I walked into the booth, and I was expecting wild applause. McCarthy: It's very satisfying. And we were all blown away by it. And the notes C, F, G, and B-flat. I could hum the score after reading the script, even though I hadn't seen anything yet.

McCarthy: It was Jerry from the outset. Then a friend of mine told me they were doing a new Star Trek, and I said, "Oh, good for them.". ", Does that make Discovery more creatively restricting than other shows you work on? It was like going to school. If I don't get moved, then what happened? How much time did you have to write, though? SYFY WIRE sat down with all four Trek composers to talk about their history with the franchise, the creative shackles and freedom they experienced, and how Star Trek changed their lives. What was it like, then, to work on Voyager? Chattaway: I think maybe they might have been looking for a subtle change in how music was done.

I'd write a show and then forget it right away. This is pretty amazing." Ron Jones: What I was told by Robert Justman is that Paramount was worried that everyone who was used to the original Star Trek was used to Shatner and Spock and the look and the feel of that show. Update your browser for more security and the best experience on this site. The three of them created the sound of a franchise almost 20 years. Jones accepted Montag's request to score DuckTales, which became one of the most successful animated programs of all time. But when it comes to the sound of Star Trek, the franchise has been in the hands of remarkably few people. Many believe that the opening theme to Star Trek: The Next Generation is the same piece as the theme to Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Like the quirky Quark music. This is not true. Did you have any freedom within the confines that were set, or was there a lot of creative hand-holding? It was up to the audience to make those decisions. This month, SYFY WIRE is interviewing some of the best composers in TV and film to get insight on the theme songs and scores that stick in our heads long after the credits roll.

And they all had to work together, so it didn't matter if they were short with three ears, tall with one leg, or a fish. Like Comic-Con. Russo: Oh, not just a fan but obsessed. I miss the whole thing! Did the new direction of that show change how you approached the music, particularly from what you did on The Next Generation? Things are done by committee and it’s like working for an accountant rather than a creative producer. That was for a Star Trek: The Next Generation show called "Tin Man." Eventually, they forgot that they didn't give me any direction. By submitting your information, you agree to our, Star Trek's four composers on scoring 26 seasons of Trek television, Scarlett Johansson says ‘I do’ to Frankenstein movie ‘Bride’, Battlestar Galactica movie blasts off again with Simon Kinberg as writer and producer, A booger-eating Colonel arrives to play with a Back to the Future advent calendar (and more), Servant sets January return as Season 2 filming begins with snow-filled shoot in Philadelphia, The CW's new Batwoman Ryan Wilder is heading to comics ahead of her TV debut, WIRE Buzz: 'Miracle Workers' prays up third season; Hulu speeds up 'Run' trailer; more, 40 years later, X-Men: Days of Future Past remains the best X story ever, Why Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is still the most influential comic, Catch up and rock out with our Back to the Future franchise rap-up, Picard finally joins the game in the Star Trek: The Next Generation finale [Warp Factor 4.5], 'Triflers Need Not Apply': The story of deadly Belle Gunness, A tribute to Ann Rule, the queen of true crime, Share Star Trek's four composers on scoring 26 seasons of Trek television on Facebook, Share Star Trek's four composers on scoring 26 seasons of Trek television on Twitter, Share Star Trek's four composers on scoring 26 seasons of Trek television on Reddit, interviewing some of the best composers in TV and film, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ cast on how they’re still a big frakkin’ family, even after all these years, First look: Baddies unite as Thunderbolts battle the 'King in Black' in latest Marvel event. No specific reasons were given other than they wanted a less dramatic approach to the show's scores and less emphasis on melodic content. I love electronic music, and I have a big studio, but it never feels the same. This soundtrack album is actually fairly listenable away from the context of the show, a definite plus in the ranks of soundtracks. And with Enterprise, it was really sad because we were hoping to go longer. I found it more interesting because it wasn’t about going out to blow up some planet.

Don't rewrite anything; you'll never get done." McCarthy: Rick Berman and I talked about Deep Space Nine at length. I think that was because I was so overwhelmed that they even hired me that I didn't stop to absorb the enormity of what that meant. Montan was impressed with Jones' work during a session on a Hanna-Barbera cartoon and admired the composer's philosophy to respect the intelligence of the audience rather than creating a "patronizing" or "cute" score that would play down to them. And that's when it hit me and the imposter syndrome kicked in. How did they keep that consistency of sound if they're going to bring you in and tell you not to watch anything and do your own thing? That's Star Trek."

