Star Trek Generations | ||||
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Film score by | ||||
Released | November 8, 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1994 | |||
Studio | Paramount Scoring Stage, Paramount Pictures Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Film score | |||
Length | 61:08 | |||
Label | GNP Crescendo | |||
Producer | Dennis McCarthy | |||
Star Trek soundtracks chronology | ||||
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Dennis McCarthy chronology | ||||
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The musical score for the 1994 science fiction film Star Trek Generations is composed by Dennis McCarthy. Generations, the seventh Star Trek film overall, is directed by David Carson and based on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was also scored by McCarthy. He had to balance the score from the series and film score and emphasize the dramatic writing to compliment the action onscreen. The album was released through the independent label GNP Crescendo Records on November 8, 1994.
Generations' score is written and composed by Dennis McCarthy, the principal composer for The Next Generation, thereby becoming the first Star Trek composer to work on both television and film projects. [1] Despite being tasked with balancing the styles of both series, it offered him the opportunity for a stronger dramatic writing. [2] : 152 The film's opening music is a choral piece that plays while a floating champagne bottle tumbles through space. For the action scenes with the Enterprise-B, McCarthy made use of low brass chords and Kirk's theme provided with brass motif accented by snare drums, a sound not used in the series, while the scene ends with dissonant notes as Scott and Chekov discover Kirk has been blown into space. [2] : 152
McCarthy expanded the brass notes for the film's action sequences, such as the battle over Veridian III and the crash-landing of the Enterprise-D. He additionally used choral pieces and synthesizers when Picard goes to the Nexus to discover his family. According to McCarthy it was the hardest part to score, as editor Steve Rowe used the Adagietto from Gustav Mahler's fifth symphony as a temp track for that sequence and after listening to that piece he found it difficult to get it out of his head. He then decided to shift the piece from minor to major, resembling Phil Spector's production. The piece was performed by Los Angeles Master Chorale and a 100-piece orchestra. [1] A broad fanfare is played when Picard and Kirk meet. It was the only distinct theme from the film, that blends his theme from the series' first season, notes from the Deep Space Nine theme and Alexander Courage's Star Trek theme. [2] : 152–53
The final battle sequence where Kirk and Picard fights against Soran, had McCarthy making use of staccatos to accentuate the fistfight and Kirk's death sequence is scored with lyrical strings with another statement of Courage theme in the conclduing moments. [2] : 152–53 The score for Kirk's death sequence was composed 17 days before the film's release. He determined it as a panic score as he forgot to write the percussion in four bars which sounded like "Baby Elephant Walk" for four bars. [1]
Generations' score was the first Star Trek album to be published commercially by the independent record label GNP Crescendo Records. Its founder Gene Norman's son, Neil Norman (who currently runs the label) has been a fan of science fiction films and liked the franchise's original series and films. [3] In the early 1990s, Neil secured a licensing deal from Paramount Pictures to reissue soundtracks from Star Trek both its film and television incarnations which included James Horner's scores for The Wrath of Khan (1982) and The Search for Spock (1984). [3] GNP Crescendo distributed the forthcoming Star Trek film soundtracks until early 2000. [3] The album was released on November 8, 1994, on cassette tape and CD. [4] The album consisted of 15 tracks from McCarthy's score with an additional 23 cues which were the film's sound effects. [4]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Star Trek Generations Overture" | 4:13 |
