ver the years, the various Star Trek TV shows have featured exciting storylines and unforgettable characters. Yet, for many fans, the music remains one of the most memorable elements of this venerable science fiction franchise. The Best of Star Trek--Vol. 2 presents selected tunes from each live-action incarnation of the program, offering not only an enjoyable listening experience, but also a unique harmonic history of television's signature SF series.
The famous "Main Title" theme--written by Alexander Courage--launches this 24-tune CD, serving as an overture of sorts for a sequence of cues composed by Fred Steiner. Succinct suites from "The Corbomite Maneuver," "Balance of Terror" and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" introduce numerous leitmotifs from the classic series. This portion of the collection concludes with an unusual "Lounge Mix" rendition of the main Star Trek motif that was briefly used during a wedding scene in "Balance of Terror."
Dennis McCarthy's lonely opening theme to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine precedes an arrangement of melodies from "Way of the Warrior," the two-part episode that introduced Worf to that show. Star Trek: Voyager is represented by Jerry Goldsmith's "Main Title," plus a suite from David Bell's expressive accompaniment to "Bride of Chaotica." The album closes with the second-season opening music from Star Trek: The Next Generation, combined with a suite showcasing McCarthy's compositions for that program's extraordinary finale, "All Good Things."
The Best of Star Trek--Vol. 2 also includes a "bonus track" sandwiched between the selections from Deep Space Nine and Voyager: Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys) singing "Fever" from the DS9 episode "His Way." Nearly a dozen photos from the four series accent the liner notes, along with basic information about the melodies and their composers.
Musically, Trek's alive and well
Dennis McCarthy once noted that, when he first started working on Star Trek: The Next Generation, he was essentially told "not to get in anyone's face with the music and to duck for the sound effects." That may have been the case during the early years. But as The Best of Star Trek--Vol. 2 demonstrates, by the conclusion of that series--and certainly for those individuals scoring the other programs--such restrictions rarely hampered either their creativity or their originality.
Steiner's suite from "The Corbomite Maneuver" catapults listeners into an exciting, edge-of-the-seat environment. Boisterous trumpets mix with quivering strings and clattering percussion, generating a foreboding yet slightly impish atmosphere that mirrors the episode's on-screen action. McCarthy's efforts on "All Good Things" incorporate enticing and ominous segments into a work that simultaneously acknowledges the seven-year history of both TNG's characters and the series as a whole.
However, the standout selection on the CD is undoubtedly the "Bride of Chaotica" suite. The emotional cues, which feature titles such as "Presenting ... Arachnia" and "Chaotica's Last Words/The End?", superbly mimic the melodies used in 1930s SF serials like Flash Gordon. Forlorn violins escort the beautiful Arachnia, while menacing, martial horns accompany the activities of the evil Chaotica. From the slightly murky sound quality to the understated recognition of such classical composers as Franz Liszt (whose "Le Prelude" served as the title music for the original Flash Gordon), Bell magnificently captures the melodic milieu of those vintage SF adventures.
In fact, the only real problem with the package is that it offers only selected cues from each episode rather than the entire scores. Nonetheless, the compositions presented are excellent. Fans and critics may debate Trek's future, but The Best of Star Trek--Vol. 2 proves that, at least musically, the franchise is alive and well.
