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Star Trek Theme Song Lyrics

Star Trek: The Next Generation opening title sequences

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Title screen for Star Trek: The Next Generation

The opening title sequences for Star Trek: The Next Generation followed the tradition of the Star Trek: The Original Series opening title sequences closely, highlighting the series lead ship, the USS Enterprise -D , and reprising the opening narration read by the series' new captain , Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard .

Robert Justman claimed ownership for being the first to draft a new "main theme" description, on a hot day at his home computer on 2 November 1986 . ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 5 , p. 9)

" FADE IN as Camera rapidly pulls back from a close shot of Earth and tracks through our entire solar system showing the Sun and its planets in their relationship to each other in a continually changing perspective. As we continue to pull away and our solar system diminishes in size, our Camera executes a 180 degree turn and forges faster ahead through our Galaxy... "

Later, in a memo to Gene Roddenberry dated 5 March 1987 , Justman added more emphasis on the series' new ship, the Enterprise -D. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 5 , p. 10)

Starting from Season 3, the beginning of the sequence no longer depicted Earth's solar system, instead panning through views of various nebulae, stars, planets, and other celestial objects before revealing the Enterprise.

Season 5 "streaked version"

For TNG Season 5 , Rick Berman had Dan Curry design a "streaked" version of the opening logo to emulate the Superman films. ( Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry , p. 189)

• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Screen Rant

Every version of star trek's "boldly go" speech (& how it changed).

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Star Trek 's famous " t o boldly go " speech has been an integral part of the franchise since the very beginning, but it has also changed since Captain Kirk first uttered the words. Spicing up the introduction of Star Trek: The Original Series for all three seasons, Kirk's monologue set the stage for the episode to come and has been something of a thesis statement for the franchise as a whole. Despite its longevity and importance to Star Trek , the speech itself has gone through a plethora of changes that have not only updated the language but improved the message to be more inclusive to the entire galaxy.

Star Trek: The Original Series went through several drafts before it reached the air in 1966 and so too did the speech. Meant as an inspiring start to an inspiring program, the introduction gave viewers everything they needed to know without too much exposition. Though other Star Trek shows left out the opening speech , it has never been fully abandoned by the franchise and was even responsible for a host of catchphrases. Several episodes pulled their titles directly from the speech, and each new generation of Star Trek has gotten its own version. Like the philosophy of the franchise, the speech has been flexible and has grown with the times.

RELATED: Every TNG Episode Based On A Star Trek Original Series Story

Captain Kirk's Star Trek: The Original Series Speech

Undoubtedly the most recognizable and quoted version of the monologue was Captain Kirk's original speech from TOS . Though Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would have its own version that technically took place before Kirk's time, TOS 's speech started it all. Delivered in William Shatner's distinctive bravado, the original speech was a rousing anthem that matched the upbeat tone of the show's peppy theme song. It came during the theme song's distinctive tinkling notes and was almost musical. Star Trek: The Original Series ' best episodes were made better by the opening monologue, and it summed up the experience of Star Trek for first-time viewers, no matter what episode they started with.

Besides the rousing " w here no man has gone before " ending, the speech also featured several other uses of evocative language that have stuck with the franchise forever. Referring to space as " t he final frontier " was one of Star Trek 's first additions to the popular lexicon of sci-fi, and even informed the real world as well. Though it would be updated, the original speech wasn't lacking but was merely sharpened over time to be more accurate and less broad. The use of the words " n o man " to refer to humanity as a whole wasn't necessarily intended as a gendered term in the 1960s, but the prevailing thought changed in subsequent decades.

Spock's Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan Speech

Every generation of Trek has copied from Wrath of Khan , though it has failed to match the brilliance of the first sequel. The way the movie advanced the characters into middle age showed a maturity that was new to Trek , and the changes were beneficial without detracting from what had come before. As such, the speech got a tweak of its own to reflect changing attitudes, and the duties of reciting the words went to Spock instead of Kirk, who had always said it before. Like a specter from the afterlife, Leonard Nimoy's baritone gave the speech an emotional weight and the changes reflected the events of the film.

Speaking just before the credits of the film, Spock's speech included the phrase " c ontinuing voyages ", which let the audience know that things were far from over after his death. He then said of the Enterprise , " h er ongoing mission" which reflected the franchise's eventual departure from Star Trek 's five-year mission format that they would abandon by Star Trek: The Next Generation . The final change came when Spock expanded the wording of the speech to include " n ew life forms " as opposed to just " n ew life ", which allowed for even broader possibilities of discovery as Star Trek moved into the future of space exploration.