2. | "Main Title" | 2:52 |
3. | "The Enterprise B / Kirk Saves The Day" | 3:13 |
4. | "Deck 15" | 1:39 |
5. | "Time Is Running Out" | 1:12 |
6. | "Prisoner Exchange" | 2:57 |
7. | "Outgunned" | 3:20 |
8. | "Out Of Control / The Crash" | 2:05 |
9. | "Coming To Rest" | 0:57 |
10. | "The Nexus / A Christmas Hug" | 7:07 |
11. | "Jumping The Ravine" | 1:37 |
12. | "Two Captains" | 1:32 |
13. | "The Final Fight" | 8:15 |
14. | "Kirk's Death" | 2:45 |
15. | "To Live Forever" | 2:40 |
16. | "Enterprise B Bridge (SFX)" | 3:13 |
17. | "Enterprise B Doors Open (SFX)" | 0:13 |
18. | "Distress Call Alert (SFX)" | 0:10 |
19. | "Enterprise B Helm Controls (SFX)" | 0:16 |
20. | "Nexus Energy Ribbon (SFX)" | 1:38 |
21. | "Enterprise B Deflector Beam (SFX)" | 0:08 |
22. | "Enterprise B Warp Pass-By (SFX)" | 0:14 |
23. | "Enterprise D Transporter (SFX)" | 0:12 |
24. | "Tricorder (SFX)" | 0:30 |
25. | "Hypo Injector (SFX)" | 0:03 |
26. | "Communicator Chirp (SFX)" | 0:06 |
27. | "Door Chime (SFX)" | 0:07 |
28. | "Enterprise D Warp Out #1 (SFX)" | 0:22 |
29. | "Bird Of Prey Bridge / Explosion (SFX)" | 2:51 |
30. | "Klingon Sensor Alert (SFX)" | 0:08 |
31. | "Bird Of Prey Cloaks (SFX)" | 0:04 |
32. | "Bird Of Prey De-Cloaks (SFX)" | 0:10 |
33. | "Klingon Transporter (SFX)" | 0:12 |
34. | "Soran's Gun (SFX)" | 0:11 |
35. | "Soran's Rocket De-Cloaks (SFX)" | 0:05 |
36. | "Shuttlecraft Pass-By (SFX)" | 0:21 |
37. | "Enterprise D Bridge / Crash Sequence (SFX)" | 3:21 |
38. | "Enterprise D Warp Out #2 (SFX)" | 0:09 |
Total length: | 61:08 |
The score had a genuinely mixed reception, with Filmtracks ' Christian Clemmensen stating "McCarthy's work is easily the weakest of the "modern" scores of the franchise, lacking the memorably powerful essence of the Goldsmith scores, the dramatic majesty of the Horner ones, and the rich balance of good and evil in the Eidelman one." [5] Craig Lysy of Movie Music UK wrote "while the score lacks the dramatic and evocative power of earlier efforts, I must say that there are some fine moments worthy of your exploration." [6] Daevid Jehnzen of AllMusic wrote "the soundtrack melds pieces of the television series' music with older themes from the first generations' films. The combination is exciting and well worth the time for dedicated Star Trek fans." [7]
Star Trek Generations (Expanded Edition) | |
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Film score (reissue)by Dennis McCarthy | |
Released | October 29, 2012 |
Genre | Film score |
Length | 138:38 |
Label | GNP Crescendo |
Producer | Dennis McCarthy |
On October 29, 2012, GNP Crescendo rereleased the soundtrack as a two-disc, expanded collector's edition including previously unreleased tracks. [8]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Main Title" | 2:54 |
2. | "Past Glory" | 1:19 |
3. | "The Enterprise B" | 0:42 |
4. | "Distress Call / Harriman and the Ribbon" | 4:27 |
5. | "Kirk Saves the Day / Deck 15 / HMS Enterprise" | 4:50 |
6. | "Picard's Message / Raid Post Mortem" | 4:43 |
7. | "Data and the Emotions" | 0:54 |
8. | "Time is Running Out" | 1:11 |
9. | "Data Malfunctions" | 2:29 |
10. | "Soran Kidnaps Geordi" | 2:44 |
11. | "Guinan and the Nexus" | 2:47 |
12. | "Torture" | 1:37 |
13. | "Soran's Plan Revealed" | 1:49 |
14. | "Prisoner Exchange" | 2:59 |
