What is your favorite obscure motif from Star Wars?

[Manakin Skywalker 4,369]

What the title says; what if your favorite obscure motif from any of the Star Wars films. I'm referring to a re-occurring motif that either has no specific meaning or is just not noticed by most people.

 

Mine are probably Maul's motif (yes, he has his own motif; NOT DotF) and the unknown "Sith" motif (as I call it) from ROTS.

 

[Holko 8,612]

Don't know how obscure it is, but judging by the Obi-Wan thread the other day, not everyone knows this: Qui-Gon's motif.

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

47 minutes ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

the unknown "Sith" motif (as I call it) from ROTS.

 

 

This is the only one that matters, if you mean the little string/synth chorale during the Darth Plagueis conversation.

[Chewy 2,121]

One of my favorites is the little motif played in Episode 2 and 3 in sad moments involving Anakin & Padme (haven't found a better description to this):

 

 

 

[Arpy 4,099]

The conspiracy theme/motif in Revenge of the Sith:

"This assignment is not to be on record..."

 

[crumbs 13,539]

The Darth Plagueis motif, not even a contest. Sublime.

[Incanus 5,616]

The sweet melody that appears in Talk of Podracing and The High Council Meeting in Episode I and Finn's Confession in Episode VII.

 

Also the Sith legend motif from Episode III others have mentioned here. Tremendously effective and evocative.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

1 hour ago, Incanus said:

The sweet melody that appears in Talk of Podracing and The High Council Meeting in Episode I and Finn's Confession in Episode VII.

 

That's the Jinn Family motif.

 

 

The Republic motif for me.

 

 

 

[Balahkay 626]

Shmi's motif, I guess you could call it.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Incanus said:

The sweet melody that appears in Talk of Podracing and The High Council Meeting in Episode I and Finn's Confession in Episode VII.

 

Also the Sith legend motif from Episode III others have mentioned here. Tremendously effective and evocative.

 

I love this as well, but I still think Finn's Confession was a coincidence on Williams part.  Regardless of how it got there, it's there and presents a tender way to open a cue.

[Marian Schedenig 7,178]

Probably Qui-Gon and Boba Fett.

[Henry Sítrónu 483]

music for the droids in TESB

[Ludwig 1,098]

9 hours ago, Arpy said:

The conspiracy theme/motif in Revenge of the Sith:

"This assignment is not to be on record..."

 

 

I think this belongs in the homage/plagiarism thread since it sounds so much like the 20th-Century Fox fanfare.

 

Williams must have heard it and thought it a perfect "conspiracy" motif.

[artguy360 1,776]

As noted above, Shmi's motif is the most tender of all the minor SW motifs. It also reminds me of the hidden richness of JW's score for TPM. No Star Wars score since has approached that level of intricate detail and sensitivity.

[Simon McBride 113]

I agree with @someonefun124 and @artguy360

 

Shmi's theme is a great and deeply emotional theme.

[Wojo 2,450]

4 hours ago, lemoncurd said:

music for the droids in TESB

 

I like this one. I also like Lando's Theme. 

[Arpy 4,099]

Damn, for some reason my link reverted to the playlist! Fuck YouTube!

[Sharkissimo 1,971]

The "Sith" motif

 

 

The minor third "Pull" motif.

 

 

The two chord "Disturbance" motif, accompanied by "Pull" motif below it in cellos and basses.

 

 

[karelm 2,732]

I always loved the uneasy trill when Luke pursues the Captives. 

 

It is sort of a proto "two chord 'disturbance' motif.  It is followed by some of the very finest "funeralistic" harmonies JW has ever created.  There are so many "wrong notes" that are quintessentially JW and Star Wars.  @Ludwig analyze this please!  Check out how the Maestro transforms the yoda theme from dire to heroic.  Epic mastery!

[Romão 2,236]

I love that one, Karelm, was my immediate thought too when I saw this thread

[artguy360 1,776]

I call it Han's Funeral Procession!

[Manakin Skywalker 4,369]

This is the motif I was referring to as the "Sith" motif. I suppose it's more of a "seduction" motif as it plays a few times when Palpatine is seducing Anakin, and then once Anakin becomes Darth Vader. Plaguies' "motif" is another favorite of mine, as well as the "Sith" motif that Sharky posted (which Gordy Haab seems to use quite a bit in Battlefront).

