Music of Star Trek vs. Music of nuBSG

[Ro_Laren]

I have been listening to various songs from all of the nuBSG soundtracks on YouTube today. I've realized that though I like Star Trek more than nuBSG, I like the music of nuBSG better. Which do you like better? BTW, when I am refering to all "Star Trek music" I am clumping together the music from all five series and all the movies.

 

[MyCylon]

nuBSG for me. I think it's amazing what they've done with the music on that show.

That's not to say there hasn't been some great music on Trek. I think some of the movies in particular created some great stuff, such as TWOK, for example, TUC (my favorite Trek score) or FC.
I think the music on TOS really fit the show and could be great fun. But it's not something I'd listen to beyond the show, really. And as for the newer shows, well, sonic wallpaper really says it all. There was some great music here and there on DS9 (The Visitor, for example) but not nearly enough.

 

[Astraea]

I'm rather fond of nu-BSG. FC does have a nice score, I like the various themes well enough, but I really do love that neo-ancient-Mediterranean vibe that a lot of nu-BSG music seems to have going on. I think that some of the nuBSG music is stuff I would buy and listen to outside of context, where most of the Star Trek stuff, I wouldn't. But it's mostly just personal preference.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

nuBSG, easily.

Trek has had its moments of good music--but overall consistency through all its series? Not to the extent nuBSG has had. Plus, I am a sucker for anything vaguely Middle-Eastern sounding.

I've bought every season of nuBSG's music (excepting the miniseries, which was not very well developed), but only a few Trek albums.

 

[shapeshifter]

Star Trek!

 

[Cyke101]

Different shows breed different music.

With that said, I've been sorely disappointed with much of Trek music for being too bland and unemotional: compare the vibrant and urgent feel of the "Way of the Warrior" score to the ho-hum blah score of "Sacrifice of the Angels," for example.

I also feel that, while I love orchestral renditions and performances, Trek music was starting to become a parody of itself halfway into Enterprise. I'm well aware of the need for stock music, but it seemed like nearly every episode from mid-TNG to mid-Enterprise had the same arch, the same tone, very little variation, very little creativity.

All I ask is for something unique to Trek, using the same standard instruments but playing it up, which Enterprise started experimenting with before she died. Trek music is known for heavy string use, which should be expanded upon. Coincidentally, my current favorite TV song is nuBSG's "Prelude to War," which uses string instruments in decidedly un-Trekkian ways.

 

[backstept]

Star Trek's music is wonderful and epic and timeless.
BSG's music is essentially another character in the show which moves and breathes and expands to grip you and pull you in. Whenever I put on any of the BSG soundtracks I'm instantly brought back to the scenes in the show and it's like I'm watching it all over again and sometimes I start to tear up

 

[QuasarVM]

NuBSG has music?

When did they start THAT?

 

[Warp Coil]

BSG's music is fresh, inspired, unusual and dramatic. It's bold. It takes risks. It's emotional. There is some recycling of the music, but it's usually because some of the characters have their own themes that get used when a scene calls for it. BSG's music never sounds generic. It never sounds like elevator music.

A lot of episodic Star Trek had dull, generic background noise. Some TNG and DS9 episodes were given creative license to do something interesting with the music ("The Best of Both Worlds", for instance). But most of Trek's music cues are so bland they go unnoticed. The films did a better job - TMP, TWOK, TUC and FC particularly had more unique scores.

 

[Ro_Laren]

Different shows breed different music.

With that said, I've been sorely disappointed with much of Trek music for being too bland and unemotional: compare the vibrant and urgent feel of the "Way of the Warrior" score to the ho-hum blah score of "Sacrifice of the Angels," for example.

The "Way of the Warrior" score is one of my favorite Trek songs.

 

[Ro_Laren]

I was just on www.startrekmovie.com and once you enter the site it plays music. I am assuming it is a score from the new movie- it sounded good!

 

[-Brett-]

I've never noticed any music in BSG.

I've noticed weird moaning sounds in the opening credits. Occasional random drumbeat-like sounds. Something like bagpipes every once in a while. No music.

