Here’s the second video in my series on John Williams themes, this one on the Star Wars main title. It argues that one of the reasons the cue is so powerful is that it’s highly unified by melody, harmony, and rhythm.

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With The Rise of Skywalker, John Williams has brought his scoring of the nine-film Star Wars saga to a conclusion. As with each sequel in the saga, Williams added several new themes to the musical collection while recalling and building on many earlier ones as well. To appreciate just how large this collection has become, one need only peruse music theorist Frank Lehman’s majesterial thematic catalogue which, along with listing each theme, offers a host of musical Star Wars goodies. The analysis I present below will offer interpretations of the five new themes that appear most prominently in The Rise of Skywalker: Victory, Friendship, Anthem of Evil, the Knights of Ren, and Poe’s Heroics.

Victory

This theme appears in the latter portions of the film when the Resistance is planning for and achieving the defeat of the First Order. It has strong connections to two other themes in the saga. First, and perhaps most obviously, it recalls what I called in an earlier post Rey’s Chimes motif – one of the introductory portions of her theme. Below, see and hear how the opening step-down/step-up figure and the slow dotted rhythm plus stately quarter notes in Rey’s Chimes also appear in the Victory theme.

Rey’s Chimes

More hidden, however, is an allusion to Luke’s theme (the main theme of the saga). After the “Chimes” reference in the first three notes comes the first six notes of Luke’s theme, stated in an inversion! See below for a comparison.

In the film, the most prominent statement of this theme occurs when the Resistance has defeated the First Order, after Rey has led the Resistance to the Emperor’s new fleet and defeated the Emperor and therefore all the Sith (whom the Emperor himself claims to be). The references in this theme neatly punctuate this point: although the entire nine-film series (except for Return of the Jedi, which in the context of The Rise of Skywalker, is only a partial ending) has seen evil triumph over good, now Rey has flipped the situation around and brought about the final triumph of good over the evil of the saga (see below). Williams depicts this musically through a combination of Rey’s Chimes and an inversion of Luke’s theme – the main theme of the entire series.

Friendship

This is the most pervasive new theme in The Rise of Skywalker, appearing mainly in moments of bonding between or among members of the Resistance. The theme’s most characteristic feature is the raised 4th degree of the Lydian mode in both the melody and the accompanying harmony in its use of the major II chord.[1] Williams has drawn on the Lydian mode for a handful of other themes from the Star Wars saga, most memorably in Yoda’s theme, but also in the boy Anakin’s theme, Rose’s theme, and a victorious fanfare from Return of the Jedi. The Lydian mode is similar to the major scale, but its raised 4th degree tends to increase the positive associations of the major scale. The result is an emotional state that is both ultra-positive and out of the ordinary, which helps to explain why Williams has employed the Lydian mode in his Star Wars music for unusual examples of purity (Anakin and Rose), wisdom (Yoda), victory, or in this case, deep friendship.

Anthem of Evil

One might ask why The Rise of Skywalker needed a new bad-guy theme when the saga already has one for Darth Vader and the Imperial fleet, one for the Emperor, and two for Kylo Ren. One possible answer is in the unique ways in which this ninth film combines these three villains together. For one, Ren’s behaviour more closely matches that of Vader than ever before: not only does he reforge his Vader-like mask, but he also becomes an assistant to the Emperor with thoughts of overthrowing him, and attempts to turn Rey to the Dark Side as Vader attempted with Luke. Also, when the Anthem of Evil appears, it accompanies actions that are combinations of Ren, Vader or the new fleet of Star Destroyers, and the Emperor, as outlined below:

• Ren flies to Exegol at the start of the film to find the Emperor          Ren + Emperor
• Ren offers his hand to Rey after telling her she’s a Palpatine         Ren + Vader
• To find Exegol, Ren tries to coerce Rey to join the Dark Side         Ren + Vader
• A Star Destroyer blows up Kijimi upon the Emperor’s order             Emperor + Fleet
• Rey arrives at Exegol among the thousands of Star Destroyers      Emperor + Fleet

With all this in mind, it becomes clear why a new evil theme is an appropriate choice. The Anthem of Evil expresses these combinations of evil musically by incorporating aspects of all three villians’ music. The opening two notes form a rising minor 3rd, the defining interval of the Emperor’s theme. Although the reference is short, its placement at the start of the theme gives it a prominence that is hard to miss, especially in the context of the evil combinations in the film.

