Classic TV Themes: Star Trek
Before we start, no I am not writing about Alexander Courage’s classic main theme for the original Star Trek show. I can add nothing further to that particular discussion and it remains iconic and inspiring, even when distilled down to just the initial fanfare. In this post I want to draw your attention to another piece of music from Star Trek that has permeated its way into popular culture. A cue that when heard, if the listener is familiar with its provenance, will instantly conjure up images of flying drop kicks, ear claps and judo chops. A piece of music that can be added to pretty much any video footage and instantly make it more heroic. Yes, I am talking about what has become generically known as Star Trek “fight music”. Or more specifically, the "The Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah" cue from Amok Time (S02E01) composed by Gerald Fried. The scene during the koon-ut-kal-if-fee ritual in which Spock fights Kirk on the planet Vulcan for complicated “reasons”.
Veteran composer Gerald Fried had written scores for Stanley Kubrick (The Killing and Paths of Glory) and had an established reputation for providing quality material for TV, having notably provided incidental music for numerous episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Fried wrote the music scores for five episodes of the first season of Star Trek. Over the years the "The Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah" cue has gained a curious cult following. This may be because the music was re-used in many more episodes throughout the second season and became among the most memorable pieces of the entire show. It featured in the Jim Carrey film The Cable Guy and was further referenced again by Michael Giacchino in Star Trek Into Darkness in a fight between Spock and Khan Noonien Singh. It is also used in the Coliseum mission in Star Trek Online.
So here for your edification and enjoyment is the complete "The Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah" cue by Gerald Fried. It is a very flamboyant piece of music with a very sixties idiom and arrangement (dig the Bass line). For those with a liking for memes, even when played over the most mundane and arbitrary video footage, it immediately elevates the status of that material. Hence you will find YouTube videos of cats fighting and people struggling to put out their bins, with this track playing in accompaniment. I personally like the cue for what it is. It always elicits fond memories of Star Trek TOS which was a staple of my youth. It also reminds me that music was a far more prominent aspect of TV shows back in the sixties and seventies and that a lot more time and effort was spent on writing a score. So grab a Lirpa, rip your T-Shirt at the shoulder and do some forward rolls. It’s time to fight!
