It’s fair to say that Star Wars wouldn’t really be Star Wars without John Williams’ iconic score. The composer’s breathtaking orchestrations have arguably contributed as much to the tone and spirit of the Star Wars saga as any of the actors or even George Lucas himself. Even when the prequels and sequels were facing backlash from fans, Williams’ music was consistently praised.
Some of the most memorable moments in the original trilogy are bolstered by sweeping tracks by Williams. Luke watching the twin suns set over the Tatooine desert wouldn’t be anywhere near as emotionally engaging without “The Force Theme.”
Cantina Band
This one isn’t a grand, epic orchestral track. In fact, according to the Star Wars canon, it belongs to a musical genre called “jizz.” Max Rebo and his band, who play the “Cantina Band” song at Mos Eisley Cantina, are known as “jizz-wailers.”
It goes without saying that the “Cantina Band” song is catchy — it’s etched in the memories of millions of fans — but more impressively, it also feels genuinely otherworldly (and still rhythmic).
The Battle In The Snow
In the opening act of The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader and his armies trace the secret Rebel base to the ice planet of Hoth and launch a full-scale assault.
Williams beautifully builds the tension up to the Empire’s attack, as Rebel troops spot advancing AT-ATs in the distance, with “The Battle in the Snow.”
Han Solo And The Princess
Throughout The Empire Strikes Back, Han and Leia embrace their feelings for one another. After bickering through the first act, they fall for each other in the second act, then get tragically separated by carbonite freezing in the third act.
The melancholic sounds of Williams’ “Han Solo and the Princess” brilliantly carry Han and Leia’s doomed love story through Empire.
The Emperor
After being mentioned in the first movie and teased as a hologram in the second, Emperor Palpatine finally made an appearance in person in Return of the Jedi, and Williams composed the ominous “The Emperor” theme for him.
The theme’s heavy tones capture the evil of the Emperor and the finality of Luke’s confrontation with both Vader and Palpatine on the second Death Star. It’s slower than Vader’s “Imperial March” theme but just as terrifying.
TIE Fighter Attack
Luke isn’t able to deal with the loss of Ben Kenobi right away after escaping from the Death Star, because the Empire sends a couple of TIE fighters on their tail.
As Luke and Han each man one of the Falcon’s turrets and shoot at the enemy ships, “TIE Fighter Attack” plays on the soundtrack. The fast tempo amplifies the suspense of the on-screen action.
Yoda And The Force
After Luke tries and fails to lift his X-wing out of the swamps of Dagobah, he decides that it’s impossible and sits down, defeated. Then, “Yoda and the Force” kicks in as Luke’s little green mentor manages to lift the starfighter with a single raise of his hand.
When the X-wing is fully removed from the swamp and “Yoda and the Force” reaches its crescendo, Williams’ sweeping tune becomes a spine-tingling masterpiece.
The Duel
Williams created a strong sense of terror in “The Duel,” which plays over Luke’s first lightsaber battle with Darth Vader. Luke is hopelessly unprepared for his confrontation with Vader, and it comes through in the music.
“The Duel” has its own dread-filled orchestrations but also mixes in riffs from “The Imperial March” to amp up the terror of Vader’s presence.
Binary Sunset
“Binary Sunset,” also known as “The Force Theme,” plays when Luke goes out on his aunt and uncle’s moisture farm and watches Tatooine’s twin suns set over the vast desert landscape.
At this moment, Luke can’t wait to leave the farm behind and join the Rebellion’s struggle against the Empire in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Williams captures these emotions beautifully.
The Imperial March
When it came to writing the score for The Empire Strikes Back, John Williams composed a theme for Darth Vader titled “The Imperial March” that quickly became one of the most renowned symphonic movie themes ever created.
The march part is the centerpiece of this theme and is pretty much used whenever Vader makes an on-screen appearance. “The Imperial March” is initially used to introduce the Emperor as he steps off his ship onto the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi, but Williams deftly blends it into the Emperor’s own theme.
Star Wars (Main Theme)
It goes without saying that John Williams’ most memorable composition from the Star Wars saga is the main theme. Every time the Star Wars logo bursts onto the screen and quickly zooms into the vacuum of space to make way for the crawling yellow text, Williams’ unforgettable theme instantly re-immerses fans in a galaxy far, far away.
Williams has written some of the most beloved theme tunes in movie history — Jaws, Indiana Jones, Superman, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park — but even after a lifetime of writing classic themes for movies, Star Wars arguably remains his most iconic.
