Star Trek: Enterprise Theme Song Lyrics

Memory Alpha

Where My Heart Will Take Me

  • View history

" Where My Heart Will Take Me " is the main title song of Star Trek: Enterprise played over the opening title sequence . Originally titled " Faith of the Heart ", it was written by Diane Warren and originally performed by Rod Stewart for the 1998 movie Patch Adams .

At the conclusion of ENT Season 1 , Brannon Braga acknowledged fan feedback on the theme song ("some love it, some hate it... [but] it's staying.") " I think the song is cheesy, but I like cheesy things. We wanted a sentimental theme song with just the right lyrics that obliquely capture the spirit of human exploration. I feel the song nails it. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 2 , p. 11)

In In Conversation: Rick Berman and Brannon Braga , a bonus feature available on ENT Season 1 Blu-ray , Rick Berman described himself as having been "grilled over the coals" for the theme song. He stated that he could not blame Braga for that one. He continued that all of the previous series and films had big sweeping orchestral scores with one major theme and that he thought it would be cool if they were doing something new and different to find a song to put over an opening credit that would show a history of flight and even before. He interviewed a number of songwriters before discovering Diane Warren and felt the song fit perfectly into what the show was about and what it meant. He described the decision to remix the song in the third season as being Paramount 's decision, but the ultimate result being a "bust."

  • 1 Song history
  • 2.1 Full length version
  • 2.2 Star Trek: Enterprise version
  • 3 Other versions
  • 5 External link

Song history [ ]

The version for Enterprise was performed by Russell Watson . It remains the only Star Trek theme song besides Star Trek: The Original Series that is not completely an instrumental, orchestral piece, the only theme to have sung lyrics, and is the only theme that is not a composition original to the franchise.

"Where My Heart Will Take Me" was played for the crew of the space shuttle Discovery as their morning wake-up call on 2 August 2005. [1] The song was also used as a wake-up call for the crew of the Endeavour during STS-118 on 9 August 2007. [2] The song was used again for the STS-125 Hubble Telescope repair crew on board Space Shuttle Atlantis on 24 May 2009. [3] In December 2014, Russell Watson recorded a special version of the song to help wake the New Horizons space probe from hibernation prior to the craft performing the first flyby of Pluto. [4]

Three versions of the theme were recorded: one for the entire full length song and two for the opening credits of Enterprise , with a revised arrangement being introduced in Season 3:

  • Full length version  file info
  • Season 1 & 2 version  file info
  • Season 3 & 4 version  file info

Full length version [ ]

It's been a long road , getting from there to here. It's been a long time , but my time is finally near. And I can feel a change in the wind right now. Nothing's in my way. And they're not gonna hold me down no more. No they're not gonna hold me down. Cause I've got faith of the heart . I'm going where my heart will take me. I've got faith to believe. I can do anything. I've got strength of the soul . No one's gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star . I've got faith. I've got faith, faith of the heart. It's been a long night, trying to find my way. Been through the darkness. Now I'll finally have my day. And I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the sky. And they're not gonna hold me down no more. No they're not gonna change my mind. Cause I've got faith of the heart. I'm going where my heart will take me. I've got faith to believe. I can do anything. I've got strength of the soul. No one's gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I've got faith. Faith of the heart. I've known the wind so cold, and seen the darkest days. But now the winds I feel are only winds of change. I've been through the fire and I've been through the rain. But I'll be fine. Cause I've got faith of the heart. I'm going where my heart will take me. I've got faith to believe. I can do anything. I've got strength of the soul. No one's gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I've got faith. I've got faith of the heart. I'm going where my heart will take me. I've got strength of the soul, and no one's gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I've got faith. I've got faith, faith of the heart. It's been a long road.

Star Trek: Enterprise version [ ]

It's been a long road, getting from there to here. It's been a long time, but my time is finally near. And I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the sky. And they're not gonna hold me down no more, no they're not gonna change my mind. Cause I've got faith of the heart. I'm going where my heart will take me. I've got faith to believe. I can do anything. I've got strength of the soul. And no one's gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I've got faith. I've got faith, faith of the heart.

Other versions [ ]

During previews for Enterprise on UPN , the song " Wherever You Will Go ", performed by the musical group The Calling , was played instead of the regular theme song.

A unique one-off instrumental version of the song "Where My Heart Will Take Me" plays over the closing credits of " Broken Bow ".

  • In the LD : " No Small Parts " episode, Captain William T. Riker was seen quoting the lyrics to Deanna Troi aboard the USS Titan .

External link [ ]

  • " Where My Heart Will Take Me " at Wikipedia

Why Star Trek: Enterprise Had THAT Terrible Theme Song

"Where My Heart Will Take Me," the opening theme to Star Trek: Enterprise, had reason to be scorned. Over time, however, its reputation has improved.

