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| Composer: | James Horner |
| Additional Music: | Alexander Courage |
| Orchestrator: | Jack Hayes |
| Label: | GNP Crescendo Records |
| Release Date: | 5 February 1982 |
James Horner's original score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Overview
Following the percieved creative failure of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, director Nicholas Meyer and the creatives behind the follow up project sought a different tone for The Wrath of Khan. Enter composer James Horner, a relative unknown at the time, getting his big break with his introduction into the Star Trek universe...long before the music of Titanic would bring him Oscars and fame.
In keeping with that new tone, and Meyer's vision of "Horatio Hornblower in outer space", Horner's score took on a distinctly nautical sound, far from Jerry Goldsmith's sweeping fanfares in the previous effort. And yet, subtle hints of Goldsmith's orchestrations exist within the music of The Wrath of Khan, virtually buried within energetic and driving action cues. Horner's score is harsher and edgier, with abrasive brass leading driving strings and clanking percussive elements.
Identifiable themes exist throughout, including motifs for Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise, Khan and the renegades aboard the Reliant, and a stand-out theme for Spock - that would return as the opening fanfare of Star Trek III.
While considered by many to be one of best (if not the absolute best) scores of the Star Trek films, Khan is nevertheless more about motifs and features fewer memorable - or hummable - marches than films like The Motion Picture and even Cliff Eidelman's Star Trek VI. Still a benchmark in Star Trek and action film music in general, Khan set a standard to be expanded upon by other composers and Horner himself. This outing widely considered the formative work in Horner's career, which still echoes with elements from his work in Star Trek.
Track Listing
The commercial soundtrack release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan contained a sampling of the music used in the film. Below is a list of the tracks made widely available.
- It should be noted that the cues are significantly disorganized, with tracks arranged differently than how they are heard in the actual film.
| # | Title/Runtime |
|---|---|
| 1 | Main Title* (3:03) |
| 2 | Surprise Attack (5:06) |
| 3 | Spock (1:10) |
| 4 | Kirk's Explosive Reply (4:02) |
| 5 | Khan's Pets (4:18) |
| 6 | Enterprise Clears Moorings (3:32) |
| 7 | A Battle in the Mutara Nebula (8:08) |
| 8 | Genesis Countdown (6:36) |
| 9 | Epilogue / End Title*† (8:40) |
| Total | 44:50 |
- *Contains TOS theme composed by Alexander Courage
- † Contains dialogue performed by Leonard Nimoy
External Links
| Previous soundtrack release: Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
Star Trek Movie Soundtrack Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan |
Next soundtrack release: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock |