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Jerry Goldsmith's original score for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Additional music performed by Hiroshima [1].

Overview[]

Much overshadowed by his higher profile ventures with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the Star Trek: The Next Generation-era scores (beginning with Star Trek: First Contact), Jerry Goldsmith returned to the Star Trek film series after a decade long absence to compose music for The Final Frontier – under the direction of William Shatner.

For his second contribution, Goldsmith employed his signature Enterprise theme in a number of different arrangements, as well as traditional performances at the film's beginning and end. Woven throughout the structure of the score is the Klingon theme (also established in The Motion Picture), here emboldened by the full orchestra behind the same brass motif. It is only within The Final Frontier that the Klingon theme reaches its fullest potential, heard within action cues as well as softer, more graceful pieces.

Newer themes in Goldsmith's score include the understated melody introduced just after the opening credits, most likely representing the camaraderie of the USS Enterprise-A crew or possibly just Captain Kirk himself. Themes for Sybok's vision of Sha Ka Ree and the highly praised "adversity" motif (heard in "A Busy Man" as well as in the aforementioned TNG films) round out the score.

Certainly one of the "classic" films' highest octane musical entries, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier has nevertheless faded into relative obscurity compared to the successes of Cliff Eidelman's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Goldsmith's own Star Trek: Insurrection. Simultaneously criticized and praised for lending more grandeur to the film than its own images, The Final Frontier still benefits from the stamp Goldsmith placed on the Star Trek franchise.

Placed at the conclusion of the commercial album is "The Moon's a Window to Heaven", here performed by Hiroshima. Composed by Goldsmith, the song can actually be heard (sans lyrics by John Bettis) in the bar in Paradise City before its full blown performance by Uhura in the dunes of Nimbus III.

Notably absent on the album is music heard in the film underscoring Sybok's march into Paradise City and the reprise of the Enterprise crew's theme during the reception scene near the end of the film. Also, like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the order of certain tracks was changed for musical reasons. In the film, the orchestral cues are heard in the following order: 1, 5, 3, 8, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9.

Originally released on the Epic Records label in 1989, in conjunction with the film, the score was reissued in an expanded form, first in 2010 in a limited edition by La-La Land Records, and then in 2012 (with the same track list) in an unlimited run by the Intrada label. The first disc contains the film score expanded with 30 minutes of previously unreleased material, while disc 2 carries a remastered version of the original album release as well as alternate takes, source music, and outtakes.

Track listing[]

The commercial soundtrack release of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier contained a sampling of the music used in the film. Below is a list of the tracks made widely available.

# Title/Runtime
1 The Mountain † (3:53)
2 The Barrier (2:53)
3 Without Help (4:21)
4 A Busy Man (4:42)
5 Open the Gates (3:02)
6 An Angry God (6:58)
7 Let's Get Out of Here (5:15)
8 Free Minds (3:19)
9 Life is a Dream † (3:59)
10 "The Moon's a Window to Heaven" (performed by Hiroshima; 4:00)
Total 42:25
Contains TOS theme composed by Alexander Courage

See also[]


Previous soundtrack release: Series Next soundtrack release:
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek Movie Soundtrack
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
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