One soundtrack I’d recommend is the Star Trek Continues soundtrack (Vol. I and Vol. II).
Lots of good TOS-inspired music there. 
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I played Star Trek Online for a while but I got tired of there being a new currency added every other week and gave up. I’m planning to run a campaign with a military backdrop using the Star Fleet Universe as my setting. I think the theme to ST:O is appropriate to begin sessions. I agree that music during a session is just a distraction, though… so I’d only use it as a kick off theme.
I have a slightly strange view on this one. For my STA game, I don’t tend to use much in the way of music at all, preferring to let the players actions and interactions set the tone. I do however really enjoy using music in my D&D game that I run.
If anything, I actually find STA the easier game for me to run, so it seems a little odd that I prefer to add another complication to my other game, but it can be extremely effective in adding to the atmosphere.
I guess my opinion is effectively - Each to their own, and whatever works for you!
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Spotify has a LOT of tracks of Star Trek sound effects - used and unused effects from everything from The Cage through many of the feature films. I’ve considered using those during a game… looping the bridge sequence (at a low volume) while the PC’s are on their ship’s bridge, door whooshes, transporters, warp engines, phasers… all at their proper times, of course. It’s not exactly music but it would fall into the “audio to set the tone” category.
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I might have to take a look at that - cueing these things is always an issue.
There are several hour-long Youtube videos of bridge background noises as well…
Agreed (you and I are doing a lot of agreeing 'round these forums…)
But with Spotify, it’s ALMOST like having a soundboard.
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Thank you VERY much for the hint @ spotify. While I do not use that myself, some relatives do have accounts. Maybe I can take a look there and re-consider my decision on not using it. Any hint what I should specifically look for, regarding to sound-effects?
Agreed with all of the above. Adding to what others have already mentioned, in addition to game music, one point that I think can be put to real dramatic use, without disrupting the game progress itself, is having scene-appropriate background effects; YouTube has got TOS, TNG, and probably all other series’ bridge, engine, alien planet et at tracks by the score. While I’m not sure whether any of these are available for commercial sale, or if it’s just better to record the material for use, the point is that the resources do exist for this sort of thing to be used in games.
In any event, hoping to see Alpha Quadrant, among others, showing up in the FLGS over the next month or so. If Modiphius sees fit to start putting together CD/MP3 soundtracks of the sort of thing we’re discussing, hey, you won’t find me complainin’ about it…
Start with a search for Jack Finlay, Douglas Grindstaff and Joseph Sorkin.
If you want a lot of the bumper music (like the stuff they’d play while switching scenes or under Kirk entering his logs, at the moment of some dramatic exposition, and awesome DAH-dahhhh when Spock nerve pinched, then Alexander Courage wrote a lot more music for Star Trek than just the theme. 
For specific sound effects, the audio section of trekcore.com has a solid archive of iconic sounds which I’ve used to good effect in my games. Being able to interrupt an in-character discussion with a communicator chirping, or punctuate a scene change with the sound of a transporter, etc., can be quite atmospheric without producing constant background noise.
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Good grief, yes. I spent some time last night trying to set up transition and animation cues to time a PowerPoint opening credit sequence to the TMP opening theme. Not fun, but the result will look great when I get the kinks worked out.
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Man, that is some dedication! I salute your efforts!
We use music all the time and for every game we play. In addition to BG music someone with a phone will play appropriately timed sound effects for photons, phasers or a right cross.
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Heh. They just don’t come any sharper with the right-cross bit than Finnegan labeling Jim Kirk one toward the end of the episode-long scrap in “Shore Leave”. Hardest hit ever made - at least from sound-effect status - in Star Trek TOS, as can be verified from the “Star Trek Scraps” VHS tape we had compiled back in the '90s. And Jim Kirk got up from it…proof-positive the man had Resolute as a Talent, and then some…
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The new Star Trek Discovery soundtracks are excellent. I run a TOS/DISCO era game in 2257.