"The Empath" by George Dunning

Star Trek has had so much orchestral music in its nearly 60-year history, and I wanted to highlight for today's prompt, a score and composer that I don't think get enough recognition. Beginning with his score to the Season 2 episode "Metamorphosis," George Dunning established himself as TOS's go-to for music requiring a romantic element. His score for Season 3's "The Empath" is no different, providing Dunning with the opportunity to score both bizarre and sometimes horrific moments of torture as well as providing a voice to a character who was literally speechless.

For the Vians, the often-sadistic antagonists of the episode, Dunning wrote a tense melody often punctuated by percussion hits, while his theme for Gem, the mute alien woman (played by Kathryn Hays) who can absorb emotion and literal injury, he wrote a six-note melody often performed by Yamaha Electone E-3 organ.

"One Specimen/Kirk Tortured/Kirk's Agony/Help Him/Vians' Threat"

This track, which includes five shorter cues, runs the gamut from tense scoring as Kirk is tortured by the Vians to delicate melodies as Gem demonstrates her healing powers. Her E-3 melody is accompanied by Dunning's trademark lush and romantic string writing, while the cue concludes with one of those wonderfully dramatic "bumpers" to commercial that TOS was famous for.

"The Empath" never ranks very highly on people's lists of TOS episodes, but I have a bit of a soft spot for it. It was the second TV episode of Star Trek that I ever watched, and I've always found the almost-black box stage look to be striking. The score of course, is one of my favorites, and I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of it here. Enjoy!