15. | "Outgunned" | 3:22 |
16. | "The Gap / Coolant Leak / Appointment with Eternity / Out of Control / Blasted / The Crash" | 5:43 |
17. | "Coming to Rest" | 1:00 |
18. | "The Nexus" | 1:32 |
19. | "A Christmas Hug / The Kitchen Debate" | 8:03 |
20. | "Coming to Rest" | 1:38 |
21. | "Two Captains / Crash Recap" | 2:04 |
22. | "The Final Fight" | 6:15 |
23. | "The Captain of the Enterprise (Kirk's Death)" | 2:45 |
24. | "To Live Forever" | 2:40 |
25. | "Star Trek: Generations Overture" | 4:13 |
Total length: | 74:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Star Trek Generations Overture" | 4:13 |
2. | "Main Title" | 2:52 |
3. | "The Enterprise B / Kirk Saves The Day" | 3:13 |
4. | "Deck 15" | 1:39 |
5. | "Time Is Running Out" | 1:12 |
6. | "Prisoner Exchange" | 2:57 |
7. | "Outgunned" | 3:20 |
8. | "Out Of Control / The Crash" | 2:05 |
9. | "Coming To Rest" | 0:57 |
10. | "The Nexus / A Christmas Hug" | 7:07 |
11. | "Jumping The Ravine" | 1:37 |
12. | "Two Captains" | 1:32 |
13. | "The Final Fight" | 8:15 |
14. | "Kirk's Death" | 2:45 |
15. | "To Live Forever" | 2:40 |
16. | "Enterprise B Bridge" | 3:13 |
17. | "Enterprise B Doors Open" | 0:13 |
18. | "Distress Call Alert" | 0:10 |
19. | "Enterprise B Helm Controls" | 0:16 |
20. | "Nexus Energy Ribbon" | 1:38 |
21. | "Enterprise B Deflector Beam" | 0:08 |
22. | "Enterprise B Warp Pass-By" | 0:14 |
23. | "Enterprise D Transporter" | 0:12 |
24. | "Tricorder" | 0:30 |
25. | "Hypo Injector" | 0:03 |
26. | "Communicator Chirp" | 0:06 |
27. | "Door Chime" | 0:07 |
28. | "Enterprise D Warp Out #1" | 0:22 |
29. | "Bird Of Prey Bridge / Explosion" | 2:51 |
30. | "Klingon Sensor Alert" | 0:08 |
31. | "Bird Of Prey Cloaks" | 0:04 |
32. | "Bird Of Prey De-Cloaks" | 0:10 |
33. | "Klingon Transporter" | 0:12 |
34. | "Soran's Gun" | 0:11 |
35. | "Soran's Rocket De-Cloaks" | 0:05 |
36. | "Shuttlecraft Pass-By" | 0:21 |
37. | "Enterprise D Bridge / Crash Sequence" | 3:21 |
38. | "Enterprise D Warp Out #2" | 0:09 |
39. | "Prisoner Exchange" (film version) | 2:59 |
40. | "A Christmas Hug" (choir only) | 1:22 |
41. | "Lifeforms" (vocals by Brent Spiner) | 0:17 |
Total length: | 63:58 |
Credits adapted from liner notes [9]
Star Trek Generations is a 1994 American science fiction film and the seventh film in the Star Trek film series. Malcolm McDowell joins cast members from the 1960s television show Star Trek and the 1987 sequel series The Next Generation, including William Shatner and Patrick Stewart. In the film, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D joins forces with Captain James T. Kirk to stop the villain Tolian Soran from destroying a planetary system in his attempt to return to an extra-dimensional realm known as the Nexus.
Star Trek: First Contact is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes in his feature film debut. It is the eighth movie of the Star Trek franchise, and the second starring the cast of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the film, the crew of the starship USS Enterprise-E travel back in time from the 24th century to the 21st century to stop the cybernetic Borg from conquering Earth by changing the past.
Star Trek: Nemesis is a 2002 American science fiction film directed by Stuart Baird. It is the tenth film in the Star Trek franchise, as well as the fourth and final film to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was written by John Logan from a story developed by Logan, Brent Spiner, and producer Rick Berman. In the film, which is set in the 24th century, the crew of the USS Enterprise-E are forced to deal with a threat to the United Federation of Planets from a clone of Captain Picard named Shinzon, who has taken control of the Romulan Star Empire in a coup d'état.
Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek film series, as well as the third to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy, and Anthony Zerbe appearing in main roles. Frakes is also an actor known for playing the Star Trek character William Riker in this film and in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the film, the crew of the USS Enterprise-E rebels against Starfleet command after they discover a conspiracy with a species known as the Son'a to steal the peaceful Ba'ku's planet for its rejuvenating properties.
"The Best of Both Worlds" is the 26th episode of the third season and the first episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It comprises the 74th and 75th episodes of the series overall. The first part was originally aired on June 18, 1990, and the second on September 24, 1990 in broadcast syndication television.
"Where No One Has Gone Before" is the sixth episode of the American science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which originally aired October 26, 1987, in broadcast syndication in the United States. A high-definition, remastered version of the episode received a limited theatrical release for one day to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series on July 23, 2012. The story was originally developed with the title "Where None Have Gone Before" and was based on Diane Duane's book, The Wounded Sky. Duane and Michael Reaves pitched the idea to David Gerrold and Gene Roddenberry, and then submitted a script. Their script was subsequently rewritten by Maurice Hurley, whose first effort was poorly received; however, he subsequently rewrote it and that version was filmed. The episode was the first of the series directed by Rob Bowman, who went on to direct 12 more episodes. It was the only Star Trek: The Next Generation assignment for writers Duane and Reaves.
Dennis McCarthy is an American composer of television and film scores. His soundtrack credits include several entries in the Star Trek franchise, including underscores for The Next Generation,Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and the 1994 feature film Star Trek Generations. His other television credits include Dynasty, V, MacGyver, Sliders, Dawson's Creek, and Project Greenlight. He also produced the album Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back by Brent Spiner also from Star Trek, and composed music for stage productions.
Ronald Neal Jones is an American composer. He has composed music for various television shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation, DuckTales, American Dad!, and Family Guy. Along with the creator of The Fairly OddParents, Butch Hartman, he composed the show's theme song and music for its episodes. He currently resides in Stanwood, Washington, where he owns Sky Muse studios, a recording facility designed for music recording and post-production.
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GNP Crescendo Record Co. is an independent record label founded in 1954 by Gene Norman (né Eugene Abraham Nabatoff; 1922–2015). It started as a producer of jazz, then expanded into many other genres, including comedy, rock, and Star Trek soundtracks. Currently GNP Cresendo is run by Gene Norman's son, Neil Norman.
Enterprise is the soundtrack for the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise. It features the opening title song, "Where My Heart Will Take Me", as sung by Russell Watson, alongside instrumental compositions by Dennis McCarthy.
Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage is a multimedia concert experience featuring music and video footage from Star Trek motion pictures, television series, and video games in honor of franchise's 50th anniversary. The initial concert tour from 2015 to 2016 performed in 100 cities in North America and Europe and generally received positive reviews. The concerts series was produced by CineConcerts, a production company specializing in live music experiences performed with visual media.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Nicholas Meyer, based on the television series Star Trek and is the second film in the Star Trek film series, following Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). The film is scored by James Horner, in his first major film score he composed in his career. He was selected after sorting numerous composers, in place of Jerry Goldsmith, who scored the predecessor and was not considered because of the film's reduced budget. Horner produced a modernistic sound over the John Williams style of epic orchestral film scores for the Star Wars films. According to of Comic Book Resources, his score for Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) served as the inspiration for Wrath of Khan.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is the 1984 science fiction film directed by Leonard Nimoy based on the television series Star Trek: The Original Series and the third film in the Star Trek franchise. The film score is composed by James Horner, that served as a continuation from the score of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) with few themes being reworked for this film.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 science fiction film directed by Leonard Nimoy based on the television series Star Trek: The Original Series and the fourth film in the Star Trek film series. The film is scored by Leonard Rosenman, who is the third Star Trek film composer after Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner. The score received an Academy Award nomination.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 science fiction film directed by William Shatner based on the television series Star Trek: The Original Series and the fifth film in the Star Trek film series. Jerry Goldsmith composed the film's musical score after he did the same for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) which was nominated for an Academy Award. The score was positively received, unlike the film, which garnered mixed-to-negative reception.
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