<![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes - io9 Comments]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes - io9 Comments]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @Charlie Jane Anders: Actually, you did mention ST:TNG, but upon a second glance, I didn't parse it the way you meant it, since you reference the spinoffs. Nevertheless, there's an orchestral trend throughout the history of SF theme music (and it goes back and forth between movies and television), so I don't think restricting it to one decade is particularly accurate.

I never tried to say that *all* TV theme tunes from a particular era followed the trends described here.

Umm, that's exactly what you said: "It's amazing how every science fiction TV show from a particular era features a similar-sounding opening theme tune."

TheAlmanac

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> the xfiles theme was by DJ Dado. It was minimal in comparison to his other stuff (trance/techno/rave) but had strong elements of anthem trance in its melody.

With the exception of the neo-orchestral stuff, most of the tv scifi themes tend to pick up on whatever is futuristic and edgy at the time.

The wailing themes typical in current shows is interesting because for the first time... scifi seems to be going primordial. There's this subtext of reconnecting with a past where technology was more advanced.

"in the year 3000.." = old & busted

cyr3n

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Wow Good times, good times, a bunch of great inclusions and a few glaring ommisions but good stuff.....man I sure do miss me some Waka-Waka Spiderman.

Wonder if I could get the kids to sit through that?

Yhea Right

jchasse

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> High Five turbob5, UFO is definitely one of my favorites, I think in between The Theremin Era and The Disco Era, there was The Shagadelic Era of the late 60s-early 70s, with UFO and Space 1999 in there.

bitgod

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @vjmurphy: Maybe I'm weird, but the aaawoooooaaaaa of the Star Trek theme sounds exactly like someone trying to imitate a theremin to me. If you want to do your own impression of someone trying to sing like a theremin, send me an mp3 and we'll post it on the blog.

Charlie Jane Anders

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @TheAlmanac: actually, I didn't even mention ST: TNG. Not sure what your point is about that. I never tried to say that *all* TV theme tunes from a particular era followed the trends described here. Just that the trends existed, and here are a ton of examples of them.

Charlie Jane Anders

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Oops--I'll add THE AVENGERS & SECRET AGENT MAN while I'm at it.

Cacafuego

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> What? No love for the theme songs for X-FILES, MILLENIUM, CARNIVALE, SURFACE, FUTURAMA, JONNY QUEST & VENTURE BROTHERS?

Cacafuego

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I think this is a good example of "picking your data" to support certain "types" of themes. Star Trek is no more "Theremin-like" than Andromeda, really. @TheAlmanac has it right.

Would have been more useful and fun just to have a lot of the opening theme music, rather than attempting to categorize it by era.

vjmurphy

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> In general, I'd agree about there being "eras" in theme songs, especially in the sci-fi genre (and I agree with everyone else that Space: 1999 is firmly in the Disco Era), but you seem to be stretching a bit here. You've lumped some orchestral themes in with the disco stuff, shoehorned ST:TNG (1987, using a theme from 1979) and Andromeda (2000, whose more orchestral theme came later) into the 1990's, and created a "trend" out of two very different theme songs because they both happened to have lyrics...

TheAlmanac

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Oh, how do we categorize "All along the watchtower" showing up in BSG?

CaptainCynic

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I personally loved how futuristic tv and movies tried to depict the music of the future. It always ended up being a guy on a sythesizer with a pitch bender. I remmeber thinking, if this is the rock of the 25th century, I don't want to go there.

CaptainCynic

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @tyamar: It featured wailing... and it was the closest I could find to theme music.

Charlie Jane Anders

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> What was up with those few seconds of the Dune miniseries at the end of that last video, there? I was confused.

tyamar

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @Plague: Doctor Whoooo HEY Doctor Who.
Doctor Whooooo HEY The TARDIS!

Kicks ass indeed.

92BuickLeSabre

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I have an immense fondness for the KLF (as the Timelords) doin' "Doctorin' The Tardis".
Sure, it's not the real theme song. But it kicks ass.

Plague

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I refuse to classify the Enterprise theme as alt-country. It was clearly mind-numbing, blow-your-brains-out-with-your-speakers soft rock.

