Wednesday 18 November 2015

Knowing All Science Fiction Music

By Mattie Knight


It is always interesting to hear great tunes whenever a person turns on the television set within their home. People living in Tucson AZ know that they will indeed be hearing great science fiction music whenever a show like "Star Trek" "Lost In Space" or "Space 1999" comes over the airwaves. These shows are all classics and they really capture the viewers attention at every moment of broadcast.

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.

This very British show featured talented actors who were all interesting on every level. The human beings living within the United States had never seen any of these thespians before but they were still impressed with their work. It was also great that former "Mission Impossible" stars Barbara and Martin Landau were able to work on this series.

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.

For three seasons many people tuned in to watch a series called "Lost In Space" which dealt with a family who had many adventures away from Earth. John Williams took the time to compose a great tune for the series when it first went on the air. The opening showed the actors in cartoon form for the first two years and this was also a unique approach for a brand new series. The final year of this show was completely different and even did a countdown at the show's start.

Viewers were now able to see the faces of the actual actors who were starring within the show. This was a way that everyone could actually see Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Johnathan Harris, Mark Gooddard, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright and Billy Mummy. The tune was very upbeat and really made human beings jump for joy. Unfortunately this was the last season of the show since the ratings had slipped. Mr. John Williams also created the theme for the motion picture "Star Wars" during the 1970's and this was one of his greatest accomplishments.




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