What is the Best Star Trek Movie Score?

[stargazer01]

I just adore the music in Star Trek movies and shows, it's so full of wonder, it's bold and timeless.

So, What is in your opinion the very best movie score? I'm torn between The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan. Both scores have amazing and timeless music that makes me want to join Starfleet right now lol.

Thank you, Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner.

[sunofdarkchild]

I'd go with the Wrath of Khan soundtrack.

The TMP music is great on its own, but it was way overused in the film, to the point of almost being a parody of itself. It's like the effects, good, but there's way too much of it. The filmmaker were just more mature with how they they approached everything, including the music, in the sequel. And I adore how Khan's music actually sounds like a naval theme.

Special mentions to First Contact and Undiscovered Country for also having stellar new themes in their soundtracks.

[Beaddle]

Michael Giacchino star trek 2009

[Cyke]

I just adore the music in Star Trek movies and shows, it's so full of wonder, it's bold and timeless.

So, What is in your opinion the very best movie score? I'm torn between The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan. Both scores have amazing and timeless music that makes me want to join Starfleet right now lol.

Thank you, Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner.

The Motion Picture is the most bombastic, and it seems rather fitting that out of everything to come out of that movie, the score is the one that's seen the most longevity. Just iconic through and through. Love it.

A very close second is Star Trek Beyond by Giacchino. This score during this scene really highlights Trek's optimism to me. Bonus points for using 90s Trek-era type horns, particularly on the bridge and when the Enterprise enters the Yorktown:



I also love the urgency and gravitas of the Star Trek VI soundtrack. #3 for me.

I don't think much about Generations' soundtrack and so it doesn't qualify for this thread, but two pieces in particular are a favorite: the battle and the crash sequence. Even though it's a movie (or maybe because it's a movie?) it's almost the ultimate of 90s Trek TV scores for me, and McCarthy and other composers reused parts of the score for DS9 and Voyager well after the movie.

[Godzilla2099]

I have to lean towards the Motion Picture. The orchestra did a beautiful job with the soundtrack. However, I agree with sonofdarkchild, it was overused though.

[ChrisIII]

There's an interesting story about an alternate score for TMP:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdf74Um8JoE




I think the worst score is a toss up between TVH and Generations. TVH pretty much just uses the same music as the LOTR cartoon movie, and the Generations soundtrack is pretty much just the composer from the TV show and doesn't sound nearly as cinematic as Goldsmith/Horner/Giannocho etc.

[stargazer01]

I'd go with the Wrath of Khan soundtrack.

The TMP music is great on its own, but it was way overused in the film, to the point of almost being a parody of itself. It's like the effects, good, but there's way too much of it. The filmmaker were just more mature with how they they approached everything, including the music, in the sequel. And I adore how Khan's music actually sounds like a naval theme.

Special mentions to First Contact and Undiscovered Country for also having stellar new themes in their soundtracks.

Undiscovered Country and First Contact are also very good for those movies. I'm also a big fan of The Voyage Home main theme because it's filled with optimism and joy and perfect for that movie, IMO. I like the main Star Trek 2009 theme but it's not a top fave.

In my top 3 Trek scores I have to include the intro theme from the original series because it perfectly captured the soul and essence of Trek, and the intro is still used today in most things Trek.

That said, The Wrath of Khan is probably my favorite of them all. There is something so entrancing about it. I think it highlights the story and characters in the movie very well.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Gotta go with Wrath of Khan as my all-time favorite with The Voyage Home coming in a close second. Oh, and an honorable mention to The Motion Picture since it's opening theme was used for The Next Generation.

[AnakinFlair]

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. 'Stealing the Enterprise' alone wins it best soundtrack, and as it reuses themes from Wrath of Kahn, you get that greatness as well.

Worst score would have to be Voyage Home. What's with the Christmas bells?

[Jokerz79]

Wrath of Khan it was so good James Horner reused it for Aliens

[ChrisIII]

Yeah, a lot of Horner scores do kind of sound the same. (He was also accused of musical plagerism from other works as well).

SOme of the more haunting aspects of Goldsmith's TMP score do show up a bit in his Poltergeist scores as well.


Goldsmith's weird "Blaster beam" effect frequently used in TMP whenever V'ger does something is also heard a bit in II and III-II when the Enterprise sneaks behind Reliant; and during the escape from spacedock. I'm not sure if it was an intentional nod by Horner.

[stargazer01]

Well John Williams also has his own sound and style. He's probably the most prolific film composer. He is able to come up with pretty unique motifs and melodies for each movie at least. Not sure now, but he did for decades.

[MyriVerse]

The good ones are (in order):
1. TMP
2. Khan
3. Undiscovered Country
4. Final Frontier

All others are meh.

[ChrisIII]

It's kind of interesting that the TMP theme became pretty much the TNG series theme (and also in TFF, probably because TNG used it); likewise, the Klingon theme, although the TNG version was a bit different and a lot slower.


TNG's opening titles don't quite have the oomph of Goldsmith's movie version though.


There's also a Goldsmith motif "Busy man" used first in TFF that's reused in his TNG movies. It's mainly used during a lot of the Shakaree stuff in TFF, but you can also hear it clearly at points in those films.

[Sacred Knight]

I love the First Contact theme.