As I was editing the short video about the Tour (see Rod’s V-Cast from 3/7/08) I was reminded just how beautiful the various Star Trek musical themes are. From the very 1960’s-hip Alexander Courage theme for the original series (gotta love those bongos!), to the sweeping and majestic DS9 theme by Dennis McCarthy to the two classic Jerry Goldsmith themes for TNG and Voyager.

Notice I didn’t mention the Enterprise theme. Dianne Warren’s “Where My Heart Will Take Me” originally appeared in the film “Patch Adams” under the title “Faith of the Heart” sung by Rod Stewart. The Enterprise version was sung by operatic tenor Russell Watson. Fans were vocal in their disapproval over this theme choice. I understand the producers’ intent to distance this prequel show from its predecessors (like leaving off “Star Trek” from the show’s title); several of the show’s cast members have defended the theme at convention appearances. I have to go with the fans on this one. A Star Trek theme needs to be orchestral, inspiring. This recycled pop song just didn’t do it for me. Early  in the show’s third season, when they finally decided to call it Star Trek: Enterprise, I was hopeful that the rumored “new theme” would be truly new. No... and adding a drum track and tambourine to the existing vocal just wasn’t what we were looking for. Viewing the new episode every week we’d watch the teaser and then TiVo fast-forward past that next eighty seconds.

That was not the first Star Trek theme to have lyrics, by the way. The original series theme music is credited to Courage, with lyrics by none other than Gene Roddenberry himself! What it meant was that the royalties for the use of that theme would be forever split 50/50 between the two men. The story of that bit of business is recounted in the book “Inside Star Trek: The Real Story” by Herbert Solow and Robert Justman. Roddenberry’s lyrics are:

You can hear a disco-fied version of the theme - with different lyrics - sung by Nichelle Nichols on her album “Out of This World” available on iTunes.

The original theme for the series featured a soaring vocal track by soprano Loulie Jean Norman. Musicians did not receive royalties for repeat performances of their work, however Ms. Norman had been engaged under a SAG agreement, and would therefore receive the same royalties as an actor. For the show’s second season, in the never-ending quest to preserve the meager and dwindling budget, executives decided to replace her vocal with an instrumental. This allowed a few more dollars to be spent on sets, costumes and other production costs.

Music royalties are nothing to be sneezed at. For example, the late TV host and mogul Merv Griffin did quite nicely on the royalties for one particular bit of music he penned. He wrote a short piece called “A Time for Tony” as a lullaby for his young son. That theme was repurposed as the final-round “Think!” music for a little show called “Jeopardy!” which Griffin created. His music publishing deal paid him $100 every time that theme was played - and some version of the tune played eight times during every single episode of the show, five times a week, 39 weeks a year, now in its 36th year. Where’d I put my calculator...

But I digress. Back to Star Trek themes, and this week’s challenge: During the final season of Voyager, my wife and I sat down to watch the latest episode. When the opening credits began, the familiar Goldsmith theme somehow inspired us to start tossing out lyrics, making them up as they came to us.

Click the player below to hear the instrumental version from the credits.

As you listen to the music, read along with the lyrics.

Starting with the trumpet at the very beginning:

Yeah, I know. We never did anything like that before, or since. You can see why...

Your challenge - write your own lyrics to the Voyager theme. Send them to me at mwade@roddenberry.com and I’ll publish the best ones in a future column.

See if you can top this!

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Star Trek Remastered

The Star Trek Remastered episode this weekend is “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” - production number 62. This was the fifth show of the third season, airing on October 18, 1968. The teleplay was written by Jean Lissette Aroeste, who also wrote the penultimate episode “All Our Yesterdays”. She is one of only four writers who’d had no television writing credits prior to selling an unsolicited script to Star Trek.

Diana Muldaur makes her second original-series appearance here, this time as the blind telepath Dr. Miranda Jones who saves Spock’s life. Two decades later she’d play Dr. Kate Pulaski throughout the second season of TNG.

Look for Spock rocking his cool red visor, and Scotty in his formal kilt!

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March is a big month for Star Trek birthdays, and this week we celebrate two of our favorite stars:

William Shatner (James T. Kirk - Star Trek) - March 22
Leonard Nimoy (Spock - Star Trek) - March 26


 

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