 

[Sharkissimo 1,971]

1 hour ago, karelm said:

I always loved the uneasy trill when Luke pursues the Captives. 

 

It is sort of a proto "two chord 'disturbance' motif.  It is followed by some of the very finest "funeralistic" harmonies JW has ever created.  There are so many "wrong notes" that are quintessentially JW and Star Wars.  @Ludwig analyze this please!  Check out how the Maestro transforms the yoda theme from dire to heroic.  Epic mastery!

 

Nice choice.

 

To me ears the trill figure plays like a cross between the Bbm/Am/Bmb Cloud City motif (ba ba ba ba ba buh baaaah) and the Imperial March (I-VI maneuver in the bass).

 

Now I've mentioned it...

 

 

[igger6 826]

DROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDS

 

I recently played a few levels of X-Wing Alliance for the first time in almost twenty years and discovered that the droid motif is used for some tense-but-not-combat scenes.  Maybe that's why it's so hardwired into my Star Wars brain.  It's a perfect blend of fussiness and mischief, thus defining Artoo and Threepio to a T.  I also love how Williams was able to toy with it in the ESB score, from playful to ominous to desperate.

 

But some great posts here alerting me to motifs I never knew existed!  I love that sad Anakin/Padme melody.  Please please please give us complete prequel scores, Disney!!

[Bespin 7,565]

[DominicCobb 194]

1 hour ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

This is the motif I was referring to as the "Sith" motif. I suppose it's more of a "seduction" motif as it plays a few times when Palpatine is seducing Anakin, and then once Anakin becomes Darth Vader. Plaguies' "motif" is another favorite of mine, as well as the "Sith" motif that Sharky posted (which Gordy Haab seems to use quite a bit in Battlefront).

 

 

Sounds a bit like Keys theme.

 

If it counts, I'd definitely echo what others have said: the droid motif (from ESB).

[karelm 2,732]

13 hours ago, Sharky said:

 

Nice choice.

 

To me ears the trill figure plays like a cross between the Bbm/Am/Bmb Cloud City motif (ba ba ba ba ba buh baaaah) and the Imperial March (I-VI maneuver in the bass).

 

Now I've mentioned it...

 

 

 

Hmm, I thought it was more of a precursor to this theme (up through 8:42):

 

Not sure what I would call it, perhaps a Lando theme?

[Sharkissimo 1,971]

10 minutes ago, karelm said:

 

Hmm, I thought it was more of a precursor to this theme:

 

Not sure what I would call it, perhaps a Lando theme?

 

They're interrelated, but I think this last one's an Imperial March variation. Ludwig dubbed it "Vader Succeeding."

 

 

 

And @Manakin Skywalker's motif was named "Anakin Turning", another IM derivative.

 

http://www.filmmusicnotes.com/celebrating-star-wars-films-part-2-of-6-uses-of-darth-vaders-theme/

 

 

[Loert 2,409]

I guess the "Night on Bald Mountain" figure present when Leia goes after Luke at the end of TESB can be considered a recurring motif:

 

 

To my ears, it's hinted at in the harp opening of "Through the Window", but also before the Battle of Endor sequence in ROTJ:

 

 

I particularly love the instance at 4:16: the succession of horn, timpani, and that motif growing in the background sounds downright menacing and very act-three-ish, if you see what I mean!

 

I'm sure it recurs in many other instances too which I'm not aware of (ANH possibly?).

[Holko 8,612]

16 minutes ago, Loert said:

I particularly love the instance at 4:16: the succession of horn, timpani, and that motif growing in the background sounds downright menacing and very act-three-ish, if you see what I mean!

 

Yes, very interesting! If only we had a version with actual mastering so we could hear it at all...

[Incanus 5,616]

Another one of my favourites is the Anakin's motif/fall to the Dark Side motif from Episode II exemplified by the cue Anakin Changes (Williams sort of weaves this into the third part of Across the Stars in the concert suite). I love the little quote of it in the middle of Anakin's Betrayal in RotS.

 

[Marian Schedenig 7,178]

17 hours ago, artguy360 said:

I call it Han's Funeral Procession!

