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(written from a Production point of view)

The Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack was the commercial release of Jerry Goldsmith's score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Originally released in 1979 by Columbia Records in LP and cassette formats, it was later released on CD in 1986.

Overview[]

The first and one of the most influential Star Trek film scores, Jerry Goldsmith's introduction to the Star Trek universe is by many considered to be one of the composer's finest works - an effort acknowledged by an Academy Award nomination in 1979.

Goldsmith's The Motion Picture takes the now standard sweeping orchestral fanfares and twists them into deep science fiction compositions, comparable to his own experimental stylings for the original Planet of the Apes. The key element to this infusion of style, bordering on bizarre, is the utilization of the "Blaster Beam" - a large, metallic instrument, heard first during the Klingon battle and underscoring V'Ger and its mechanical nature.

More traditional, Williams-esque orchestrations, however, are the primary thrust of The Motion Picture, with beautiful and energetic compositions representing the Enterprise (later used in the titles for Star Trek: The Next Generation and four more films), the Klingons (later utilized as Worf's theme in Star Trek: First Contact and beyond), and Ilia – the love theme that opens the film. Clearly the most dynamic and memorable Enterprise theme opening and closing the film, and going on to far surpass Alexander Courage's original Star Trek theme as the sound of the franchise. First criticized by director Robert Wise as being far too "nautical" – a motif laid heavily into the sound of James Horner's contributions for II and III – Goldsmith's theme went through several iterations before the now-famous march took shape.

While many elements of this the first Trek film outing would come to be reviled by fans and producers alike, Goldsmith's contribution endures despite the infusion of four more composers over the course of nine more features. Goldsmith himself would return to score Star Trek V and the latter three TNG films, introducing new themes and motifs to the fold, but always staying true to and expanding upon the groundwork laid here.

Track listing[]

# Name/Runtime
1 Main Title † / Klingon Battle (6:50)
2 Leaving Drydock (3:29)
3 Cloud (4:58)
4 Enterprise (5:59)
5 Ilia's Theme † (3:01)
6 Vejur Flyover (4:57)
7 Spock Walk (4:19)
8 Meld (3:16)
9 End Title † (3:16)
Total 37:38
Contains Theme from Star Trek composed by Alexander Courage.

See also[]


Previous soundtrack release: Series Next soundtrack release:
First soundtrack in series Star Trek Movie Soundtrack
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
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