RELATED: Star Trek's Original Movie Eliminated Every Spock Replacement

Captain Picard's Star Trek: The Next Generation Speech

Set almost a century after the events of TOS , The Next Generation blazed its own trail through the Final Frontier, while also preserving the past. Like his predecessor Captain Kirk, Captain Jean-Luc Picard was given the honor of making the speech, and all 178 episodes of the series featured the Enterprise captain delivering his own revised version of the monologue for a new generation. Though the changes were less drastic than those seen in Spock's monologue after his death in Star Trek II , the TNG speech reflected modern sensibilities and updated the words to make them more accurate to the actual mission of the Enterprise-D .

The all-important " Space: the final frontier " line remained intact, as it would with every other version, and the references to the " voyages of the starship Enterprise " line was reverted to its original form from TOS . However, "her" was replaced with "its" when referring to the Enterprise-D , and "five-year mission " became simply " continuing mission " since no hard end date was ever placed on the ship's time of service. Most importantly, the triumphant final line " where no man has gone before " was updated to include the gender-neutral term " no one " and that change has stuck with the speech in all subsequent iterations.

The Kelvin Universe Speeches

Star Trek 's controversial Kelvin Timeline films featured an alternate universe that allowed for unique storytelling possibilities separate from the main universe, but many of the franchise's most recognizable elements persisted, including the speech. At the end of 2009's Star Trek , the Prime Universe version of Spock was once again tapped to do the honors, and he delivered a version of the speech that contained a mixture of phrases from all different iterations. Star Trek Into Darkness had Kirk deliver the exact same monologue as the 2009 version, while Star Trek Beyond 's speech from Uhura was lifted directly from The Next Generation .

Spock Prime's speech featured all the updated language regarding gender, but it also still replaced "five-year mission " with " ongoing " mission, even though the Kelvin universe version of the Enterprise was still embarking on five-year stints. Reflecting what Spock said at the end of Star Trek II , the term " seek out new life " was again supplemented with " seek out new life forms " though that change could be chalked up to Spock Prime himself. The gendered changes were absolutely necessary outside the canon, but the mish-mash of wording seemed more like a misremembering of the famous speech, and less like an ambitious new revision.

RELATED: TNG Invented The Star Trek Series Finale

Captain Pike's Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Speech

After TNG, the subsequent Star Trek shows didn't use the opening speech because it didn't fit with the disparate tones of the various programs. Even into Star Trek 's new era in the 21st century, shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard would have no use for it. On the other hand, the arrival of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds allowed for the speech to make its triumphant return. Though Star Trek 's original pilot episode , "The Cage", didn't feature Captain Pike making the speech, he was given the honor in Strange New Worlds because it took place during the same time period as TOS .

Captain Pike's speech was unique because it was the first to meld the genderless use of "where no one has gone before " with the classic use of the term "five-year mission ". Though the show never explained why a series taking place before the events of TOS would be more progressive with its language than the latter, it was more of a reflection of modern times than of gender attitudes in the actual Star Trek timeline. The precise use of the speech has kept its impact strong, and its return in Strange New Worlds was the perfect way to reintegrate it into a modern TV series without it feeling forced.

MORE: How Strange New Worlds Fixed Captain Pike's Awful Star Trek Insult

• SR Originals

All Star Trek Series Opening Credits Ranked

😲 Comment below (without indignation, if possible), or post your personal list. The visuals and the music of the opening credits have an impact on the perception of a TV series as a whole that should not be underrated. This is my personal ranking of the intros of all Star Trek series, ordered by how much I like music & visuals and how well I think they represent the series.

11 The Animated Series

The TAS opening sequence is much like an imitation of the one of TOS, only in animated form and with different yet similar music. There is not much special about it except for the peculiarity of the Enterprise that was lazily moved across the screen without a change of the perspective.

The intro of Picard, just like the one of Discovery, comes with elaborate but somehow undecided visuals. It features a calm but too low-key theme (actually the only one I couldn't whistle on request). These credits are technically excellent but they just don't give me Trek vibes. For season 2, the music was changed to sound more dramatic.

9 Discovery

Discovery abandons the theme of space exploration in its opening credits and shows props and graphics from the series with an odd palette that almost looks as if the colors were inverted. The music is subdued. This is all a bit indefinite, and doesn't really fit with the tone of the series either.

8 Strange New Worlds

The SNW opening has the classic Trek vibe. The visuals are spectacular. But the narration and the eight-note fanfare are shameless TOS knock-offs that prey for nostalgia where there ought to be none because it's a reboot. Also, there is little originality in the theme that essentially consists of the TOS melody with slightly different notes.

7 The Original Series

The classic opening credits of TOS appear old-fashioned today, even in the updated version for the remastered episodes. While the fly-by of the Enterprise is iconic, not to mention the music, the intro would and should be done differently for a modern series - like the one of SNW, for instance.

A bit like already the one of Lower Decks, the intro of Prodigy returns to "spacy" visuals and prominent music (that sounds a bit like an upbeat version of the DIS theme). The opening sequence is very dynamic and successfully relays the vastness of space, but I think there are still more memorable credits.