In terms of the pitch material, the theme uses the same degrees of the Hungarian minor scale as Kylo Ren’s “aggressive” theme with its highly characteristic raised 4 degree of the scale. As shown below, the Anthem of Evil adds scale degree 2 as well, but with the majority of notes falling on the tonic minor chord and raised 4 degree, the theme can still be clearly heard as strongly related to Ren’s main theme.

Finally, the Anthem of Evil also has a rhythmic resemblance to Darth Vader’s theme, the Imperial March (see below). This allusion is more hidden for two reasons. First, the sixth note is given a longer length before the theme continues the Vader rhythm where it left off. Second, the rhythm is set in an off-balance and somewhat ambiguous 3 beats to a bar instead of a steady march of 4 to a bar, suggesting the distorted nature of the evildoers in this film as they conspire together or channel the past evils of Vader or the Imperial fleet.

The Knights of Ren

This short motto-like theme is generally used to signify Kylo Ren’s elite warriors known as the Knights of Ren that have been hinted at since The Force Awakens and attain a much fuller presence in The Rise of Skywalker. Since these knights are subservient to Ren, it is fitting that their theme can be heard as a kind of extension of Kylo’s. We saw that the Anthem of Evil drew upon the Hungarian minor scale just as Kylo Ren’s theme does. The same can be said of the Knights of Ren theme, which not only begins on the same scale degree 5 as Kylo’s and uses the same raised 4 degree, but also extends Kylo’s theme a note higher in the scale to the minor b6 degree. These similarities along with the insistent repeated notes and constant hovering around degree 5 in the Knights’ theme are an apt depiction of their dependence upon Ren.

This grouping of b6-5-#4 has long been a favourite of Williams’ for depicting sinister characters, for example Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew from the Harry Potter series, Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones, and the Nazis in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In The Rise of Skywalker, the Knights of Ren theme is treated flexibly as it sometimes includes a dip down to the scale’s 2 or 1 degree, states a different number of repeated notes, or is even transposed to the degree 1 of the scale (with 2 being flatted to create the semitone interval). What remains constant, however, is the use of the three semitone-related notes that are the most distinctive part of the theme.

Poe’s Heroics

This theme appears four times in the film, three of which occur when Poe is flying his Resistance friends out of danger in flamboyant style, hence I call it the “Poe’s Heroics” theme. It is heard when he:

• Flies the Millennium Falcon through suspended pipes the ship shoots down to destroy the TIE fighters following them

• Steers a land speeder away from Stormtroopers in pursuit

• Sharply turns the land speeder around, destroying an attached First Order land vehicle in the process

Poe of course was already given a theme that was heard in the first two films of this trilogy, so why write him another one? The Poe’s Heroics theme is not actually all that different from his original theme. As shown below, both have nearly the exact same contour of melodic ascents and descents, as well as virtually the same rhythm, which in both is set as a hemiola of 6/8 time against an accompaniment of 3/4 (i.e., 2 beats in the melody against 3 beats in the accompaniment) to give a swaggering effect that aptly suits Poe’s skills as a pilot.

Aside from some of the intervals between notes being different (which I hear as rather small differences), the two themes differ mainly in the type of scale they use. Whereas Poe’s original theme is set in a Dorian mode, which has a minor chord as the tonic, Poe’s Heroics has a major chord as the tonic as it is set in a major scale. This “majorizing” of the original theme may well be an attempt to emphasize that Poe still gets the Resistance out of tight spots despite demonstrating weaknesses in the film: he is revealed to have a past as a smuggling “spice runner”, he admits he needs help leading the Resistance so promotes Finn to co-lead as general, and his advances towards his old flame Zorii are rejected after the Resistance wins the war.

It should also be mentioned that Poe’s Heroics also plays when we first see Lando’s face in the film. While this may seem incongruous with the theme’s apparent meaning, ever since the first Star Wars film, Williams has shown a tendency to either use a seemingly incongruous theme when the emotional expression seems right (the famous example being the use of Leia’s theme for Obi-Wan’s death in the original film), or to expand some Star Wars themes beyond their primary meaning (e.g., the Imperial March denoting both Vader and the larger Empire). In each case, the theme still applies to something on the same good or evil side as the original association, but it must be interpreted either emotionally or from a broader perspective.