McCarthy: Yeah! Gene Roddenberry may have launched the idea (and the USS Enterprise) in 1966, but over the following decades, thousands of people have had a hand in creating the look and feel of the shows and films — actors, writers, directors, set designers, costume designers, graphic designers and more. Jones worked on DuckTales through 1988, during which time he composed, conducted, arranged, and orchestrated various memorable cues and themes which were reused throughout the show's two-season run. So I'd write something, and they'd riff on what they thought I really wanted. So I ended up working with Kevin Kiner a lot because he's a great synthesizer guy.

Chattaway: I do. Six French horns just sitting in front of you and all those strings, and my woodwind section was all jazz guys. But if you do 20 minutes of action every week, you're going to burn out. But as the years progressed, we got more percussion in there and more atonal music. Deep Space Nine was a huge departure for the Trek franchise. ", The directive I got was that we were not going the route of what they did on The Next Generation and others. I had a Klingon theme, a Vulcan theme — I thought themes were the way to go. What kind of directive were you given on The Next Generation? I don't fit into that club. As soon as I got the job, I started sketching the theme.

In Trek, writers and producers didn't necessarily want to telegraph that. The look and feel of Star Trek has evolved over the years based on the contributions and genius of untold thousands.

That meant more electronics. Chattaway: Wow. And you find yourself second guessing quite a bit. It didn't make any sense. Jay Chattaway: Because of the history of Star Trek, I don't want to say there were limitations, but there were guidelines. Chattaway: I went to a couple meetings. And it was also hard to make changes because the electronic score was already finished. [8] Jones used parodies of two cues: the dramatic finale piece is reused at the end of "Stewie Kills Lois", while the piece used when Locutus of Borg first appears is reused when Lois reappears in "Lois Kills Stewie". I thought it was fine; it just wasn't on my plate.

So just from a consistency point of view, if the producers have a show with a consistent voice and characterization, and the writers are generally the same, the directors are the same, the actors are obviously the same, shouldn't the music also be the same? I evolved as the show went along, and the producers evolved. The CD is also of interest to fans of composer Dennis McCarthy, because it includes material that never actually made it into the show. Fangrrls is about kicking down doors, breaking boundaries and celebrating female fans with fun, witty and entertaining content.

And Paramount was worried about that. So that was a big change for me.

[9] The parodied cues can be heard on Jones' website.

Harmonically complicated. With the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 through the current run of Star Trek: Discovery, a vast majority of the music for five series and 26 seasons of television was the combined creative output of only four composers. His firing was supposedly because his music was thought to be "too noticeable" by Rick Berman. Sometimes I listen to scores now, and I miss the coherence of what Ron and Jay and I used to do. There's sadness, of course, because you hate to see the series end. That was also the last I'd see of that giant orchestra. Ronald Jones was born in Kansas City, Kansas. McCarthy: For me, it was a challenge, which I relished. After five years at Hanna-Barbera, Jones left to work with the composing team of Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. You don't just want wild and crazy sh*t, but you want everyone to work within the parameters. Chattaway: The timeframe was pretty spectacular. Piicard's Plan/First Chase/First Chase, Pt. ;[3] he cited the music of the subsequent Trek spin-offs as "less melodic and more pad-like." [After spotting the episode,] I'd go home and write, which in those days I did by hand. I'd have 50 to 60 people per episode. You wrote the music for the first and last episodes of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Enterprise. I had maybe seen a couple of episodes. And my intention was for them all to be recognizable. Jeff Russo: So I have none of those restrictions. So incorporating that theme into our theme was the easiest way or merging the old with the new. It is actually a new composition that draws heavily on both Jerry Goldsmith's score for that film and on Alexander Courage's original Star Trek theme music. That’s the chord that defines it for me. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience. For my first Trek score, I met with David Grossman, who was the head of music at Paramount, and he said, "Don't listen to what the other guys have done. When you’re writing music for TV, how often are you writing with the intention that the audience should notice it versus it just being background music to set a theme, even if only subconsciously?