Norrin Radd
Vice Admiral
As much as I'm nostalgic for the TOS theme, to me it's the majestic TMP/TNG theme that I'm sometimes humming when I think of Star Trek.
What is the definitive Star Trek music theme?
- Thread starter Norrin Radd
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A close runner up is James Horner's TWOK theme, but I agree the aggressive downbeat opening of Jerry Goldsmith's TMP Main Title is perhaps the most definitive. Also the Enterprise Introduction music cannot be beaten. All around Goldsmith was firing on all cylinders on those pieces. Of course, he did too well with the new instrument - the distinctive "cloud sound" - that nobody else wanted to touch it (musically - it had been stereotyped as a "sci-fi" sound).
Dennis McCarthy's Deep Space Nine theme all the way! Very grand and majestic! 
But generally I like all of the main themes: Star Trek's theme sounds adventurous, The Animated Series' theme sounds joyous, The Next Generation's theme sounds bold, Deep Space Nine's theme sounds somber, Voyager's theme sounds exploring and Enterprise's theme song sounds enthusiastic.
But generally I like all of the main themes: Star Trek's theme sounds adventurous, The Animated Series' theme sounds joyous, The Next Generation's theme sounds bold, Deep Space Nine's theme sounds somber, Voyager's theme sounds exploring and Enterprise's theme song sounds enthusiastic.
Yeah, same here. TOS is nice but it also feels a little dated to me, while the TNG/TMP theme feels so powerful
Definitely the TMP theme. I'm almost annoyed that ST XI didn't use it.
A close runner-up would be the "In A Mirror, Darkly" Theme.
A close runner-up would be the "In A Mirror, Darkly" Theme.
Agreed. It also feels the most naval of the themes, seeing that the series and movies does follow a ship that's part of a space-based exploratory and peacekeeping naval armada.
The TOS theme does not seem to fit with a MOVIE, which is what this is. Alexander Courage wrote a *television series* theme. IMHO, it's not suitable for movies. The TMP theme was written for the big screen and is clearly meant for it.
I used to think the same thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by how cool it sounded beefed up by an orchestra at the end of the new movie. I thought it would sound cheesy on the big screen, but it really worked, both for nostalgia value and as something that sounded much less kitschy in this new interpretation that it had sounded on TV. I grew up watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation", but I now like Courage's theme more than the theme of that show and I'm starting to think it defines Star Trek better.
I used to get annoyed by the theme to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and mute it as a kid. It just seemed too long, rousing, and over-the-top for a TV show theme. I think generally a TV show theme should be catchy, repetitive, short, and not take itself too seriously. The TNG theme seemed a bit too much for me, with the way it starts off slow and seems to just keep building itself up higher and higher till it's almost exhausting just to sit through! Like if it was a person I would say to it, "Relax! You're just a TV show theme! Stop taking yourself so seriously!"
TOS will always be the theme for me. After that, the TMP theme, then reworked into the TNG theme, and then I really like the VOY theme. -- RR
I think I can agree with that.
TheLonelySquire
Vice Admiral
Since there is only one Star Trek there is only one theme.
The first few cords of the TOS theme.
I have to go with the original Alexander Courage theme. I agree that having been written for TV, it lacks the granduer that the Goldsmith themes do. I would like to have heard a reworking of Courage's theme in full orchestration for the film. That would have sounded brilliant and stirring.
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