With Poe’s Heroics, Williams himself has noted that he used “something joyful” for Lando in The Rise of Skywalker, and the theme is certainly that. But one could further argue that the theme fits conceptually as well since both Poe and Lando pilot the Millennium Falcon in this film. In other words, one might understand it as a theme for a heroic Falcon pilot rather than just for Poe.

Conclusion

Considering that there were eight Star Wars scores already behind him and an extensive corpus of themes to draw on, Williams’ inclusion of five new prominent themes in The Rise of Skywalker may seem surprising. As musically interesting as they are in themselves, what I hope to have shown is that, part of the appeal of Williams’ Star Wars music is not merely the new themes he offers, but how those themes refer to, build on, and draw meaning from the themes we heard in previous installments.

[1] In the end credits and concert arrangement of the theme, Williams substitutes the major II with what is called a common-tone diminished seventh chord in the first statement of the theme. In the film proper, however, almost every statement of the theme is harmonized with the Lydian major II chord.

Rose

Of the three new themes, the most pervasive in the film is that for Rose, a new character who teams up with Finn in an adventure-filled subplot. The theme that Williams writes for her depicts several of her character’s traits.

Perhaps the most immediately obvious feature of the theme is its distinctive opening progression on I–II#, which is drawn from the Lydian mode with its characteristic raised 4th scale degree. This progression is already a part of two prominent Star Wars themes: those for Yoda and the boy Anakin. What these characters have in common with Rose is a kind of purity and absence of corruption (a quality which of course contrasts with Anakin’s later behavior as a young man). In some statements of Rose’s theme, the II# chord is replaced with the regular II of the major mode. As a variant of the IV chord, this regular II is more associated with plagal progressions and the kind of placidity they express (as, for example, in so-called “Amen” cadences in music of the church).

The melody of the theme is based entirely on repetitions and variations of first bar’s harmony and melodic motive, whose notes tend to fall on the main beats of the meter. Both of these features suggest a simplicity that highlights Rose’s youthful and almost child-like innocence. The melody also has a rising contour in several ways: 1) within each bar, 2) in its shifting up of the whole motive in the third bar, and 3) transposing the whole phrase up a third in the second phrase. This shifting up of the second phrase changes the key from Db major to F major, which lies four 5ths higher on the circle of 5ths and thus creates a “brighter” or more uplifting feeling. All of these upward motions along with the theme’s major/Lydian mode indicate something positive, which correlates well with Rose’s unwavering, and indeed “rosy”, optimism throughout the film.

Luke in Exile

Luke is given a new theme for his self-imposed exile on the island of Ahch-To.[1]

Given that Luke is the hero of the original Star Wars trilogy, it is significant that this theme does not derive from or otherwise relate to either his own theme from those films (which is also the Star Wars main theme) or the Force theme, the two themes with which he was most associated. This is appropriate since Luke has evolved into quite a different character in this film and (for the most part) has even cut himself off from the Force.

The new exile theme is very different in its construction. To begin with, it is set in triple time, not the march-like quadruple time of the old themes for Luke and the Force. Second, as triple times go, the tempo is moderately slow. And third, there is consistent emphasis on the second beat of the bar by placing the longest note of the motive there. These qualities all suggest the traditional baroque dance known as the sarabande, which projects a serious and stately quality that corresponds with Luke’s status as a living legend.

The theme’s melody and harmony also suggest much of Luke’s emotional state. The trajectory of the theme’s melody is one that winds downward from scale degree 5 to the tonic 1, which, together with the theme’s minor key, implies a negative frame of mind. Compare this to the several large upward leaps in Luke’s old theme suggesting heroism, and the slowly rising line of the Force theme that suggests a gradually succeeding endeavor. The entire melody is based on a single motive, suggesting a kind of obsessive state that one is unable or unwilling to break out of. The harmony follows this idea as well as there is never any motion away from the bass line’s tonic pedal, a device that lends the theme a feeling of inertia, which mirrors Luke’s desire to be disengaged from the fighting and lead a solitary life on the island.

