Music in "Q Who"

[Further]

Given the timid and forgettable nature of most music in Star Trek, in Q Who the music really stands out. Not only did it introduce the Borg theme, it was also perfectly choreographed to what was happening on screen, which really added to the urgency and excitement of the show.

Of particular note is the music played during the episodes final moments, which was both haunting and beautiful at the same time. In my opinion the music made what was already an awesome episode truly epic. It boggles my mind how Star Trek composers can produce something like this in one episode then churn out predictable, forgettable, aimless dreck in most others.

The only other episode that I can think of who's score approaches the one in Q Who is DS9's Sacrifice of Angels, which had similar positive effects on that episode.

(By the way, Q Who to me was undoubtedly the best Borg episode ever. It showed them in their most raw and uncomprimisng form. No need for leaders or even spokespersons, a true collective who's only purpose was to enhance themselves by acquiring new technology with ruthless, logical efficiency. Every subsequent Borg episode has merely diluted what was in the beginning one of the most unique and frightening "villains" ever portrayed on screen.)

 

[tharpdevenport]

I think "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Yesterday's Enterprise" would be the greatest TNG offered, but that's just me.


I think I've read quite enough shitting on of the Trek spin-off series scores. Not a single episode, of any of the many episodes, had a bad a score. Sure, some may have not been as memorable, adventurous, or even a bit formulaic in sound from episode-to-episode, but even they -- they were still good scores.

And when compared to the scoring of some random hour-long dramas of today, they're fucking masterpieces.

 

[CoveTom]

^ TNG was quite unique in that they had a complete, original score for each and every episode, never re-using cues from previous shows. Not even TOS can claim that. And for the entirety of the TNG, DS9, and Voyager runs, they used a live orchestra to record every single score, instead of going with computer-generated music. Again, very rare in modern television scoring.

However, I really do think there's no doubt that the quality of the scores on TNG started to go downhill around the time of season four, when Rick Berman began insisting that they be toned down quite a bit. Compare the scores from "The Best of Both Worlds," "Yesterday's Enterprise," or "Q Who?" to those from later seasons and the change is quite obvious. Deep Space Nine did a little bit better in some areas. But, overall, from about the fourth season of TNG onward, the music took a decline.

That's not to say that the later scores were bad, per se. But when you hear what Trek's composers were capable of doing in the early days, and then see how they had that creativity hampered by the restrictions that were placed on them, it really is sad. People like to blame Dennis McCarthy and Jay Chattaway for the lackluster scores. That's not fair. They are great composers and have done some fine work. But they weren't allowed to.

 

[Lor'Vela]

Yes, I'm a big fan of the music in TNG's earlier seasons for reasons already mentioned. Seasons 2 and 3 are often praised for their orchestral scores. Season 1 gets often gets criticised because it sounds synthetic, but it had a real thematic quality to it that I miss in later seasons. In fact, some of music throught Season 1 was recurring, like what TOS did.

However, there were a few episodes later on the show that did have a excellent music themes IMO, such as Unification, particularly the "live long and prosper" scene between Picard and Sarek.

 

[CoveTom]

^ It's funny, too, that Season 1 sounds synthetic, when in fact it was fully orchestral too. Just different styles, I suppose. I do appreciate the more thematic approach of season 1. I like television scores, for example, to reference the main title theme from time to time, and season 1 was the only time we heard the TMP/TNG theme outside of the credits. And was almost the only time we even heard the Alexander Courage fanfare.

 

[trevanian]

I think I've read quite enough shitting on of the Trek spin-off series scores. Not a single episode, of any of the many episodes, had a bad a score. Sure, some may have not been as memorable, adventurous, or even a bit formulaic in sound from episode-to-episode, but even they -- they were still good scores.

To me, a lot of it really is just like wallpaper, very blase scoring. STARSHIP MINE is a real miss (while TIN MAN is fantastic; track TIN MAN onto STARSHIP MINE and you'd probably have a real winner.)

But part of the prob is that TNG rarely did action well, so even if you do have good dramatic music, it just plays like it is hyping badly staged film.

