10 Essential Sci-Fi Soundtracks

After Stanley Kubrick passed on an original score composed by Alex North, the visionary director selected classical pieces that made his striking sci-fi visuals even more impactful. Classical recordings such as “Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra)” and “The Blue Danube” have become forever tied to the film and Kubrick helped these legendary compositions experience a resurgence in popularity. Even though many films commission original scores, 2001: A Space Odyssey proves that sometimes the ideal soundtrack has been there all along.

La Planète Sauvage – aka Fantastic Planet – is a sci-fi art film from 1973 that is famous for its mind-altering animation, allegorical story, and space-age soundtrack that was later sampled by J Dilla and Madlib. Alain Goraguer’s avant-garde score incorporates elements of jazz, prog rock, and contemporary classical to create a sonic journey that is eerie, heart-wrenching, and at times, a bit funky. Music fans who like a dash of psychedelia and groove in their soundtracks will want to pick up a copy of this cult favorite.

Straddling the line between science fiction and horror, Alien revolutionized both film genres with its impressive visual effects, production design, and memorable score from beloved composer Jerry Goldsmith. The score’s avant-garde arrangements, spine-chilling strings, and unnerving atmospherics build tension throughout the film, making H.R. Giger’s alien creation even more terrifying. Ever since its release in 1979, Goldsmith’s Alien score has set the standard for what sci-fi and horror films should achieve through their hair-raising soundtracks.

Any Star Wars score composed by John Williams could easily end up on any essential soundtracks list, but Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back gets a spot here because of “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme).” This remarkably recognizable track transcends the Star Wars universe with its immense orchestral power. Additional themes like “Star Wars (Main Theme)” and “Yoda’s Theme” showcase Williams’s ability to capture every mood imaginable as the music carries Luke Skywalker and Co. through intergalactic battle.

The Blade Runner soundtrack is one of the most acclaimed film scores across all genres and recognized as one of the finest achievements from Greek composer Vangelis. Its emotive synth textures capture the movie’s bleak futurism and stark film noir influences, while Middle Eastern and neo-classical elements blend with otherworldly electronics to create a hauntingly beautiful score that elevates every scene and stands on its own as an essential electronic record.

Although Alan Silvestri’s original score is a classic in its own right, this entry is going to the soundtrack that features songs from Huey Lewis And The News, Lindsey Buckingham, and the film’s fictitious band Marvin Berry And The Starlighters. “The Power Of Love” and “Back In Time” were both written by Huey Lewis And The News for Back To The Future, but it’s the universal appeal of “The Power Of Love” that made it one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. For anyone looking to travel back to 1985, the Back To The Future soundtrack is a time capsule brimming with ‘80s nostalgia.

Even though John Williams already made the list with Empire Strikes Back, no essential science fiction soundtrack list would be complete without Jurassic Park. The sci-fi action epic used groundbreaking computer-generated imagery and animatronics to create jaw-dropping visuals that still look incredible to this day. Williams’s score has also stood the test of time with the composer’s classic mix of wonder, adventure, and carefully crafted tension. For the “Theme From Jurassic Park” alone, this score has earned its place amongst the most iconic film scores of all time.

When Walt Disney Studios finally decided to make a sequel to Tron, the director and music supervisor asked electronic duo Daft Punk to compose the film’s score. Instead of solely relying on synths, Daft Punk worked with an 85-piece orchestra to create a futuristic blend of electronic and orchestral music. Inspired by artists like Wendy Carlos, Bernard Herrmann, and Philip Glass, the Tron: Legacy score takes you on an action-packed adventure that heightens every frame and remains a crucial release in the Daft Punk discography.

If someone didn’t know this score was from 2010’s Beyond The Black Rainbow, they may think it was a forgotten album from the ‘80s. The soundtrack’s vintage synth sounds recall the ethereal ambient works of Tangerine Dream, the electronic dread of John Carpenter, and the types of haunting human voices often found in Italian horror soundtracks. Fans of sci-fi horror and synth soundtracks in general will want to give this hallucinatory score a spin. 

Like the aforementioned Beyond The Black Rainbow soundtrack, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein’s synth-centric score takes inspiration from Tangerine Dream, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, and Goblin, and sounds like it came straight out of the 1980s. The show’s supernatural elements mixed with nods to ‘80s sci-fi and horror are expertly complemented by the duo’s ability to conjure ominous textures and atmospheres. The music from Strangers Thing has had an immense impact since the series debuted – the iconic theme song from the opening credits won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music in 2017.