5 shows that prove Bear McCreary is the best composer on television

Battlestar Galactica

It’s hard to believe, but SyFy’s much lauded remake of Battlestar Galactica first premiered almost 16 years ago. At the time, music on television looked significantly different than it did today, where it’s often on par with film scores in just about every way.

Battlestar was Bear McCreary’s first job writing music for television. He was initially brought on the production as a supporting composer to Richard Gibbs, who did most of the music for the pilot. But after the first episode of Battlestar had wrapped, McCreary stepped up to become the series’ regular composer. The rest is history.

Battlestar Galactica was a story of the last survivors of humanity hurtling through space in search of a new home, all while being hunted at every turn by the robotic enemies they had created, the Cyclons. The breadth and depth of Battlestar‘s score is something that really can’t be overstated. From sweeping classical pieces like “Passacaglia” to a reimagining of Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower” to the show’s main theme — which features an ancient Hindi chant that Edward James Olmos used to play on set to get in the zone — the music had a scope unlike any other sci-fi TV score. McCreary’s inventive yet grounded music helped us look past the futuristic trappings and dial in to the human struggles of these survivors dealing with the overwhelming weight of being the last of their kind.

In a genre that is often dominated by moody electronic music, McCreary’s score for Battlestar Galactica did something truly outside the norm. Coupled with the inventive camera work and direction of Ronald D. Moore, it helped make Battlestar one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.