(written from a Production point of view)
Dennis McCarthy (born 3 July 1945; age 78) is a composer who has written many Star Trek-related musical scores, including the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine main title theme and the Star Trek: Enterprise end credits theme. He also composed the music for Star Trek Generations and many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise. He scored the pilots and finales of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise. McCarthy also wrote and conducted the music for the Star Trek: The Experience movie Borg Invasion 4D and the computer game Star Trek: Borg. Some of McCarthy's TNG and DS9 scores were released as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Collection, Volume One and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Collection.
McCarthy was nominated for nine Emmy Awards for his work, winning in the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music" category for his Deep Space Nine title theme. He also won (or shared) nine ASCAP Awards, all for "Top TV Series" except for his award for Star Trek Generations, which won in the "Top Box Office Films" category.
McCarthy was once a member of Dick Dale's backing band, which came up while he was scoring the episode "Vis à Vis" which featured two Dick Dale tunes, "Night Rider" and "Let's Go Trippin'". Ronald B. Moore suggested the first song and remembered, "I was told that [McCarthy] heard the music and said, 'I used to be a Deltone.' This is a small world. He suggested that they close the show with another Dick Dale song. They got to [do that]." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 103)
McCarthy started his career as music arranger and moved shortly after this to the position of music composer. His first assignment was the television spinoff series Enos (1980-1981), followed by the series Private Benjamin (1982), Gun Shy (1983), Goodnight, Beantown (1983-1984), and The Barbara Mandrell Show. In early 1984, McCarthy was asked to redo the score for the second and the third part of the television mini series V: The Final Battle, just two weeks before the airdate. His successful scoring for V: The Final Battle including the "Visitor March" lent him to the assignment scoring the following television series V (1984-1985) as well as projects such as Trapper John, M.D. (1986), The Love Boat (1986), Mike Hammer (1986), The Colbys (1985-1987), The Twilight Zone (1986-1987), Dynasty (1985-1989), Falcon Crest (1989), and MacGyver (1985-1991).
Media[]
Star Trek credits[]
- TNG:
- "Encounter at Farpoint" (Season 1)
- "The Last Outpost"
- "Justice"
- "Hide And Q"
- "Haven"
- "The Big Goodbye"
- "Angel One"
- "Home Soil"
- "Coming of Age"
- "The Arsenal of Freedom"
- "Symbiosis"
- "Conspiracy"
- "The Child" (Season 2)
- "Elementary, Dear Data"
- "The Schizoid Man"
- "Unnatural Selection"
- "The Measure Of A Man"
- "The Dauphin"
- "Contagion"
- "Time Squared"
- "Pen Pals"
- "Samaritan Snare"
- "Manhunt"
- "Peak Performance"
- "The Ensigns of Command" (Season 3)
- "The Survivors"
- "The Bonding"
- "The Enemy"
- "The Vengeance Factor"
- "The Hunted"
- "Deja Q"
- "Yesterday's Enterprise"
- "Sins of The Father"
- "Captain's Holiday"
- "Hollow Pursuits"
- "The Most Toys"
- "Sarek"
- "Transfigurations"
- "Family" (Season 4)
- "Suddenly Human"
- "Legacy"
- "Future Imperfect"
- "The Loss"
- "The Wounded"
- "Clues"
- "Galaxy's Child"
- "Identity Crisis"
- "Qpid"
- "Half a Life"
- "The Mind's Eye"
- "Redemption"
- "Redemption II" (Season 5)
- "Ensign Ro"
- "Disaster"
- "Unification I"
- "Unification II"
- "New Ground"
- "Violations"
- "Conundrum"
- "Ethics"
- "Cause And Effect"
- "Cost Of Living"
- "Imaginary Friend"
- "The Next Phase"
- "Time's Arrow"
- "Time's Arrow, Part II" (Season 6)
- "Man Of The People"
- "Schisms"
- "Rascals"
- "The Quality of Life"
- "Ship In A Bottle"
- "Tapestry"
- "Lessons"
- "Suspicions"
- "Second Chances"
- "Timescape"
- "Liaisons" (Season 7)
- "Phantasms"
- "Attached"
- "Force of Nature"
- "Parallels"
- "Homeward"
- "Thine Own Self"
- "Masks"
- "Genesis"
- "Firstborn"
- "Bloodlines"
- "All Good Things..."
