Space Force Is Right & Wrong About TV Show Theme Songs
The hijinks of Netflix's Space Forceseason 2 include choosing an anthem for the Space Force, and the arguments the characters make for what a theme song should be are both right and wrong. Space Force focuses on 4-star general Mark Naird (Steve Carrell) as he is tasked with joining forces with a cynical rocket scientist (John Malkovich) to create the 6th branch of the armed services: the Space Force. Season 1 ended with the American Space Force team narrowly avoiding starting a war with China, and Space Force season 2 deals with those repercussions.
The intro of Space Force is approximately 10 seconds long and reveals the show's title as the woosh of a rocket sounds in the background. Unlike most of the show, season 2, episode 6, «The Doctor's Appointment,» starts with a cold open as the characters meet to discuss the theme song for the Space Force. This scene quickly gets satirical as Dr. Mallory suggests they simply play an ethereal sound in place of a song, poking fun at the show's own minimalist intro. He defends his suggestion, saying, "Now, even TV shows don't have themes. They often employ just a brief sound."
Related: WandaVision Opening Edited With Malcolm In The Middle Theme Song
Dr. Mallory's out-of-the-box assessment of TV show themes is both right and wrong. Minimalistic intros like the one featured in Space Force have definitely become popular in recent years. For example, New Girlseason 4 condensed its theme song into a 3-second instrumental tune. Shorter intros meant more commercial time, as well as less time for the audience to disengage. The trend of quirky title-only openings featuring incredibly short melodies–or indeed, just a brief sound–gained popularity as streaming platforms made binging TV a
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