When Voyager first screened back in 1995 there were high hopes for the series. It was going to be new and exciting and take us to new unexplored areas of the galaxy and have a crew of enemies trying to work together to make it home. Unfortunately this was not to be. the episodes got progressively worse through seasons until it was almost cancelled but was saved by some last minute good stories.
The music for Voyager has not seen much in the way of CDs. This CD and a few suites on The Best of Star Trek compilations.
The pilot CD is the longest release of Voyager music and seems to follow the tradition of pilot episode releases, its dissappointing.
Unlike the Enterprise soundtrack the sound quality is good and consistent. The tracks also do not have any of the tedious and irritating throbbing tension cues that Dennis McCarthy uses to fill any track his inspiration fails to fill.
But still i cannot feel anything but dissappointment after listening to this CD. Much of it is too similar track to track. The action music never seems to gain momentum and there is no climax to these cues. The quieter moments have all but been missed out of the CD as have the grander heroic moments. The quieter moments that there are are cheesey and flat and exhibit little of Chattaway's talents as they can be heard in "Scorpion Parts 1 & 2".
Having said all that there are a few good tracks. The "Prologue" track starts with an effective choral element to depict the Maquis, Cardassian war and the rest of the track is a good mix of heroism and action music that changes pace and has a good climax. The " Escape From The Ocamapa Underground" is another good action track that incorporates a few exotic sounding instruments to represent the Ocamapan settlement into a loud, exciting track, making the best 8 minutes on the CD.
The final track "Set a Course For Home" is the big finale. Its a bit muddled, It sounds as though Chattaway Couldn't decide how to end his episode and so threw all his finale endings into one track. The result is a track that seems to end and then begins again. Had he effectively merged the endings into a grander ending theme this would have been a superb track. But as it is, it is merely average.
Overall i was dissappointed by the Caretaker release. It has a few noteworthy tracks but little else to recommend it. So far the best released Voyager music is on the Best of Star Trek Compilations. Hopefully more will eventually be released but until then this is as good as it gets.
**
2. Prologue
3. 70 Thousand Light Years From Home
4. Beamed To The Farm
5. Lifesigns In The Barn
6. Paris Takes The Helm
7. Star Trek: Voyager-Main Title: Short - Jerry Goldsmith
8. Escape From The Ocampa Underground
9. Not Enough Time
10. Battle For The Array
11. Set Course For Home
12. Star Trek: Voyager-End Credit - Jerry Goldsmith
13. The Caretaker's Hoedown
