Re: How Roddenberry Screwed Over TREK Composer Alexander Courage

On 2025-03-28 2:33 PM, BTR1701 wrote:

One of the most important parts of any successful television series is its
theme music. Whether the theme is a song with lyrics that provide necessary
exposition to explain the show's premise (as in the case of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND)
or an instrumental that offers a catchy thematic hook (like HILL STREET
BLUES), a series' theme music is familiar, easily recognizable beacon that
signals to regular viewers week after week.
 STAR TREK was no exception. Although the series never ranked high in the
ratings during its original 1966-69 run, its theme music-- a pinging,
four-note opening to William Shatner's famous "where no man has gone before"
narration, followed by a melody overlaid with a quavering soprano wail-- was,
like THE TWILIGHT ZONE's, recognized even by people who never watched the show
itself.
 But even most regular viewers were unfamiliar with the theme's lyrics, or were
even aware that the STAR TREK theme had lyrics, because they were never used
in the show.
 When Desilu studios produced their STAR TREK pilot , they despaired of finding
a top-notch composer to score the theme music. Film and TV composers earn most
of their money from residuals paid for repeat performances of their
compositions, so few of them want to spend their time scoring pilots that have
little chance of becoming series, or movies that will disappear without a
trace. The combination of Desilu (a small studio with a history of
unsuccessful pilots) and an unusual "serious" science fiction series (rare in
television at the time) did not offer a promising opportunity for composers.
Fortunately for Desilu (and STAR TREK), their musical director recommended a
talented and experienced arranger from Twentieth Century Fox by the name of
Alexander Courage. Courage created the memorable STAR TREK theme, as well as a
number of other key pieces of incidental music and sound effects.
 Once the STAR TREK pilot was bought by NBC, Courage was in an enviable
position: he would receive royalties every time an episode of STAR TREK was
run (or re-run), and even more royalties if the show lasted long enough to be
sold into syndication after its network run was finished. Courage's windfall
lasted only a year, until STAR TREK creator Gene Roddenberry suddenly laid
claim to half the royalties. How? Pressured by Roddenberry, Courage had made a
"handshake deal" a couple of years earlier that gave Roddenberry the option of
composing lyrics for Courage's STAR TREK music (and Courage signed a
contract-- unknowingly, he later claimed-- to that effect). Roddenberry
exercised that option, writing lyrics for the main theme and then asserting
his right to half the performance royalties as a co-composer. It made no
difference that the lyrics were not intended to be used in the show itself and
had never been recorded or released. As the lyricist, Roddenberry was entitled
to an equal share of the royalties, whether or not the lyrics were ever used.
 Courage protested in vain that although the arrangement may have been legal,
it was unethical: Roddenberry's lyrics added nothing to the value of the music
and were created for no reason other than to usurp half the composer's
performance royalties. An unsympathetic Roddenberry proclaimed, "Hey, I have
to get some money somewhere. I'm sure not going to get it out of the profits
of STAR TREK."
 And what were these lyrics?
 Beyond the rim of the star-light
My love Is wand'ring in star-flight
I know he'll find in star-clustered reaches Love
Strange love a star woman teaches.
 I know his journey ends never
His star trek will go on forever.
But tell him while he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.
 Some viewers think they recall actress Nichelle Nichols' Uhura character
having sung these words during a STAR TREK episode, but they're actually
remembering her performing a song called "Beyond Antares" to troubled young
Charlie Evans in the first-season episode "Charlie X." (Nichols did record a
[disco!] version of the STAR TREK theme with different lyrics some years
later.)
 Roddenberry's gain was STAR TREK's loss. Courage scored only a few episodes of
the series' first season before commencing work on the feature film DOCTOR
DOLITTLE. Afterwards, associate producer Robert Justman was unable to secure
Courage's composing services for STAR TREK's second season, something Justman
attributed to Courage's lingering disappointment over the royalty issue.
 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/unthemely-behavior/
 -------------------------------------
Courage also went on to become John Williams' go-to orchestrator from the late
'70s through most of the '80s. He orchestrated Williams' scores to SUPERMAN,
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and RETURN OF THE JEDI,
among others.
 

Did Courage get a performance royalty for his part in the recording of the Star Trek opening theme? I remember seeing an interview with him where he explained that the whoosh as the Enterprise passes the viewer at its closest is actually him making a whooshing noise. It never occurred to me before that moment that this was a human noise but once I thought about it a moment, I realized it probably had to be. Synthesizers were very limited and primitive in those day and probably weren't capable of making sounds like that.
I agree with the article that the music and sound cues are very important to a show. When I watched one of the fan-made tributes - I think it was Star Trek Continues, the one with Vic Mignona - one of the things I really appreciated was that they exactly duplicated the original sound cues like the phasers and transporters. Anything else would have reminded me that I was watching a knockoff but using the same cues helped make the experience nostalgic. I was almost able to believe I was seeing new (or "lost") episodes of the original series.
Roddenberry really shafted Courage by taking that credit for the lyrics. I suppose it wasn't enough money to justify a lawsuit against Roddenberry but it would have been satisfying to see Roddenberry lose that suit.
--
Rhino