Rank your favorite Star Wars themes

Inspired by the top ten tracks post AOTC thread, I thought it would be interesting to see what themes on a whole we like the most.
Feel free to add anything comments or notes.

For m:
theme, most important in which movie, variations worth noting

1) The Force/Obi Wan
IV
Burning Homestead, Battle of Yavin, The Throne Room

2) Imperial March/Vader
V
The Clash of Lightsabers, Rescue from Cloud CIty/Hyperspace, Darth Vader's Death

3) Luke/Main
IV
Battle of Yavin

4) Han and Leia
V

5) Love Theme for AOTC
II

6) Duel of the Fates
I

7) The Emperor
VI

8) Leia
IV

9) Yoda
V

10) Lando's March
V

 

Here's how I rank them:

1. "The Force Theme" - Favorite Performance: "Binary Sunset" (IV)

2. "Han Solo and the Princess" - Favorite Performance: "The Rebel Fleet" (V)

3. "The Imperial March" - Favorite Performance: "Carbon Freeze" (V)

4. "Love Theme from Star Wars: Episode II" - Favorite Performance: "Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale" (II)

5. "Leia's Theme" - Favorite Performance: "Ben Kenobi's Death" (IV)

6. "Yoda's Theme" - Favorite Performance: "Yoda and the Force" (V)

7. "Main Title/Luke's Theme" - Favorite Performance: "Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner" (IV)

8. "Luke and Leia" - Favorite Performance: "Brother and Sister/Father and Son" (VI)

9. "The Emperor's Theme" - Favorite Performance: "The Dark Side Beckons/The Emperor's Death" (VI)

10. "Anakin's Theme" - Favorite Performance: "Anakin and Group to Coruscant" (I)

For the performances, I purposely avoided concert arrangements, because I wanted to focus on their appearances in the scores as opposed to their full performances.

 

My favorites:

1. The Force Theme
Best performance: "Light of the Force"

2. Duel of the Fates
Best performance: concert version
Best use in film: who can tell, with all the cuts?

3. The Imperial March
Best performance: concert version
Best use in film: "The clash of lightsabers"

4. Main theme
Best performance: ANH main title
Best use in film (as underscore): Battle of Yavin

5. Love theme from AotC
Best performance: end credits (CD version)
Best use in film: Finale

6. The Emperor's Theme
Best Performance: The Dark Side Beckons/The Emperor's Death

7. Anakin's Theme
Best performance: AotC end credits

8. Yoda's Theme
Best performance: Yoda and the Force

9. Luke and Leia
Best performance: concert version
Best use in film: Leia's News

10. Leia's Theme
Best performance: Ben Kenobi's Death

 

For the performances, I purposely avoided concert arrangements, because I wanted to focus on their appearances in the scores as opposed to their full performances.

I knew I liked you Son of the Suns... I am the same way.


Here's my attempt... hard to rank though:

1. The Force Theme - Favorite Uses: "Binary Sunset" "Tales of a Jedi Knight" (IV) "Anakin is Free" (I)

2. Star Wars Main Theme - Favorite Uses: "Chasm Crossfire" (IV) "Fighting The Destroyer Droids" (I)

3. Yoda's Theme - Favorite Uses: "Death of Yoda" (VI) "Yoda and the Force" (V)

4. Anakin and Padme Love Theme - Favorite Uses: "Anakin and Padme" "Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale" (II)

5. The Emperor's Theme - Favorite Uses: "The Emperor's Death" (VI) "Anakin's Confession" (unreleased from Ep II)

6. Anakin's Theme - Favorite Use: "He Is the Chosen One" (I)

7. The Imperial March - Favorite Uses: "The Emperor Arrives" "Darth Vader's Death (VI) "Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale" (II)

8. Luke and Leia - Favorite Use: "Brother and Sister" (VI)

9. Han Solo and Leia Love Theme - Favorite Use: "The Rebel Fleet" (V)

10. Princess Leia's Theme - Favorite Use: "Learn About the Force" (IV)

 

I) The Imperial March
II) Duel of the Fates
III) Star Wars Theme

I couldn't give you ten if I tried.

 

OMG I cannot believe I forgot to put Duel of the Fates in my top ten!!!!!! I would have to say it goes between the Anakin and Padme Love Theme and the Emperor's Theme. Favorite use.... wide shot of the Theed Power Generator right before Maul kicks Obi-Wan off the platform. I also really really like the use of DOTF in Episode II. Really fits my mood while watching the film at the moment.

