Theme from Star Trek The " Theme from " Star Trek " " ( originally scored under the title " Where No Man Has Gone Before " and also known informally as the " Star Trek Fanfare " ) is the instrumental theme music composed for by Alexander Courage . First recorded in , it is played in its entirety during the opening credits of each episode . It is also played over the closing credits , albeit without its signature opening fanfare . During the opening credits , the theme ' s opening fanfare is accompanied by the now - famous " Space : the final frontier " monologue spoken by William Shatner ( with the exception of the pilot episodes , and ) . Throughout the opening credits , the theme is punctuated at several points by the flying towards and past the camera . These " fly - bys " are accompanied by a " whoosh " sound effect created vocally by Courage himself . ( Documentary : " ) Conception and original use . Creator Gene Roddenberry originally approached composer Jerry Goldsmith to write the theme for " Star Trek " . Goldsmith , however , had other commitments and instead recommended Alexander Courage . ( " " commentary ) Courage was not a science fiction fan , referring to the genre as " marvelous malarkey . " He thus saw the theme he was writing as " marvelous malarkey music . " Courage composed , orchestrated and conducted the theme in one week . He drew inspiration from a song he heard on the radio as a child called " Beyond the Blue Horizon " . This song had a drawn - out tune with a steady , fast - paced beat underneath it which Courage emulated when composing the theme . ( Documentary : " Music Takes Courage " ) The theme used in – the unaired first pilot – featured a wordless melody line by soprano Loulie Jean Norman supported by electronic underpinnings . When a second pilot was ordered and the series was picked up , Norman ' s vocalizations were dropped from the theme . The first season of " The Original Series " used two versions of the theme . On the original NBC and syndicated runs , five episodes – " Where No Man has Gone Before " , the second pilot , along with , , , and – used a mixed electronic / orchestral arrangement for the opening credits , with the main melody line created electronically and accompanied by more traditional instrumentation , including a flute and an organ for both the opening and closing themes . When the series was remastered for video in the early 1980s , only " Where No Man Has Gone Before " retained this version of the theme over both the opening and closing credits , while the opening was restored to the other four episodes and placed on five others when the series was remastered again for DVD release . The closing credits for the other nine episodes , however , used a version that had only an orchestral arrangement . The mixed arrangement was first heard on ( the tenth episode aired , although it was the second episode produced ) , after which the show opened with the orchestral - only arrangement . Vocalization and lyrics . For the second and third seasons , Loulie Jean Norman ' s wordless accompaniment was re - added to the theme . However , Norman ' s voice was made more prominent than it was for " The Cage " . When originally written ( and as heard in " The Cage " ) , Courage had Norman ' s vocalizations and the various instruments mixed equally to produce a unique sound . According to Courage , however , Gene Roddenberry had it re - recorded with Norman ' s accompaniment at a higher volume above the instruments , after which Courage felt the theme sounded like a soprano solo . Roddenberry ' s version can be heard during the opening credits of each episode in the second and third seasons ; Courage ' s version is heard during the closing credits . Further souring the relationship between Roddenberry and Courage , Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the theme without Courage ' s knowledge – not in the expectation that they would ever be sung , but in order to claim a 50 % share of the music ' s performance royalties . Although there was never any litigation , Courage commented that he believed Roddenberry ' s conduct was unethical , to which Roddenberry responded , " " Hey , I have to get some money somewhere . I ' m sure not going to get it out of the profits of " Star Trek " . " " Although the lyrics were never included on the series , they have been printed in several " TV Theme " songbooks over the years . Later use . Portions of the " Theme from Star Trek " have been used in all 13 " Star Trek " feature films . Most of the " Star Trek " films ' opening themes start by quoting the opening fanfare from Courage ' s theme , before seguéing into the film ' s own theme . However , there are multiple exceptions to this tradition . did not use the fanfare at all in the opening or closing music , although a subdued version of the " Theme from Star Trek " was created by Courage at the request of the film ' s main composer , Jerry Goldsmith . This arrangement of the theme was used for the " Captain ' s Log " cues . The theme was quoted again in and , most extensively in the final scenes . , scored by Cliff Eidelman , broke with the tradition again . The " Theme from Star Trek " did not appear in the opening music , although it was used towards the end . , scored by Dennis McCarthy , on the other hand , " did " use the fanfare in the opening credits ( and extensively throughout the score ) but it did not appear until the end of the main title music . The score for , composed by Michael Giacchino , again did not use the fanfare in the opening title music : instead , Giacchino subtly quoted the opening notes and various other " Star Trek " themes from past films throughout his score . For the end credits , a re - arranged version of the " Theme from Star Trek " , fully orchestrated and with The Page La Studio Voices accompanying the melody line , was used . This version was also used for the end credits of and . The theme ' s opening fanfare was adapted by Dennis McCarthy as the opening for the theme ( the remainder of which was an adaptation of Goldsmith ' s theme from " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " ) . Courage ' s original theme can also be heard in the episode , the episode , and the " " series finale , Courage ' s theme was re - recorded for the remastered " Star Trek " episodes , with Elin Carlson emulating Norman ' s wordless vocalization . Other recordings and uses . TOS star Nichelle Nichols recorded a disco version of the theme . However , Nichols used different lyrics than those written by Gene Roddenberry . The late jazz musician Maynard Ferguson and his band also recorded a rendition of the song , a fusion version that was released on his 1977 album " Conquistador " . Ferguson ' s version was used as the opening theme for " The Larry King Show " on the Mutual Radio Network . The satirical rock band and the lounge band Love Jones recorded versions of the theme , as well , using Gene Roddenberry ' s lyrics . The 1992 Paramount Pictures comedy " Wayne ' s World " was the first non - " Trek " film to use Courage ' s theme . In the film , the character of Garth Algar ( played by Dana Carvey ) whistles the theme while he and Wayne Campbell ( Mike Myers ) lie on the hood of Wayne ' s car , looking up at the stars . When Garth finishes the tune , he tells Wayne , " " Sometimes I wish I could boldly go where no one ' s gone before . But I ' ll probably just stay in Aurora . " " The theme can also be heard in the films " Muppets from Space " ( 1999 , starring F . Murray Abraham ) and " RV " ( 2006 , starring Robin Williams and featuring Brian Markinson ) . At the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards , TOS star William Shatner and opera singer Frederica von Stade performed a live version of the theme , with Shatner reciting the opening monologue and von Stade singing the wordless melody line . In 2009 , the theme was used as the wake - up call for the crew of mission STS - 125 aboard Space Shuttle " Atlantis " .