POLL: What are the 5 best new themes from the Stars Wars Sequel Trilogy (Ep 7, 8, 9)?

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

JW's magisterial music trilogy has now ended. And it is time to do a reckoning. What is the best of the best that he offered during the course of this trilogy?

 

Here are links to listen to 12 main themes selected by me (Bolding 11 and 12 since they have the most scope of confusion currently and their names are not yet settled)

 

1. Jedi Steps - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBUlKgsNK8 (First 95 Seconds)
2. Kylo Ren (All 3 parts) - https://youtu.be/cUBUlKgsNK8?t=253 (4:13 onwards)
3. March of the Resistance (Both parts) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueqKtype7Kk
4. Poe - https://youtu.be/cUBUlKgsNK8?t=323 (5:23 onwards)
5. Pursuit (Often mistaken as Finn's theme) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBUlKgsNK8&t=298 (4:58 onwards)
6. Rey (All 3 parts) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65As1V0vQDM

7. Desperation (Often mistaken as Holdo's theme) - https://youtu.be/dvOqgtnrPAw?t=347 (5:47 onwards)
8. Luke in Exile (Both parts) - https://youtu.be/vP0nEO6q8iI?t=80 (1:20 onwards)
9. Rose - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP0nEO6q8iI (First 51 seconds)

10. Anthem of Evil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi9kKyPJ_00
11. Farewell/Victory/Rise of Skywalker Theme - https://youtu.be/l-9reMkxTjw?t=171 (2:51 onwards)
12. Trio/We Go Together - https://youtu.be/l-9reMkxTjw?t=54 (0:54 onwards)

13. Other (Please specify) - https://franklehman.com/starwars/

 

CRITERIA

I selected themes which had - Concert Presentations and/or Extended performances in End Credits. I am relegating to Other - Minor themes and/or Building block motifs used to build underscore

 

NOTES:

1. Please vote for the music, not for the characters.

2. Please select only 5 so that we can see which themes have resonated the most.

[mrbellamy 6,286]

Rey

Poe

Trio

Jedi Steps

March of the Resistance

Farewell

Luke in Exile

Rose

Desperation

Kylo Ren

Pursuit

Anthem of Evil

[Fabulin 3,511]

.

 

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

My ranking of the themes

 

1. Rey - Masterpiece! One of JW's very best. Just glorious character theme and every single usage in the score gets a reaction from me.

2. Jedi Steps - Woefully underused. One of the most potent and dramatic themes from the sequel trilogy.

3. March of the Resistance - A killer concert presentation definitely helps. Gutsy theme with a lot of great use throughout.

4. Farewell/Victory/Rise of Skywalker Theme - I can't get over the first 50 seconds of the concert presentation - just beautiful beyond words.

 

I struggled a lot with the 5th slot

 

Poe does nothing for me. Pursuit is okay. Luke in Exile is great but I feel I have no connection to it because of its very brief use. Rose is nice but not something that grabs me. Anthem of Evil does nothing for me again. And the Trio theme is nice but I don't have a huge connection to it. 

 

So it came down to Kylo Ren and Desperation. Desperation has a monster impact during the famous Holdo scene. Just a really ballsy and desperate sound that is really quite dramatic. But ultimately I went with Kylo Ren. 2 things to its credit - it is a complex theme with 3 parts. And second it perhaps goes through the most variation within the score, even more so than Rey. During the last parts of Ep 9, it almost has a tragic quality to it. So

 

5. Kylo Ren (deserves a concert suite. I hope Williams writes one.)

 

And then Second Tier

 

6. Desperation (as I mentioned above it was a runner-up for the last slot)

7. Luke in Exile - a stately theme. Props for having 2 parts and a very good concert presentation. Could have been higher had it been used more.

8. Trio - A nice enough theme. I like it but don't have a deep connection to it.

9. Rose - A nice theme, a bit saccharine but memorable.

 

Third Tier

 

10. Poe - A very ordinary theme to me. Not something I am clamoring for a concert presentation of.

11. Pursuit - I had to include it based on my criteria but this is essentially underscore material

12. Anthem of Evil - Seems almost unnecessary to me. Why not just use Emperor. Why another similar sounding theme at all?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Rey's Theme

March Of The Resistance

The Jedi Steps

The Rebellion Is Reborn

Poe's Theme

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

Just now, Stefancos said:

The Rebellion Is Reborn

 

That is 2 themes!