Also notice that, in the first bar, the melody rises stepwise in the theme’s minor key from scale degree 5 to scale degree 6 and back again. This motion of 5-6-5 is one that has long been associated with expressions of deep sadness. Williams even emphasizes this feature by placing the 6th degree on the lengthened note on beat 2, and by sounding scale degree 5 at the same time as 6, producing a striking semitone dissonance that seems to cry out in pain. This same dissonance is also found in some statements of the Force theme in the film that accompany Luke as he continues to be in low spirits.

Simple though this theme sounds, it paints quite a detailed and emotionally powerful picture of Luke in his exile on Ahch-To.

Desperation

The last new theme of the film appears when situations are the most desperate for the Resistance.

Aside from the theme’s obvious minor key, this sense of desperation is expressed musically by preventing the listener from gaining a solid footing in several parameters. One of the theme’s most prominent features is its setting in a triple time, which is unusual given that most aggressive and militaristic-sounding themes like this are in a march-like quadruple time. From this perspective, the tone of the theme and its meter are at odds with one another, creating a kind of tension, almost as if each bar has had a beat go missing somewhere. This feeling is enhanced by the insertion of a bar of 4/4 time between each statement of the theme above, which literally juxtaposes the two meters for the listener.

Another unusual aspect of this theme is that it does not hold firm to one particular motive as do the themes for Rose and Luke in Exile. By contrast, in the first statement shown above, each bar is rhythmically unique in the theme, and in subsequent statements, though the beginning loses its dotted rhythm and becomes rhythmically the same as the third bar, no bar’s rhythm is directly repeated. Nor is there any particular intervallic motive holding the whole theme together. Instead, although steps between notes predominate (as with most themes), it incorporates steps, small skips, and large leaps in an almost haphazard way, creating a musical equivalent to the act of flailing.

Finally, there is the shifting of the entire theme upwards (by a third) each time it is restated. Whereas this same technique in Rose’s theme was a sign of her positive and uplifting attitude, here its grouping with the parameters above and brassy orchestration signify a negative situation that is becoming increasingly intense, or indeed desperate.

Conclusion

Having reached the eighth episode of the main Star Wars saga and writing for a sequel film rather than a prequel, Williams’ score for The Last Jedi draws on an extensive array of themes that first appeared in earlier installments. But even so, since each film inevitably brings new characters and new developments for established characters, there is always a need for new thematic material. And though he has trod the Star Wars path seven times before, he demonstrates that he is still able to forge themes in a way that is highly sensitive to the emotional content of the events onscreen.

[1] Both the “Luke in Exile” and “Desperation” labels are from Frank Lehman’s catalog of Star Wars themes.

Although The Force Awakens draws heavily on plot elements from the original Star Wars, John Williams’ score remained in a style more reminiscent of the prequels than the original films. To be sure, there are numerous appearances of many themes from the originals, but like the prequels, the score revolves largely around a single substantial theme that is supplemented with several shorter ones. The analysis below describes how the new themes in the score express their association through their musical structure.

Rey’s Theme

Williams’ theme for Rey is the centerpiece of the score both because it is associated with the film’s main protagonist and because it sounds more times than any other theme in the score, and by a wide margin. It is no surprise, then, that the theme takes on a more substantial musical structure than the other new themes, incorporating three melodic components, the first two of which constitute a lengthy introduction to the theme proper. In the concert version of the theme, these components are arranged in the following order: motive 1 – the opening long-short-short-long, or gallop motive, which is repeated several times; motive 2 – the slower chime-like motive follows; and the main melody that these motives lead into.

Gallop Motive

Chime Motive

Main Melody

These components can be viewed as expressing various aspects of Rey’s character. While the gallop motive’s rhythms are rather fast, its orchestration is always kept light, suggesting not only Rey’s physical agility through her climbing abilities, but her mental agility as well through her ability to discover how to wield her Force powers quickly when she needs them.

The chime-like motive is quite different from the gallop. Its notes are placed in a mid to high register and its orchestration focuses on pitched percussion, instruments whose sound quickly dies away. Together, these elements suggest a kind of isolation that reflects Rey’s situation as someone whose parents left her as a young child and never returned. This motive is also slower, more evenly spaced, implying a sense of self-assuredness, and the melody keeps returning to its initial note, suggesting a character who is pensive and given to introspection.