Among Star Trek: Enterprise ’s more contentious quirks was its opening theme song: a reworked version of Rod Stewart’s “Faith of the Heart” entitled “Where My Heart Will Take Me.” It’s very much a product of its time, and in the ensuing years has become something of a guilty pleasure among the Star Trek faithful. It’s the kind of infectious earworm that takes days to get rid of, and it’s definitely an anomaly among Star Trek themes. Fans at the time did not take it well.

Before Enterprise , Star Trek shows stuck resolutely to classic orchestral themes. That started with Alexander Courage’s iconic introduction to the original Star Trek , and was emulated by The Next Generation, Deep Space 9 and Voyager. Star Trek: The Next Generation appropriated Jerry Goldsmith’s theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which is telling: all of them aimed for an operatic sound indicative of epic theatrical films. When Enterprise began, the producers wanted to break from that tradition in a big way.

RELATED:  Star Trek's Longest Running Series, Revealed

It Was Supposed to Help Enterprise Bridge Our Present with Trek’s Future

Enterprise was posited as a prequel to the original series: detailing the early days of humanity’s exploration of the stars, and the eventual formation of the Federation. Producer Brannon Braga told Starlog magazine that he felt the era had more unexplored dramatic potential than something closer to the original series, and that the characters would respond to challenges differently than the characters in other Trek series had. The song was intended as part of that principle: a firm break from what Trek had become, but also a link between the present day and the bright future the franchise promised.

That, however, could have found better expression elsewhere. The song adopted a soft-rock power ballad format, presumably in order to reach as wide an audience demographic as possible. But the supposedly inspiring lyrics fell flat against Enterprise’s impressive visual title montage of real-life heroes like Amelia Earhart and Gus Grissom. And while the orchestral scores from earlier Trek shows felt evergreen, this one dated itself almost as soon as it had dropped.

RELATED:  Star Trek: The Next Generation - Why the Beloved Series Ended

The Song Itself Had a Difficult Background

The choice of song was strange too. Rather than commissioning their own, the producers simply reskinned the Stewart song with new lyrics, giving it the air of a cheap knock-off. Stewart himself – a notorious womanizer – left his second wife less than a month before the song hit the charts, rendering its heartfelt tone disingenuous from the start. A few hastily added lyrics weren’t going to change that. Furthermore, Stewart wrote it for Patch Adams , the infamous Robin Williams tearjerker reviled for its excess sentimentalism.

In short, it felt very corporate: assembled for reasons that had little to do with Star Trek and presented as a change of pace that went badly off the mark. Trekkies responded as Trekkies sometimes do: with anger, rejection and organized demands to replace the song with something else. Enterprise stuck with it, however, and kept it as part of the opening credits for the whole of its run.

The song has since attained a kind of scruffy charm among the Trek faithful, and an apt companion to Enterprise, which similarly took some time for parts of the Star Trek community to warm to. Today the two are intertwined, and the high quality of the show itself lends the comparatively clunky theme song an affection it might otherwise merit. It even earned a playful dig on Star Trek:  Lower Decks   -- as sure a sign as ever that Trekkies are ready to forgive if not forget.

KEEP READING:  Why Star Trek: Enterprise's Series Finale Is So Hated by Fans

The Story Behind The Star Trek Franchise's Most Controversial Theme Song

Star Trek: Enterprise NX-01

It's hard to imagine there are many Trekkies in the world who are immensely fond of Russell Watson's rendition of "Where My Heart Will Take Me," the theme song to "Star Trek: Enterprise." Imagine if Rod Stewart were straining to produce a particularly stubborn bowel movement, and you can hear the gravelly strains of Mr. Watson's vocals. The insipid lyrics wax elegiac about the progress we've made "getting from there to here," and how the singer's "time is finally near." No one can hold back the song's narrator as he has "faith of the heart." Nothing's gonna bend or break him. The effect of the song is more or less equivalent to a black-bordered inspirational poster hung on a corporate office wall next to a cubicle. You have strength of the soul. 

One might be able to see why the makers of "Star Trek: Enterprise" wanted a pop song, with lyrics, to lead into their new 2001 TV series. The previous "Star Trek" shows all began with bold, orchestral themes that evoke the excitement and exhilaration of jetting off into the cosmos. "Enterprise" was to be the fourth new "Trek" series in 14 years, and would be the first to run by itself since the debut of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in 1993. The series wanted to set itself apart, and a pop song seemed like the way to go. 

In the helpful oral history book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams," edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, the shows creators, writers, and directors all talked about the theme song and what led to their (dubious) decision to include Russell "The Voice" Watson's dulcet groans into official "Star Trek" canon. 

It's been a long road...