 

My top ten:

1. Duel of the Fates
2. Imperial March
3. Across the Stars
4. Force Theme
5. Main Theme
6. Yoda's Theme
7. Anakin's Theme
8. Emperor's Theme
9. Luke and Leia's Theme
10. Han Solo and the Princess

 

My top favorite is The Throne Room, I can't tell you how much hearing that music EMBODIES how I felt about Star Wars when I was a kid.

Then comes The Emperor Arrives, for some reason whenever I think of the Imperial March it's always in this piece's context.

And Duel of the Fates, I play around with that thing all the time, melding it in different ways to Vader's theme to see which would make the spiffiest backdrop to the III duel.

And of course, nobody can forget the Force Theme, and also my other favorite - Princess Leia's Theme, just gorgeous music.

TVB.

 

Then comes The Emperor Arrives, for some reason whenever I think of the Imperial March it's always in this piece's context.

I am the same way. That's because it's the loudest baddest and scariest rendition of the Imperial March ever. IMHO.

 

There are just so many themes and so many variations, it hard enough to remember them all! I'm not sure I know all of the themes exactly, I'm used to the titles of the SE soundtracks, which don't always say "So and so's theme".

I'll have one up soon after I ::sarcasm:: torture ::sarcasm:: myself with an hours long music session of all 5 movies.

 

Aside from the Happy Senator's Theme ...

Favorite themes:

(1) Main title/Luke's theme
(best performance: beginning of ANH)

(2) Force theme/Ben's theme
(best performance: Yavin celebration)

(3) Imperial march
(best performance: concert suite)

(4) Emperor's theme
(best peformance: does the end of TPM count? Hee hee! I love that!)



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

I love lists, and I've been mulling this one over for a few days...

Here goes:

1. Force Theme - so many great and varied cues.
Favorite = Throne Room.
Best TPM = "Don't Look Back" (Anakin Is Free)
Best AOTC = Tatooine Sunset (not as many in Ep. II)
ANH runners-up = WOW... Binary Sunset/Obi-Wan appears/Learn About The Force/Burning Homestead sequence on Tatooine, Battle of Yavin
Best ESB = "Leia, hear me, Leia." (Rescue From Cloud City)
Best ROTJ = Light Of The Force

2. Imperial March. Best when bombastic, sublime when subtle.
Favorites = The Emperor Arrives, Dawn of the Empire (AOTC Finale)
Runners-up = Vader's Fleet (ESB), Luke arrives in Throne Room, The Clash Of Lightsabers

3. DOTF.
Favorites = all close...The Duel Continues, QG, OW & DM Continue Battle, Anakin on bike.

4. Luke's Theme (Main Theme)
Favorite = "Luke, you've switched off your targeting computer. What's wrong?"
Runner-up = "Imperial troops have entered.....""Come on, that's it."

5. Yoda's Theme. Favorite = Death of Yoda
Runner-up = Yoda & The Force

6. Emperor's Theme. Favorite = The Emperor's Death
Runner-up = Anakin's confession

7. Qui-Gon's Theme. Favorite = QG & DM Meet
Runner-up = Anakin Is Free

8. TF March. Favorite = "Magnificent, aren't they?"
Runner-up = The Droid Invasion

9. ATS. Favorite = Love Pledge

10. Leia's Theme. Favorite = The Hologram

11. Han & Leia's Love Theme. Favorite = The Rebel Fleet.

12. Anakin's Theme. Favorite = Is The Racer Roars To Life considered to be Anakin's Theme?

13. Luke & Leia. Favorite = Leia's News.

14. Kamino Theme. Such as it is.

15. Tyranus' Theme. Or Dooku. Or Unhappy Senators. Or mystery...

 

1. Force theme/ Ben's theme (I call this one Luke's theme, actually... and my sheet music titles it "May the Force be with you")

2. Main theme

3. Luke and Leia

4. Han and Leia

5. Darth Vader theme

6. Yoda theme

7. Why didn't the Cantina theme make it to the list?

 

1) Rebel Fleet/Epire Strikes Back Closing

2) Duel of the Fates - Lightsaber Duel in TPM.

3) Imperial March

4) The original ROTJ Ewok Celebration song (I honestly forget the title)

5) Main Title

I don't have a favorite performance I guess - Except for #1 which is obviously at the end of ESB, and #2 which I listed.

