Who composed the main theme for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?

James Horner composed the main theme and score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Horner wrote the music for the 1982 film after Jerry Goldsmith had scored Star Trek: The Motion Picture. His score helped give The Wrath of Khan a more urgent, nautical, and emotionally direct sound that matched the film’s themes of aging, command, revenge, and sacrifice.

The music is especially recognizable for its bold brass writing and recurring heroic motifs. The opening fanfare and the recurring musical identity of the Enterprise helped define the movie’s tone and became strongly associated with the franchise.

Horner later returned to score Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. This makes his work easy to confuse with Goldsmith’s contributions, but Goldsmith composed the first film’s score and later returned for several other entries. Horner’s Star Trek work is concentrated in the second and third films.