Working from the oral history in The Five Year Mission: The next 25 years, this is a fascinating deep dive that answers the question “How did a recycled cover of a 1998 song written for Rod Stewart, ‘Where My Heart Will Take Me’ aka ‘Faith of the Heart’ become the title music for Enterprise?”
Also, after resisting melodic scoring in all the 90s shows, it turns out this was the music Rick Berman liked?!!
“…I, for one, can tell you that I thought it was a great opening and I’m not alone in that. I don’t think I’m in the majority, but I’m not alone."
And it seems the song does have its own subniche of supporters who share Berman’s view. (But not I.)
I get what they were going for with the song, but it’s a swing and a miss for me. I think the opening credits montage fits perfectly with the show, but not the song. When I watch ENT, the only time I don’t mute the sound during the opening credits is for “In a Mirror, Darkly, Parts 1 and 2.”
" … another ‘space theme for nerds,’ so to speak … "
Not so to speak. Exactly that. Give me the orchestral story telling. Give me that epic space theme.
The problem with Enterprise’s theme is that it undermines the fundamental principles the series had established in every other show. The song along with its imagery may feel like it’s fitting for “mankind stepping into the larger galaxy”, but it does so at great expense. Everything about that opening is anthropocentric. It’s all about humanity and Earth. The show is every bit as broad as its predecessors, but the opening seems to feel like the poster child for HFY fiction. It’s jarring.
It grew on me. It fit the intended mood of the show, at least until it got bogged down in time fuckery.
Enterprise would have been a lot better if they introduced the Romulans as the big bad in the pilot instead of the temporal cold war bullshit.
This again. Can we just leave this be for good? Some people like it, some people don’t, potentially more people rather do not like it. That is it. Not a single one of these articles is ever adding anything more to the discussion.
I posted this because it is incorporating the oral history, and puts to bed some unfounded speculation.
The full books are reportedly excellent, but not that many of us have read them as yet.
And no matter how great some fans found it, the song really contributed to the perception that the franchise shifted to be very American oriented over the course of Berman’s leadership. It was a real barrier to growing the international audience.
I’m happy to read this post. Its all new information to me.
Right, so I didn’t actually mind the original ENT theme at all during my rewatch earlier this year. Far worse was the outro credits which were deeply jarring every single time.
The revamped theme is appalling though, it’s doubling down on everything that put people off about the original and it’s far, far worse.
Indeed. While I would have preferred an orchestral piece, the intro theme for Seasons 1 and 2 was jarring, but not bad. When they updated it for S3 and 4 it was absolute garbage.
The one-shot intro for the mirror universe episode was absolutely fantastic though. They should have stuck with that one, or Archer’s Theme, which has an appropriately Star Trek optimism to it, while still being a bit “pop”-y.
I don’t hate it. I hate Nazis. I don’t hate the theme song from ‘Enterprise.’
¿Por qué no los dos?
stubbed toe —> ENT theme song ---->\ 10K light-years \—> Nazis.
Can’t blame someone for wanting to use appropriately strong words for appropriately strong feelings.