Guess Trek wins by default.

 

[Michael]

I've never noticed any music in BSG.

I've noticed weird moaning sounds in the opening credits. Occasional random drumbeat-like sounds. Something like bagpipes every once in a while. No music.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I've never noticed any music in BSG.

I've noticed weird moaning sounds in the opening credits. Occasional random drumbeat-like sounds. Something like bagpipes every once in a while. No music.

You may need to try listening to the music on its own--though I'll warn you, if you don't like non-Western music, you might not do well with it. If you go on YouTube, you should be able to find examples.

Here are a few of the best pieces, in my opinion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcUwUwjLrs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so10dKbhorI&feature=related

 

[Cyke101]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcUwUwjLrs

Heck yeah. I think there's a Youtube montage of the Dominion War set to this song, which really amplifies all the action going on. It's a heck of a lot better than the music we had for the 6th season finale, in my opinion.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I find nuBSG's music bland and too 'trendy' with the whole 'new age' sound to it. The original theme song to BSG kicked ass...so. Sorry, STAR TREK wins hear. I would challenge anyone in the real world who didn't watch nuBSG, which is barely watched at all, to even guess what they were listening to if played 28 hours of nuBSG music back to back...but play STAR TREK TOS or TNG and they will know what it is...

Rob

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I find nuBSG's music bland and too 'trendy' with the whole 'new age' sound to it. The original theme song to BSG kicked ass...so. Sorry, STAR TREK wins hear. I would challenge anyone in the real world who didn't watch nuBSG, which is barely watched at all, to even guess what they were listening to if played 28 hours of nuBSG music back to back...but play STAR TREK TOS or TNG and they will know what it is...

Rob

Of course, the difference there is that BsG does not have the popular acclaim Star Trek did at one time. I think if BsG were to get the credit it deserves, the situation would be very different.

BTW, it doesn't sound New Age to me. Just very Middle Eastern.

 

[Cyke101]

I've got a problem with the "New Age" label, too. New to who, that is? I'm pretty sure in some areas of the planet (perhaps as mentioned above, Middle Eastern), it's not new at all, and is just as traditional to them as Beethoven or Mahler.

And you just can't beat the strings in "Prelude to War," either

I'm starting to get the feeling that the heavy drums themselves are becoming synonymous with BSG as a whole as well. And as well, just like TNG, any show that wins a Peabody Award, is recognized by Time Magazine as a hit, and was nominated for several Emmys can't be "just barely watched."

 

[TheGodBen]

NuBSG has music?

When did they start THAT?

Katee Sackhoff on the music of BSG: "Because in all honesty, I thought it was Eddie, like, beating on shit on set."

BSG's music is essentially another character in the show which moves and breathes and expands to grip you and pull you in. Whenever I put on any of the BSG soundtracks I'm instantly brought back to the scenes in the show and it's like I'm watching it all over again and sometimes I start to tear up

This is how I feel about it too, the music is more than just there to give emotional impact to a scene, it plays such a vital role in the scenes that it is almost like another actor on set. It has become such a vital part of the show that episodes like Someone to Watch Over Me can be made, an episode where the shows music takes centre stage.

I made some videos a few months back adding nuBSG's music to scenes from DS9 as a test project. They're not perfect, but if you want to see them here is the links.

Duet
In the Hands of the Prophets
Call to Arms
Sacrifice of Angels
Tears of the Prophets
Treachery, Faith and the Great River

 

[Warp Coil]

I would challenge anyone in the real world who didn't watch nuBSG, which is barely watched at all, to even guess what they were listening to if played 28 hours of nuBSG music back to back...but play STAR TREK TOS or TNG and they will know what it is...

Rob

Just because Star Trek's music is more identifiable it doesn't make it better. If I had to listen to 28 hours of Trek music, I'd probably get bored after an hour or two because it all sounds like the same uninspired, sedate background noise (that's what most of episodic Trek's music during the DS9/VOY/ENT era sounded like). Listening to 28 hours of BSG music is great!