 

I'll elaborote from my earlier post.

1. Duel of the Fates
I
Return to Tatooine; The Duel Continues; Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Darth Maul Continue Battle

2. Imperial March
V
The Clash of Lightsabers, Approaching the Death Star, Carbon Freeze, Confrontation With Count Dooku And Finale

3. Across the Stars
II
Finale, Love Pledge, The Meadow Picnic

4. Force Theme
IV
Binary Sunset, Anakin is Free, Return to Tatooine

5. Main Theme/Luke's Theme
IV
Chasm Crossfire, The Battle of Yavin, Sail Barge Assault

6. Yoda's Theme
V
Yoda and the Force, Jedi Master Revealed, The Death of Yoda

7. Anakin's Theme
I
The Racer Roars to Life, Qui-Gon's Mission/Obi-Wan's Warning, Anakin's Test

8. Emperor's Theme
VI
Emperor's Throne Room, The Battle of Endor II, Darth Sidious and Darth Maul

9. Luke and Leia's Theme
VI
Brother and Sister, Leia's News

10. Han Solo and the Princess
V
Carbon Freeze, The Rebel Fleet

Some great music there (understatement of the century).

 

10) Main Theme
9) The Asteroid Field - ESB
8) Boba Fett's Theme - ESB (heard also in the Bounty Hunter trailer)
7) Han and Leia - ESB
6) Force theme (Luke watching the sunset) - ANH
5) It's a trap! (I'm not sure if that's the name. It's the spacebattle of Endor music) - ROTJ
4) Imperial March (Vader's Theme) - ESB/AotC
3) Duel of the Fates - TPM (+AotC variation)
2) Zam the Assassin and Chase Through Coruscant - AotC
1) Across The Stars - AotC

 

Kwenn:

"It's a trap" = Into The Trap

 

I wasn't far off...

 

Yeah, on the ROTJ:SE cd it's the first part of The Battle Of Endor I.

When the OS came out it was simply Into The Trap. I played it over & over.

 

"theme, most important in which movie, variations worth noting "

ok let me try this,im not sure of some of the titles so correct me if im wrongo,in no order


1.Force Theme,ROTJ,Return To Tatoonie & Throne Room.

2.The Love Theme(Across The Stars),AOTC,Love Pledge

3.Trade Federation March,TPM,Droid Invasion

4.Duel Of The Fates,TPM,Return To Tatoonie

5.Emporers Theme,ROTJ,The Emporer Arrives

6.Imperial March,AOTC,Clash Of The Lightsabers

 

I love all those (Star Wars has the greatest music ever. Period. I think it's cus the music relfects exactly what happens in the movies, it almost tells it's own story. but thats probably a whole other thread)

One none of you mentioned is in the track "The Battle of Endor II" when Luke starts to rage against Vader after Vader mentions bringing Leia to the darkside. That has to be one of the most emotionally powerful and dramatic pieces John Williams has ever written, and I love every second of it (even though it is short, it fits sooo perfectly with everything, like everything has led up to that one climax)

Yeah, it's great. You should all know what I"m talking about.

 

The Battle of Endor III (ROTJ)
Sail Barge Assault (RTOJ)
Binary Sunset (ANH)
Dual of Fates (TPM)
Ben Kenobi's Death (ANH)
Imperial March (ESB)
Yoda and the Force (ESB)
Across the Stars (ATOC)
The Throne Room (ANH)
Parade of the Ewoks (ROTJ)

Those are my favorites in order that I love and listen to them when I'm driving.

 

Matti, You refer to The Dark Side Beckons. Most of us here love it, as you have described.

However this thread is talking about themes. Dark Side Beckons is considered a cue, not a theme.

Check out the Music Forum Glossary & FAQ (^^link above in the header ^^).

EDIT: ditto, honey. You've listed tracks, not themes. (Good ones, though. )

 

I think that my favorite theme is the Luke/Han love theme. It is just so rich, and the music almosts holds a story all its own. Whenever I listen to it, I feel like it has so much history to it, especailly in conjuncture to Leia's theme (and now, Love theme from AOTC). Above all others, I would say that I that theme rattling around my brain more than the others.

A close second is Yoda's Theme. Fun and lyric at times, yet it quietly speaks of wisdom and something ancient. Plus, I love the way that Williams plays with it and works it into other themes. but then again, we are getting into cues....