In the music of the space films that we have watched, it is possible to identify a range of levels at which music is used to emote different feelings and, sometimes, pick up on space themes. Most films, of course, fall somewhere in between, employing a variety of musical strategies. Nevertheless, there is a noticable range from music being background and atmospheric, enhancing an emotional reaction to the presented cinematic sequence, to music being front and centre, sometimes even becoming dominant over the image and iconic of the film, and everything in between.
While the subject matter of space is unique, and thus the visual content of the films is unique, music is still used according to its emotive qualities. However, we can sometimes identify certain topics and environments that occur throughout these space films, with which are usually associated certain qualities that are portrayed in the music. A few major examples include zero gravity, which is often whimsical and airy, the idea of the unfamiliar or alien, which is often mysterious and freightening, and of the vacuum of space, which is hostile and forbidding. By looking at a cross-section of our films, while keeping note of the available level of sound technology, when relevant, we can illustrate these tendencies of use of music in our space films.