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Jay Chattaway

Jay Chattaway

Composer · Born July 8, 1946 (80) · Monongahela, Pennsylvania, USA

Jay Chattaway (born July 8, 1946) is an American composer of film and television scores. He composed music for several Star Trek television series: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. Chattaway was drafted into the military while working on his graduate degree and joined the Navy Band, serving as the unit's chief arranger and composer. After his discharge from the Navy, Chattaway moved to New York City to write music. He later moved to Los Angeles to compose for film. Chattaway is also well known as an arranger of big band charts for the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra during the 1970s, and also composed or co-composed some of Ferguson's hits, including "Conquistador", "Superbone Meets the Bad Man", and "Primal Scream". Years before his association with the Star Trek franchise, Chattaway also arranged and produced a 1979 version of the theme from Star Trek by Jerry Goldsmith. Chattaway's film scores include Maniac (1980), Vigilante (1983), The Big Score (1983), The Last Fight (1983), The Rosebud Beach Hotel (1984), Missing in Action (1984), Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Silver Bullet (1985), Walking the Edge (1985), Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988), Maniac Cop (1988), Red Scorpion (1988), Relentless (1989), Far Out Man (1990), Maniac Cop 2 (1990), The Ambulance (1990) and Rich Girl (1991). Chattaway's original concert band compositions include Parade of the Tall Ships (concert march), Mazama (Legend of the Pacific Northwest), Sailabration, and Windsong. In 2001, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Music for a Series for the final episode of Star Trek: Voyager

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 8, 1946 (80)
From
Monongahela, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
16 on Motif · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 19% in 30 days

What are Jay Chattaway's films like?

Across their 13 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
36%
Morality
31%
Bonds
19%
Power
9%
Self
4%
Society
2%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Dread
7
Thrilling
4
Cold
2
Hopeful
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Unsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jay Chattaway's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 16 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jay Chattaway's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 16 with a Motif page.

  • Star Trek: Enterprise - Storm Front (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Composer

  • Dark Notes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    Actor

  • Pick Me Up (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Composer

  • Star Trek: Voyager - Scorpion (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • Star Trek: Voyager - Future's End (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • The Sonoran Desert: A Violent Eden (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Composer

  • Volcano: Nature's Inferno (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Composer

  • Alien Autopsy: (Fact or Fiction?)(1995)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • 30 Years of National Geographic Specials (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Composer

  • Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    Composer

  • Rich Girl(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • National Geographic: Splendid Stones (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)

    Composer

  • Maniac Cop 2(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Far Out Man (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • The Ambulance(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Journey to the Forgotten River (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • Relentless(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Red Scorpion(1988)

    Composer · Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Maniac Cop(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Jakarta (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Braddock: Missing in Action III(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Death Wish 4: The Crackdown(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Silver Bullet(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Invasion U.S.A.(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Hard Choices (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • Walking the Edge (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • Missing in Action(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Rosebud Beach Hotel(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Last Fight (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • The Big Score (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Vigilante(1982)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Maniac(1980)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 32 titles from 1980 to 2014.

Biggest box office

Missing in Action (1984)

$23M worldwide

Highest rated

Vigilante (1982)

Midcredits 60th

Most popular right now

Silver Bullet (1985)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 32: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleMusic31 of 32: 30 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score37thOther crew1 of 32: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1980s16 · crew1990s11 · crew2000s3 · crew2010s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jay Chattaway's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 34th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 16 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · composer

Rich Girl (1991)

81st percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Vigilante (1982)

Midcredits 60th · 52% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 53/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 63, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jay Chattaway's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles67–91 · median 82 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles18–54 · median 43 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles39–67 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 37 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 76 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jay Chattaway work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jay Chattaway's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; William Lustig shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles