Scoring Star Trek’s Utopia: Musical Iconicity in the Star Trek Franchise, 1966-2016 by Paul Allen Sommerfeld Department of Music Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Bryan Gilliam, Supervisor ___________________________ Neil Lerner ___________________________ Louise Meintjes ___________________________ Scott Lindroth ___________________________ Fredric Jameson Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Music in the Graduate School of Duke University 2017 ABSTRACT Scoring Star Trek’s Utopia: Musical Iconicity in the Star Trek Franchise, 1966-2016 by Paul Allen Sommerfeld Department of Music Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Bryan Gilliam, Supervisor ___________________________ Neil Lerner ___________________________ Louise Meintjes ___________________________ Scott Lindroth ___________________________ Fredric Jameson An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Music in the Graduate School of Duke University 2017 Copyright by Paul Allen Sommerfeld 2017 Abstract “Scoring Star Trek’s Utopia” investigates music as articular of the Star Trek franchise’s shifting discourses. This study focuses on the role of the fanfare from The Original Series title theme in foregrounding, concealing, or initiating Trek’s ideological tensions. By analyzing how the fanfare is complicit in Trek’s narrative and philosophical efforts—that is, its part in scoring a futuristic utopia— I uncover continuities and discontinuities within the franchise’s fifty years of production. Star Trek has become one of the largest brands of the twenty-first century: thirteen films, six television series, interactive concert performances, and thousands of fan creations. The contributions of the fanfare, a near-constant presence, are both lacking in study and vital to a more nuanced history of Trek’s growth. Using previously unstudied archival sketches and scores, the filmic texts themselves, and viewers’ reactions to them, this study grounds an analysis of Trek’s musical-ideological developments within the practice of media consumption. Through archival research and close viewing of Star Trek’s films and television series—arguably its most well-known media—I trace music’s crucial role in building the franchise’s ubiquity for American audiences. I examine choices made during the filmmaking process, such as where the fanfare appears, how it is altered, musical material derived from its characteristics, and its audiovisual placement. Over thirty different composers have contributed to Trek’s scoring (not to mention the directors, screenwriters, and actors involved), increasing the directions the franchise has taken. Drawing on scholarship that considers the construction of meaning, memory, and nostalgia in music, I argue that viewers can and do retain awareness of the fanfare’s past and present manifestations. Even as Star Trek reifies its past, the potential within its multifaceted directions offers an enduring, yet malleable legacy for the present and future. In so doing, “Scoring Star Trek’s Utopia” approaches an understanding of franchised film and television scoring as well as illustrates music’s integral role in defining and branding an ever-expanding media universe. iv Dedication To my parents, Allen and Mary Sommerfeld, whose love and encouragement have fostered my passion for both music and film. v Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ x Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... xix Introduction. To Boldly Go Where Others Have Gone Before ............................................... 1 Star Trek’s Conception ............................................................................................................ 5 The Fanfare as Herald of The Original Series ....................................................................... 9 Star Trek Sources ................................................................................................................... 15 State of Research ................................................................................................................... 19 Theoretical Background ....................................................................................................... 25 Semiotics and Meaning in Star Trek’s Fanfare .................................................................. 28 Star Trek and Utopia ............................................................................................................. 34 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................ 37 Chapter One. Franchising the Fanfare: Star Trek and Cinematic Adaptation .................... 40 Star Trek’s Cinematic Debut ................................................................................................ 43 Forming Star Trek’s Musical Icons ...................................................................................... 60 The Beguine in The Motion Picture ............................................................................................ 60 The Fanfare in Wrath of Khan .................................................................................................. 72 Fanfare Traces in The Motion Picture ......................................................................................... 81 The Fanfare and the Enterprise .............................................................................................. 87 vi Scoring Spock’s Utopia ........................................................................................................ 98 Conclusion: Utopia as Already Heard ............................................................................ 111 Chapter Two. Star Trek in The Wrath of Khan’s Wake ........................................................... 114 The Fanfare and The Original Series Cast ......................................................................... 124 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ............................................................................................ 125 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .............................................................................................. 129 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ................................................................................................ 135 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .................................................................................... 141 The Fanfare and The Next Generation Television Series ................................................ 144 The Fanfare and The Next Generation Film Series ........................................................... 157 Conclusion: Star Trek and the Personal Level ................................................................ 170 Chapter Three. Markers of Utopian Difference: Deep Space Nine and Voyager ................ 175 Musical Continuity in Deep Space Nine and Voyager ...................................................... 197 The Fanfare and Religious Belief in Deep Space Nine ..................................................... 206 Ethical Dilemmas in Voyager ............................................................................................. 221 Conclusion: Same Means, Different Ends ....................................................................... 236 Chapter Four. (Re)Scoring Star Trek’s Utopia in a Post-9/11 World .................................. 239 Scoring Retrofuturism in Enterprise ................................................................................. 248 Ideological (Re)Orientation: Enterprise and The Original Series ................................................. 253 Retrofuturism in Enterprise’s Pilot Episode ............................................................................ 256 Continued Neo-Conservative Rhetoric: Enterprise Season 4 ................................................... 263 Rebooting a Reboot: The New Star Trek .......................................................................... 275 vii Scoring Kirk’s Retrofuturist Utopia ...................................................................................... 278 (Re)Scoring Spock’s Utopia .................................................................................................. 292 Khan Rises Again: Star Trek Into Darkness ............................................................................. 297 Conclusion: The Aesthetic Feedback Loop ..................................................................... 304 Chapter Five. Navigating Postmodernity: Star Trek’s Legacy and Musical Fandom ..... 307 Corporatized Fanfiction in Galaxy Quest ......................................................................... 316 The Fanfare and Amateur Film Productions .................................................................