Eidelman did co-score 'Last of the Mohicans' and score 'Dragonheart'. I don't know what happened with his career, but he did seem to work in the margins, which is both surprising and disappointing. I suppose careers in film music do depend on timing and being luck with certain assignents.
This is my absolute favorite Star Trek theme. I love that dark, brooding sound, as if there's danger lurking out there somewhere. I'm shocked to hear that Cliff Eidelman hasn't been utilized as a composer since he wrote this . I think he is a brilliant composer.
A different movie needs a different soundtrack. It almost sounds like it could be the track for a Borg movie. That wall of sound feels like a dread of impending doom, much like the Borg were originally written to be, and much like the future is.
Of all the theme music to all the Star Trek movies this one really fit the movie it goes to like a glove of old leather. The extraordinary tension of not knowing (from Kirk's perspective at least) of what was going to happen. A very tension filled theme.
The Savoy 16 Theater in Savoy, IL played this in their lobby for about 3 years after the film came out, and had a battle damaged Enterprise model and Bird of Prey hanging from their lobby ceiling for about a year when the movie came out. I loved it! It was my first Star Trek movie experience.
Love the music from this move, love it very much. Saw this in the theater when it came out, and after the utter disappointment of The Final Frontier, it was so refreshing to see a Trek film that was played seriously and could get my blood stirring again.
No. The perfect send off for the original cast was The Voyage Home. When you break it down, The Undiscovered Country is pretty awful and makes no sense.
Yes! It weaves in and out of both with similar devices, chords, tropes, rhythms, melodies, motifs, themes, etc. It's very well done. You can definitely tell the composer was influenced by both. Hell, I'm sure a ton of movie composers are influenced by that Holst piece. The whole thing has stretches where is like a musical score.
The Klingon/Federation conflict was more like a cold war, so the best interpretation would be the Terrans as the US and the Klingons as the USSR. General Chang wanted to start a full on war between the federation and Klingons because he believed it would happen. Best Interpretation: Federation=USA Klingons=USSR [We are not friends] Romulans=Chinese [They have a shaky alliance with the Klingons] Dominion=Nazi Germany Cardassians=Italy [Useless ally] Breen=Japan [Useful Ally] Fed+Kling+Rom=Allies
The Cardassians could've won the war if not for the constant interference of the female Founder. Just allow the legates and guls lay their traps and tricks that helped them stalemate the Federation border wars. Combine that with Dominion numbers and tech and the Federation and Klingons would've lost.
the movie itself was quite symbolistic since it was a parallel of the end of the Cold War as some of us have know through this show and also in reality. That very music is quite of genius level based on our own History
I don't know why, but this music makes me think of Andross from the Star Fox games. Also, the theme is very fitting for what is probably the most suspensful film in the Star Trek movie series, and also has that climatic feeling to it since this would be the last movie with the original cast.
I was just thinking it'd fit Ganondorf from the Zelda series too. More so the Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess carnations of him. This music just gets me pumped for this movie every time. Oh yeah; high five to another Star Fox and Star Trek fan!
It is a great score; while listening to it, you really feel the tension like you were on the bridge of the Enterprise yourself; that if Kirk and co. don't succeed, then the Federation and Klingons will be arming for war. On another note, for some reason I hear this and think it wouldn't be out of place in the old Michael Keaton Batman film; that's a compliment BTW.
Meyer originally wanted the entire soundtrack based on Gustav Holst's “The Planets,” but Holst’s heirs balked at the idea. Just as well - it wouldn’t have worked (“Mars” is the only truly dark piece from “Planets” and this was a dark movie.). I saw “ST VI” the day it opened in 1991 and was delighted at how well the twenty-something Eidelman handled the music. To this day, I don’t understand why this wasn’t the springboard to a great career for him (as “ST II” was James Horner’s).
Interesting how this opening resembles "Mars," which also played a part in the beginning of the "Star Wars" phenomenon. When it was clear that SW wouldn't open for its original release date of Christmas, 1976, due to most of the effects from Industrial Light and Magic being so far behind, a composite of the completed effects was shown for the employees working on the film, with "Mars," as its accompaniment, to boost morale. It certainly did.