I didn't mention Rod Stewart above by accident. "Where Will Heart Will Take Me" actually began its life as a 1998 Stewart song called "Faith of the Heart," written by serially Oscar-nominated songwriter Dianne Warren. It was initially penned for Tom Shadyac's execrable, treacle-smeared Hollywood biopic "Patch Adams," and the song's ultra-sentimental tone perfectly matches the corniness of the movie itself. "Faith of the Heart" hit #20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, and peaked at #4 in Canada. A 1999 cover by Christian/Country artist Susan Ashton made it as far as #51 on the Hot Country Songs chart. 

Russell Watson began his singing career as a mere lad and began winning radio singing contests in his 20s. In 1999, he sang "God Save the Queen" at the rugby Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, and England really took notice. Two years later, Watson released his first album, "The Voice" (not related to the TV game show of the same name) and it was a massive success; "The Voice" is the first album to hold the #1 spot on both the U.S. and U.K. classical charts at the same time. Watson, lacking in the "stuffy" pretensions of modern opera and willing to sing pop songs, gained the nickname of "The People's Tenor." He was also called, rather theatrically, "The Voice," after that first album. In short, he was hot s*** in 2001.

Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, the creators of "Star Trek: Enterprise," likely knew all about Watson and his cresting popularity. The two wanted a pop song — mostly at Berman's insistence — but, as it turns out, not that pop song. Braga remembers what he wanted to use, and how awful he thought "Where My Heart Will Take Me" was.

Getting from there to here...

Braga originally wanted a temp track they were using to become the actual "Enterprise" theme song. He was a big U2 fan, it seems. He was not, however, a fan of Russell Watson. Braga said: 

"Rick and I felt that a song would set the slightly more contemporary feeling we were going after with Enterprise. For the longest time, we had a temporary song we cut the main titles to, U2's 'Beautiful Day.' If we had used that—or could have afforded it-that would have been a great song. Those main titles with U2 are amazing. It's hip and cool, whereas the song we ended up with is awful. I'm a big fan of Diane Warren, she's a great songwriter, but this particular song and the way it was sung was tacky." 

For the record, "Beautiful Day" doesn't really have the "bold" qualities of classic "Star Trek" orchestral openings, but it is a sight better than what we got. Braga continued: 

"I still cringe when I hear it and, by the way, I think the song had a lot to do with people's adverse reaction to the show. If you look at the main titles themselves, it's a really cool sequence. But the song is awful, just awful." 

If it was that awful, why was it selected as the theme song for "Enterprise"? Berman revealed that it was the culmination of ideas that all seemed great at the time, but that ultimately combined very poorly. Opening montage, lyrics about progress, talented songwriter, hot pop singer. It seemed like all the pieces were correct, and everything was on track to be great. They could reach any star.

It's been a long time...

Berman remembers the process well. He said: 

"This is another example of my being stubborn, right or wrong. I thought it would be nice to have a theme song. Nobody had ever done it before. I knew that I wanted the animation at the opening instead of just being the flying-through-space stuff that had existed on all the other 'Star Trek' shows. But I wanted it to be sort of a compilation of the science and the people that led up to the space flight. Our visual effects people put together an amazing visual montage. Then we went to a very famous, contemporary composer named Diane Warren, who's written huge hits."

So far, so good. For the record, the opening montage is wonderful. It begins with footage of the first sailing ships on Earth in long-ago times, and quickly walks the audience through the history of navigation. There is a three-masted sailing vessel, a modern ship, a space shuttle. At some point, the montage passes from real-world ships into the fictional crafts of "Star Trek." It ends with the title vessel, warping into adventure.  

Berman recalls Warren:

"...[W]ent through a whole bunch of songs and we came up with this tune that she had written. The lyrics seemed perfect. Then she got all excited, there was a British singer named Russell Watson and he was a very hot performer — kind of semi-operatic and pop performer — and he agreed to sing it. It basically spoke to exactly what we were looking for a dream of going out into the unknown and the whole idea of bringing one's heart to what matters. We recorded the song and put it to the animation and everybody thought it was terrific. And the audience hated it."

But my time is finally near...

Indeed. The semi-operatic sound of "Where My Heart Will Take Me" was hated pretty much unilaterally. The idea of opening a "Star Trek" show with a pop song wasn't a bad idea in itself, necessarily, but audiences made it quite clear that Watson's wailings weren't wanted. Eventually, at the start of the show's third season, the song was remixed to add more electric guitars and drums, hoping to trick audiences into thinking it was more upbeat. Watson's vocals, perhaps unfortunately, remained. Berman liked the remix. No one else did. He said: 

"In the second or third year, the network said to us, 'Can you rewrite the song and could you make the song hipper?' We left the vocal on, but we did a completely different instrumental with a lot more electric guitars and things to make it a little more rock 'n' roll. I don't know if anybody was truly satisfied with that. I, for one, can tell you that I thought it was a great opening and I'm not alone in that. I don't think I'm in the majority, but I'm not alone." 

