EYE CONDITION! View Post
I also look forward to M.G.'s new Star Trek music. Jerry Goldsmith is my favorite so far. James Horner is ok but I can't enjoy it as much knowing that the exact same music has appeared in 350 other movies that Horner has scored!
Listen to the launch from Apollo 13, then listen to the launch of the Titanic...same damn thing.

Great scores, but I really get annoyed at James "cut and paste" Horners music

1.TMP
2.Voyage Home
3.Wrath of Khan
4.Undiscovered Country
5.First Contact.
6.Search for Spock

The greatest memory of the Wrath of Khan theme is that it's the same theme used for Star Fleet Academy for the Super Nintendo, damn, I played the hell out of that game.
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post #17 of 47
4/11/09 at 11:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnycinco View Post
Yeah, but this is before all of that.
Go listen to his scores for Warlords from Atlantis and Battle Beyond the Stars and say that.
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post #18 of 47
4/12/09 at 12:05am
Yep, Horner also cribs V'Ger's attack on the Klingons from Goldsmith's TMP score almost note-for-note in BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS.
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post #19 of 47
4/12/09 at 12:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
Go listen to his scores for Warlords from Atlantis and Battle Beyond the Stars and say that.
QFT, only reason I knew this is some how I own Battle Beyond the Stars..

The last great score was for First Contact
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post #20 of 47
4/12/09 at 12:31am
And don't get me wrong, I love me some James Horner, but if you've heard the Battle Beyond the Stars score, you've heard a good chunk of his material up until he discovered highland pipes for Braveheart. Then he began cribbing that.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, he used those pipes in Willow.
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post #21 of 47
4/12/09 at 12:40am
Thread Starter 
Horner's Trek music is fine by me. You have that great adventure theme from Khan and then you have stuff like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QLAIg18K2k

It sounds like something that would play during a training sequence in a ROCKY movie.
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post #22 of 47
4/12/09 at 1:13am
To be fair, the Search For Spock Dance Mix isn't in the film. I kind of love it now.

Also, "Stealing the Enterprise" is a tour-de-force.
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post #23 of 47
4/12/09 at 1:28am
On Topic:

Best soundtrack: The Motion Picture
Worst soundtrack: The Voyage Home
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post #24 of 47
4/12/09 at 1:48am
Dude, you're fine, this is for the music.
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post #25 of 47
4/12/09 at 1:55am
Heh, I read the title thread from the main page and jumped on it. My bad.
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post #26 of 47
4/12/09 at 1:56am
And a way to discuss the hack job of Horner. Which is a shame, he has made some great themes...just sad it all sounds the same.

And I own most of his sound tracks..
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post #27 of 47
4/12/09 at 2:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Litmus Configuration View Post
Without a doubt, Goldsmith's score for THE MOTION PICTURE is still the musical pinnacle of the series so far. It beautifully combines epic adventure, bittersweet romance and otherworldly mystery into an elegant and sweeping journey. None of the other TREK scores comes even remotely close, in my opinion.
Yep. I dug out my TMP score yesterday, and realized that it does most of the emotional heavy lifting in the film. I plan on grabbing Giacchino's score on the 5th, provided I can find a copy in store...
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post #28 of 47
4/15/09 at 2:55pm
Here is a preview of the new Star Trek soundtrack:
http://www.colosseum.de/product_info...Star-Trek.html
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post #29 of 47
4/15/09 at 3:11pm
Hans Gruber's EYE CONDITION!, WOW! That was cool, especially the end theme. Keep on Trekkin HGEC!
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post #30 of 47
4/15/09 at 3:29pm
Hmmm. Not sure the old TV theme works but I'll wait to hear it in context. I'll just be expecting the Desilu logo to appear at the end.
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post #31 of 47
4/15/09 at 3:42pm
I really liked those samples. Certainly the music is one of the most anticipated aspects of the film for me.
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post #32 of 47
4/15/09 at 3:42pm
I hope those cue titles aren't indicative of the movie's tone.
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post #33 of 47
4/15/09 at 3:52pm
Thread Starter 
An ENTERPRISING young man is the best one.
The theme from the original series sounds good, but I doubt it'll start playing right after the movie ends. I bet it'll kick in during the middle of the credits or near the end.
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post #34 of 47
4/15/09 at 4:06pm
I was never a big fan of the theme song from the original series, and the way it sounds here reminds me of something the orchestra would play before commercials during the Oscars. Other than that I like the rest of this new soundtrack.
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post #35 of 47
4/15/09 at 4:21pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58wJR...eature=related

I am really surprised no one has mentioned one of my all time faves.
It even got an excellent little reference in First Contact.
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post #36 of 47
4/15/09 at 4:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
I'll stick up for the end title music from Generations. I even thought it would have worked as the theme for Enterprise. But I'll agree the rest of the score is sort of blah.

