Which do you prefer? "Across the Stars" or "Rey's Theme"?

[Josh500 1,615]

Now, remember. We're not talking about the movies, but just these two musical pieces.

 

For me, it's "Across the Stars" all the way (although "Rey's Theme" does have a lot going for it too). Just the haunting, tortured horn solo at 4:02 makes me feel overwhelmed....  

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Rey's Theme.

 

It's better than everything.

[Jay 37,322]

I prefer Rey's Theme.

[Quintus 5,399]

Rey's Theme, no contest. 

[justaguy 68]

Now that's a hard poll! I really can't decide...

[Disco Stu 15,495]

"Jyn's Theme"

[Incanus 5,713]

 

And it is a tough question. I might actually refrain from answering right now.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

My real answer is "Rey's Theme" of course.  I love the dramatic journey that concert arrangement goes on from beginning to end.  So intelligently constructed.  That perfect Williams balance of pure emotion and intellectual rigor.

[Jay 37,322]

I like its arrangement in the credits better than the Rey's Theme track

 

I think I like The Scavenger more than the Rey's Theme track too

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I couldn't really choose one arrangement of "Rey's Theme" over the other, but that's also not the question.  I assume he means literally the OST track "Across the Stars" vs. the OST track called "Rey's Theme."  So I spoke about that track in particular.

[Josh500 1,615]

12 minutes ago, Jay said:

I like its arrangement in the credits better than the Rey's Theme track

 

I think I like The Scavenger more than the Rey's Theme track too

 

I agree. The End Credits version is my favorite. 

[Tom 4,640]

Rey's theme.  It could serve as the standalone theme of its own movie (I suppose it sort of does).  Across the Stars is excellent, and just nails a sense of troubled romantic drama, but still would not carry a movie on its own.  (if any of this makes any sense). 

[Josh500 1,615]

10 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I couldn't really choose one arrangement of "Rey's Theme" over the other, but that's also not the question.  I assume he means literally the OST track "Across the Stars" vs. the OST track called "Rey's Theme."  So I spoke about that track in particular.

 

There's really no definitive concert piece version of "Rey's Theme." That's the problem. 

 

I meant the track titled Rey's Theme as well as the memorable versions of this theme found in other tracks.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

2 minutes ago, Josh500 said:

 

There's really no definitive concert piece version of "Rey's Theme." That's the problem. 

 

I meant the track titled Rey's Theme as well as the memorable versions of this theme found in other tracks.

 

I dunno, the concert arrangement called "Rey's Theme" is pretty definitive for me.  It doesn't capture the mind-blowing variety of variations Williams is able to wring out of it throughout the score, but it'd be kind of impossible for it do so!

[Incanus 5,713]

2 minutes ago, Tom said:

Rey's theme.  It could serve as the standalone theme of its own movie (I suppose it sort of does).  Across the Stars is excellent, and just nails a sense of troubled romantic drama, but still would not carry a movie on its own.  (if any of this makes any sense). 

Yet Across the Stars is used almost single-mindedly as the central theme of AotC where Williams relegates other thematic ideas into the background and as shorter motivic cells.

[Jay 37,322]

26 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I assume he means literally the OST track "Across the Stars" vs. the OST track called "Rey's Theme."  

 

I assumed he was asking about the themes, not necessarily the OST tracks by the same names

[Disco Stu 15,495]

He mentioned a specific timestamp for "Across the Stars" is why I made that assumption.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Rey's Theme.  Across the Stars is the more catchy of the two but it's a bit too melodramatic and over the top.  Rey's Theme isn't as obvious with its intentions, evoking a number of different emotions and imagery.  It's hard to describe the piece and I sort of love that.

[Josh500 1,615]

17 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Rey's Theme.  Across the Stars is the more catchy of the two but it's a bit too melodramatic and over the top.  Rey's Theme isn't as obvious with its intentions, evoking a number of different emotions and imagery.  It's hard to describe the piece and I sort of love that.

Yeah, Rey's Theme is hard to describe. But I would say it evokes a few emotions very well. It expresses optimism, curiosity, youth, a sense of yearning and adventure, marked by a slight foreboding and marred with a sense of tragic destiny. 

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

3 minutes ago, Josh500 said:

Yeah, Rey's Theme is hard to describe. But I would it evokes a few emotions very well. It expresses optimism, curiosity, youth, a sense of yearning and adventure, marked by a slight foreboding and marred with a sense of tragic destiny. 

You did it.  

