La-La Land to release 15-disc original series score set

[Christopher]

You know, it's just occurred to me that in a way, I'm glad it took so long for this set to come out. I went to so much trouble in my teens and 20s keeping track of all the TOS music, getting to know the cues and when they were first heard and what composers were credited, so that I could compile a list of which episodes had original music and which composers did which. And I came fairly close, about as close as I could've without behind-the-scenes info. But if a set like this had come out back then, it would've rendered all my hard work moot, and that would've been rather frustrating. As it is, though, it's been long enough since I completed that work that I don't feel it was for nothing. I got the satisfaction of figuring out the basics for myself, and now I'm finally getting to learn so much I couldn't learn before.

Although I wouldn't have minded if it had come out a decade ago, say -- maybe split the difference.

[Esteban]

I hear you, brother. Well-expressed.

[Indysolo]

What's fun is making a playlist for each season and then hitting random play. It's just like getting a new tracked episode.

Neil

[OneBuckFilms]

I'll have to try that.

Trying to imagine a story for the results would be fun also.

[BeatleJWOL]

cbspock wrote:

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The Phase 2 guys are going to love this set for their films

Various cryptic comments that I've seen on Trek sites indicated that at least some of the unreleased material was already in the hands of the Phase 2 crew, maybe courtesy of one person.

No idea if that's actually the case, though.

[Maurice]

^^^I remain surprised that no one has gone after fan films for distributing/using music they don't have rights to.

[Christopher]

Maurice wrote:

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^^^I remain surprised that no one has gone after fan films for distributing/using music they don't have rights to.

Well, the fan films don't have the rights to anything connected to Star Trek -- the title, the character names, the designs, any of it. It's all technically illegal. But the studio has historically tolerated fanfiction as long as its makers don't try to profit from it, because Roddenberry convinced them that it would help maintain audience interest in the property.

[Maurice]

But they're engaging in simulacra. Using the actual music is akin to lifting footage out of the shows, so it's a different thing.

[Christopher]

A fair point. In that case, I have no explanation.

[RandyS]

cbspock wrote:

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I have wanted a set like this since the first TOS trek albums came out. I think TOS's soundtracks are right up there with the iconic Star Wars soundtracks. TNG, DS9 and VOY... not so much. None of them had any memorable cues, except maybe for the episode Booby Trap and Inner Light.


-Chris

I agree with you on DS9 and VOYAGER, but I'd argue that the first two seasons of TNG had pretty memorable music. It was around season 3 that the music got bland and forgettable for the most part.

[OneBuckFilms]

Fan films are an interesting situation. The studio is not endorsing them so much and allowing them to occur, as they are a way of showing appreciation for the franchise.

JJ Abrams even had the man behind Star Trek Phase II/New Voyages, a fan production, have a guest cameo on the bridge of the movie.

It's a technically illegal, but partially tolerated/embraced facet of Star Trek fandom.

If there's no profit made, and it maintains franchise interest, then allowing fan films to be made is the sensible way to go.

It is unwise to antagonize the fanbase of a long running and profitable franchise.

[cbspock]

Christopher wrote:

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Well, the fan films don't have the rights to anything connected to Star Trek -- the title, the character names, the designs, any of it. It's all technically illegal. But the studio has historically tolerated fanfiction as long as its makers don't try to profit from it, because Roddenberry convinced them that it would help maintain audience interest in the property.

Lucas goes the extra step for Star Wars and awards the best of the SW fan films.


-Chris

[Christopher]

I'm in withdrawal because we didn't get the Season 2, Disc 3 track list yesterday! Okay, it was a holiday, but still, I'm eager to see it. The last page of its listings were in that TrekCore preview image, and it implies that Disc 3 will include all of Steiner's season 2 work including library cues, but I'm not sure if that would all fit on one disc given the indicated running time in that image. It would require "Mirror, Mirror" and "By Any Other Name" to be even more partial scores than I thought. (The Music of Star Trek gives the complete track list for "Who Mourns for Adonais" complete with run times, and taking that and the "Omega Glory" and library run times subtracted from the total time listed in the preview image, MM and BAON together would have to add up to only 27 minutes and change.) Well, hopefully we'll find out later today.

[doubleohfive]

Maurice wrote:

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But they're engaging in simulacra. Using the actual music is akin to lifting footage out of the shows, so it's a different thing.

Last summer, DC Comics and Warner Bros. cracked down on a bunch of shows in the audio drama world, not for using their intellectual properties (Batman, Superman, etc.) but because those shows were using tracks from released soundtracks in their audio dramas.

Paramount hasn't done anything like that, it seems. Hidden Frontier aped all kinds of stuff from the GNP releases over the years for their shows, and to my knowledge (which is, admittedly, limited on this topic) they were able to get away with it.

And boy, is it ever the understatement of the decade that the Phase II guys are going to LOVE this set!

[Maurice]

doubleohfive wrote:

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Last summer, DC Comics and Warner Bros. cracked down on a bunch of shows in the audio drama world, not for using their intellectual properties (Batman, Superman, etc.) but because those shows were using tracks from released soundtracks in their audio dramas.

Paramount hasn't done anything like that, it seems. Hidden Frontier aped all kinds of stuff from the GNP releases over the years for their shows, and to my knowledge (which is, admittedly, limited on this topic) they were able to get away with it.

Sometimes those things get shut down by the companies who paid for the rights (for instance, Atari famously sued Tandy for a PAC-MAN copyright violation even though Atari didn't own the game, but had purchased a license to publish it), or the ASCAPs of the world who are protecting composer and musicians rights. Not saying this is the case with Star Trek, as I've obviously no exposure to whatever contracts are in place, but rights related to movies and TV are often a lot more complicated than people realize.