And I love the main theme for First Contact. Really underappreciated.

But damn, that main theme for Motion Picture. The way Goldsmith slowed it down for "The Enterprise"? Just sublime.
I'll back you up 100% on all points.

Do we dare go into a full blown discussion on the music from the Star Trek property as a whole? If so my love for the Arena theme and theme to The Inner Light knows no geeky bounds.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hans Gruber's EYE CONDITION! View Post
I was never a big fan of the theme song from the original series, and the way it sounds here reminds me of something the orchestra would play before commercials during the Oscars

Brought to you by Chevy: Like a rock!
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post #37 of 47
4/15/09 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JXN1138 View Post
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58wJR...eature=related

I am really surprised no one has mentioned one of my all time faves.
It even got an excellent little reference in First Contact.
I actually like Horner's Klingon theme from Search for Spock just a bit better, especially in the "Bird of Prey Decloaks" track.
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post #38 of 47
4/15/09 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammerhead View Post
I hope those cue titles aren't indicative of the movie's tone.
I felt the same way until I read 'That New Car Smell'. That has me curious.
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post #39 of 47
4/15/09 at 9:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wadew1 View Post
An ENTERPRISING young man is the best one.
The theme from the original series sounds good, but I doubt it'll start playing right after the movie ends. I bet it'll kick in during the middle of the credits or near the end.
Oh no, I can totally see it kicking it right as the Enterprise warps away at the end (which you know it will).
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post #40 of 47
4/15/09 at 9:34pm
As far as I'm concerned, The Wrath of Khan's score makes it a great movie instead of just a really good one. It gives the movie a lot of punch and the use of a march helps with the whole sea picture vibe of the movie and Starfleet as a military operation in general. Other themes might be better musically or more iconic, but Khan's is the score that serves its film best.
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post #41 of 47
4/16/09 at 3:36am
More music from TREK '09:

http://www.cinemusic.net/2009/04/15/...iew-star-trek/
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post #42 of 47
4/16/09 at 4:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wadew1 View Post
An ENTERPRISING young man is the best one.
The theme from the original series sounds good, but I doubt it'll start playing right after the movie ends. I bet it'll kick in during the middle of the credits or near the end.
Nope. It kicks off the end credits. And it works like a charm. Really sends you home with a "wasn't that just a big dose of fun we just had?" that I imagine is what people used to feel watching the original TV show.

"An Enterprising Young Man" is when Kirk and McCoy first see the Starfleet Spacestation, and then come upon the Enterprise in her dock. It doesn't spend six minutes on it like TMP, but it's a nice dose of the ol' wide-eyed adventurer that made me love Star Trek as a kid. And the fanfare that kicks in around the :10 mark is the new Star Trek theme. Hope you like it, cause I dig.

And don't fret too much about the cutesy track titles being indicitive of the movies tone. It's just Giacchino's style--look up the track titles to LOST or Ratatouille.
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post #43 of 47
4/16/09 at 1:32pm
While we're at it, let's talk TV show themes:

1. TNG
2. DS9
3. Voyager
4. TOS
5. TAS
129768. Enterprise
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post #44 of 47
4/16/09 at 1:39pm
Faith of the heaaaart!


Really though, DS9 wins the ST themes.

But I'll say it again. The Inner Light wins all Star Trek musical awards.
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post #45 of 47
4/16/09 at 3:40pm
Yeah, DS9 but Voyager's was actually really solid.

The Species 8472 / Scorpion story stuff was some pretty good music. And that two parter with the Borg Queen. Dark Frontiers? Frontier? New Frontiers? One of those.
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post #46 of 47
4/16/09 at 3:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clark
It's just Giacchino's style--look up the track titles to LOST or Ratatouille.
Or M:I-3. I heard snippets from the soundtrack before I saw it in context (you know because everyone does that right?) and forgot it literally moments after I heard it. Downloaded the soundtrack after I got home. I really like his stuff.
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post #47 of 47
4/16/09 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JXN1138 View Post
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58wJR...eature=related

I am really surprised no one has mentioned one of my all time faves.
It even got an excellent little reference in First Contact.
You know how a tune will be stuck in your head for a few days, or even weeks? This was stuck in my head for about 20 years.
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