Leaving Drydock (alternate)-- Star Trek: The Motion Picture

[Numinous20111]

You can hear what Goldsmith was going for here. It's more like the normal approach to SF scoring in the 1970's. Not a big main theme, but evocative instead. Hearing the Goldsmith score in 1970/80 was a bit of a shock at the very start of the film's marketing, because the Courage theme was so deeply associated with ST. It was only when I saw the actual film in the cinema that I understood the new musical approach.

[RichYan33]

When are they going to bring back V'ger??

[waffleownage]

@RichYan33 It could always appear in the new time line, but probably only in a comic or something

[UFOSPACE1999]

But I remember seeing Jerry Talk about STMP ..and he said he didn't have much dealings with Wise at all. IT was the producers...PLUS...there were three teams of Visuals Effects crew who were trying to bring this out for a SUMMER RELEASE? 79.

[foxtaur]

Ever since I saw the special features on the DVD, I wanted to find the alternate scores that Jerry Goldsmith composed, but it seems they are not to be found anywhere! How did you find this gem of movie history?

[tripsadelica]

@foxtaur

Just Google "complete score Star Trek The Motion Picture" and sift through what comes up...I'm sure you'll thank me for this little titbit of info.

As to both the "leaving drydock" and "Enterprise" alternate tracks-they are just beautiful and brilliant pieces of music and a tribute to Jerry Goldsmith. Remember, he had nothing to go on when scoring this film because the visuals were unfinished. he scored from his heart...He said that he wanted to create a musical homage to the future.

[1978rharris]

Ok. This is cool. But thank god it was rejected. I love the theme we have now too much.

[sttwn]

This would have been more appropriate- the whole idea of the Enterprise was based on a ship-based theme in the original series. Shame but still very nice to have it on u tube to listen to.

[spacestevie2]

This sounds like one of his themes for "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." I think Wise rejected it because it sounded "too nautical." While he wanted the nautical motif, the thinking was that it was too much of a nautical theme.

[BasillG]

Although I love Goldsmith's score for this film (one of my all time favorites) I do seriously love these unused additions. Still, I can see why it wasn't used. Aside from the "non-theme" motif, the piece is a bit more up beat at the beginning which slightly steals some of the urgency of the mission at hand. If it were any other mission though, it would be a totally fantastic drydock exit.

[BasillG]

The film and soundtrack have to be timed just right, but this piece actually matches up perfectly to the events on screen as it was eventually released. It does end considerably sooner though, pretty much where Scotty is in engineering telling Kirk it is safe to go to impulse power. I have no idea what they went with beyond that.

[daydreamersproductio]

(continued) So he went back and quickly wrote a new version and then he and someone at the fox studio music department played it on two pianos.  When Wise came in he was in a foul mood from the special effects for that day. They played the new version for him and Wise said something like "Why didn't you do that in the first place" I think this was the first song scored to the movie, and whey the rest of the score follows the version in the film and matches.

[daydreamersproductio]

(continued) And Wise felt exactly the same way. It felt too much like sailing ships. So he went back in and Goldsmith knew he didn't like it. He asked him what was bothering him, and Wise said "It has no theme". Goldsmith thought to himself "Theme". (to be continued)

[daydreamersproductio]

UFOSpacd, that is not why the music wsa changed. They talked about it on the making of DVD and even have both Goldsmith and the films editor Todd Ramsay on video about it. Wise and Ramsay came into the scoring session and heard it and both he and Wise went into the hallway and Wise asked Ramsay what he thought. Ramsay said he couldn't like to Bob and that it sounded like sailing ships. (To be continued)

[VWVVWVVWV]

Where does this come from??? I want one...

[UFOSPACE1999]

The reason for alternates, is because Wise and company were constantly changing the Visuals and filmed product. SOOOO Jerry Goldsmith had to go back to rescore the visual part. Because this version is SHORTER than the film version. SO there was so editing going.

[dafmurray]

I just can't really imagine this cue in the actual film.  It's impressive, theut it doesn't have the clear melodic line that the final film version has. Can you tell me how this fragment matches up to the actual scene.