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What is your favorite obscure motif from Star Wars?


Manakin Skywalker

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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.

 

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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.

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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).

 

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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...

 

 

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DROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDSDROIDS :D:D:D

 

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!!

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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).

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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?

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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."

 

01-Vader-Succeeding.jpg

 

 

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

02-Anakin-Turning.jpg

 

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

 

 

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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?).

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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...

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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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)

screen-shot-2017-04-14-at-121712-pmpng.p

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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. 

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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)

screen-shot-2017-04-14-at-121712-pmpng.p

 

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

 

Getting more and more excited for TLJ!

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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)

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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)

 

 

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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

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