Best example of the music-hype I know offhand is TWOK/TSFS. Watch each film's mid-movie 'ships sneaking up on each other' sequences ... Meyer's is full of snappy cutting and dynamic angles, which the music complements, whereas Nimoy's is very static (I'd say mundane), and the same composer's music just seems to be there to remind the audience, there is suspense and excitement to feel here.

TNG is much more in the Nimoy vein visually for the most part. Production dictates about not using SteadiCam is part of that, but also the crew just didn't know how to shoot action well. Look at the 3rd season show about the supersoldier running around the ship and you'll see downright amateurish staging, like the fight with that guy and O'brien taking place down the corridor from camera. If you DO put dynamic music cue there, it says, 'why is the action down there and the camera is here?' as much as it says, excitement -- so it is back to hype, and confused hype at that.

Outside of TIN MAN and just a couple of McCarthy scores, I think I only like the Jones shows. Even there they seem a little busy at times, but it is an interesting-sounding busy as opposed to just noise, which the show has too much of already with the a/c fx.

It's interesting the OP was impressed with how the Borg were handled in Q WHO ... I agree that they are not muted in the ways they were in later appearances, but what makes the show superior to me is that Picard actually seems to 'get' that his tudes are a little out of line. Unfortunately they never followed up on that, but 'the show where Picard gets hot chocolate spilled on him' remains a fave for me because the whole show is about him getting a wakeup call.

 

[CoveTom]

TNG is much more in the Nimoy vein visually for the most part. Production dictates about not using SteadiCam is part of that, but also the crew just didn't know how to shoot action well. Look at the 3rd season show about the supersoldier running around the ship and you'll see downright amateurish staging, like the fight with that guy and O'brien taking place down the corridor from camera. If you DO put dynamic music cue there, it says, 'why is the action down there and the camera is here?' as much as it says, excitement -- so it is back to hype, and confused hype at that.

I agree, and it's interesting, because much of the same crew that did TNG did DS9, and I don't feel as much that way about DS9. For example, the Klingon battle scenes from "Way of the Warrior," particularly the hand-to-hand combat after they board the station, is really well done, IMHO.

 

[DonIago]

^^You do know the music for TWOK and TSFS was composed by the same person?

 

[trevanian]

^^You do know the music for TWOK and TSFS was composed by the same person?

Yes. My point is that Horner's music complements the exciting visual treatment in TWOK, but it just seems like it is egging things on in SFS ... because the visuals aren't engaging.

Horner usually gives you the same kind of thing every time anyway -- there's a thread in trek movies now called incidental music in FC that gets way off-topic into Horner's bad tendencies, I've got a lot of stuff in that if you want to discuss Horner at length -- but it shows in stark contrast when he is slapping it over pedestrian stuff or working with a well cut sequence.

In SFS, the one time when Horner's stuff matches the action pretty well in intensity is the stealing E stuff, probably because it is a slower build so it is more in keeping with the way Nimoy does his end. Unfortunately for SFS, it is like they run their RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES too early, because it is all downhill after the spacedock escape.

 

[trevanian]

For example, the Klingon battle scenes from "Way of the Warrior," particularly the hand-to-hand combat after they board the station, is really well done, IMHO.

That's probably the highpoint of the decade for me when it comes to TrekTV action. You've got the last great Trek vfx sequence done entirely via miniatures going on outside, plus absolute kickass battle inside. I think it must be a matter of the stunt guys getting time to work stuff out with the shooting crew, because I gotta figure staging that kind of action on a multilevel set takes planning.

 

[A beaker full of death]

^ TNG was quite unique in that they had a complete, original score for each and every episode, never re-using cues from previous shows. Not even TOS can claim that. And for the entirety of the TNG, DS9, and Voyager runs, they used a live orchestra to record every single score, instead of going with computer-generated music. Again, very rare in modern television scoring.

As I understand it, it was a union thing. They had to have an original score for each episode of modern Trek.

