Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV show

[NervousEnergy]

Jerry Goldsmith was, of course, a fantastic composer, and nothing can really beat his score for TMP.

Michael Giacchino has certainly produced brilliant soundtracks for the two nu-Trek's, but I feel his music is far more suitable for the action-orientated style of the films.

Although I enjoyed Dennis McCarthy's Generations soundtrack, I felt his DS9 music was underwhelming and too incidental.


So I was having a listening to my collection of Alan Silvestri stuff, and it dawned on me that he could make a brilliant composer for any new Trek media (not that I am expecting a new TV show). He certainly knows the sci-fi genre, having scored Back to the Future, Contact, Predator.

He currently scores the new COSMOS TV show (which happens to be directed by Brannon Braga!); and it is absolutely fantastic.

It is his Contact soundtrack that I think really helps capture the "Boldly Go, New Frontiers" exploration side of Star Trek. This piece in particular suits a Trek style very well, I think.

Anyway, it was just a thought I had.

What do you guys think?

 

[Tiberius]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

The underwhelming nature of the Trek music was actually due to pressure from the producers, Berman and all that. That's why Ron Jones was fired, apparently. His music was motion picture quality and Berman felt that it drew too much attention to itself.

 

[NervousEnergy]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

The underwhelming nature of the Trek music was actually due to pressure from the producers, Berman and all that. That's why Ron Jones was fired, apparently. His music was motion picture quality and Berman felt that it drew too much attention to itself.

Aye, I forgot to mention that in the original post. It's so sad. The first two (three?) seasons of Trek, which had Ron Jones' music, sounded wonderful. A particular favourite of mine is this peace, from the opening of Season 2. It sounds glorious!

I really think later TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT suffered due to the music. Action scenes were always Generic Battle Music #1, romance scenes were always Generic Romance Music #5. And pretty much every scene had some sort of undercurrent of music which I think is a real shame. Just look at the film Gravity, and how well it utilised the absence of music during certain key scenes. I'd hope a new Star Trek would have a more.. modern view about music.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

Cliff Eidelman's contribution was also great and I would love to see him return to STAR TREK as a composer. He really brought back the edge that had been lacking in STAR TREK soundtracks, since SEARCH for SPOCK. Unfortunately, as Jerry Goldsmith got older and kept getting called back to do STAR TREK, the combination wasn't that hot. THE MOTION PICTURE soundtrack is spectacular. After that, he just cobbled this masterpiece with standard Hollywood music and the result was surprisingly bad. Everybody loses their stuff, eventually, it happens. Or maybe he just wasn't that impressed with what he saw on screen enough to put any real effort into it. Hadn't thought of that, before ...

 

[HIjol]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

...what about giving Howard Shore a stab at it?

 

[Timewalker]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

I loved the music in Contact. I love it less, now that it's been reproduced note for note in Cosmos. Cosmos deserves better than someone who couldn't be bothered to come up with something original, even if both the movie and this new Cosmos are homages to Carl Sagan.

I would not care to hear anything like this in Star Trek. Star Trek deserves a full orchestra, not a plinking piano.

 

[HIjol]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

I loved the music in Contact. I love it less, now that it's been reproduced note for note in Cosmos. Cosmos deserves better than someone who couldn't be bothered to come up with something original, even if both the movie and this new Cosmos are homages to Carl Sagan.

I would not care to hear anything like this in Star Trek. Star Trek deserves a full orchestra, not a plinking piano.

Shew!...for a moment I thought you were talking about Howard Shore, but I see you did not link your comment to Nervous...

 

[Timewalker]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

I don't know who Howard Shore is.

 

[Tiberius]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

I don't know who Howard Shore is.

He did the music for The Lord of the Rings.

 

[Timewalker]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

I don't know who Howard Shore is.

He did the music for The Lord of the Rings.

I never saw that.

 

[HIjol]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

I don't know who Howard Shore is.

He did the music for The Lord of the Rings.

I never saw that.

My apologies...I made an incorrect assumption...

...see below...he is pretty good.

The Brood (1979)
Scanners (1981)
Videodrome (1983)
Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
After Hours (1985)
Fire with Fire (1986)
The Fly (1986)
Nadine (1987)
Moving (1988)
Big (1988)
Dead Ringers (1988)
She-Devil (1989)
An Innocent Man (1989)
The Local Stigmatic (1990)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
A Kiss Before Dying (1991)
Naked Lunch (1991)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
Single White Female (1992)
Sliver (1993)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
M. Butterfly (1993)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Philadelphia (1993)
The Client (1994)
Ed Wood (1994)
Nobody's Fool (1994)
Moonlight and Valentino (1995)
Seven (1995)
Before and After (1996)
Crash (1996)
The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996)
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Striptease (1996)
The Game (1997)
Cop Land (1997)
Gloria (1999)
eXistenZ (1999)
Analyze This (1999)
Dogma (1999)
High Fidelity (2000)
The Cell (2000)
The Yards (2000)
The Score (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Panic Room (2002)
Spider (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Aviator (2004)
A History of Violence (2005)
The Departed (2006)
Soul of the Ultimate Nation (2007)
The Last Mimzy (2007)
Eastern Promises (2007)
Doubt (2008)
The Betrayal (2008)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)[18]
Edge of Darkness (2010)
A Dangerous Method (2011)
Hugo (2011)
Cosmopolis (2012)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)[11]
Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian (2013)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)[11]
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)[11]
Maps to the Stars (2014)[11]

 

[Timewalker]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

I'll have to take your word for it. Of all the movies on that list, I've only seen Single White Female, Panic Room, and Mrs. Doubtfire.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

The underwhelming nature of the Trek music was actually due to pressure from the producers, Berman and all that. That's why Ron Jones was fired, apparently. His music was motion picture quality and Berman felt that it drew too much attention to itself.

I guess it is official: Rick Berman was a moron.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

Cliff Eidelman's contribution was also great and I would love to see him return to STAR TREK as a composer. He really brought back the edge that had been lacking in STAR TREK soundtracks, since SEARCH for SPOCK.

Well said. Eidelman's score for The Undiscovered Country was a strong fit for the tension, chaos and reflective moments of the TOS cast's final big screen story. The main title was a great set up for scheming and hatred running through that film, and I believe it would be hard to argue that ST--film or TV--ever enjoyed a better score after TUC.

 

[Tom]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

Murray Gold (Doctor Who) for the new Trek Series!!!

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Re: Alan Silvestri would be a great composer for a new Trek film/TV sh

The underwhelming nature of the Trek music was actually due to pressure from the producers, Berman and all that. That's why Ron Jones was fired, apparently. His music was motion picture quality and Berman felt that it drew too much attention to itself.

I guess it is official: Rick Berman was a moron.

I found a lot of TNG's music overly generic in particular....obviously not including THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Roger Ebert once said the best film scores don't call attention to themselves. Jerry Goldsmith was informed of this comment then said that was the stupidest thing he'd heard in some time.

Not that you can't have subtle film score classes, but to totally shut out anything bombastic is to throw out the baby with the bathwater. So much for pre-2000 John Williams.