I didn't get to see a Trek movie in theaters till I was 18 and saw the first of the reboots. This movie did however come out the year I was born though and its kinda funny since this is my favorite out of the Star Trek movies - both in plot and musical score. Plus I was raised on the original series by my late father who was a big Trekkie.
Neptune is very dark. It’s motifs are often used to convey the coldness and loneliness of space in sci fi (like the transition after the Star Wars theme ends to the first star field and pan to planet or ship) as well as movies like Apollo 13 (transposition and docking and the revelation of the damage to the SM are definitely based on Neptune).
I agree...he's great in Shakespeare, and having him recite that as a Klingon just worked. He was part of the Star Trek franchise, but at the same time got to bring out one of his best talents.
If you guys want to hear one of the main inspirations for this piece, look up "Mars: The Bringer of War" by Gustav Holst. I find making allusions to his music very appropriate for the subject matter of of this film, and how it starts with Praxis exploding.
One of the greatest movie opening songs in sci-fi history, however its quite odd how praxxis explodes and a fed star ship past the neutral zone detects, and then encounters the blast thats got to be sevaral light years away....i guess maybe the blast went to warp speed?
+Dave Bal Starship sensors are far faster than warp velocity. Always have been. How else can they detect a Romulan ship sitting on the edge of the Neutral Zone when they are still hours away from it?
Everything about this movie is an allegory for the collapse of the Soviet Union, right down to this scene: When Chernobyl exploded, the Russians kept it quiet, and it wasn't until the radiation travelled all the way to frigging SWEDEN (I think...it was definitely a Nordic country) that people said "What the hell??" and Russia finally fessed up ("Oops. Our nuclear reactor blew up"). A lot of people think this is what led to the Soviet Union falling apart. Likewise, the Klingons suddenly wanted to make peace because they were going to be screwed if they didn't change.
Actually the blast was going at warp speed. Praxis was an energy production facility and dilithium mine. It was for all intents and purposes a planet sized warp core breach. A subspace shockwave.
LUVED this score! Always thought it was somehow trying to convey a story behind the scenes beginning with some dark plan and climaxing with the destruction of the Klingon moon at the beginning of the film! But that's just me. :)
I can't watch this film as I actually get a little misty-eyed, and this amazing score is a testament to that fact. I thought I was the only one who hated that crap Abrams passed off as Star Trek. I'm glad to be proven wrong.
I really do miss the old school sci fi sound to music. everything from the original planet of the apes, to star wars, to old school star trek. you just don't hear stuff like this in hollywood music anymore.
@krazie835 I think the way they used the full Alexander Courage theme over the end credits rather than just the fanfare opening was wrong. Nothing can match Goldsmith's theme and Horner's theme. Eidelman is right up there and should have done the new Trek, what an awesome composer, its disgraceful he is not used on these big sci fi movies. Trek 6 is an awesome score!
It's a little hard to comprehend that this franchise has been with me my entire life. Is there any other tv show that has lasted this long? What is it now ten major motion pictures? Takes up a sizeable portion of the web and has been in nearly every home in America at some point or another.
I've always wondered why they didn't use Nicholas Meyer to direct ALL the Star Trek movies. He clearly directed the 2 best ones in my opinion (Star Trek 2 - Wrath of Khan & this one, Star Trek 6 - Undiscovered Country) at least the ones with the original characters. When you compare these movies to other ones (like Star Trek 5 - The Final Frontier), the difference is very obvious. It's sad, by the time they probably realized it, it was too late (this being the last film with original characters)
Love this music It does sound very heavily influenced by Wagner Listen to the Invocation of Albrect. There is a stretch in that piece that sounds a lot like this
There is a piece from "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (I think its the entrance of the gods to Valhalla) that sounds very similar to this. The composer must have been influenced by Wagner.
The problem with the first six Star Trek music scores is that they usually contradicted the existing accepted idea of what Star Trek should sound like musically. Goldsmith's 'TMP' replaced Courage's 'TOS', which initially took some getting used to. Then Horner seemed to be established as series composer, only for a jarring change to Rosenman. Then Goldsmith again. When it seemed as if Goldsmith's sound would represent ST as a whole, up pops Eidelman. Eidelman's score is excellent, but it was as big a change in direction as the 6 films had. And being both darker and lower key in use, I had to hear it about 3 times before it became fully associated with ST in my mind.
