PT Top Prequel Themes

Whether you love or hate the Prequels, most would agree that John Williams delivered some great music in those movies. I've tried to rank my favorites:

1. Duel of The Fates: This theme was so popular, they even had a music video for it. Every time this music comes on, it makes me want to bust out a lightsaber and take out Darth Maul.

2. Anakin's Theme: It's starts off as an innocent theme and morphs into a pre-cursor for the Imperial March theme. It's too bad we never really heard it after TPM.

3. Anakin's Betrayal: It's hard not get a lump in the throat when this score comes on during ROTS and we're seeing Jedi get betrayed and killed left and right.

4. Zam The Assassin And The Chase Through Coruscant: I don't know why but I really love this theme. It's fun to listen to and it's got everything from percussion and an electric guitar to boot.

5. Battle Of The Heroes: A close cousin to Duel of The Fates. It's a good score but I don't think it was as good as Duel.

6. Across The Stars: It's a nice romantic theme but it always felt a little out of place for me on a Star Wars film.

 

I've long said that no matter what people think of the prequel films (I like all three), the John Williams scores are unassailable. He delivered scores that absolutely stand beside the classic trilogy scores easily. I'll take a stab at listing my top 5 favorite PT themes:

1. Across the Stars - It truly is one of the best things Williams has ever composed for Star Wars. It has always felt romantic, yet melancholy, perfect for the star-crossed lovers Anakin and Padmé.
2. Battle of the Heroes - It's like the tragic antithesis to Across the Stars, churning action, dark and epic in its clash of a hero with a fallen hero. The perfect underscore for the dual between Anakin and Obi-Wan.
3. Shmi's Motif - It's only used three times, twice in TPM and once in AOTC, but it remains one of the most poignant and sweet motifs of the PT.
4. Dual of the Fates - This one goes without saying. It so captures the sentiment and excitement leading up to Episode I that it has become a part of the fabric of popular culture and is almost as instantly recognizable as the Main Star Wars theme, the Force theme or the Imperial March. It's also worth noting that Dual of the Fates is actually made up of three discrete themes/motifs.
5. Droid March - The march for the Trade Federation droid army in Episode I and for the Clone Army in Episode II, I love how distinct this march is in the large collection of marches John Williams has composed for the Star Wars saga.

*Note: I am going with actual themes and motifs, not individual tracks which have non-thematic score material (like "Anakin's Betrayal")

 

Anakin's Theme is my favorite. Peaceful and wondrous and yet carries a hint of lurking darkness. Across the Stars as well. Just beautiful.

 

Out of place? Not at all! Melodic "romantic" themes have a long tradition in SW. Have you recently listened to "Princess Leia's Theme" (the soundtrack version which doesn't appear in the movie), "Han Solo and the Princess", "Yoda's Theme", "Brother and Sister"? "Across the Stars" follows that stylish tradition very closely, and I think the way it's used as AOTC's finale is ingenious, especially the way it blends in from the "Imperial March".

 

Plus "Across the Stars" has a melancholic undertone that perfectly fits the doomed and forbidden love of Anakin and Padmé.