In the main melody, the gallop motive sounds in the accompaniment whenever the main melody rests on a longer note, but more subtly, the melody draws its rhythm from the chime motive while its notes are an outline form of the gallop motive, effectively fusing the motives into a single entity and painting a musical portrait of Rey’s character. In the film, Rey’s theme is first heard much like the concert version, with the gallop and chime motives as an introduction to the melody proper. Thereafter and until the end credits, however, statements of the theme are restricted to its main melody as the primary element. Hence, the lengthy introduction to the theme, which is an unusual aspect for a Star Wars theme (and even more unusual to be heard in the film proper) allows its main melody to act as a shorthand for the separate motives and hence suggest more than it could otherwise.

As is well known, the opening of the theme proper has the same underlying harmony as the first half of the Force theme, a progression from a minor tonic i chord to the major subdominant, IV, clarifying Rey’s connection to the Force. This similarity between the themes goes beyond the first half of each theme. In the second half of the Force theme, which is much more rarely heard in the Star Wars films than its first half, the melody rises up to a climactic tonic note that is harmonized by a poignant VI chord in the minor mode. Though the main melody of Rey’s theme has two different second halves, both of these second halves begin with a climactic tonic note supported by the minor mode’s VI chord (though now in first inversion).

Kylo Ren’s Themes

Unlike most other prominent characters in the Star Wars films, Kylo Ren is granted two different themes, no doubt due to the division he feels in his allegiance. On the one hand, Ren is a typical agent of the Dark Side, wreaking a menacing path of death and destruction. Yet on the other hand, he is regularly conflicted about his allegiance to the Dark Side because of a pull he feels towards the Light Side. And since he compares himself to his grandfather, Darth Vader, looks to him for Dark-Side inspiration, and has followed a similar pathway thus far, being a pupil of a Jedi master who turned to the Dark Side, it is only fitting that his themes draw on aspects of Vader’s.

Ren’s Menacing Theme

This theme is a short, repeated motif that can be heard as distantly related to the second half of Vader’s theme, as shown by the boxed portions below. (The arrows show a closer relation through the particular notes in the chord.) It is heard in most scenes where he is approaching to threaten, harm, or attempt to bring opponents under his control.

Compare the two below:

Ren’s Conflicted Theme

This theme is first heard when he confesses to Vader’s half-melted helmet of his attraction towards the Light Side. In this scene, he calls to Vader to bring him Dark-Side inspiration. Appropriately, the theme subtly conjures Vader up through the characteristic two-chord progression that opens his theme:

Compare the two below:

Structurally, the theme is another short motif, this one based on pulsating repeated notes. Once introduced, however, its usage becomes fairly interchangeable with the menacing theme. It can therefore take on different meanings depending on its context. When associated with Ren’s Light-Side dilemma, the repeated notes can be heard as a source of irritation that cannot be soothed (especially with the second chord, which introduces a biting dissonance). By contrast, when it appears in more menacing situations, the repeated notes can be heard as a persistent threat that cannot be eliminated. Unlike the individual motives in Rey’s theme, the two themes for Ren are never fused together, suggesting that he is unable to reconcile the two conflicting sides of his personality.

The Resistance March

Excluding its introduction and contrasting B section, the core of this theme is its A section, a passage notated as eight bars that sounds more like four bars in a 4/4 time, especially since the piece is a march.

With this in mind, this A section of the Resistance March sounds like a theme that is left deliberately open, the more so since it ends with a cadence on the dominant chord and hence sounds unfinished even when the entire section comes to its end. This expression is fitting for its use in the film since it functions mainly as a good-guys’ action theme, and allows for a continuous musical fabric to accompany battle scenes while still incorporating themes with associative meaning.

The Finn/Action Theme

This theme is another that accompanies action scenes, but generally those where Finn is the central character for the moment. As the narrative turns more towards Rey, Kylo Ren, and Han, so the Finn/action theme falls away and yields to the other themes listed above, and hence the theme is only heard in the early part of the film.

Perhaps the theme’s most prominent features are its alternating meter of 3/4 and 5/8, and its basis entirely in quartal harmony. Each 5/8 bar is one eighth note shorter than each 3/4 bar, and thus every time the theme immediately repeats (as it does whenever it is heard), the return to 3/4 bar after the 5/8 sounds like it enters a note too early. Consequently, the rhythm sounds as though it is tripping over itself in moving forward, an apt musical analogue to Finn and his companions’ frantic running as they are fired upon.