Zapp Brannigan's Girdle

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I don't want to take anything away from Ron Grainer, but I honestly think Delia Derbyshire needs more love for her work on the original Doctor Who theme. She was brilliant and pioneering, and her work still stands up 45 years later.

Darcy

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> ...and it's here, incidentally.


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bakana

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Farscape's theme also bridges the orchestral and wailing periods rather well.

bakana

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Never really thought about it, but this post is spot-on.

Earth: Final Conflict nicely bridges the gap between orchestra and wailing, sitting as it does right between the mid-90's and mid 2000's.


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Danilo Campos

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Sorry Ron, the Grainer, not Grainger.

AlfaCharger

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> This list left out the greatest of the 1980s Disco Era themes: Buckaroo Banzai and MacGyver.

Discrete-Daniel

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> This list left out the greatest of the 1980s Disco Era: the themes to MacGyver and Buckaroo Banzai.

Discrete-Daniel

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @92BuickLeSabre:

Dr Who's theme is one of Ron Grainger's best, however I prefer his Theme to the Prisoner!!!

[video.google.com]

AlfaCharger

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Don't forget the theme from UFO - I place it up there with Space:1999

turbob5

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I loves me some Theremins! greatest instrument, ever.

Another fun fact: The atonal, electronic music for Forbidden Planet was created on hand made electronic synthesizers, designed by the composer. Now I'd like to see that hack, John Williams do that! Sure you can conduct the London Symphony Orchestra pretty good, but can you build your own synthetic orchestra out of spare parts and vacuum tubes?

Gyrus

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Fun fact - the new series WHO theme is a remix of the original 1963 recording featured in your "theremin" clip. Nice to know some things are built to last!

(The TARDIS engine noise is also the original recording from '63).

SeeingI

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Also, I think we're all overlooking how bad-ass the original Knight Rider theme song was.

braak

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> X-files' theme must have been ahead of its time.

JohnnyZito

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> As someone who played a theremin (and violin) in a band, I'm really getting a kick out of these replies. And, as a note- yes, the purpose of the theremin was to announce, "this is some freaky shit right here". More horror movie soundtrack than sci-fi, but the spirit is the same.

@braak: I heard it to. It was awful. Not "Enterprise" theme awful, but Wheedon isn't much of a performer. Of course, he's not (in my estimation) much of a writer, producer or director. "Firefly" was, as best I can tell, a fluke. I've hated everything else he's ever done.

t3knomanser

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I always liked the original BSG theme. It seems much more like the 90's era music (ST:TNG etc.), much more orchestral. And I have to agree that the Doctor Who theme still holds up.

Great recap!

Shrike

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> I once heard the words for Buck Rodgers and was glad that they went to an instrumental for the series. ST:TOS would have been as lame if they used words instead of instrumentals and screeching cats.

My fav TV theme of all will be the opening sequence to the 1st season of Space 1999. Electric guitars and orchestra that said, exciting, cheesy and very bad show ahead.

ManchuCandidate

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> The Star Trek themes are all not only epic but iconic. I don't think I could pick out which theme belongs to which show, but if I heard one, it's immediately recognizeable as Star Trek.

My favourite TV Show and favourite theme: Quantum Leap


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bana nana, NA NANA. do do do doodloodoo
oh yeah.
They altered it a bit in the later seasons, but for the worse.




Bluecell

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @braak: Until you try to play one.

codydog

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Thanks for the nostaligia.

I guess the Orignal Battlestar Galactica theme sort of straddled the Disco and Orchestra eras.

caltrop2004

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> @92BuickLeSabre: I concur! It is difficult, if not impossible, to argue against the musical merits of the theremin.

braak

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Great article!! Despite the diversity of styles, there are very few sci-fi themes that I don't like!

jane2073

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Excellent Recap.

Although I'm generally partial to the disco-boogie era, the Doctor Who theme is quite simply the greatest composition in human history and if you disagree....I. Will. Fight You.

92BuickLeSabre

]]> <![CDATA[5 Eras In Science Fiction TV Theme Tunes]]> Joss Whedon wrote the Firefly theme. I heard an mp3 of him singing it, once. He didn't really do it justice.

braak

]]>