Best TOS movie soundtrack

[Newt]

Was listening to a compilation of film soundtracks. There is some terrific scores over the years. But who is the best composer. What themes give you the feels?

Mainly for the the tos era of films but added two wild card polls for Micheal Giacchino‘s reboot soundtrack and Dennis McCarthy‘s Generations as they do have TOS characters.

 

[Newt]

I’m definitely leaning towards James Horner. TWOK and TSFS definitely give me the feels. The stealing the enterprise track gives me goosebumps

 

[CoveTom]

Hmm. Are we talking about looking at the totality of films they composed for, or looking at which single film has the best score? That makes a difference.

There is absolutely no better score ever written for Trek than TMP and I daresay it ranks in the top 10 all time film score list. It really is Goldsmith's masterpiece.

However, Goldsmith's other Trek scores, while still good, do not rise to that same level and they could be given some stiff competition from James Horner and his entries, IMHO.

 

[Newt]

Well I was thinking as their work as a whole. So with Goldsmith's scores in regard of the TOS films would be TMP and TFF. I know some would not really compare them two films fairly. But you can not fault the soundtrack of either film.
I know TMP is highly regarded as a pure serious sci-fi flick. Where TFF is considered a bit of a disappointment in regards of being a Star Trek film. But they share the same composer using the same themes that still have an emotional attachment.
You could perhaps argue that both films at their core have similar thematic themes of seeking ones creator or god. But maybe a discussion for another thread lol.
But back to Goldsmiths themes, they work very well in TFF. A Bit more playful than TMP in parts and more action oriented. And I really like the theme he gave Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

 

[Procutus]

Strictly on the merit of the score alone, for me there's no question of the best: Goldsmith's TMP score.

I enjoyed every single score that was done for the subsequent films, but the first one remains my favorite film score to date - Trek or otherwise.

 

[Qonundrum]

Eidelman's score is too magnificent to not vote for. Horner comes next in a virtual tie. Goldsmith's TMP theme is iconic, even if TMP's theme felt out of place in TMP (and TFF).

 

[Frontis]

For me Jerry Goldsmith is still the best because he knows how to transport big emotions into music and to cause big emotions with his music. RIP

 

[Newt]

Not surprised Jerry is leading the poll so far. Iconic score it is, not just for for TMP. But saying that I personally like his theme as TNG main theme more tbh.

 

[Frontis]

Actually my favorite theme by Goldsmith is the Voyager theme.

 

[Ubiquitousclate]

The passages at the end of TWOK and beginning of TSFS are of such poignancy--I've listened to them in times of sorrow just to have even more of a "good cry," if that makes any sense. I find them to be cathartic.

 

[TRON JA307020]

Definitely the soundtrack to TWOK. Imagine sitting in a theater fir the first time seeing TWOK and that music just blares over the theater speakers. Pure joy for a star trek fan.

 

[Newt]

Definitely the soundtrack to TWOK. Imagine sitting in a theater fir the first time seeing TWOK and that music just blares over the theater speakers. Pure joy for a star trek fan.

Wish I was able to see TWOK in the cinema. Unfortunately it was realised the year of my birth. My first Star Trek film was Star Trek IV around my 9th birthday.
But we had twok on vhs tape, and I would blast it on my dad’s tv sound system. Some of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Totally sets the mood and the emotion of film.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

The passages at the end of TWOK and beginning of TSFS are of such poignancy--I've listened to them in times of sorrow just to have even more of a "good cry," if that makes any sense. I find them to be cathartic.

It does make sense. Horner's score for The Land Before Time really gets me; the first time he hits the main theme on the brass in the opening is a transcendentally emotive moment, combining both wonder (at the world of the dinosaurs) and loss (that their age has passed).

 

[Jeyl]

That's a tricky one. TMP and TWOK managed to create two wonderfully unique themes that are wholly different, but are unmistakably Star Trek. I think Horner's music nudges out Jerry's just a tad simply because I loved how Horner incorporated Courage's TOS theme throughout his score. I know there were two cues for TMP that used Courage's theme, but those were all stand alone. And if I may add, the Goldsmith theme wasn't perfected until he brought in the TOS theme as well, which makes TFF my preferred presentation of the TMP theme.

It's neat that James Horner was able to compose music for two films that cover Spock's death AND Resurrection and nothing else. Horner was always a master at being able to pull at my heartstrings more than Goldsmith or even John Williams.

Cliff Eidelman was just what TUC needed. It may not be Goldsmith but did the score ever set a tone that perfectly complimented the story.

Put my feat to the fire.... I'd go with Goldsmith. His main theme mixed with the TOS theme is still my favorite in all of Star Trek. His use of synths and other various instruments help give Star Trek that science fiction feel that I don't even get in Star Wars. And apologies to James Horner, but when I listen to Jerry's Klingon theme, that's the freaking Klingon theme! It also didn't help Horner that his Klingon theme sounded like the animated Underdog theme.

Still ever so thankful for La-La Land Records, Intrada, and FSM for putting out expanded editions of the scores. It was a renaissance unlike any other music release I've ever experienced.