Quartal harmony describes chords that are built from stacking intervals of fourths rather than thirds. Despite their differing construction, quartal chords of three or four notes have all but one of their notes in common with third-based (or tertian) chords. And curiously, the one different note can be any of a quartal chord’s notes. As a result, when placed in a context where there is no clear tonic, as here, quartal chords sound like tonal harmony in which the tonal center has been obscured. In other words, there is a fundamental instability to quartal chords that render them suitable for action music. They also lack the biting dissonance of semitones and tritones in this case, which gives a lighter feel that supports the moments of levity Finn inserts into these scenes.

Other Themes

The themes discussed above are the most prominent ones in The Force Awakens. The other themes in the score appear far less often, sometimes only in a single scene. Nevertheless, I would like to point them out here for the sake of comprehensiveness.

Poe’s Theme

This theme’s soaring melody with wide leaps well depicts the character’s unmatched abilities as a pilot.

The Jedi Steps Theme

With its large downward leaps and outlining of a scale-degree figure of 5-6-5 in the minor mode, this theme expresses a deep sadness, no doubt that of Luke, who has fled into a self-imposed exile. The same musical characteristics are also present in Williams’ main theme for Schindler’s List, which likewise expresses a deep feeling of grief.

The Map Motif

This theme consists of an oscillation between two minor chords a tritone apart that suggests the mystery of where Luke Skywalker is. The same harmony opens the Ark Theme in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Snoke’s Theme

While many have pointed out this theme’s timbral similarity to the scene in Revenge of the Sith in which Darth Plagueis is mentioned (and therefore speculate that Snoke is Plagueis), Snoke’s theme differs in that it is given a melody whereas the other is a single repeated tone. Snoke’s melody is also based on the interval of the diminished fourth, which for centuries has carried connotations of death, grief, and most appropriately for this theme, fear.

As the climax of Revenge of the Sith and the entire prequel trilogy, the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker that concludes the film is placed under a great deal of dramatic weight. So how does a composer score a scene of such importance? At first, it may seem that John Williams’ accompanying music, titled Battle of the Heroes, is, like Duel of the Fates from The Phantom Menace, another example of climactic action music that is associated only with the duel itself rather than the characters involved in it. After all, like many action cues, the melody of Battle of the Heroes is somehow more ordinary than the typical character theme, and nearly its entire structure is built on the repetition of a single phrase of music, sometimes in varied form. Hear this in the scene below, from 1:39-1:46 and a common variation of it from 7:12-7:19.

In the film music analysis below, however, a closer examination of this cue reveals relationships with several other themes in the Star Wars saga which together summarize how Anakin has fallen so deeply into the Dark Side that he now wants to do away with Obi-Wan, his former Jedi master. In short, these relationships raise the theme’s importance to a level appropriate for the trilogy’s conclusion.

Relationship to Vader’s Theme

In my analysis of the uses of Vader’s theme in the saga, I pointed out that a statement of the Force theme in Battle of the Heroes employs the same two chords that opens Vader’s theme. The rest of Battle of the Heroes includes two other subtle references to these Vader chords. The first occurs just before Obi-Wan leaps backwards onto land from the raft on the lava flow that carries both him and Anakin. In doing so, he gains the high ground, blocking Anakin from reaching land and essentially winning the battle. View this in the clip below:

Notice that the climactic chord at 7:00 is approached through a minor chord. Together, these two chords form the Vader progression mentioned above (though the second of the two adds a dissonant bass note for a more intense sound). Compare the two passages below:

Vader Theme – from 0:09-0:12:

Battle of the Heroes – from 7:21-7:26:

The second reference to the Vader progression occurs as Anakin attempts to leap over Obi-Wan despite his warning not to—in the clip above from 6:34-6:41. Neither of these Vader references is at all obvious, especially since the most recognizable feature of the Vader theme, its melody, is absent here. Instead, the references are mere suggestions, perhaps to more seamlessly blend several other thematic connections into the cue and demonstrate musically the many factors that have led Anakin to join the evil Sith.

