Do you fast forward through the theme song?

[James Blackwell]

Sometimes i skip, sometimes i don't depeding on the music being played. My likablility of the theme music is forever changing though but right now i do prefer...

TOS's season 1 and 2 main credits
TNG's Season's 2 main credits over the 3-7 version
TNG's Seaons 3 end credits (earlier version)
DS9's 4-7 main credits
DS9's 4-7 end credits (longer version)
VOY's end credits season 3-7
ENT's 3-4 main credits (more faster rock version)

 

[JesterFace]

TNG's opening is so epic in the very beginning there's no point to skip it... after that flying through spave part, which I think sets the atmospere nicely, there's Picard's "speech"... then few names mentioned and episode really begins so no need to skip the TNG opening.

 

[JoeCabby]

It's all about air time, isn't it? They want to cram as much action into what little time they have, because the commercial breaks take away crucial narrative time. So, title sequences feel like a luxury these days. That's longer they could be telling a story. In theory.

Even the old intros had extended intros. I remember Fresh Prince had that one they played every week which was like 1 min. But they also had the full version where you get a bunch more back story. I usually skip intros, but I remember when they played the full intro for the old tv shows, it was always a treat.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Of course. And sorry, I hadn't noticed your post, even though it's right above mine. Now I'm even more psyched for tonight!

Well, it was a mixed bag. Way more "Star Trek" than "concert". They should call it a mixed-media event or something, because there was so much going on on the screen most of the time that it was difficult to really focus on the music. I had a good time, but there's no way I'd go again.

Btw, despite the marketing that claims it's not just for Trek fans... it definitely is. My friend who's seen exactly four episodes and no movies in his life, was bored and confused.

Last gripe: You know Picard's lovely flute piece? Their arrangement pretty much ruined it. That was unforgivable.

 

[Gary7]

Outside Trek one of my favorite themes is the one used in the original series 'The Prisoner'. Sixties dated but I still love it.

Yes, the Prisoner was terrific. Not just the intro but the ending credits track as well. My favorite was the passage used in the final episode, as the sound track to the video panning over the village from the helicopter. I've got segments of these saved on my phone that I sometimes use for alarm tones.

I also liked the theme from Gerry Anderson's UFO. Maybe it was being so enamored with the show as a kid that boosted the appeal for me. But I think Barry Gray did a great job with all the music for that show, especially the jazzy interludes.

 

[Lance]

Even the old intros had extended intros. I remember Fresh Prince had that one they played every week which was like 1 min. But they also had the full version where you get a bunch more back story. I usually skip intros, but I remember when they played the full intro for the old tv shows, it was always a treat.

And then of course there's several edits of the Simpson credits, some of them featuring the whole introduction -- Bart at the blackboard, Homer at work, Marge and Maggie at the supermarket, Lisa in music class, and their respective journeys home, concluding in the couch scene -- while others might cherry-pick which of the above to include or not include. And the bare minimum version moves straight from the 'Simpsons' title card to the couch scene with nothing in-between.

Later in the run whenever you got to see the 'full' version it always felt kind of special.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Generally speaking, with most shows I will fast forward through the theme/credit sequence.

But not any of the Star Treks.

And not Firefly.

 

[HGN2001]

I usually attempt to watch both beginning and end credits sequences and will only relent if time demands it - like when squeezing in a Trek before a top-of-hour other show beginning. But yes, I usually let them roll in full.

Interesting story about ENTERPRISE. When the show aired on UPN, it was already in the era of end-credit squeezing, so the promo for next week would run in half of the picture while the credits were scrunched into the other half of the screen. As a result, I never knew there was and end-credit theme tune for ENTERPRISE. It wasn't until just about a year or so ago when we opted to watch the show on Netflix that I finally heard that ending theme.

Normally, for a new STAR TREK series, I'd have run out and bought a soundtrack album whenever it was released, but I never did for ENTERPRISE. The theory of Trek-fatigue was surely in force there, as I felt it was more of a job each week to get the VHS recorder to grab a copy of ENTERPRISE's latest episode, and it felt like a vacation whenever a rerun was scheduled.

It's not that I didn't like ENTERPRISE, it just felt forced, I wasn't as gung-ho about it as I was the earlier Treks. TOS and TNG were eagerly watched in their day. DS9 felt a little less so, VOY again a little less so, but by ENT, I just felt burned out.

After a decade of only nuTrek, I was once again ready for a Trek series. I had a closet-full of old VHS tapes of the entire series, but I had never viewed a single one of them. So the Netflix timing felt right. We had the service free for a year, and watching an unfamiliar new STAR TREK seemed like a good way to go.

The big bonus for us was that here was a STAR TREK that wasn't a movie, yet it was filmed in widescreen. As a coincidence of life, the moment that ENTERPRISE finished its run on UPN - that very week - we bought our first HDTV with a wide aspect ratio. Since UPN didn't rerun a single episode that summer, I never got to see the show in Hi-Def, or in full widescreen. Yes all of the VHS tapes I'd made were letterboxed, but that's all. And again, I never looked at a single one - ever.

While I was never thrilled with "Faith Of The Heart", for some reason I always tolerated it. And it was hard, since Russell Watson was doing his best Rod Stewart impression on it, and I've always disliked THAT over-rated foghorn.

After viewing all of ENTERPRISE through on Netflix, I decided that it was something I needed to own. I've owned just about every iteration of STAR TREK on different formats, kept up with Blu-ray for TOS and TNG, have the DVDs for VOY and DS9, but never bought any version of ENT.

