A classically trained composer and multiple-award recipient, Bear McCreary is the mastermind behind the music of the "Re-imagined" Battlestar Galactica TV series.
McCreary's work is available in the Season 1 and Season 2 soundtracks to the hit SF series. Having composed music since he was just 6 years old, and being a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music, McCreary has a knack for creating classical pieces, as well as quirky, off-beat melodies. When not working on the Battlestar score, McCreary also composes soundtracks for independent movies as well.
McCreary worked on thew Miniseries with soundtrack composer Richard Gibbs as an additional composer, also collaborating with Gibbs for the soundtracks in episodes 2 and 3 of season 1, "Water" and "Bastille Day". However, Gibbs opted not to devote full time to the regular series production, due to scheduling conflicts as he wanted to devote more time to scoring theatrical films. As a result McCreary scored "33" (which was actually the first episode) and then stayed on as soundtrack composer for all subsequent episodes of the series.
Leitmotifs in the Battlestar Galactica Soundtrack
McCreary makes use of several recurring character or event leitmotifs in the series' soundtrack. Among them are:
- Boomer's theme: An Indonesian gamelan, heard in "Helo Rescued", "Boomer Flees", and "Two Boomers"
- Adama family theme: Irish whistle or bagpipe, heard in "Wander My Friends", "A Good Lighter", and "Reuniting The Fleet"
- Cylon Centurion theme: Tuvan throat singing, heard in "Helo Chase", and "Helo in the Warehouse".