Many of the other producers and writers on "Enterprise" were fine with moving away from a Jerry Goldsmith or Alexander Courage-penned orchestral overture, but none of them liked "Where My Heart Will Take Me." Writer Mike Sussman liked the shake-up, but not "kind of shaking it up in many of the wrong ways. Let's say all the wrong ways." Producer Antoinette Stella recalled that everyone was "shocked" when they heard the song at the series' first screening. "Everybody talked about it after we saw the pilot," she said. "Sometimes you try to be different and they work ... and sometimes they don't."

I will see my dreams come alive at night...

Chris Black, one of the staff writers on "Enterprise" noted that the song was perhaps terrible, but that it was ultimately perfect for the tone of the show. It was about aspiring and touching the furthest star, etc. etc. There were worse things in the world that one should reserve their hate for. Black said: 

"If you listen to the lyrics of that song, they're appropriate. Are the lyrics cheesy? Absolutely. But is it saying something about the characters of the Star Trek universe that I think is appropriate? Absolutely. I don't hate it or love it. Everybody hates it. I don't hate it. I hate Nazis. I don't hate the theme song from 'Enterprise.'"

The editor of Film Score Monthly, Lukas Kendall, noted that "Where My Heart Will Take Me" has aged like fine milk. It was derided in 2001 and still has no fans 22 years later. He asked:

"Is there anybody who likes that song? The choice was ridiculed at the time and comes across no better today. I would not be opposed to the use of a song in principle, but it was the wrong one-a Diane Warren power ballad from 'Patch Adams?' Really? Even the producers seemed to hedge when they had the backing track redone for season three, but they had too much invested to dump it entirely."

In the pages of /Film, it was previously written that modern pop music always feels a little out of place in "Star Trek." The franchise takes place in a post-capitalist society. Adding recognizable commercial pop into the proceedings adds an unavoidable corporate element to Trek. Kendall noted the clash between Trek's typically classical bent and its own need for an insufferable power ballad. 

I will touch the sky

Kendall continued: 

"The producers broke one of their own rules: 'Star Trek' has become pop culture, but there is no pop culture within 'Star Trek,' because it punctures the reality. They tried rebranding with a mainstream radio song instead of another 'space theme for nerds,' so to speak — the desperate attempt to reach a bigger audience — but it was cheesy and lame." 

Many years later, the makers of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" got to affectionally (?) take a swipe at "Where My Heart Will Take Me." William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), while serving as captain on board the U.S.S. Titan, liked to while away his free time interacting with the "Enterprise" characters on the ship's holodeck. This was a reference to the final episode of "Enterprise," wherein Riker did that very thing. As he returned to the bridge after one of his holographic sojourns, he idly commented that he loved visiting the past and that "it's been a long road, getting from there to here." Trekkies instantly recognized Dianne Warren's opening lyric. 

It's worth noting that all the "Star Trek" shows to follow "Enterprise" went enthusiastically back to the "space theme for nerds" model, providing each series with a unique orchestral score. The third season of "Stra Trek: Picard" even repurposed Jerry Goldsmith's theme for "Star Trek: First Contact" wholesale.

Fun trivia: in what might have been a fit whimsical irony, "Where My Heart Will Take Me" was used as the wake-up alarm for mission specialist Richard Mastracchio on the Space Shuttle Endeavour  in 2007.

Hearts were broken. Lessons were learned. "Star Trek" will never again have The Voice.

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

trek enterprise theme song

  • This Just In
  • Grateful Dead
  • Old Time Radio
  • 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
  • Audio Books & Poetry
  • Computers, Technology and Science
  • Music, Arts & Culture
  • News & Public Affairs
  • Spirituality & Religion
  • Radio News Archive

trek enterprise theme song

  • Flickr Commons
  • Occupy Wall Street Flickr
  • NASA Images
  • Solar System Collection
  • Ames Research Center

trek enterprise theme song

  • All Software
  • Old School Emulation
  • MS-DOS Games
  • Historical Software
  • Classic PC Games
  • Software Library
  • Kodi Archive and Support File
  • Vintage Software
  • CD-ROM Software
  • CD-ROM Software Library
  • Software Sites
  • Tucows Software Library
  • Shareware CD-ROMs
  • Software Capsules Compilation
  • CD-ROM Images
  • ZX Spectrum
  • DOOM Level CD

trek enterprise theme song

  • Smithsonian Libraries
  • FEDLINK (US)
  • Lincoln Collection
  • American Libraries
  • Canadian Libraries
  • Universal Library
  • Project Gutenberg
  • Children's Library
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Books by Language
  • Additional Collections

trek enterprise theme song

  • Prelinger Archives
  • Democracy Now!
  • Occupy Wall Street
  • TV NSA Clip Library
  • Animation & Cartoons
  • Arts & Music
  • Computers & Technology
  • Cultural & Academic Films
  • Ephemeral Films
  • Sports Videos
  • Videogame Videos
  • Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

  • Wayback Machine (iOS)
  • Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

  • Explore the Collections
  • Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

  • Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Star Trek - Enterprise - Theme Song

Audio with external links item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

  • Graphic Violence
  • Explicit Sexual Content
  • Hate Speech
  • Misinformation/Disinformation
  • Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
  • Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

5,270 Views

6 Favorites

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

In collections.

