The story behind ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ and its infamous intro song

For the “Star Trek“The franchise, the music for the TV shows and the movies was something that helped set Trek apart. From the start, Trek had a different sound for their first series. Composed by Alexandre Courage, the “Star Trek” theme was written in November 1966 and has become a iconic piece of music.

Scientific research has proven that music “guides the audience in certain ways, for example emotionally, and it enriches and deepens their experience of the film. Thanks to research carried out by Teacher. Nanette Nielsen at the University of Oslo, there is solid research that says that music “always plays on something deep within us and is therefore capable of moving us”.

The theme of “The Next Generation”

“Even when we are sitting alone in a room, alone and listening, we still have our thoughts and our imaginations,” Nielsen said, in a report on some of his research. “Music can work in a powerful way to evoke memories and ideas and thus engage our thoughts and feelings. Music can simply help shape the stories of our lives.

Since it is scientifically proven that music can “engage” people’s “thoughts and feelings”, it is no wonder that “Star Trek” music, according to writer Alasdair Stuart, “did an incredible job of encapsulating the spirit and scope of the shows.”

That is, with the exception of the theme of “Star Trek: Enterprise”. This is the theme that seems to be cited more than any other as eccentric in the bunch. Even if a StarTrek.com official survey rated Courage’s theme lower than the music for “Enterprise”, it is the latter that always draws the wrath of Trek fans.

According to ComicResources, upon hearing the new theme in 2001, fans “reacted as the Trekkies sometimes do: with anger, rejection, and organized demands to replace the song with something else.”

The song was never replaced, but it was changed slightly. Newsweek said the updated version sounded like “smooth jazz-pop”, but the lyrics were the same.

“It’s been a long road …”

The story behind which co-executive producer Rick Berman chose “Where My Heart Will Take Me” is well known. Thanks to the book by Mark A. Altman and Ed Gross, “The Fifty Year Mission: The Next 25 Years”, Berman wanted to try something different and stubbornly wouldn’t change his mind.

“I wanted the animation at the opening instead of just the space-flying thing that had been in all the other ‘Star Trek’ shows,” Berman told Altman and Gross. “Our visual effects specialists produced an incredible visual montage. “

Berman contacted Diane warren, composer, lyricist and fan of “Star Trek”. She authorized Berman to use “Where My Heart Will Take Me”, originally written for the Robin Williams movie, “Patch Adams. “The song was originally performed by Rod stewart.

They hired a British pop singer Russell watson to record the “Star Trek” version of the song.

“We recorded the song and put it in the animation, and everyone thought it was great,” Berman said. “And the audience hated it.”

U2’s “Beautiful day”

Before the cut was attached to Watson’s song, the cast and crew got to see a different version of the show’s opening. This version featured the number one hit from Irish pop group U2 – “Magnificent day.“

When “Enterprise” screenwriter and producer Mike Sussman seen the U2 version, he reacted quite differently.

“When they showed us the opening graphics, it was on U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’, which is an amazing song,” Sussman says Gross and Altman. “It comes back to the people who run the franchise saying, ‘We have to do something different. We have to shake it up. And sort of shake it up in several bad ways. “

Co-executive producer Brannon Braga also liked the U2 version better than what was ultimately created with Watson.

“If we had used it – or if we could have afforded it – this would have been a great song,” Braga said in “The Fifty Year Mission: The Next 25 Years. “

“These main titles with U2 are amazing,” said Braga. “It’s hip and cool, while the song we ended up with is horrible. I’m a huge fan of Diane Warren, she’s a great songwriter, but that particular song and the way it was sung was out of date.

“I always cringe when I hear it and, by the way, I think the song has a lot to do with people’s negative reaction to the show,” Braga said. “If you look at the main titles themselves, it’s a really cool streak. But the song is awful, just awful.

As Braga noted, the show’s budget couldn’t afford to allow U2’s song – which had already been used for many projects, including the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Sussman also told Gross and Altman that Diane Warren let Berman use “Where My Heart Will Take Me” for “next to nothing.”

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