 

I was going to add that to the ones I listed. Definitely has a strong funeral march vibe.

[curlytoot 97]

On 8/20/2017 at 3:16 AM, TheGreyPilgrim said:

 

This is the only one that matters, if you mean the little string/synth chorale during the Darth Plagueis conversation.

 

Do you mean the "Palpatine's Teachings"? Or something else? I always hear about some synth thing, but no clue what people are talking about exactly...

 

EDIT: I think I see now.

[Romão 2,236]

I'm all mixed up. Can anyone link me up the actual Darth Plagueis theme?

[Ludwig 1,098]

3 hours ago, Romão said:

I'm all mixed up. Can anyone link me up the actual Darth Plagueis theme?

 

You're not the only one - I was out of the loop too until this thread. You have to listen really hard behind the dialogue in the film because it hasn't been released anywhere. Here's the audio from the scene:

 

 

In its harmony and somewhat its melody, it reminds me of the Grail theme from The Last Crusade, which makes sense - both deal with the notion of an old legend.

[Not Mr. Big 4,473]

3 hours ago, Ludwig said:

 

You're not the only one - I was out of the loop too until this thread. You have to listen really hard behind the dialogue in the film because it hasn't been released anywhere. Here's the audio from the scene:

 

 

In its harmony and somewhat its melody, it reminds me of the Grail theme from The Last Crusade, which makes sense - both deal with the notion of an old legend.

It's a pretty underrated little moment (outside of JWFan).  Here's hoping The Last Jedi delves into similar territory (judging from the teasers, it looks like the film will delve into the ancient history of the Jedi and/or Sith)

[pete 794]

One more vote for The Driod motive from Empire. It always brings a smile to my face.

 

The Jawa music as well if that counts as obscure.

[Incanus 5,616]

11 hours ago, Ludwig said:

 

You're not the only one - I was out of the loop too until this thread. You have to listen really hard behind the dialogue in the film because it hasn't been released anywhere. Here's the audio from the scene:

 

 

In its harmony and somewhat its melody, it reminds me of the Grail theme from The Last Crusade, which makes sense - both deal with the notion of an old legend.

Williams really adds the mythical and spiritual atmosphere of the scene with his subtly religioso music that really enhances to the impact of the dialogue and supports it wonderfully. At the same time it hints at the underlying darkness of the whole scene in no uncertain terms as this is after all Star Wars. Great stuff. 

[crumbs 13,539]

9 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

It's a pretty underrated little moment (outside of JWFan).  Here's hoping The Last Jedi delves into similar territory (judging from the teasers, it looks like the film will delve into the ancient history of the Jedi and/or Sith)

 

A score full of ancient Sith/Jedi religioso motifs, likely deconstructed from the Force Theme? Hell yes!

 

Getting more and more excited for TLJ!

[Jay 33,661]

I like the victory fanfare from the end of Jabba's End and Through The Flames

[Will 2,154]

I'm not sure if you could call this a motif per se, but this one's pretty awesome:

 

 

(also heard, of course, in TPM)

[Bellosh 2,662]

On 8/22/2017 at 2:18 PM, Jay said:

I like the victory fanfare from the end of Jabba's End and Through The Flames

 

Came here to say the exact same thing.  Such a wonderful little moment.

 

"And don't forget the droids!"

 

(5:02 in this if it doesn't already play at that point automatically)

 

 

[DominicCobb 194]

I'm not sure if you could call this a motif per se, but this one's pretty awesome:

 

 

(also heard, of course, in TPM)

 

When is it heard in TPM?

[Romão 2,236]

 

[Will 2,154]

Beat me to it!

 

Here's where it is in the score as heard in the film:

 

 

[DominicCobb 194]

Thanks, I knew it was in there but when I tried to look for it sometime ago I couldn't find it for whatever reason.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,482]

I thought the fanfares at the end of The Return of the Jedi and Through the Flames were different?

[Jay 33,661]

Why did you think that? 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,482]

Because whenever it's mentioned, there's someone on JWFan who shows up to point out the difference as though we're all idiots who can't hear.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,257]

They always sounded different to me. Similar, sure. But not the same.

[Romão 2,236]

I also think they are different. I've always been slightly puzzled why are they considered the same motif. Some of the more musically inclined members might enlighten us