Uploaded by PurpleSym on February 7, 2019

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

Songfacts Logo

  • Songwriter Interviews
  • Song Writing
  • Fact or Fiction
  • They're Playing My Song
  • Songfacts Pages
  • Songwriting Legends
  • Songfacts Podcast
  • Amanda Flinner
  • Bruce Pollock
  • Corey O'Flanagan
  • Dan MacIntosh
  • Laura Antonelli
  • Leslie Michele Derrough
  • Maggie Grimason
  • Nicole Roberge
  • Roger Catlin
  • Shawna Ortega
  • Stephanie Myers
  • Trevor Morelli

Faith Of The Heart by Rod Stewart

trek enterprise theme song

Songfacts®:

  • This song was written by accomplished American songwriter Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by Stewart for the 1998 Robin Williams movie Patch Adams , where it fit with the theme of believing in yourself.
  • In 2001, the song was re-recorded by British opera singer Russell Watson under the title "Where My Heart Will Take Me," to be used as the theme song for Enterprise , the fifth TV series in the Star Trek franchise and a prequel to the original series. Like many other aspects of the Enterprise series, the choice of this song as the theme music became a point of controversy among longtime Star Trek devotees. In 2003, Watson's version was remixed to coincide with the show's rebranding as Star Trek: Enterprise . Ironically, this livelier mix of the theme song came as the plot of the series itself took a darker turn.
  • Watson performed a slightly edited version of the song during the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, UK. >> Suggestion credit : Joshua - Twin Cities, MN, for all above
  • More songs from Rod Stewart
  • More songs written by Diane Warren
  • More songs about confidence or courage
  • More TV show theme songs
  • More songs used in movies
  • More songs from 1998
  • Lyrics to Faith Of The Heart
  • Rod Stewart Artistfacts

Comments: 1

  • Diane from Walnut Grove, Al I am looking for both Sheet Music and CD for the song: "Faith of the Heart" by Rod Stewart. I would love to find a dependable/honest/reasonable site to purchase this song with Sheet Music and CD Can anyone help me??????

More Songfacts:

Westlife

Flying Without Wings Westlife

A live stripped down version of "Flying Without Wings" was the first ever #1 on the Official UK Download Chart. It was recorded in May 1994 at The Globe, Stockholm.

Dido

White Flag Dido

Dido helped shut down a Neo-Nazi Web site after learning it was using "White Flag" to promote its hateful messages. Owners of the site had misinterpreted the track as racist and thought they represented their white supremacy views.

The Beatles

Back In The U.S.S.R. The Beatles

There was a rumor in the Soviet Union that The Beatles had secretly visited the U.S.S.R. and given a private concert for the children of top Communist party members. They believed the song "Back In The U.S.S.R." was written because of the concert. Actually, some fans still believe so.

David Bowie

Rebel Rebel David Bowie

When David Bowie sings, "We like dancing and we look divine" in "Rebel Rebel," it's a reference to a famous drag queen known as Divine.

Slade

Cum On Feel The Noize Slade

"Cum On Feel The Noise" was originally recorded by the British glam band Slade in 1973. Quiet Riot had their first hit with the song when they recorded it in 1983.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Run Through the Jungle Creedence Clearwater Revival

The CCR song "Run Through the Jungle" is about gun control.

Editor's Picks

Daryl Hall

Daryl Hall Songwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of Kansas Songwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Elton John

Elton John Fact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New York

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New York Song Writing

Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs Songwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock Song Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.

Songfacts® Newsletter

A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs

Information

  • Terms of Service
  • Our Privacy Policy
  • Google Privacy Policy
  • Songfacts API
  • Music History Calendar
  • Song Licensing
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Manager
  • X (Twitter)

Contribution

  • Message Boards
  • Songfacts Writers

©2024 Songfacts, LLC

Screen Rant

Enterprise almost had a u2 theme song (& why it didn't).

U2’s hit single “Beautiful Day” was the original choice to be Star Trek: Enterprise’s theme song, but “Where My Heart Will Take Me” won out.

U2's hit single "Beautiful Day" was the original choice to serve as the theme song to Star Trek: Enterprise , but the Russell Watson power ballad "Where My Heart Will Take Me" eventually won out. By 2001, franchise fatigue was setting in for Star Trek . There had consistently been a Star Trek television series on the air since 1987. The film series hadn't stopped to take a breath since Star Trek: The Motion Picture debuted in 1979, and demand for more films featuring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation was clearly winding down. Despite the writing on the wall, the United Paramount Network (UPN) still wanted an immediate follow-up series to Star Trek: Voyager .

