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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
(1986)
Album Cover Art
1986 MCA
2012 Intrada
Album 2 Cover Art
Co-Composed, Conducted, and Produced by:
Leonard Rosenman

Co-Composed by:
Russell Ferrante
Jimmy Haslip

Orchestrated by:
Ralph Ferraro
Labels Icon
LABELS & RELEASE DATES
MCA Records
(October 25th, 1986)

Intrada Records
(January 5th, 2012)
Availability Icon
ALBUM AVAILABILITY
The 1986 MCA album was a regular U.S. release, but it fell out of print and sold for as much as $75 in the 2000's. The 2012 Intrada album is a regular commercial release but carried an initial retail price of $20.
Awards
AWARDS
Nominated for an Academy Award.
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ALSO SEE





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Availability | Awards | Viewer Ratings | Comments | Audio & Track Listings | Notes
Buy it... only if you are completing your set of "Star Trek" feature film scores and you can forgive the hopelessly upbeat tone, thematic incoherency, and badly dated elements of Leonard Rosenman's wayward and stubborn entry.

Avoid it... if the word lame isn't what you want to think of when hearing the albums for the otherwise respectable collection of creative and robust film scores for this franchise.
Review Icon
EDITORIAL REVIEW
FILMTRACKS TRAFFIC RANK: #644
WRITTEN 6/16/03, REVISED 1/18/12
Rosenman
Rosenman
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: (Leonard Rosenman) When you examine the first ten "Star Trek" films, it's fascinating to recall that Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was the franchise's most prolific fiscal blockbuster. Despite anyone's opinion of the film's merits, it came at a time when the series was heading down a dark, melodramatic path of character deaths that was partially corrected by the resurrection of Spock in the previous installment. With Leonard Nimoy at the controls for a second time, The Voyage Home yielded to elements of pop culture comedy and provided a circus-like atmosphere for the otherwise heroic science fiction crew, figuring the undeniable comedic aspect of the original series back into the equation. Part of the film's popularity also stemmed from its nonstop insults of primitive 20th Century human behavior, as well as the fact that politically correct messages about humpback whales and increasing environmentalism were becoming appealing at the time. Using their commandeered Klingon Bird of Prey, the reunited crew of the now-destroyed Enterprise returns to Earth only to discover that an angry probe (likely piloted by left-wing fanatics from a planet covered entirely in blue states) is using sonic waves to punish the Earthlings because of the lack of whales remaining in their oceans. The crew conveniently goes back in time, loads two humpback whales onto the cramped Klingon ship, and returns just in time to placate the pesky progressives from outer space. Because of the significant departure in the tone of the plot for The Voyage Home, it should come as no surprise that its soundtrack is unique within the franchise as well. The previous entries in the series, written by Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner, were highly respected at the time and remain popular decades later. But Goldsmith was not yet ready to return to the franchise and Horner reportedly turned down the opportunity to continue with the series in advance, leaving Nimoy with the solution (and clout to execute it) that he had originally sought for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock: Leonard Rosenman. Nimoy hired the classically inclined composer, in part because of a mutual friendship and admiration the men had maintained for each other for a decade, to provide a more stately approach to the concept. Only half an hour of orchestral score music was slated to be heard in the film (with a few source-like placements as well), marking another deviation. In fact, a 36-minute sequence set in San Francisco goes completely without score material in the final edit, a result of Nimoy's desire not to underscore any dialogue sequence.


Ratings Icon
VIEWER RATINGS
624 TOTAL VOTES
Average: 2.25 Stars
***** 57 5 Stars
**** 67 4 Stars
*** 95 3 Stars
** 163 2 Stars
* 242 1 Stars
  (View results for all titles)

Comments Icon
COMMENTS
22 TOTAL COMMENTS
Read All Start New Thread Search Comments
It's a great score!
Vincent - October 1, 2017, at 3:04 a.m.
1 comment  (810 views)
Is it really THAT bad?   Expand >>
Rick - March 1, 2012, at 4:13 p.m.
2 comments  (2120 views)
Newest: December 31, 2016, at 10:02 a.m. by
Ed
Alternative review at movie-wave.net
Southall - January 29, 2012, at 5:53 a.m.
1 comment  (1574 views)
A parody score? I don't think so.
Roman (formerly Rally V) - January 23, 2012, at 8:31 a.m.
1 comment  (1640 views)
Intro of NCC-1701-A   Expand >>
Mike Poteet - January 22, 2012, at 8:31 p.m.
2 comments  (2146 views)
Newest: January 26, 2012, at 11:13 a.m. by
Faleel
Baffling Oscar nom   Expand >>
Vader47000 - January 20, 2012, at 7:03 p.m.
3 comments  (2127 views)
Newest: January 22, 2012, at 12:00 a.m. by
Vader47000
More...


Track Listings Icon
TRACK LISTINGS AND AUDIO
Audio Samples   ▼
1986 MCA Album Tracks   ▼Total Time: 36:09
• 1. Main Title* (2:39)
• 2. The Whaler (2:01)
• 3. Market Street** (4:37)
• 4. Crash-Whale Fugue (8:16)
• 5. Ballad of the Whale** (4:59)
• 6. Gillian Seeks Kirk (2:42)
• 7. Chekov's Run (1:20)
• 8. Time Travel (1:28)
• 9. Hospital Chase (1:14)
• 10. The Probe (1:16)
• 11. Home Again: End Credits* (5:38)
* contains original television theme by Alexander Courage
** composed by Leonard Rosenman, Russell Ferrante, and Jimmy Haslip, and performed and arranged by The Yellowjackets
2012 Intrada Album Tracks   ▼Total Time: 72:34

Notes Icon
NOTES AND QUOTES
The insert of the 1986 MCA album includes no extra information about the score or film. The 2012 Intrada album's insert contains extensive notes about both.
Copyright © 2003-2025, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home are Copyright © 1986, 2012, MCA Records, Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 6/16/03 and last updated 1/18/12.
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