[SteveMc 2,674]

Jedi Steps

March Of The Resistance

Rey

Speeder Chase Motif

Kylo Ren

EDIT: somehow I put in Poe instead of Kylo Ren

[Smaug The Iron 513]

1. Ray 
2. Jedi step 
3. Rose
4. Kylo Ren
5. Poe

[Pellaeon 593]

Jedi Steps, March of the Resistance, Rey’s and Poe’s themes were the no-brainers for me. The new “Victory” theme is really nice, but I’m not sure yet if it sticks to me. I had to go with Luke in Exile, which I perceive as a sequel to Jedi Steps, hands down the most poignant music in this trilogy for me.

[p0llux 398]

1. Rey's Theme - One of the most well balanced and memorable pieces in the trilogy.
2. We go together/Friendship theme - One of the most gorgeous pieces in the entire saga depicting family/friendship/fellowship. The best description of it I've read is "melancholic resolve".
3. March of the Resistance - Another classic JW march.
4. Kylo Ren's theme - Screams power and authority throughout.
5. The Jedi Steps - The mysterious feeling gets me every time.
6. Poe's Theme - The heroism in this is perfect for a hot shot pilot.
7. Victory/Farewell Theme - Love the uplifting sense of finality.
8. Rose's Theme - It's a pretty theme for a less important character.
9. Luke's Exile theme - Depicts the exile well, but not one that sticks.
10. Holdo's Resolve - Well constructed motif, but not as listener friendly as the others.
11. Anthem of Evil - Certainly sounds evil, but not much use in film.
12. Pursuit - Not really a theme. More like an action set piece.

Others:

Knights of Ren Motif - Really enjoyed hearing this motif in the brass.

The Speeder Chase - Great action set piece with an awesome theme that wasn't used in the film. It did appear in the "They can fly now" clip before the film's release.

The Fathiers - Great action set piece with Rose's theme in the middle.

[A. A. Ron 1,742]

Rey’s Theme

The Jedi Steps

March of the Resistance

Rise of Skywalker

Trio Theme

 

I like Luke in Exile, but don’t like Rose or her theme.

[Pellaeon 593]

What about the Adagio, used for the destruction of Hosnian Prime by the Starkiller, and the death of Han (and a teensy bit for the death of Lor San Tekka, IIRC)? It’s a theme, surely?

[dylanskie 104]

Rey

Kylo

Jedi Steps

Luke in Exile

Rise of Skywalker theme

[Tom 4,654]

1) Rey (top five SW theme)

2) Trio

3) RoS (though it is the concert suite of both that elevates this to art--also top five as suite)

4) March.  I thought it was second tier the first time I heard it, but it has grown on me.  Plus, Williams varied it quite cleverly in both VIII and IX.  

5) Jedi steps.  I wish we heard it again in IX, but I guess it was not to be (unless I missed it).  

 

Go the extra mile and do a definitive top five/ten SW themes from all the films (including AoH and GE).  

[Tydirium 1,167]

1. The Rise of Skywalker Theme

2. We Go Together (aka Trio Theme)

3. Rey's Theme

4. Kylo Ren's Theme(s)

5. March of the Resistance

 

Honorable mentions:

6. Rose's Theme

7. Luke in Exile

 

*1 & 2 are basically at the same level for me; can't really pick one over the other.

[gkgyver 1,645]

To be blunt, I consider only half of those actual themes in the Star Wars sense. The rest are minor motifs.

Rey's Theme, Rose's Theme, March Of The Resistance, Anthem Of Evil, Rise Of Skywalker.

So, that's 5, actually. 

 

I spent the last week or so relistening to the older Star Wars scores, and in this new trilogy, I dearly miss a theme that really transports the movie into music. Rey's Theme doesn't emote a lot to me, it feels really sterile. 

