20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

20. The Youngest Composer Makes One Of The Best Received Soundtracks

At the tender age of 26, Cliff Eidelman was hired to score Star Trek VI. Tonally, the music is completely different from what had come in the previous five films. This was at the urging of Nick Meyer, who gave Eidelman his blessing to really get into the darkness of the film. He also had choice words about both Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner - there was no way Eidelman was going to replicate their style, so there was no point in trying.

Eidelman secured the gig by, after one conversation with Meyer, going home and writing the Main Title overture that appears in the final film. There were still some hurdles to jump through, including convincing Ron Roose, the editor, that he was right for the role.

In an unusual move at the time, Eidelman was able to score the film's trailer. That music appears in the Overture and the Battle for Peace. His own personal favourite cues include these pieces, along with Rura Penthe and Escape from Rura Penthe, the latter of which allowed a full flourish from the orchestra.

Speaking to TrekMovie in 2016, he explained his inclusion of Alexander Courage's theme at the end of the film. He said, quite simply, that a Star Trek film simply couldn't end without that piece of music to wrap everything up. A short 45-minute score was released at the time, with an expanded edition hitting the shelves in 2012.