The Music Of Star Wars: A Recollection - Episode III

One of the most integral aspects of any film is its score, and the music of Star Wars is no exception. Some of the themes heard throughout the saga are recognizable to virtually anyone, and it is not often that we see a film’s soundtrack add so much meaning to what is presented on screen as much as the Star Wars saga does. Let’s look back at each film and analyze just how much what we hear affects what we see in an ongoing chronological series called The Music of Star Wars: A Recollection.

If The Phantom Menace was the most important film to society, pop culture, and fandom in 1999, then Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith would rival that in 2005. It was George Lucas’ final chance to not only prove those who had criticized his two previous films wrong, but it was also his last chance to place us in his own, precious universe, and leave us with a film that we would hopefully love and cherish forever. For the most part, Revenge of the Sith delivered, and gave us a satisfying conclusion to a saga that had been in the making since 1977. You can credit many things for this satisfaction, but one crucial one is undoubtedly the music. Whereas The Phantom Menace suffered from enormously high expectations and Attack of the Clones from a score that never managed to get completely off the ground, Revenge of the Sith relinquishes its predecessors mistakes and offers one of the best, most listenable soundtracks in the saga.

I was very weary on how to accurately describe this soundtrack, but I finally found an excellent way to do so, which is that it is an ongoing battle between the light and dark side of the Force. The entire film basically depicts the struggle between each side of the Force, particularly within Anakin. Foreshadowing gives viewers the hint that Anakin is headed down the wrong path, and the music heavily supports this. For example, the track, Anakin’s Dream, is a mixture of a variety of themes, from brief renditions of Across The Stars to more somber versions of The Force Theme, as well as an underlying low brass sound that hints at darkness within the character. You can definitely feel the internal struggle that Anakin is dealing with by way of this theme.

The Revenge of the Sith Medley is a very militaristic theme that plays throughout the opening act of the film. By this point in the timeline, The Clone Wars are in full swing and this medley reflects that. This could have easily been a much longer suite (and was in the film), but the seven and a half minute track still suffices. It does a nice job at giving us a musical introduction to the war that is currently in progress. There are short call-and-response types of cues within the track that further signify that there is a “musical battle” taking place, again between good and evil.

However, as the film grows darker, the music begins to follow suit. Palpatine’s Teachings is one of the most ominous tracks in the entire Star Wars saga, and brilliantly captures not only Palpatine as a character, but the dark side as a whole, primarily due to the mysterious nature it possesses. The dark side representation continues with Anakin’s Dark Deeds, and Enter Lord Vader, two tracks that symbolize not only Anakin’s fall from grace, but also Order 66 and the clone troopers’ allegiance switch, the latter coming from the militaristic influences in the tracks.

Anakin’s Betrayal is arguably one of the best pieces of music in the entire Prequel Trilogy, possibly in the entire saga. The genius use of the choir here by John Williams supported by a depressing melody makes listeners genuinely feel for the character of Anakin. For everything that has building up for him to this point, a track like this shows just who he has become and how tragic it is.

Just as the dark side wins over the light in the film, it does so in the soundtrack as well. The highlight here is clearly Battle of the Heroes. It is personally one of my favorite tracks in the entire Star Wars saga, and while it’s not as much of a battle theme as something like Duel of the Fates, it is intense enough to get by. It also perfectly captures the ongoing battle between both sides of the Force, and by the time we reach the end of the track, we’re left with a tense, weary feeling that makes us ask “Who is going to win?”

That question is answered in the other battle theme, Anakin vs. Obi-Wan. Given the fact that Star Wars fans waited so long for this lightsaber duel, the music for it isn’t quite as epic as one would have hoped for. However, it fits the tone of the two characters engaged in the fight, and the question that was set up in Battle of the Heroes is answered here. Despite Obi-Wan’s victory over Anakin, despite the Jedi triumph over the Sith, the dark side has still taken over Obi-Wan’s best friend, and all hope for balance to the Force has been lost.

As the soundtrack comes to a close, we hear the heart wrenching Padme’s Destiny, which plays during her funeral as well as the true “birth” of Darth Vader. Following this is the track, A New Hope, which musically, is a wonderful callback as well as a transition to the original trilogy, due to the fact that it ends with a Binary Sunset-like motif. It is also cheerful enough to actually bring hope to those who hear it, especially considering that the film leaves off on a point where it seems like all is lost. Despite the fact that there are very dark times in store for the galaxy, soon enough, a new hero will emerge that will change everything.

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