Relationship to Across the Stars and Anakin-and-Shmi Themes

I’ve discussed some of the harmony of Battle of the Heroes, but what about its melody? On the surface, it appears to be nothing more than a decent action motif that, while it suits the battle onscreen, does not make references to any other Star Wars themes. There are, however, three other themes that have a very similar melodic construction. The first of these is Across the Stars, the love theme for Anakin and Padmé that dominates the score for Attack of the Clones. At first, this may seem a ridiculous claim, but listen to the score in the cue below from 1:27, paying particular attention to the passage from 1:34-1:38:

Now compare this to the section of Battle of the Heroes from 1:51-1:58 mentioned earlier:

Here is a comparison in musical score:

This similarity to Across the Stars is an apt way of suggesting musically that Anakin’s love of Padmé has played a key role in his downfall and turn to the Dark Side.

Two other themes that the main melody of Battle of the Heroes seems to channel are two virtually interchangeably themes that describe Anakin’s relationship to his mother, Shmi. Significantly, these themes occur at points where Anakin is feeling or describing the emotional pain he experiences through his mother being apart from him, in trouble, or having passed away.

The first of these themes is one I call “Anakin’s Love for Shmi”, and it appears three times in the saga, first, and most importantly, in The Phantom Menace when Anakin says goodbye to his mother just before leaving Tatooine to train to become a Jedi. This is heard in the scene below from 0:19-0:26:

This theme reappears twice more in the next film, Attack of the Clones, once when Anakin mentions to Obi-Wan that he cannot sleep well anymore because his thoughts dwell on his mother. It recurs once again in the same film when Anakin has found Shmi captured in the Sand People’s camp and unties her. Hear this in the video below.

The varied form of the single phrase that makes up most of Battle of the Heroes can be heard as a reference to this theme. Compare the two side-by-side here:

Anakin’s Love for Shmi – from 3:53-4:00:

Battle of the Heroes (varied form) – from 3:47-3:54:

A third theme that seems to be referenced in Battle of the Heroes is one I call “Anakin’s Grief”, heard twice in Attack of the Clones, first when Anakin tells Padmé that he must leave because he senses that his mother is in trouble. Hear it below:

The second and more prominent time it is heard is during Shmi’s funeral when Anakin, standing over his mother’s grave, claims that he was not strong enough to save her and promises her that he will not fail again. Once again, the single phrase in Battle of the Heroes can be heard as channeling this theme. Compare the two below:

Anakin’s Grief – from 1:06-1:14:

Battle of the Heroes – from 2:27-2:38:

Hence, the themes referenced in Battle of the Heroes, subtle though they are, include Vader’s theme, Across the Stars, and two Shmi-related themes I call Anakin’s Love for Shmi, and Anakin’s Grief. None of these themes are projected with the clarity of a leitmotivic statement, but then, that is part of their effectiveness. Had they been parsed out and stated individually, they would have given the impression that their associations—whether it is Anakin and Padmé’s love, Shmi’s death, and so on—were being conjured up at a particular moment in the scene. Instead, these other themes are recomposed and transformed into a new theme, providing a musical parallel for the way that Anakin’s love for his mother and for Padmé have transformed him into a new being. Perhaps, then, the melodic ordinariness of Battle of the Heroes is in part an effort to allow these other themes to be referenced simultaneously, like how a person with rather neutral facial features can look like many different people at once.

By subtly blending these references into Battle of the Heroes, the theme instead summarizes the main factors contributing to Anakin’s character trajectory through the prequels. In other words, the emotional pain he feels due to the separation from, and the torture and death of his mother led Anakin to fear that Padmé, like his mother, would die despite his formidable powers. In turn, this intense fear left Anakin susceptible to Palpatine’s manipulations of him and ultimately drove him to the Dark Side and to becoming Vader.

Conclusion

All of these thematic connections lie beneath the surface of Battle of the Heroes, whose main purpose is to function as an action theme for the film’s climactic duel, a purpose it carries out rather well even without knowledge of these relationships. This is not to say, however, that the relationships are unimportant to the theme’s meaning. On the contrary, like the leitmotifs of a Wagnerian opera, understanding more about how the particular themes of a work are interconnected only enriches its meaning and thus heightens its importance and renders it a more integral part of the entire score. And in this case, it is particularly fitting that these rich narrative connections take place in a theme composed specifically for the battle that physically transforms Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, the narrative highlight of the prequels.

Coming soon… Themes and Leitmotifs in Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens