Alexander Courage, ‘Star Trek’ Composer, Dies at 88
Alexander Courage, ‘Star Trek’ Composer, Dies at 88
By MARGALIT FOX
Published: May 31, 2008
Alexander Courage, an Emmy-winning Hollywood composer whose most famous work was the strange, soaring and instantly recognizable theme from “Star Trek,” died on May 15 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. He was 88 and until recently lived in Malibu.
His stepdaughter Renata Pompelli confirmed the death.
Familiarly known as Sandy, Mr. Courage wrote music for hundreds of television shows and films. But he was forever identified with the sweeping, ecstatically overwrought strains that opened “Star Trek,” first broadcast on NBC from 1966 to 1969.
The theme took on a life of its own. It was heard in all the “Star Trek” movies and several of the later television series. It cropped up on an episode of “The Simpsons” and in the films “Wayne’s World” and “Muppets From Space.” It was recorded by jazz musicians like Maynard Ferguson and by symphony orchestras.