 

[CoveTom]

And if I may add, the Goldsmith theme wasn't perfected until he brought in the TOS theme as well, which makes TFF my preferred presentation of the TMP theme.

Interesting. I've always felt the opposite. I like both versions, but I feel like Goldsmith's theme doesn't really need the TOS fanfare added on to it any more than his Voyager theme did. My favorite presentation of the theme is the original opening credits version from TMP, about the only time that the theme has been done in its entirety.

(Actually, my true favorite is an unused early studio recording which I've linked to here before. It's been released as a bonus track on some of the newer expanded edition releases. It has a little bit more energy than even the finished product and I like the mix which accentuates the brass more in certain places.)

Edited to Add: Here's that original recording I was talking about. It begins with a mistake by the orchestra and an aborted take, followed by the performance I'm speaking of starting at about 0:25.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Jeyl]

Interesting. I've always felt the opposite. I like both versions, but I feel like Goldsmith's theme doesn't really need the TOS fanfare added on to it any more than his Voyager theme did. My favorite presentation of the theme is the original opening credits version from TMP, about the only time that the theme has been done in its entirety.

My issue with the original TMP theme is how it opens with a loud "BOOM! BOOM!". It feels out of place for something Star Trek. It works for Star Wars because loud booms are what you're in store for.

And I've only now just realized this while listening to the music for this post. The "BOOM! BOOM!" part never went away. For Jerry's subsequent Star Trek work, he would start the theme with the opening bit to TOS, and bring in the "BOOM! BOOM!" before repeating the TOS bit. Even Voyager does this with the start of the easy listen three note piece before using some "BOOM!" sound during the opening title.

In conclusion, BOOMs are nice, just not as an opener.

 

[thribs]

Probably the first one, but the fifth and sixth movies had some good tunes

 

[CoveTom]

My issue with the original TMP theme is how it opens with a loud "BOOM! BOOM!". It feels out of place for something Star Trek. It works for Star Wars because loud booms are what you're in store for.

And I've only now just realized this while listening to the music for this post. The "BOOM! BOOM!" part never went away. For Jerry's subsequent Star Trek work, he would start the theme with the opening bit to TOS, and bring in the "BOOM! BOOM!" before repeating the TOS bit. Even Voyager does this with the start of the easy listen three note piece before using some "BOOM!" sound during the opening title.

In conclusion, BOOMs are nice, just not as an opener.

In retrospect, I wonder why Goldsmith chose to not use the TOS fanfare for the first movie but then use it in all his subsequent efforts. I assume he was not given a "keep the TOS music out of the score" directive from the studio, because he did use the TOS theme twice for the captain's logs. I wonder if perhaps it was as a result of James Horner and Leonard Rosenman using it to introduce their scores in II - IV.

 

[Jeyl]

In retrospect, I wonder why Goldsmith chose to not use the TOS fanfare for the first movie but then use it in all his subsequent efforts. I assume he was not given a "keep the TOS music out of the score" directive from the studio, because he did use the TOS theme twice for the captain's logs. I wonder if perhaps it was as a result of James Horner and Leonard Rosenman using it to introduce their scores in II - IV.

I suspect that Goldsmith was just trying to do something wholly original with TMP and it's score. What TOS theme usage there is is mainly just two variants of the Captain's. One on it's own and one with a blaster beam opening.

Maybe after Star Trek II when James Horner opened Star Trek II with the TOS theme, Jerry or the producers liked it enough that they kept the idea in subsequent films and other works. Horner did a lot of things with the TOS theme that would be reused in so many other Star Trek productions. Neil S. Bulk, who worked on many of the soundtracks, pointed out that Horner's usage of the TOS theme during Spock's "Space, the Final Frontier" where it loops four times was done first in TWOK and later in TNG during Picard's "Space, the Final Frontier". I never knew that before he brought it up.

 

[CoveTom]

I suspect that Goldsmith was just trying to do something wholly original with TMP and it's score. What TOS theme usage there is is mainly just two variants of the Captain's. One on it's own and one with a blaster beam opening.

Maybe after Star Trek II when James Horner opened Star Trek II with the TOS theme, Jerry or the producers liked it enough that they kept the idea in subsequent films and other works. Horner did a lot of things with the TOS theme that would be reused in so many other Star Trek productions. Neil S. Bulk, who worked on many of the soundtracks, pointed out that Horner's usage of the TOS theme during Spock's "Space, the Final Frontier" where it loops four times was done first in TWOK and later in TNG during Picard's "Space, the Final Frontier". I never knew that before he brought it up.

Interestingly, in Nick Meyer's memoir "The View from the Bridge," he says that the studio insisted that James Horner use the Alexander Courage TOS fanfare in his score. Meyer says he originally wasn't a fan of that decision, but that Horner found a way to make it work. Now, Meyer says it was "the studio" that wanted it, but the same studio people were there for TMP. So I wonder if it was actually Harve Bennett who wanted it, being that he was trying to be much more true to the feel of TOS with the second film.