Possibly the only other Composer who stood on the same level as John Williams, in film music.
Incidentally Star Wars 1977 and Star Trek 1979 are often rated as two of the very best science fiction scores ever recorded.
I think Goldsmith best stuff though was in experimenting with sounds. Like in the Omen, Planet of the Apes and The Twilight Zone, and Outer Limits.
The music creating an atmosphere of creepiness.
His themes so dominated Star Trek though when Abrams did a reboot of Star Trek in an alternate timeline they went in an entirely different direction with the music. The New Trek score is very Williams-esque. Lots of use of Leitmotif, and themes for the characters a lot like star wars.