[Simon McBride 113]

Rey's theme is good, but it feels just a bit  more incohesive than Across the Stars to me. They're both incredible themes, but I like across the stars just a little bit more.

[Tom 4,640]

3 hours ago, Incanus said:

Yet Across the Stars is used almost single-mindedly as the central theme of AotC where Williams relegates other thematic ideas into the background and as shorter motivic cells.

I suppose I am lodging a complaint about how it is used in the movie.  I don't think it carries the film all that well--only the love scenes, such as they are.  That being said, I do think the movie is the worst of all them.  I think had Lucas given Williams an edit with an coherency, he could have scored the final twenty minutes with an identity of its own versus the cut and paste job we have.  In effect, it could have served as the dramatic anchor piece, similar to DotF and Anakin's theme. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 hour ago, Incanus said:

Yet Across the Stars is used almost single-mindedly as the central theme of AotC where Williams relegates other thematic ideas into the background and as shorter motivic cells.

 

Not at all. There's a secondary "courtship" theme even. Across The Stars is the most used theme I guess. But it hardly dominates the score.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

Well, one's LUKE'S THEME, and one's BEN'S THEME, so...take you pick.

[Incanus 5,713]

21 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

 

Not at all. There's a secondary "courtship" theme even. Across The Stars is the most used theme I guess. But it hardly dominates the score.

Thematically it is the most prominent, certainly most developed out of all the new ideas in AotC. The courtship theme is used twice in the two scenes involving the pair of characters but Across the Stars is the one theme that you take away from that film. Williams very clearly showcases it in the end credits where it is in no relation to other material (well except at the end with the ingenious finale with Anakin's and Vader's themes). Plus the three part theme is woven into other cues as well as it ties to Anakin's fall to the dark side and comes to play when Shmi dies and when Anakin confesses to Padme.

 

The Separatist/Jango Fett motif always repeats the same again and again. It brings to mind something like The Big Sleep film noir where Steiner always presents his little theme tune or motif in the same way insistently and always alluding to the mystery at the heart of the narrative. Kamino's motif is establishing shot material for the planet and the arpeggio lines of the Mystery Theme do not particularly develop other than vary in orchestration. Across the Stars is the most developed and most dominant of the themes even if the score is still full of independent motivic cells like Zam's Theme for the chase and the ostinati driven action cues and the above mentioned auxiliary material.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Exactly!

[Balahkay 627]

Definitely Rey's Theme.  I like Across the Stars, but it reminds me of Hook.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Across The Stars is just the Star Wars main theme in disguise 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

It reminds me of a Timotei advert 

[Thor 7,478]

3 hours ago, Josh500 said:

Now, remember. We're not talking about the movies, but just these two musical pieces.

 

For me, it's "Across the Stars" all the way (although "Rey's Theme" does have a lot going for it too). Just the haunting, tortured horn solo at 4:02 makes me feel overwhelmed....  

 

Same here. Absolutely no competiton. "Across the Stars" all the way -- the most unashamedly romantic and glorious theme this side of "Tara's Theme" from GONE WITH THE WIND. I'm rather shocked to see "Rey's Theme" so far ahead in the polls. It's a fine theme, don't get me wrong, but it's not even in my Top 10 in the last 10 years.

[KK 3,307]

I agree with Thor on this one I think. Rey's theme is great, but I might prefer the more singular, unabashedly romantic "Across the Stars".

[Bryant Burnette 654]

"Across the Stars," easily.  "Rey's Theme" is great, but it's no "Across the Stars."

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

5 minutes ago, KK said:

I agree with Thor on this one I think. Rey's theme is great, but I might prefer the more singular, unabashedly romantic "Across the Stars".

 

The most romantic theme ever for a mass murderer and his misguided girlfriend!

[KK 3,307]

But hey, it's some damn fine music!

[Thor 7,478]

That's putting it mildly.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's very good. Rey's theme is better though.

[Tom 4,640]

1 hour ago, Stefancos said:

Across The Stars is just the Star Wars main theme in disguise 

Which makes it narratively brilliant: The love theme for Luke's parents gets morphed into Luke's theme.  Like Anakin's theme morphs into the Imperial march. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

Which one do I prefer? Neither. They're both bollocks.

[Quintus 5,399]

Somehow I knew which one Thor would choose.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Is it time for me to make an "Across the Stars - Williams' Most Overrated Theme?" thread?  I'll do it, I'm not bluffing!