Longtime Star Trek Executive Producer Rick Berman realized the franchise needed an overhaul for the 21st century, and the eventual result was Enterprise . A prequel series set a century before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series , Enterprise followed the adventures of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 Enterprise, humanity's first vessel capable of prolonged interstellar travel. In an effort to refresh the franchise, Enterprise eschewed many common Star Trek trappings; notably, the words " Star Trek " did not initially appear in the show's title until season 3. But Enterprise 's most controversial move was its theme song.

Related: Enterprise Pitched A Spock & T’Pol Team-Up Before Strange New Worlds

How Enterprise Almost Had A U2 Theme Song

The decision was made early on in the development of Enterprise that the show would not feature a traditional orchestral intro theme, but rather a pop song, similar to most UPN shows at the time. A popular choice with the show's production staff was U2's monster 2000 hit "Beautiful Day." The song was even used as a temp track as the show's opening credits were being developed. U2's "Beautiful Day" had a strong and vocal proponent in future Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas, who was a production assistant on Enterprise .

However, there was a somewhat predictable problem with using "Beautiful Day." U2 were, by many measures, the biggest band in the world in 2001, and licensing their songs for use in movies and television was notoriously expensive. Producer Rick Berman eventually realized using the song was not financially feasible and began looking for other options. The show's producers eventually chose Russell Watson's "Where My Heart Will Take Me," a reworking of a Rod Stewart song called "Faith Of The Heart."

Why Enterprise's Theme Song Was Controversial

The reaction to "Where My Heart Will Take Me" was, quite frankly, vicious. The cheesy power ballad was lambasted by critics and audiences alike, with fans organizing a campaign to have the song replaced. Lifelong Star Trek fan Simon Pegg, who played Montgomery Scott in the Kelvin timeline films and co-wrote Star Trek Beyond , has admitted he's never seen a full episode of Enterprise because he hates the theme song so much.

Much like Enterprise itself, opinions on "Where My Heart Will Take Me" have softened over the years. It's not exactly beloved, but it's now acknowledged as a good-faith effort to try something new. That said, it's hard not to wonder what could have been for Star Trek: Enterprise had it been soundtracked by a classic rock anthem like "Beautiful Day."

More: Enterprise Almost Featured A Weekly Musical Act

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

trek enterprise theme song

Who sang the Enterprise theme ...

Question: Who sang the Enterprise theme song, "Faith of the Heart"? It wasn't Rod Stewart, but could it have been Scott Bakula, aka Captain Jonathan Archer?Answer: It could've been, I suppose. But it wasn't. "Faith of the Heart," written by Diane Warren and originally performed by Rod Stewart for the Patch Adams soundtrack, was sung by rising U.K. opera star Russell Watson during the show's opening credits. Watson comes from humble beginnings, initially earning a living as a bolt fitter in Manchester and practicing his singing on the side. From there, "The People's Tenor" (I love that name — a tenor for the rest of us) has come into his own as a best-selling singer and was even named a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations. Now, if only one could say the same for the song itself, which creat

TV Guide User Photo

Question: Who sang the Enterprise theme song, "Faith of the Heart"? It wasn't Rod Stewart , but could it have been Scott Bakula , aka Captain Jonathan Archer?

Answer: It could've been, I suppose. But it wasn't.

"Faith of the Heart," written by Diane Warren and originally performed by Rod Stewart for the Patch Adams soundtrack, was sung by rising U.K. opera star Russell Watson during the show's opening credits. Watson comes from humble beginnings, initially earning a living as a bolt fitter in Manchester and practicing his singing on the side. From there, "The People's Tenor" (I love that name a tenor for the rest of us) has come into his own as a best-selling singer and was even named a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations.

Now, if only one could say the same for the song itself, which created quite a storm in the Trek community. It's tough to find a fan who's ambivalent about it. (Admittedly, it's tough to find a Trek fan who's ambivalent about anything .) Those who hated the song started petition drives to get it dumped, while those who championed it screamed just as loudly to have it left alone.

trek enterprise theme song

The bad idea behind the naming of Star Trek: Enterprise

B efore Star Trek: Enterprise became Star Trek: Enterprise, it had been decided during the development of the series that the "Star Trek" would be dropped. For some reason, the powers-that-be, including Rick Berman, had the idea that dropping the colon would help the series be "dramatically different." According to Berman, as reported in The Fifty Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, From The Next Generation to J.J. Abrams, The Complete Uncensored and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, he thought it "might be fun" to not have a division between Star Trek and the main title.

And I thought that if there's any one word that says Star Trek without actually saying Star Trek, it's the word "enterprise." Rick Berman

But fans weren't happy that a long-standing tradition had been dropped. Combine that with the theme song, and there was even more unhappy fans. But that's not the worst part of this scenario.