- DS9:
- Main title theme (all episodes)
- "Emissary" (Season 1)
- "Babel"
- "Captive Pursuit"
- "Q-Less"
- "The Passenger"
- "Move Along Home"
- "Vortex"
- "Battle Lines"
- "The Storyteller"
- "The Forsaken"
- "Duet"
- "In the Hands of the Prophets"
- "The Homecoming" (Season 2)
- "The Circle"
- "The Siege"
- "Invasive Procedures"
- "Melora"
- "Rules of Acquisition"
- "Second Sight"
- "Sanctuary"
- "The Alternate"
- "Whispers"
- "Paradise"
- "Playing God"
- "Blood Oath"
- "The Maquis, Part II"
- "The Wire"
- "Crossover"
- "The Jem'Hadar"
- "Meridian" (Season 3)
- "Fascination"
- "Past Tense, Part I"
- "Life Support"
- "Destiny"
- "Prophet Motive"
- "Distant Voices"
- "The Die is Cast"
- "Explorers"
- "Facets"
- "The Way of the Warrior" (Season 4)
- "The Visitor"
- "Indiscretion"
- "Homefront"
- "Crossfire"
- "Accession"
- "Hard Time"
- "Shattered Mirror"
- "Body Parts"
- "Apocalypse Rising" (Season 5)
- "Nor the Battle to the Strong"
- "Trials and Tribble-ations"
- "Rapture"
- "For the Uniform"
- "In Purgatory's Shadow"
- "Doctor Bashir, I Presume"
- "A Simple Investigation"
- "Blaze of Glory"
- "A Time to Stand" (Season 6)
- "Behind the Lines"
- "You Are Cordially Invited"
- "The Magnificent Ferengi"
- "Far Beyond the Stars"
- "Change of Heart"
- "Inquisition"
- "The Reckoning"
- "The Sound of Her Voice"
- "Image in the Sand" (Season 7)
- "Shadows and Symbols"
- "Once More Unto the Breach"
- "Prodigal Daughter"
- "The Emperor's New Cloak"
- "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"
- "Penumbra"
- "Extreme Measures"
- "What You Leave Behind"
- VOY:
- "Parallax" (Season 1)
- "Phage"
- "Eye of the Needle"
- "Ex Post Facto"
- "State of Flux"
- "Heroes and Demons"
- "Jetrel"
- "Elogium"
- "The 37's"
- "Initiations" (Season 2)
- "Parturition"
- "Tattoo"
- "Cold Fire"
- "Resistance"
- "Alliances"
- "Dreadnought"
- "Deadlock"
- "Resolutions"
- "Basics, Part I"
- "False Profits" (Season 3)
- "Basics, Part II"
- "The Swarm"
- "The Q and the Grey"
- "Macrocosm"
- "Coda"
- "Favorite Son"
- "Real Life"
- "Worst Case Scenario"
- "The Gift" (Season 4)
- "Day of Honor"
- "The Raven"
- "Year of Hell"
- "Year of Hell, Part II"
- "Concerning Flight"
- "Prey"
- "Vis à Vis"
- "Living Witness"
- "Hope and Fear"
- "Drone" (Season 5)
- "Nothing Human"
- "Timeless"
- "Infinite Regress"
- "Gravity"
- "Bliss"
- "The Disease"
- "Juggernaut"
- "Someone to Watch Over Me"
- "Relativity"
- "Survival Instinct" (Season 6)
- "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy"
- "The Voyager Conspiracy"
- "Tsunkatse"
- "Virtuoso"
- "Ashes to Ashes"
- "Life Line"
- "Unimatrix Zero"
- "Unimatrix Zero, Part II" (Season 7)
- "Critical Care"
- "Body and Soul"
- "Lineage"
- "Workforce"
- "Workforce, Part II"
- "Natural Law"
- "Renaissance Man"
- ENT:
- Archer's Theme (Closing credits) (all episodes)
- "Broken Bow" (Season 1)
- "Strange New World"
- "Breaking the Ice"
- "Fortunate Son"
- "Sleeping Dogs"
- "Oasis"
- "Shockwave"
- "Shockwave, Part II" (Season 2)
- "Dead Stop"
- "The Communicator"
- "Stigma"
- "Future Tense"
- "Cogenitor"
- "The Expanse"
- "The Xindi" (Season 3)
- "Impulse"
- "Twilight"
- "Carpenter Street"
- "Doctor's Orders" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "Damage" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "Countdown" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "Storm Front, Part II" (Season 4) (with Kevin Kiner)
- "Borderland" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "Kir'Shara"(with Kevin Kiner)
- "Observer Effect" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "The Aenar" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "In a Mirror, Darkly" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" (with Kevin Kiner)
- "These Are the Voyages..." (with Kevin Kiner)
- DIS: "Kobayashi Maru" (Archer's Theme, uncredited)
- LD: "Hear All, Trust Nothing" (Theme from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, uncredited)
- PIC: "The Bounty" (Theme from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, uncredited)
- Star Trek Generations
- What We Left Behind
Awards for Star Trek[]
McCarthy received the following awards and nominations for his work on Star Trek:
- 1989 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "The Child"
- 1990 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "Yesterday's Enterprise"
- 1991 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "Half a Life"
- 1992 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "Unification I"
- 1993 Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- 1994 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "All Good Things..."
- 1995 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "Heroes and Demons"
- 1995 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: The Next Generation
- 1995 ASCAP Award in the category Top Box Office Films for Star Trek Generations
- 1996 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- 1997 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- 1998 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, shared with Jay Chattaway
- 1999 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: Voyager
- 2000 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: Voyager
- 2001 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "Workforce"
- 2001 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: Voyager, shared with Jay Chattaway and David Bell
- 2002 ASCAP Award in the category Top TV Series for Star Trek: Enterprise, shared with Jay Chattaway, David Bell, Paul Baillargeon, and Diane Warren
- 2003 Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episode "The Expanse"
Star Trek interviews[]
- "Dennis McCarthy – Music of the Stars", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine issue 14, pp. 5-10, interviewed by David Hirsch
- TNG Season 2 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Two: Production" ("Music"), interviewed on 5 October 2001
- TNG Season 7 DVD special feature "Starfleet Moments & Memories Year Seven" ("A Unique Family"), interviewed on 5 October 2001
- In Conversation: The Music of Star Trek - The Next Generation (2013)