tar Trek has served as a science-fiction touchstone for nearly 40 years, setting a standard, for better or worse, for how both genre buffs and individuals outside SF-fan circles regard speculative movies and TV shows. Most folks, if they consciously notice at all, likely focus their observations on the sets, storylines and special effects, but the franchise has also consistently furnished devotees with genuinely momentous music. A fresh two-CD set, austerely titled The Star Trek Album, collects cues from nearly all of the myriad Trek productions, haphazardly exhibiting the musical depth and development of this influential venture.
The 19 cuts—all symphonic recreations primarily performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra—showcase the different approaches taken by various composers when boldly going "where no one has gone before." Launching with Alexander Courage's archetypal television "Theme," the initial disc supplies tunes from the first five spinoff films, including "Klingon Attack," penned by Jerry Goldsmith for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Leonard Rosenman's uplifting "End Titles" from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The platter also features "Tasha's Farewell" from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Deep Space Nine "Theme" and the stirring "End Titles" from the eighth big-screen outing, Star Trek: First Contact.
On the second CD there's one selection apiece from the four remaining movies, along with the Voyager "Theme," a melody from the Star Fleet Academy video game and additional works from Deep Space Nine and the original TV series. An eight-page booklet provides thumbnail plot outlines and concise musical facts about each production.
Disorganized and disappointing
Whether Star Trek has been a bane or a blessing for science fiction is an argument that's perhaps best left to academics, but there can be little disagreement that, from an orchestral perspective, the franchise has inspired some monumentally moving and memorable moments. Although a few of those highlights enliven The Star Trek Album, many of the most affecting compositions are curiously absent. That fact, exacerbated by the needless insertion between some tracks of silly sound effects and the apparently random organization of the collection as a whole, results in a product that is overwhelmingly disorganized and disappointing.
Be that as it may, there are a handful of redeeming recitations. James Horner's "Overture" for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn is absolutely invigorating, superbly signaling via soaring brass and undulating strings the adventure's high-stakes action and drama. Goldsmith's Star Trek: Nemesis "Suite" is similarly stimulating, contrasting martial percussion and sharp horns with warm tones to express, by turns, treachery, terror and tenderness, just as "One Last Visit," written by Dennis McCarthy for the Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor," offers a heartwrenching and achingly tender air.
Still, with almost four decades of great music to draw upon, the producers should have included much more. The familiar Voyager motif is the only cut featured from that series, and, despite a number of noteworthy efforts, there's not a single Enterprise entry. Combine such substantive shortcomings with the annoying interstitial inserts and an arbitrary melodic lineup, and it's clear that The Star Trek Album is altogether unexceptional.
