Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

I am very much in two minds about Cliff Eidelman's only entry into the Star Trek franchise to date. There are some good ideas here and a welcome change in direction that doesn't undermine the Star Trek music ethos too much. The problem is that the good material isn't perhaps as used as well as it might be. The opening Overture is a pretty impressive opening and one that built surprisingly well to the explosion that opens the film. Claims of sounding like Mars from the Planets (doesn't all brassy, martial and vaguely threatening music get accused of that?) are predictable, but since director Nicholas Meyer wanted to actually license music from the Planets to score the film the amount fact that Eidelman manages to avoid it being a total ripoff is an achievement in itself.
The ebb and flow low strings that build up to battering percussion, brass and choir form the basis for the first half of the score, but not after a nostalgic side step with Clear All Moorings that is as gooey eyed as it could be without nauseating maudlin. The early scenes covering the assassination with the choir chanting in Klingon are most effective and build up menace and are somewhat more complex than any of the previous Klingon material. Some of the central sections seem perhaps a little aimless, but Eidelman's uncompromisingly dark atmosphere is superbly sustained and an interesting use of percussion and choir mean it never gets boring. Climactic scenes in Star Trek films are invariably well scored and the Battle for Peace is perhaps the best final showdown since Horner's unbearably tense and exciting Battle in the Mutara Nebula. It doesn't have quite the strong narrative flow or complexity of Horner's writing, but is still a gripping finale.

The nostalgia of Clear All Moorings is reprised to some extent with Eidelman's very underused heroic themes. The dark Klingon material dominates almost all the score, but Kirk and crew are given a really quite wonderful musical send off. Sign Off is a piece of music that no hardened Trekker would have been able to sit through dry eyed in the cinema as it signalled the end of the original crew's onscreen voyages. Considering what good themes Eidelman penned for the occasion, it is unfortunate that they only get a really good outing right at the end and for the end titles suite.

Cynically speaking, the most impressive thing about the score is that Eidelman wasn't inundated with offers of work afterward. It was noticeable in the film at all the crucial moments, but kept its presence subtle enough when required. It isn't really up to the best of Goldsmith or Horner, but is certainly the best Trek score by anyone else. I hope Eidelman's quality of assignments picks up as he seems quite capable of providing the kind of musical canvas required for big budget sci-fi. The parade of low budget family dramas aren't really a good place to be noticed, which is a great shame, but to be honest, he doesn't always do a particularly interesting job with many of them. However, a hugely impressive early score from a composer who really should be going places.