Until this current year began. We were cleaning up some stuff and came across rows and rows of ENTERPRISE VHS tapes, two to a tape at high speed. The wife asked me if I really wanted to keep them and I said I'd toss them if I had the Blu-rays of the series. A quick log-in to Amazon and voila! - my birthday present was delivered a couple days later.

We're currently making our first run through the Blu-rays and so far, I've not skipped one opening theme, and I let the full and lovely end theme play as well. It's become a favorite. I also have to say that the high-definition picture on Blu-ray is definitely superior to anything we saw on Netflix - and yes, our Internet service has high enough bandwidth. Some of the streaming movies we've seen are just about as good as a Blu-ray. ENT was a big notch down from the Blu-rays.

Sorry to be so long-winded here, but I've always loved TV themes.

Harry

 

[eyeresist]

Like most people, I tend to skip if I am watching multiple episodes (unless I can't be bothered reaching for the remote). But Star Trek has had pretty good luck with its theme tunes. Mostly...

I used to hate the ENT theme, but on a recent rewatch I discovered I had had a change -- of the heart. It's still not my kind of music, but I appreciate the aspirational sentiment they were going for, the belief in a positive future that Star Trek stands for. And of course it's generally agreed the visual montage is great. So I will watch the opening if I am not marathoning.

For me, the TNG theme will always really be the music from TMP. They stole it!

It's a curse that's stayed with me. I can't exercise it from my memory. They were there. On the page after the dedication and before the table of contents in my 1968 copy of The Making of Star Trek. The lyrics. I read them. They stuck. I'll regret that day for the rest of my life. I can only say to anyone else, save yourselves. Avoid the lyrics at all costs.

I don't know the "official" lyrics. I prefer to imagine my own, sung in the style of Love Boat:

Star Trek, a wonderful time
Oh Star Trek, it's yours and it's mine
etc.​

 

[Richard Baker]

Generally speaking, with most shows I will fast forward through the theme/credit sequence.

But not any of the Star Treks.

And not Firefly.

Firefly is exceptional- I usually do not like that style of music but that theme really grabs me.

 

[Makarov]

I never skip the opening or end credits honestly. It's just the nostalgia factor of watching it the same way I first saw it on TV as a kid. Although if I ever tried to watch Enterprise I would probably fast forward it, as I don't like the song at all.

 

[Drone]

The VOY theme is subdued, fairly, but I never understood having the necessity for theme music, anyway. Witnessing a USS whatever warping by the camera is nice and all, but we could get another scene of the story in, during that time. For the most part, and I would include TMP/TNG in on this, as well, the themes are mildly annoying. They're too garish. "Oh! But the fans expect it ..."
Nuts to the fans.

But regardless of the style employed, isn't it really just a matter of the shows and movies simply hewing to the conventions of the period in which they were produced? Is it likely that Star Trek, as conventional in so many ways that it was, would likely be the outlier that would take a bold step not in space, but in production values and philosophy? I guess you're just stating a wish, but I just don't think that it's one that was ever likely to occur, even putting totally aside Trek fans' orthodox expectations.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Yes, just stating a wish, perhaps. Of course the pomp and fanfare of the beginning credits was an expected convention, you're quite right. On the other hand, Rick Berman - whom I greatly admire and respect - was not all that interested, seemingly, in being a game changer in the STAR TREK franchise. He's been emphatic, all along, that he respected Gene Roddenberry and Gene's "Vision" for STAR TREK, if you will and that he felt obligated to preserve it, during his watch.

Also, Rick's stated many times that he never received a MEMO from the studio, certainly for 24th Century STAR TREK shows, to push the envelope, as it were. So, he kept with what worked and for a generation, there was plenty of STAR TREK for all. Still, though, it would've been nice if Rick had received such a memo. One can't help but wonder what he might've done. With the opening credits ... the theme ... the format, itself ... the whole, damn thing.

 

[HGN2001]

Nuts to the fans.

That's the way to win 'em over!

 

[2takesfrakes]

Who is STAR TREK made for, though .... the fans, or the public? What were the fans before they watched STAR TREK for the very first time? Pandering to the fans gives you movies like Nemesis and episodes like "Relics."

 

[Richard Baker]

Hardest problem I have is that I want to introduce my family to Trek but it is very hard to find an episode which gives a good first impression and does not require any foreknowledge of the show and it's characters. Series premiers are usually stiff and full of speeches, it takes a while for a show to hit it's stride.

Back to the themes- One odd thing I do, be it in the theater or at home, is watch the end credits to the final moment. I figure if I had a chance to work on a production like that I would like someone to see my name...

 

[JesterFace]

The problem with ENT's theme is that it has lyrics. All theme songs should always be instrumentals, like the other Trek series have.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Though ... not necessarily!

Gene Roddenberry, himself, penned STAR TREK Theme Song lyrics for The Classic Series. Take it away, Gene!
(ah-one and ah-two and ...)

Beyond
The rim of the star-light
My love
Is wand'ring in star-flight
I know
He'll find in star-clustered reaches
Love,
Strange love a star woman teaches.
I know
His journey ends never
His star trek
Will go on forever.
But tell him
While he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/trek.asp

 

[KhanSolo]

I usually skip TNG theme because, well I'm not sure, I love the song but I've heard it a million times. Oddly enough, though, I don't usually skip the VOY theme, I just love it

 

[Drone]

It's all about air time, isn't it? They want to cram as much action into what little time they have, because the commercial breaks take away crucial narrative time. So, title sequences feel like a luxury these days. That's longer they could be telling a story. In theory.

My sense, informed by what I'm not quite sure, is that while, yes, it's ultimately about money, the main reason is that the idea developed, that whatever association audiences would attach to a show through title music, the expense of paying for its composition, presumably having significantly inflated over the years, simply no longer seemed justified.