In addition to “The Motion Picture” and “Next Generation,” Goldsmith also wrote the themes to the films “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” as well as “Star Trek: First Contact,” “Star Trek: Insurrection,” and “Star Trek: Nemesis.” He also did the theme song for “Star Trek: Voyager.” For many Trekkies, Goldsmith’s sound is as synonymous with Trek as John Williams’ scores are to “Star Wars.” This is why it was so weird to hear Russell Watson sing “Faith of the Heart” as the theme for “Star Trek: Enterprise.” It was just … off.
“Star Trek: Picard” doesn’t just recreate the Goldsmith sound, but literally reuses his scores. “Picard” abandons the theme it used in its first two seasons (written by Jeff Russo) and moves its title sequence to the end of each episode. The music over the end credits is Goldsmith’s exact score for “First Contact.” It’s not even a re-orchestration. It’s just the same music again. Throughout “Picard” as well, other Goldsmith quotations are used quite heavily, including the notorious “BWAAAAM” sound used throughout “The Motion Picture.”
These musical quotations don’t feel like a mere retread, however, and aren’t included for mere nostalgia. They, instead, give “Picard” a classical feeling, subconsciously legitimizing the show in the minds of Trekkies everywhere. For years, it seemed that newer Trek shows were hellbent on skewing as far as possible from the franchise’s established hallmarks. The newer shows were more violent, and focused more on war and action and the new scores were altered appropriately. The music no longer indicated frontiersmanship, but mayhem. The music is fine, but the mood was just as … off as the presence of Russell Watson.
As such, having the music back in place for the new season of “Picard” is a boon.