Theme From Star Trek - Other Recordings and Uses

Other Recordings and Uses

• In the television series Twelve O'Clock High Season 1, Episode 23 (3/5/65) and Season 2, Episode 7 (10/25/65), with music by Dominic Frontiere (who also composed music for "The Outer Limits" television series. Gene Roddenberry was "often present in the studios" of this series during the conception of the Star Trek pilot episode The Cage), the opening horn motif from the Star Trek theme is heard, verbatim, at the 50-minute mark (Season 1, Episode 23), at the opening (Season 2, Episode 7).

• In the 1970s, Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Uhura on the original series, recorded a disco version of the song with lyrics different from Roddenberry's.

• Van McCoy released an instrumental disco version of the song on his 1976 album The Real McCoy.

• Todd Rundgren's Band, Utopia, released a disco version of the song on their 1976 album, Disco Jets.

• Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson recorded a fusion version of the tune with his big band, first released on his Conquistador album in January 1977. This recording was later used as the opening theme for The Larry King Show on the Mutual Radio Network, and was so popular that King would occasionally play the entire song at the end of the show.

• The theme was used as the breakaway music for the aircraft carrier Enterprise for many years, until it was replaced by the theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture

• In 1992, Austrian dance act Edelweiss had a hit with the number "Starship Edelweiss", which used the theme as its melodic base.

• In the movie Wayne's World, Garth is heard whistling the Star Trek theme while lying on top of the hood of an AMC Pacer. While looking at the stars, he says, "Sometimes I wish I could boldly go where no one's gone before".

• At the 2005 Emmys, Shatner and operatic singer Frederica von Stade performed a live version of the theme, with Shatner reciting the opening monologue and von Stade singing the wordless melody line.

• The 2003 release Magical Moods of the Theremin, by lounge act Project: Pimento includes the theme performed with lyrics, and a theremin. (The title theme recordings for the TV series are often erroneously believed to feature a theremin.)

• In the 2006 film RV, Jeff Daniels' character has an RV with a horn that uses a snippet of the theme.

• In 2007, some TV ads for the Hummer H3 featured the theme recording used in the second and third seasons.

• In 2009, the theme was used as the wake-up call for the crew of mission STS-125 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis.

• On March 7, 2011, Shatner, in character as Kirk, voiced a wake-up call for the crew of STS-133 in the Space Shuttle Discovery on its final day docked to the International Space Station. His call at 0723 UTC, reminiscent of the over-voicing on the original Star Trek series, was backed by the theme as he said, "Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Her 30 year mission: To seek out new science. To build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before."

• Tenacious D has covered the theme live, with the original lyrics, on several occasions.