5 The Next Generation

TNG re-uses the title theme of the first Star Trek feature film, which perfectly suits the series with its unabashed optimism. On the visual side, it is much like an update of the TOS intro. I think it could be done somewhat better today, but it has grown on me.

4 Lower Decks

The whole continuity of Lower Decks is built upon the enormously successful Star Trek series of the 1990's, and its opening sequence reflects just that, featuring the ship's (awkward) journey through space and orchestral music for the first time after 25 years.

3 Deep Space Nine

DS9 was supposed to be a departure from TNG, and a toned down title theme was composed, orchestral but with less brass. The visuals illustrate the setting of the series on the station, and were later updated to include the Defiant and appear as more dynamic. An intro that has aged very well!

Voyager's opening credits come with visuals that are impressive for its time and with one of the most recognizable themes. These credits are still a bit more memorable than those of DS9 and overall a worthy runner-up.

1 Enterprise

The montage about the history of space exploration, accompanied by "Faith of the Heart", is easily my favorite Star Trek series intro - despite or just because the bad rap of the song. This all perfectly illustrates the theme of Enterprise (although the series itself needed some time to live up to it).

Episode Reviews - Index

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Why is 'Star Wars' Day on May 4? What is it? Here's how the unofficial holiday came to be

'may the force be with you,' or 'may the 4th be with you' saturday is "star wars" day, the unofficial celebration of the beloved space opera that falls every year on may 4..

Once simply a campy sci-fi series of the 1970s and 80s, "Star Wars" has grown into an omnipresent pop culture behemoth with its own theme park and a never-ending stream of movies, television series and merchandise.

But if you still can't quite get enough of the galaxy far, far away, the iconic franchise has its own holiday, too – even if it's one entirely made up.

Saturday is "Star Wars" Day , the unofficial celebration of the beloved space opera that falls every year on May 4. That means plenty of "Star Wars" festivals in cities across the nation , special deals from retailers looking to capitalize on the hype and – fingers crossed! – perhaps an announcement or two from Disney about the future of the franchise.

Here's everything to know about "Star Wars" Day.

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Why is May 4 'Star Wars' Day?

It's no accident that "Star Wars" Day is celebrated on May 4.

Anyone who is a fan of the series knows well that Obi-Wan Kenobi and other Jedi often use the phrase, "May the force be with you," as a sentiment of good will. Well, as fans have come to realize, the phrase can sound a lot like "May the 4th be with you" – and a holiday was born.

So, yes, the date on which "Star Wars" Day is celebrated every year is based solely off of a pun.

When did 'Star Wars' Day start?

Because it originated as a fan holiday, "Star Wars" Day has no official origin or even commencement year.

The earliest uses of the phrase “May the 4th Be With You” dates to 1978, one year after the release of " Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ," according to StarWars.com . It didn't take long for the vernacular of the film to become ingrained in American popular culture, as “May the force be with you,” had been appearing on buttons, posters and other items for months after the film's release.

By that summer, newspaper writers used the phrase as a gimmick to mark Independence Day celebrations on July 4, according to StarWars.com.

Another one of the earliest uses of the phrase came on May 4, 1979, when a London newspaper writer congratulated Britain’s new prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, on her first day of office, StarWars.com says. In a full-page ad the writer said, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!”

The phrase resurfaced once again in July 2005, weeks after the release of " Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith ." A marketing push to bring audiences back to theaters inspired a newspaper ad with Yoda in front of a patriotic background of red-white-and-blue fireworks with the phrase, “May the Fourth Be With You,” at the top.

But the concept didn't really start taking off until the advent of social media as users began using it in hashtags. Though it began as a way for fans to host themed parties or revisit the films, retailers were quick to take advantage of the trend with marketing pushes of their own.

Where to watch 'Star Wars' shows, movies

Because May 4 falls on a weekend this year, it may be the perfect time to kick back and host a "Star Wars" marathon.

All 11 of the live action films – the three trilogies and two standalones, " Rogue One " (2016) and " S olo " (2018) – are available to stream on  Disney+ .

Starting May 4, "Star Wars" fans will also be able to watch all nine films that comprise the "Skywalker Saga" in select theaters nationwide to celebrate the 25th anniversary of " Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace ."

Disney, which acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, has tirelessly churned out plenty of "Star Wars" content in the ensuing years, including both live-action and animated series that are also available on its streaming platform.

Just in time for "Star Wars" Day, the latest series, the " Tales of the Empire ," will hit Disney+ on Saturday. The animated series created by Dave Filoni follows two characters in different time periods as they fight the evil Galactic Empire.

Check out the trailer here:

Monthly subscription rates for Disney+ start at $9.99.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]