When the ratings weren't as high as they hoped and were actually dropping in the second season, all of a sudden, it was time to put Star Trek in the title. Perhaps the executives were thinking people weren't watching because they didn't know it was a Trek show.

"As if anybody out there was going to say, 'Damn, I didn't know that was a Star Trek show.' So it became Star Trek: Enterprise the last two years.Rick Berman

The reasons behind Enterprise's failure had little to do with the series' name. I, for one, am a big fan of the series, but even I saw issues with it that had nothing to do with what it was called or the theme song. Quite frankly, I didn't think the right people were in charge of the scripts, and that was just one of the problems. There just simply weren't enough great stories, which is a shame because when Enterprise did have a great story, like Terra Prime, they really did it right.

There were plenty of other standout episodes during the series' four-season run, but obviously, it wasn't enough to satisfy the ratings. The idea, though, to attach Star Trek to the title after two seasons was a dismal failure. People weren't failing to watch because of the name; they were failing to watch because they didn't like the way the series was being written. I would have gladly watched more episodes, but there just weren't enough people who felt the same way.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as The bad idea behind the naming of Star Trek: Enterprise .

The bad idea behind the naming of Star Trek: Enterprise

  • Skip to main content
  • Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

The long lost original model of the USS Enterprise has been returned

The model, in the opening credits of Star Trek , had been missing since the 1970s. It popped up on eBay last fall. The seller helped facilitate its return to the family of the creator of Star Trek .

(SOUNDBITE OF ALEXANDER COURAGE'S "THEME FROM STAR TREK")

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Leila Fadel.

The long-lost original model of the USS Enterprise, the one that could be seen in the opening credits of the TV show "Star Trek," has been returned. Missing since the 1970s, the model popped up on eBay last fall. The seller eventually took down the item and helped facilitate its return to Rod Roddenberry, the son of the late "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry, the son, says he now hopes to get the model into a museum for the public to enjoy.

It's MORNING EDITION.

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

IMAGES

  1. Star Trek Enterprise Theme Song Faith Of The Heart

    trek enterprise theme song

  2. Star Trek Enterprise Official Theme Song in HD

    trek enterprise theme song

  3. Star Trek Enterprise Theme Music With HD Picture Slideshow

    trek enterprise theme song

  4. Star Trek Enterprise

    trek enterprise theme song

  5. Star Trek Enterprise Theme Song

    trek enterprise theme song

  6. Faith of the Heart Star Trek: Enterprise, Theme song

    trek enterprise theme song

VIDEO

  1. Star Trek Enterprise Theme

  2. Star Trek: Enterprise Theme Song 2001

  3. Enterprise Original Theme [Retouched]

  4. Star Trek: Enterprise

  5. STAR TREK ENTERPRISE THEME REMIX

  6. Star Trek Enterprise Intro With Other Music

COMMENTS

  1. Find Top Brands

    Find the deal you deserve on eBay. Discover discounts from sellers across the globe. We've got your back with eBay money-back guarantee. Enjoy great deals you can trust.

  2. Faith of the Heart

    Following the pilot episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, "Broken Bow", and the debut of the song as the series' theme tune, the reception among Star Trek fans was mostly negative. Such was the response, that online petitions were formed and a protest held outside Paramount Studios against the use of the song. [16]

  3. Star Trek: Enterprise Lyrics

    I will touch the sky. An' they're not gonna hold me down no more. No they're not gonna change my mind. No they're not gonna hold me down. 'Cause I've got faith of the heart. I'm going where my heart will take me. I've got faith to believe. I can do anything. I've got strength of the soul.

  4. Where My Heart Will Take Me

    Song history []. The version for Enterprise was performed by Russell Watson.It remains the only Star Trek theme song besides Star Trek: The Original Series that is not completely an instrumental, orchestral piece, the only theme to have sung lyrics, and is the only theme that is not a composition original to the franchise. "Where My Heart Will Take Me" was played for the crew of the space ...

  5. Russell watson -star trek

    Russell watson -star trek - enterprise - main theme song - aerosmith - faith of the heart

  6. Why Star Trek: Enterprise Used 'Faith of the Heart' As Its Theme

    The song has since attained a kind of scruffy charm among the Trek faithful, and an apt companion to Enterprise, which similarly took some time for parts of the Star Trek community to warm to. Today the two are intertwined, and the high quality of the show itself lends the comparatively clunky theme song an affection it might otherwise merit.

  7. Where My Heart Will Take Me (Theme From "Enterprise")

    Now I finally have my day. And I will see my dream come alive at night. I will touch the sky. And they're not gonna hold me down no more. No they're not gonna change my mind. [Refrain] Cause I've ...

  8. Star Trek Enterprise Full Theme Song

    Star Trek Enterprise theme in full. Song by Russel Watson- "Where My Heart Will Take Me".

