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Yesterday's Enterprise
The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise discover a temporal anomaly in space,
from which emerges the U.S.S. Enterprise-C, the immediate predecessor to
Captain Picard's vessel. Instantly the time-line shifts to an alternate reality
in which the Federation is involved in a bloody conflict with the Klingon Empire
and where ex-security chief Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) is alive and still serving
aboard the starship. Only Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) is aware of the shift in the
time-line and tries to convince Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) to send the
U.S.S. Enterprise-C back through the temporal rift to her own time,
amidst a bloody attack on a Klingon outpost by four Romulan Warbirds. Meanwhile,
Tasha learns from Guinan that she died a meaningless death in the true reality,.
Wanting her death to count for something, she requests a transfer to the U.S.S. Enterprise-C
so that she may aid in the fight against the Romulans. Picard, after reluctantly
agreeing to the transfer, must defend the U.S.S. Enterprise-C against
three attacking Klingon battle cruisers as she makes her way back through the
temporal rift so that history and peace may be restored.
In the Score for
"Yesterday's Enterprise", Dennis McCarthy brings forth several
different moods which convey the darkness of this particular episode. He uses a
very haunting movement enhanced by electronic chimes when the U.S.S. Enterprise-C
emerges from the time-rift (Daulity/Enterprise-C). He also creates a moving love
theme for Tasha Yar, for whom fate gives a second chance for love and a heroic
death in battle (First Kiss, Empty Death/Reporting for Duty). Dennis finishes
with an exciting fast-paced movement as the U.S.S. Enterprise-D protects
its sister ship from three enemy battle cruisers as it re-enters the temporal
rift (Klingons/Skin of Teeth).
Unification, Parts 1 and 2
Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is disturbed to learn of an unauthorized visit
to Romulus by Spock (Leonard Nimoy), former U.S.S. Enterprise First
Officer now celebrated Ambassador. He travels to Vulcan to meet with Sarek (Mark
Lenard) to hopefully gain insight as to Spock's reasons for such a visit. Sarek
informs Picard that Spock may be meeting with Senator Pardek (Malachi Throne),
an advocate for peace between the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. After hiring a
cloaked vessel from the Klingons, Picard and Data (Brent Spiner) begin the
journey to Romulus, where, disguised as Romulans, they hope to discover the
whereabouts of Spock. Upon their arrival, they are brought before Senator Pardek
and Ambassador Spock, who explains that his mission involves the reunification
of the Romulans and the Vulcans after centuries of separation. Picard is
distrustful of the Romulan's true intentions and it is later discovered that the
Romulan peace envoy is actually a military coup under the command of Sela
(Denise Crosby) to take over control of the Vulcan Government. Sela demands that
Spock deliver a speech to the Vulcans, informing them of the Romulan's peaceful
intentions. When he refuses, she shows him a holographic projection of himself,
which she will use instead if she is forced to kill him. After Sela leaves, Data
manages to reprogram the holographic projector to effect an escape and to warn
Vulcan of the Romulan strike force on its way to seize control of the planet.
After the Romulan treachery is thwarted, Spock elects to remain on Romulus to
continue his work toward reunification.
Dennis' suite for the two
part episode "Unification" opens with a robust introduction heard at
the beginning of the second half of the story and utilizes a four-note theme
that has been on of his signature to the series since the second year of the
show (In Case You Forgot). From there he settles to a smoother, more emotional
pace highlighted by a very moving piece which underscores the last moments of
Spock's father, Sarek (Sarek Drifts Away).
Hollow Pursuits
Lt. Barclay (Dwight Schultz) is an overwhelmingly shy officer who suffers from
severe lack of confidence and self-esteem. As a result, he compulsively uses the
ship's holodeck to create Walter Mitty-esque fantasy situations which he uses as
a means of escape from the frustrations of his post in engineering. When an
accident causes a canister of alien tissue samples to break open, Lt. Barclay's
negligence is blamed. When Geordi (LeVar Burton) complains to Captain Picard
(Patrick Stewart) about Lt. "Broccoli," Picard suggests that he find
new ways to motivate and inspire confidence in him. But Barclay still feels
unable to fit in and again retreats to the holodeck, recreating Picard and
members of the crew as medieval swordsmen against whom he must fight. As Barclay
continues to shirk his responsibilities to the ship, Counselor Troi (Marina
Sirtis), Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Geordi go to confront Barclay and his
obsessions. When the U.S.S. Enterprise is suddenly jolted into warp speed
by an engine malfunction, Barclay deduces that the problem involves a contagion
spread by numerous crew members from the broken tissue sample canister
throughout the U.S.S. Enterprise's mechanical systems. Geordi confirms
Barclay's theory and is able to save the ship moments before self-destruction.
Now that he is a hero in the eyes of the crew, Barclay retires his holodeck
fantasies?except program #9.
Dennis composed some
beautiful thematic movements for "Hollow Pursuits" including a very
moving love theme heard as Barclay enacts his romantic fantasies involving Dr.
Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Counselor Troi) Lady Gates, Madame Troi) as well as
a very Korngold-esque swashbuckling movement as Barclay duel with holgrammatic
likenesses Picard, Riker and Data (Swordplay). All of which lead up to a tense,
percussive climax when Barclay must save the U.S.S. Enterprise from the
alien infection which threatens it (Warposity).
Dennis McCarthy can certainly
be said to be among the most prolific composers in the business. From his
beginnings as arranger and conductor for Glen Campbell to his work as an
orchestrator for Alex North on up to his many years with STAR TREK: THE NEXT
GENERATION, he has shown great diversity in his styles of composing. His break
with STAR TREK came in 1987 as a result of his previous work on "V"
and "THE NEW TWILIGHT ZONE" which had impressed the producers, Rick
Berman and Robert H. Justman, enough to sign him to do the score for the
two-hour opening pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint" and continue on
through numerous subsequent episodes. He has since been active on several other
television projects such as MANCUSO: FBI, LIFESTORIES, PARKER LEWIS CAN'T LOSE,
MacGYVER and TINY TOONS. His made-for-TV movies include SWORN TO SILENCE, LEONA
HELMSLEY: THE QUEEN OF MEAN, DADDY, KALEDIOSCOPE, SAM HOUSTON: THE LEGEND OF
TEXAS and OVERKILL. He is a six time winner of the ASCAP Scoring Award and has
been nominated for an Emmy Award four times for his work on STAR TREK: THE NEXT
GENERATION for the episodes, "The Child", "Half a Life",
"Yesterday's Enterprise" and "Unification, Part 1," which
won him the Emmy Award for 1992. Dennis resides with his wife, Patti and his
three children in Burbank.
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