Overture – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Cliff Eidelman)
Once again, Goldsmith was out and a new composer in for the sixth movie in the franchise, one marking the final adventures of the original crew. Director Nicholas Meyer, returning for the first time since 1982’s The Wrath of Khan, enlisted the talented Cliff Eidelman to conjure one of the darkest and most impressively turbulent scores in the series, the composer playing off the story’s Klingon content to conjure some seriously avant-garde orchestral and choral forces (heavily influenced by Holst’s ‘The Planets’, which was originally planned as the basis of the entire score). It’s another reminder of the multitude of different forms the Trek scores are able to take, each musician moulding the approach of their music to the tone of each story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT-wunjnEXA
Kirk Saves the Day – Star Trek: Generations (Dennis McCarthy)
The critically lambasted ‘handover’ movie from Kirk and Spock to Patrick Stewart’s Picard and the Next Generation crew is widely regarded as a bit of a dog’s dinner. Nevertheless in terms of canon, it’s a crucial bridging point in the franchise as a whole, and the enlistment of series veteran Dennis McCarthy was perhaps one of the very few wise decisions made by the filmmakers. Having scored the majority of the Next Generation episodes, as well as Deep Space Nine, McCarthy jumped at the chance to paint his music on a grander scale than before, although inevitably given the messy nature of the film, the score is somewhat haphazard and uneven in its highlights. Nevertheless, this particular cue is a thrilling delight, one final hurrah for William Shatner’s series figurehead.
First Contact – Star Trek: First Contact (Jerry Goldsmith)
Hurrah! In 1996, we finally got a long-overdue meshing between genuinely intelligent, gripping Star Trek movie and the estimable talents of Jerry Goldsmith, here returning to the series for the third time. As Picard, Data and crew face down the invasive evil of the Borg, Goldsmith responds with plenty of shuddering, clanking material representing the faceless onslaught of the deadly beings; however, where he really takes his inspiration is in the sweeping time-travel implications of the narrative. Let’s not forget that the plotline of the movie revolves around the first contact between humans and, well, non-humans that the title implies – and Goldsmith’s elegiac, hymnal main theme is one of the most stirringly gorgeous tracks ever composed for the series (according to director Jonathan Frakes the most gorgeous, in fact). When it finally rises up during the climactic moments, it’s the stuff goosebumps are made of .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3jjwZLkKx4
New Sight – Star Trek: Insurrection (Jerry Goldsmith)
Another dramatic swerve for the Star Trek series in this somewhat underrated offering, as the Enterprise-E comes to the defense of a planet whose rejuvinative qualities have an optimistic, healing impact on our characters. It’s a far lighter film than its predecessor and thus allows Goldsmith to craft something much gentler and more humane with special emphasis going on the enchanting interaction between strings, woodwind and harp. The moment where blind Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) briefly regains his sight as a result of the planet’s powers is boosted immeasurably by the graceful, cathartic balm of Goldsmith’s score, one emphasising the human heart of the Star Trek ensemble.
End Credits – Star Trek: Nemesis (Jerry Goldsmith)
Not the most prestigious of exits for the Next Generation crew, this somewhat uninspired entry is most notable for the casting of Tom Hardy as Picard’s villainous Reman clone, Shinzon. The general lack of inspiration in the narrative also threatens to spill into Goldsmith’s score, the least distinguished of his Trek soundtracks but one that, in his usual style, features more than a few genuinely terrific highlights. Poignantly, this marked the stage in Goldsmith’s career where he began to wind down prior to his death from cancer in 2004, and one can hear in his music both the wistful farewell to the soundtrack series he helped spearhead, and also the thunderous celebration of the franchise as a whole.
Enterprising Young Men – Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)
A full seven years elapsed before J.J. Abrams brought Star Trek roaring back to the big screen in this blockbuster reboot, the series fully rejuvenated, pacy and funny in a manner that appealed to both fans and newcomers alike. Energised by the spot-on performances of Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as Bones, Abrams’ movie dared to inject the life and humour back into the series that had been absent for so long. Given the movie’s breathless and bombastic pace, Abrams’ Lost and Alias composer Michael Giacchino followed suit with a score that’s perhaps higher on energy and bluster than it is on memorability. Regardless, it helped confirm Giacchino as the heir apparent to the likes of the later Jerry Goldsmith, and his interweaving of Alexander Courage’s original TV series theme is terrific.
London Calling – Star Trek Into Darkness (Michael Giacchino)
A massive improvement on his first Star Trek score, the music for this divisive sequel sees Giacchino extend his musical ideas, embellishing his thrilling central theme with an expansive choir for a bit of an added kick. Even so, it’s the insidious, creeping nature of his new theme for villain Khan (yes, that’s right), played by Benedict Cumberbatch, that steals the show, a piece gradually unveiled in fragments across the score as the character’s grand plan comes to fruition. Its first tentative airings in this track mark some of Giacchino’s most dramatically gripping writing, an undulating piano solo gradually building into a doom-laden statement of intent. The perfect track for such an imperious presence as Cumberbatch.
Sean Wilson is a film reviewer, soundtrack enthusiast and avid tea drinker. If all three can be combined at the same time, all is good with the world.
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