However, I really do think there's no doubt that the quality of the scores on TNG started to go downhill around the time of season four, when Rick Berman began insisting that they be toned down quite a bit.

Yes. Because Berman was an idiot. He actually demanded that the music be nothing more than "sonic wallpaper" -- his term.

Deep Space Nine did a little bit better in some areas.

Berman was largely hands-off after the first couple of seasons of DS-9 -- and it shows in many ways.

People like to blame Dennis McCarthy and Jay Chattaway for the lackluster scores. That's not fair. They are great composers and have done some fine work. But they weren't allowed to.

I have limited sympathy for them. True, they have to eat, but either they're artists or they're not. They made the decision to sell out.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I like television scores, for example, to reference the main title theme from time to time, and season 1 was the only time we heard the TMP/TNG theme outside of the credits. And was almost the only time we even heard the Alexander Courage fanfare.

I haven't watched much TNG is many years, but I don't think that's true. I think they were still playing the Courage fanfare during the teasers well into the fourth season, maybe past that. Hell, they even played it once on DS9.

I have to disagree with the guy who said TNG scores were all masterpieces. Most of the later scores are about as exciting as listening to a dialtone. I can write a TNG score right here. Play an A, let it ring out forever, play a C, let it right out forever, then play a G, let it ring out twice as long. The end. The characters talk. The scene ends with tension. One of the characrers walks away. As the camera pulls in close to the first character, we hear a low hum of a really low D, punctuating the tension. It rings out, ends abruptly. There, the whole scene's been scored.

 

[Timo47]

However, there were a few episodes later on the show that did have a excellent music themes IMO, such as Unification, particularly the "live long and prosper" scene between Picard and Sarek.

"Sarek Drifts Away", it's on TNG Vol. 3. That episode won an Emmy Award, Trek's only for "regular" music (i.e. not counting DS9's and Voyager's main theme).

 

[Doug Otte]

^ It's funny, too, that Season 1 sounds synthetic, when in fact it was fully orchestral too. Just different styles, I suppose.

Actually, although an orchestra was used, Season 1 did have a lot more synthesizer work than later seasons. Or, maybe there were some synthesizer bits buried in the later scores, but I never noticed them.

In Season 1, you had quite a few complete cues that were all synthetic. BTW, I liked Season 1's cues more than later seasons.

Doug

 

[tharpdevenport]

Thing about re-use of music in TOS, versus TNG, rules changed in the music industry later on, and you were required to have original scores for each episode, or pay for the re-use of a previous cue. It was simply easier, and by TNG's time, more popular to have an original score to every episode.

 

[Lor'Vela]

"Sarek Drifts Away", it's on TNG Vol. 3. That episode won an Emmy Award, Trek's only for "regular" music (i.e. not counting DS9's and Voyager's main theme).

Ahh yes, the name of that piece eluded me I made that post. But yeah, I'm glad it won an award because it certainly was an excellent piece.

In Season 1, you had quite a few complete cues that were all synthetic. BTW, I liked Season 1's cues more than later seasons.

Overall, Season 1 is my favourite season for music. I can't quite put it into words, but there's a very sci-fi feeling to it, almost eerie at times; intrusive but not off-putting. Perhaps my favourite cue was the scene with Picard's mother in Where No One Has Gone Before. A great moment, IMO.

 

[composerchris]

Ron Jones wrote the best scores for TNG; no question. McCarthy and Chattaway were willing to kiss butt, Jones wasn't; so he was fired. Bravo to him for standing by artistic integrity. He's doing pretty well with Family Guy now; where are McCarthy and Chattaway?

 

[tharpdevenport]

Both are still composing.

 

[jwb]

"Q Who" "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "Inner Light" are my favorites. It is nice to watch episodes with notable scores, because there are so few of them.

On the plus side, I think TNG's choice of live music was well done. They stuck with proven composers such as Bach, Mozart, and the like rather than getting comtemporary like TOS. Whereas the hippy stuff from "The Way To Eden" is now dated, I'm sure people will be listening to Bach for many centuries to come.