I am strictly going by their work on Star Trek. I believe TUC had the best score.
Who is the best Star Trek composer?
- Thread starter fonzob1
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I am strictly going by their work on Star Trek. I believe TUC had the best score.
As much as I like Goldsmith's stuff I went for Horner. He did the music for my favourite two Star Trek movies and for me his main theme is the one I associate with the original crew movies.
Plus he did a great Klingon theme and I prefer it to Goldsmith's.
And I must not forget the brilliant Stealing the Enterprise music.
Plus he did a great Klingon theme and I prefer it to Goldsmith's.
And I must not forget the brilliant Stealing the Enterprise music.
I went with Goldsmith, but there really wasn't a contest -- he scored five of the ten films. there's more to think of when voting on him.
I should note that the poll left out additional composers. Additional material made specifically for ST: TMP was done by Courage and Fred Steiner. I don't have the exact amount and cues on me, but I can get them if necessary.
And Joel Goldsmith did something like twenty-one minutes for First Contact.
I'd also like to point out Rosenman didn't solely borrow from himself from "Lord of the Rings" -- he's been borrowing things he's done from multiple films from his career all the way to his death, with almost no exceptions.
I love the score to Generations. It is utterly baffling anybody could fall asleep listening to it.
I should note that the poll left out additional composers. Additional material made specifically for ST: TMP was done by Courage and Fred Steiner. I don't have the exact amount and cues on me, but I can get them if necessary.
And Joel Goldsmith did something like twenty-one minutes for First Contact.
I'd also like to point out Rosenman didn't solely borrow from himself from "Lord of the Rings" -- he's been borrowing things he's done from multiple films from his career all the way to his death, with almost no exceptions.
I love the score to Generations. It is utterly baffling anybody could fall asleep listening to it.
Well, I love the "Star Trek: Generations Overture" as it's called on the soundtrack, and "To Live Forever" is pretty good final piece. The rest of the soundtrack is fairly unremarkable to me, especially since McCarthy already did better work for both TNG and DS9.
Yeah I've heard that comment about Horner that some of his ST stuff was very similar to earlier films he'd done.
Fortunately for me I've never seen any of those films so his stuff is all Star Trek in my mind.
Although there is a scene in Cocoon when the boat is in the fog waiting for the aliens pick them up and there is a passage that is almost note for note the passage when Spock lifts the cap off the warp mains in TWOK
Surprises me a little he recycled like that. A lot of his stuff like glory sneakers and field of dreams is extremely diverse and unique sounding.
My vote is for James Horner, specifically for TSFS. Yes, it's borrowed heavily from the previous movie, and he has complained before that he didn't get the time he needed to come up with something different and more original. But what he did get the time for was very well spent. Like, when the drums start to roll, a little bit as the ENTERPRISE enters the atmosphere, what a great, great moment. I would've been very reluctant to have the drums there at all and would've probably tried talking him out of it, but when you see the scene play with that in the music, it's perfect. I don't think Jerry Goldsmith would've delivered a more moving piece of music to the tragedy of the ENTERPRISE. In fact, I really can't stand Goldsmith's scores for most of STAR TREK. What he did for TMP was absolutely inspired. Later on, it just became cobbled with standard "Hollywood Music" and sucked, frankly. I didn't know why they kept calling him back, except for his PR value. But yeah, really, the only composer who disappointed me was Jerry Goldsmith after the brilliance he approached TMP with.
I happen to think much of the TFF score is very good, albeit not of TMP quality. Goldsmith's later stuff got much more romantic and less experimental. I do like his main, title for First Contact tho. In a non-Trek later Goldsmith vein, I like his score for The Shadow.
I went with Goldsmith.
Cliff Eidelman gets my vote.
Although Leonard Rosenman isn't likely to get a vote--his score is absolutely perfect for the tone of TVH.
I do wish to say the soundtracks for TSFS & TFF are excellent.
I must agree with others- I am not a big fan of the TMP/TNG theme.
Although Leonard Rosenman isn't likely to get a vote--his score is absolutely perfect for the tone of TVH.
I do wish to say the soundtracks for TSFS & TFF are excellent.
I must agree with others- I am not a big fan of the TMP/TNG theme.
I absolutely think it sucks. Horner and Eidelman both blew it away. So, when someone does not see things the way you see them, I suppose that makes them a "troll" huh?
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I don't think its the different opinion that turns people off...it's the way you went about pushing it...especially when you know it's an unpopular opinion.
Nothing wrong with having your own (admittedly contrarian) opinion, but do it with respect and some humility....and that will generally go over better I bet.
The thing is, one should be able to argue WHY one does or doesn't find meritorious a particular aspect of a Star Trek episode or movie, otherwise why come here? This is a place for reasoned discussion, so give some reasons: Why does Goldsmith's TMP score suck? Do you not like the overall (i.e., antecedent/consequent) structure of the title theme, for example? Or does it sound too martial? Or do you not like particular intervals used, or the unusual emphasis on V chords? As for the rest of the score, does the occasional Blaster Beam annoy you perhaps? What about the long stretch of slow up-and-down arpeggios in one of the Vger-interior segments - too minimalist for you? Does the stretching out (metrically) of the main theme during Kirk's exterior tour of the ship seem unreasonably tiresome after a short while?
State your case.
I find Goldsmith's TMP theme to be as iconic as the original theme by Alexander Courage. (I find Giaccino's theme --which is beyond the scope of the poll, I know-- to be equally iconic.)
Courage defined the classic series, and the overall feel of Trek over the past 50 years.
Goldsmith defined the movie era, and all composers in the era paid homage to Courage's work in one form or another,
Giacino defined Star Trek for the current generation, and also pays loving tribute to Courage's theme.
Courage defined the classic series, and the overall feel of Trek over the past 50 years.
Goldsmith defined the movie era, and all composers in the era paid homage to Courage's work in one form or another,
Giacino defined Star Trek for the current generation, and also pays loving tribute to Courage's theme.
I'm really fond of the more incidental portions on the TMP score which really set the mood without being a big "tah da dah" thing like the major themes. I particularly like the use of the motifs and orchestrations in this track (albeit this is an alternate take with an overdone blaster beam intro).
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8qlOsdNEUI[/yt]
