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In the beloved TNG episode The Inner Light Captain Picard plays a flute belonging to a long dead alien scientist Kamin...

While minutes pass for the rest of the crew, Picard experiences 40 years as Kamin, a humanoid scientist whose planet is threatened by the nova of its sun. Picard learns that the purpose of the probe was to keep alive the memory of Kamin's race long after the death of their civilization. The probe also contains Kamin's flute; Picard, having mastered it as Kamin, finds he retains the skill to play it. He keeps it as a memento for the remainder of the series.

I've heard that it was based on some work done by The Beatles.

Is this musical piece based on something The Beatles wrote/sang?

Am I just tone deaf, is this a Beatles piece?


By Captain Picard:

Beautiful live rendition:
(Aufnahme der Stadtkapelle Landau vom Jahreskonzert 2005)

Supposed Beatles piece That Sounds Nothing Like It to my untrained ear:

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    I have no specific knowledge here so I'll comment rather than answer, but (a) they do not sound alike, and (b) it'd be weird to have this "alien" tune actually be a song by a modern, popular group (even if it is a super obscure "B side") and (c) TV folks avoid copyrighted music like the plague, because otherwise royalties are due whenever the episode is aired. Commented Dec 19, 2015 at 22:09

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No, the music was an original composition (by Jay Chattaway) for the TV series.

Chattaway will guest conduct "The Inner Light," his beloved TNG composition, while Jones will lead the orchestra in performing the music he composed for the 1997 videogame Star Trek: Starfleet Academy... - www.startrek.com: Chattaway to Guest Conduct Voyager Music Event

That being said, it may be of interest to you that the episode's title was actually a nod to the Beatles song of the same name

I thought it would be fun to give every Star Trek episode I wrote a title that's from a different, obscure Beatles song. I wanted to call "Starship Mine" 'Revolution,' but they had already used "Evolution". It was a little joke between me and me - [Morgan Gendel - Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages][4]

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  • Hence my confusion. Thx! Commented Dec 19, 2015 at 22:18

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