Thursday, November 12, 2015

Knowing All Science Fiction Music

By Mattie Knight


Television shows and current movies all have certain themes that are played once they come on the screen. The good folks who call Tucson AZ home know that science fiction music is entertaining on every possible level. When "Space 1999" "Lost In Space" and "Star Trek" were first created they had great tunes to go along with their opening. Classic television shows have been around for decades and it always helps when they have great intros.

During the 1960's Gene Roddenberry created a hit series titled "Star Trek" which dealt with a Captain and his crew who were exploring outer space for several years. At the start of this show William Shatner would say a few words before a daring tune would start playing. People all over the world are familiar with this sound which was created by Alexander Courage who was a great musician during his time.

People living within the United States were always glad to hear Alexander's opening tune to this show each and every week. It is quite easy to see why many youngsters identify with the "Star Trek" theme since it is very simple and smooth. Some of these tykes even use these tunes while they are playing.

Later on the producers decided to go with another style of music when they created the next series which was called "The Next Generation." The show "Space 1999" took a newer approach when it created the opening theme for this unique series which was filmed in England.

Many of the actors playing on "Space 1999" were British and they really had no connection to the American audience at all. Luckily Barbara Bain and Martin Landau were quite popular in America since they had already starred on a series called "Mission Impossible" in the late 60's.

The series hired a male named Barry Gray to arrange all of the musical numbers for this unique production. Many viewers were pleased to take a sneak peak at the show while the opening credits were on. These particular tunes playing at the start of the show were exciting. After a couple of years had passed "Space 1999" was finally finished and both Barbara and Martin moved back to the states.

"Lost In Space" is still a fan favorite show even though it first started about fifty years ago. During the first season the opening scenes were animated and the theme was composed by John Williams. This particular theme played for two years until Williams decided to write a new tune. During season three he dropped the animated opening and gave the show a more exciting countdown which led to the intro.

He would now show images of Mark, Angela, Marta, June, Guy, Billy and Johnathan while the opening tune was playing. This was a very bold move for this series and it worked really well. Many of the viewers loved this idea and they continued to watch the show until it came to a sudden end in 1968.




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