The third season premiere ofStar Trek: Lower Decks, “Grounded,” released for streaming on Paramount+ beginning on Thursday, August 25th, 2022, features plenty of allusions to every corner of theStar Trekuniverse, as expected. But one of the most exciting references plays an angle you’d never expect: Jerry Goldsmith’s work scoring a Disney theme park ride. While the allusion might seem farfetched initially, in the context of the episode, it’s crystal California Class clear!
Goldsmith was an Academy Award-winning composer whose work over several decades crossed into many genres of movies. His music was featured in well-renowned movies like 1968’sPlanet of the Apes, 1982’sPoltergeist, and both 1984’sGremlinsand 1990’sGremlins 2. His music alsoplayed a significant role in theStar Trekfranchise. He scored 1980’sStar Trek: The Motion Picture, for which he was nominated for (but did not win) an Oscar. And in 1987, Dennis McCarthy’s arrangement of Goldsmith’s theme from that movie, combined with the theme forStar Trek: The Original Seriesby Alexander Courage, was used for the theme song forStar Trek: The Next Generation.
That wasn’t Goldsmith’s only contribution to the music of theTrekfranchise, either. He composed the theme forStar Trek: Voyagerin 1995, which would earn him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Music. And with his eldest son, Joel Goldsmith, he composed the score for the 1996 feature filmStar Trek: First Contact.
Related:Why Star Trek: The Motion Picture Fans Should Be Excited for the 4K Release
The Flight of the Phoenix
In theLower Decksepisode “Grounded,” the Lower Deckers travel to Bozeman, Montana (also the home of Cowboy Captain Christopher Pike), where they visit an amusement park at the site Vulcans made first contact with humans, events depicted inFirst Contact. Throughout this sequence ofthe episode, the score from the movie is used.
When the Lower Deckers get in line to board thePhoenixexperience, the queue resembles a real-life line for a ride at Disney’s California Adventure:Soarin’ Over California, now just calledSoarin'. This ride’s queue depicts the early history of flight and features video monitors through which characters deliver messages to waiting guests, just like inLower Decks. But why pay homage to this ride in the episode? It isn’t just because theCerritosis California Class. It’s also becauseJerry Goldsmith’s long list of musical compositions includes the score forSoarin’ Over California.
New episodes ofStar Trek: Lower Decksare available for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursdays.