  9. Star Trek: Enterprise theme song

    Star Trek: Enterprise theme song

  10. Enterprise (soundtrack)

    Soundtrack. Length. 49:30. Label. Decca. Producer. Nick Patrick and Russell Watson. Enterprise is the soundtrack for the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise. It features the opening title song, "Where My Heart Will Take Me", as sung by Russell Watson, alongside instrumental compositions by Dennis McCarthy .

  11. The Story Behind The Star Trek Franchise's Most Controversial Theme Song

    One might be able to see why the makers of "Star Trek: Enterprise" wanted a pop song, with lyrics, to lead into their new 2001 TV series. The previous "Star Trek" shows all began with bold ...

  12. Faith Of The Heart Chords

    Create and get +5 IQ. Russel Watson - Faith of the Heart (Star Trek Enterprise Theme Song, ~1:21 min) Standard tuning (EDAGBe) Special Chords Asus4: x02230 A7sus4: x02030 Em7: 022030 F#m: 244222 G: 320033 VERSE: D It's been a long road Bm Asus4 G Getting from there to here Bm It's been a long time G Asus4 G But my time is finally here F#m ...

  13. Star Trek

    Addeddate 2019-02-07 09:49:56 External_metadata_update 2019-04-09T09:47:09Z Identifier tvtunes_22493 Scanner Internet Archive Python library 1.8.1

  14. Faith Of The Heart by Rod Stewart

    In 2001, the song was re-recorded by British opera singer Russell Watson under the title "Where My Heart Will Take Me," to be used as the theme song for Enterprise, the fifth TV series in the Star Trek franchise and a prequel to the original series. Like many other aspects of the Enterprise series, the choice of this song as the theme music became a point of controversy among longtime Star ...

  15. Star Trek Enterprise theme song (Season 1 & 2)

    Star Trek Enterprise theme in full. Song by Russel Watson- "Where My Heart Will Take Me". (I like this version best, how about you?)Look for petitions to g...

  16. Star Trek: Enterprise

    In addition to dropping the Star Trek prefix, Enterprise used the pop-influenced song "Faith of the Heart" (performed by Russell Watson) as its theme. It was filmed on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles, California, on the same stages that housed the Star Trek series and films since the abandoned Star Trek: Phase II in the late 1970s.

  17. The Original Star Trek: Enterprise Theme Song By U2 Is Much Better

    Before Watson's "Where My Heart Will Take Me" became the theme for Star Trek: Enterprise, the cast and crew got to see the show's opening paired with U2's "Beautiful Day.". Braga wasn't alone in his preference for this track. Mike Sussman, an Enterprise writer and producer, also felt U2's song better captured Star Trek's ...

  18. Enterprise Almost Had A U2 Theme Song (& Why It Didn't)

    U2's hit single "Beautiful Day" was the original choice to serve as the theme song to Star Trek: Enterprise, but the Russell Watson power ballad "Where My Heart Will Take Me" eventually won out. By 2001, franchise fatigue was setting in for Star Trek. There had consistently been a Star Trek television series on the air since 1987.

  19. Who sang the Enterprise theme ...

    Answer: It could've been, I suppose. But it wasn't. "Faith of the Heart," written by Diane Warren and originally performed by Rod Stewart for the Patch Adams soundtrack, was sung by rising U.K ...

  20. The Story Behind 'Star Trek: Enterprise' and Its Infamous Intro Song

    From the very beginning, Trek had a different sound for its first series. Composed by Alexander Courage, the "Star Trek" theme was written in November of 1966 and has become an iconic piece of ...

  21. Enterprise

    Dennis McCarthy wrote an original theme song for the 2001 show "Enterprise", later renamed to "Star Trek: Enterprise". The producers have decided to use a po...

  22. The enterprise theme song is awesome. : r/startrek

    Did you know that originally the end credits song "Archers theme" was originally going to be the opening theme song. Yeah, the guy who composed it was pretty disappointed when they went with faith of the heart. Look on YouTube and you'll see an edit with the good extended music and what it could've looked like. 14.

  23. The bad idea behind the naming of Star Trek: Enterprise

    The reasons behind Enterprise's failure had little to do with the series' name. I, for one, am a big fan of the series, but even I saw issues with it that had nothing to do with what it was called ...

  24. The long lost original model of the USS Enterprise has been returned

    The model, in the opening credits of Star Trek, had been missing since the 1970s. It popped up on eBay last fall. The seller helped facilitate its return to the family of the creator of Star Trek.

  25. Star Trek

    Extended version of the Star Trek - Enterprise opening theme.

  26. Where My Heart Will Take Me (Theme From "Enterprise")

    Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupWhere My Heart Will Take Me (Theme From "Enterprise") · Russell Watson · Jeff Bova · Neil Jason · James Banbury ·...