It’s no secret that my favorite Trek film scores are those that broke the mold of the signature sounds of Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner that to this day seem to be remembered almost better than Alexander Courage’s original theme. That McCarthy opted to play this film’s epic near-mythical qualities up instead of falling back on the familiar makes it listenable even away from its visual accompaniment. Still, aside from the amazingly beautiful passage that accompanies Picard’s Christmas reverie in the Nexus and a couple of pulsating action sequences, this score lacks the mystery and menace of McCarthy’s music for the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine. The Nexus scenes are covered with a large
choir that wafts from atonal to almost Gregorian-chant-like and back again. Even to non-Trek-fans, this piece alone merits the whole album. I highly recommend it, and hope McCarthy gets a stab at another movie – the larger aural canvas of the big screen seems to have given him a definite shot in the arm, creatively speaking.
- Star Trek: Generations overture (4:13)
- Main Title (2:52)
- The Enterprise-B / Kirk Saves the Day (3:13)
- Deck 15 (1:39)
- Time Is Running Out (1:12)
- Prisoner Exchange (2:57)
- Outgunned (3:20)
- Out of Control / The Crash (2:05)
- Coming to Rest (0:57)
- The Nexus / A Christmas Hug (7:07)
- Jumping the Ravine (1:37)
- Two Captains (1:32)
- The Final Fight (8:15)
- Kirk’s Death (2:45)
- To Live Forever (2:40)
Sound effects:
- Enterprise-B Bridge (3:13)
- Enterprise-B Doors Open (0:13)
- Distress Call Alert (0:10)
- Enterprise-B Helm Controls (0:16)
- Nexus Energy Ribbon (1:38)
- Enterprise-B Deflector Beam (0:08)
- Enterprise-B Warp Pass-By (0:14)
- Enterprise-D Transporter (0:12)
- Tricorder (0:30)
- Hypo Injector (0:03)
- Communicator Chirp (0:06)
- Door Chime (0:07)
- Enterprise-D Warp Out #1 (0:22)
- Bird of Prey Bridge/Explosion (2:51)
- Klingon Sensor Alert (0:08)
- Bird of Prey Cloaks (0:04)
- Bird of Prey Decloaks (0:10)
- Klingon Transporter (0:12)
- Soran’s Gun (0:11)
- Soran’s Rocket’s Decloaks (0:05)
- Shuttlecraft Pass-By (0:21)
- Enterprise-D Bridge / Crash Sequence (3:21)
- Enterprise-D Warp-Out #2 (0:09)
Released by: GNP Crescendo
Release date: 1994
Total running time: 60:33