Star Trek First Contact theme

[dub]

Elegiac (not getting the hate towards it at all).

This.

I saw the film in the theatre in '96 with a non-fan. One of the things she noted most was how the tone of the opening music surprised her and set the tone of the film. She was expecting a Star-Warsy march and was instead greeted with a quietly dramatic selection that bespoke of a more grown-up film. I still feel the same way. having seen all the previous films, I was very surprised when that opening music hit. I remember thinking "wow- this is pretty terrific for Star Trek". I had been anticipating Maestro Goldsmith's return to the series and he gave us something new and mature.

And this.

The film was indeed dark and action-packed, and we got all of that in the music that followed. The theme itself captured the whole idea of the film, the most beautiful part of the film, and the magic of witnessing first contact for the first time as viewers and through the lens of a crew who was watching a well known historic event. Someone knew that this was the most awe-inspiring idea of the film and needed to be expressed in the open, whether it was the director or Goldsmith himself. And I'm so glad they made this choice for the opening credits. I also was wowed by the very simple and beautiful blurring in and out of the titles which went well with the theme. At the time, I was still getting used to the fact that these actors are now on the big screen together. Those opening credits, as simple as they were, really made it impactful - similar to the way the signatures impacted me at the end of TUC but in a "beginnings" sort of way instead of an "endings" sort of way. Also, at the time, there was an expectation (at least on my part) that there were going to be so many more adventures with this crew than what we ended up with on the big screen. The theme captured the idea that "this is really happening, and it's awesome" as I was sitting in the theater. And the film was awesome. It's unfortunate that the follow-ups were not nearly as good, and unfortunate that the next two were all we got.

 

[Phantassm]

Brilliant masterpiece.

What he said. One of my favorites.

 

[bagofsoup]

Heroically defiant. I had that same "surprise and wow" feeling as the movie opened with that theme. Having a good idea of what the movie was about with all of the previews and setup for the movie, going all the way back to the danger of the "Best of Both Worlds," I was listening to that opening and picturing the TNG crew defiantly standing up to the Borg, with Picard's preview speech "They invade our space and we fall back... This far, no farther, the line must be drawn here!" playing in the back of my mind. I even pictured Cochran's hopeful flight into the future in the midst of a post-nuclear world from the previews as well. It was perfect. I bought that soundtrack and played it often, with the intro song simple referred to as "The Heroes' Song."

 

[bbailey861]

Thoughtfully melodic.

 

[Karzak]

Brilliant masterpiece.

What he said. One of my favorites.

+1