 

One has to exist from at some point over the 14 years or whatever of JWFan.

[King Mark 3,626]

Han Solo and the Princess

[artguy360 1,843]

The two are so different, it's hard to compare. Across the Stars is so grand and melodramatic. Its a huge theme for a great, tragic love story that never materialized on film. Rey's Theme seems smaller and leaner. Its various components have a kind of utility to them, like they are sewn closer to the film than the grandiose love theme that flies above the film. I don't know if any of that makes sense.

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

I love both of them, but Rey's Theme has just that feeling of extra depth and complexity, and sense of satisfaction upon it finishing. Across The Stars has a (deliberately of course) lush, romantic, almost Tchaikovsky-esque feel; but it simultaneously feels quite one dimensional and pretty much repeats the theme over and over (kind of like Luke and Leia's theme), with only that troubled, low string and brass ostinato for contrast, which I feel is slightly incongruous with the tone of the rest of the piece.

 

Rey's Theme feels a lot more fresh and transparent, and layers two different thematic ideas right from the beginning - playing around with the melodic ideas and developing them midway through. Personally I prefer that approach from purely a musical standpoint, although of course they both work excellently as written for the films.

[Romão 2,274]

Rey's theme.

 

It's just so expertly constructed. You literally have 4 different sections that could amost be 4 separate themes in themselves perfectly jugled in a totally cohesive piece. I just love how the final phrase of the main section is accompanied by the jaunty first section of theme, as heard here:

 

 

 

It's seamless, it's musically, emotionally and intelectually satisfying.

Plus, as good as Across the Stars is, it still is pretty generic in its aspirations, meaning it could be aplied to any doomed love story.

 

As for Rey's theme, it is tailor-made for the character it was written for. Just a perfect marriage. It conveys and adds so much to the character

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

1 hour ago, The Psycho Pianist said:

I love both of them, but Rey's Theme has just that feeling of extra depth and complexity, and sense of satisfaction upon it finishing. Across The Stars has a (deliberately of course) lush, romantic, almost Tchaikovsky-esque feel; but it simultaneously feels quite one dimensional and pretty much repeats the theme over and over (kind of like Luke and Leia's theme), with only that troubled, low string and brass ostinato for contrast, which I feel is slightly incongruous with the tone of the rest of the piece.

 

Rey's Theme feels a lot more fresh and transparent, and layers two different thematic ideas right from the beginning - playing around with the melodic ideas and developing them midway through. Personally I prefer that approach from purely a musical standpoint, although of course they both work excellently as written for the films.

Yes!

15 minutes ago, Romão said:

It's seamless, it's musically, emotionally and intelectually satisfying.

Plus, as good as Across the Stars is, it still is pretty generic in its aspirations, meaning it could be aplied to any doomed love story.

 

As for Rey's theme, it is tailor-made for the character it was written for. Just a perfect marriage. It conveys and adds so much to the character

Yes!

[Score_Fan 36]

Across the Stars.

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

I know which one JW prefers...

[ocelot 508]

Can't decide on this one. One is a tragic love theme for the both "Armadildo" and "Anadin" and unfortunately it's tainted in the film by the bad performances and script, so it's unfair to judge it because no matter how hard you try and not think about the marriage of the two, it's there. I think it's an absolutely gorgeous theme and harkens back to the golden age of Hollywood yet it's still modern, and then you have Rey's theme which is like a female version of the force theme in it's structure and tonality. It has adventure written all over it, but yet feminine and has many different parts to it to be able to be used better narratively in the film. So really, Love them both equally for very different reasons.

[Josh500 1,615]

I suspect one reason why Rey's Theme appears so "fresh" (whatever that word means in this context) to some people is that it is very new, released only last year, as opposed to AtS, which was released 14 years ago!

 

I love both themes, don't get me wrong, but the gorgeously haunting and heartbreakingly tragic "Across the Stars," slightly over the top and theatrical, is an instant classic. After 14 years, I still don't tire of it, and I'm still impressed by it. The performance from LSO is second to none.

 

 

[Damien F 1,742]

The problem I have with Across The Stars is not the music itself, but rather it accompanies probably the worst written romance in cinema history. That's obviously not JW fault though. He was scoring the idea of the Anakin/Padme relationship rather than how it actually transpired onscreen.

 

In contrast, Rey's theme is a remarkably precise theme for Daisy Ridley's portrayal of the character – feminine but not overtly romantic, noble yet modest, heroic but with a hint of uncertainty and mystery.