Star Trek Composer Alexander Courage dies at 88

Alexander Courage, who composed the original Star Trek theme, died on May 15 at the Sunrise assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, California. The Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated arranger was 88 years old.

Mr.Courage had a long and storied career, but was best known for his eight-note brass signature for the starship Enterprise, rumored to be the single best-known fanfare in the world. The piece, written in 1965 for the first of two Star Trek pilots, was heard throughout the three original seasons of the show was reprised in all of the Trek feature films and several of the TV series, especially Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 1980s and '90s.

Courage's early composing and conducting credits included the classic musicals Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Guys and Dolls, It's Always Fair Weather, Funny Face, Gigi and others. He also scored a handful of films, but television quickly became his true calling. In addition to Star Trek, Courage composed for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Daniel Boone, Lost in Space, Land of the Giants and other 1960's series.

Original Star Trek Theme


In the '70s and '80s, his work included The Waltons, Apple's Way, and Eight Is Enough. As composing work in TV waned, Courage returned once again to the silver screen, orchestrating scores including Fiddler on the Roof, The Poseidon Adventure, Hook, Jurassic Park, Basic Instinct, First Knight, The Mummy, Air Force One, Mulan and, ironically, Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection.

Courage Tribute - Part One


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Courage is survived by four stepchildren and six grandchildren. Plans for a memorial service are to be announced. Good night, Sandy, and thank you for a lifetime of memories. . .