NewsJack BrownStar Trek: Lower Decks, Music

WATCH: Composer Chris Westlake posts behind-the-scenes clips of recording Star Trek: Lower Decks soundtrack

NewsJack BrownStar Trek: Lower Decks, Music
WATCH: Composer Chris Westlake posts behind-the-scenes clips of recording Star Trek: Lower Decks soundtrack

The Star Trek orchestra records a passage from Lower Decks. Image Chris Westlake

OCTOBER 18, 2021 - With the release of the Star Trek: Lower Decks soundtrack, and its subsequent rocket to the top of the iTunes charts, the stellar work of composer Chris Westlake is finally getting the attention it deserves. But it’s not just the compositions that stand out—the musicianship of the orchestra is worth noting as well.

Westlake offered fans a glimpse into the different sections of the orchestra via Twitter over this past weekend, posting videos from some of the Lower Decks recording sessions and saying, “Season 2 was such a joy to write music for.” 

First up was a 25-second clip of the brass players from a section of the score for episode nine of season two, “Wej Duj.” Westlake remarks that they are “killing this passage,” which in musical terms is a good thing.

The stings and woodwinds featured in tweet #2, with a 40-second snippet of the chase scene from season two’s fifth episode, “An Embarrassment Of Dooplers.” In this tweet, Westlake notes that the players are seeing the music for the first time, and he refers to their quick mastery of the frantic themes as, “Just wild.”

In his final 40-second clip, Westlake returns to the brass section for a battle sequence from “Wej Duj,” with a special fire emoji shout out to the trumpets. He then closes the thread with these words:

“A huge thank you to our musicians, scoring stage crew, copyists, orchestrators, and engineers who help bring these scores to life. Thanks as always to @MikeMcMahan and @StarTrekOnPPlus for having me be a part of the show. See you all next season!”

Show creator Mike McMahan couldn’t resist the urge to follow up with musical expertise of his own, replying, “I like when they go DOOT DOOT DODODODODODOD DADADAHH. see I’m a composer too.”

You can enjoy the Star Trek: Lower Decks soundtrack today on all major music streaming services.

Jack Brown is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. Jack teaches at a small film school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and also helps to manage his wife's career as a novelist and speaker. In his spare time he writes fiction, cooks, and watches classic movies.