[King Mark 3,631]

hmm , the only one I don't like is the "Pursuit theme"

[Bellosh 3,418]

@TheUlyssesian

 

Thanks for time-stamping in the original post, I admittedly did not know some of the themes in question. 

 

My 5 (in no order):

- Pursuit 

- Rey's Theme

- Luke in Exile

- Farewell/Victory/Rise of Skywalker Theme

- Trio/We Go Together

[DrTenma 116]

Is complicated because I've been listening to The Force Awakens for 4 years, to The Last Jedi 2 and just some weeks to The Rise of Skywalker. Having to take only 5 themes I picked:

- Rey

- Kylo

- Resistance

- Rose

- Trio/We Go Together

But I love the rest, specially Jedi Steps (short appearance but very memorable) and Pursuit theme. I feel very happy with the themes in the new trilogy and, maybe unpopular, I prefer it to the prequels. I also want to mention this motif that briefly appears in all the sequels

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,068]

I like the new Main Titles.

[Jay 37,353]

Rey's Theme

Poe's Theme

Resistance Theme

Jedi Steps (in my opinion this doens't count as a major theme, it isn't used often enough nor developed at all)

Luke in Exile theme (I wish we had a proper name for this theme. What did JW name this in his head, I wonder?)

[mstrox 6,651]

Rey

Poe

Kylo

Jedi Steps

Trio (I'm making a guess on which one the Trio theme is, TBH - I haven't been cataloguing these like you guys.  I mean the slightly Harry Potterish theme that pops up 1-2 minutes into the TROS suite).

[Jay 37,353]

In the TROS concert arrangement track, the Friendship Theme or We Go Together Theme (what we used to call the Trio Theme) plays from 0:54-2:52 and the Victory theme (what we used to call the Farewell theme) plays from 0:00-0:54 and then 2:52-end

 

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

It's literally there in the original post.

[Jay 37,353]

Ah, so it is

[Jurassic Shark 12,068]

39 minutes ago, mstrox said:

the Trio theme

 

We usually refer to it as the BFF theme here.

[mstrox 6,651]

That’s the one I’m thinking of.  YouTube is blocked here at work, so I couldn’t check

[Jurassic Shark 12,068]

How do you get any work done then?

[Demodex 557]

54 minutes ago, Jay said:

In the TROS concert arrangement track, the Friendship Theme or We Go Together Theme (what we used to call the Trio Theme) plays from 0:54-2:30 and the Victory theme (what we used to call the Farewell theme) plays from 0:00-0:54 and then 2:30-end

 

 

Thank you for this post!

[rough cut 1,714]

Whenever I read the “We go together” theme, I think of this.

 

[Jay 37,353]

That's probably the 4th time that joke's been made on this board since the OST tracklist was revealed

[rough cut 1,714]

Sorry, I stayed away from all TROS threads until I saw the movie, so there’s probably a bunch of stuff I’ve missed...

 

But I should’ve figured!

[artguy360 1,843]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

In the TROS concert arrangement track, the Friendship Theme or We Go Together Theme (what we used to call the Trio Theme) plays from 0:54-2:52 and the Victory theme (what we used to call the Farewell theme) plays from 0:00-0:54 and then 2:52-end

 

Exactly!

[Tom 4,654]

I wonder where the Adventures of Han and Galaxy's Edge would fall on this list--call it Williams SW music from the last 5 years.  AoH wo uld bump MoR for me, and GE would trump Jedi steps.  

[Kylo Ren 9]

1. Rey

2. March of the Resistance

3. Rise of Skywalker

4. Kylo Ren

5. Rose

 

Jedi Steps is a close runner-up but I opted for Rose because Williams actually develops it (and I love it). Kylo wouldn't have made the list if not for its tragic transformation in the last act of TROS. I'd love a concert piece carries us through the character's journey -- kind of like Anakin's Theme in reverse.

[artguy360 1,843]

Kylo Ren's motifs are used very effectively in the 3 films though I wish the monstrous sounding 'hesitant' motif was used more often. The transformation of his primary motif in TROS is excellent and very satisfying though his theme(s) don't have the kind of sustained play other themes get treated to, including the Imperial March across all 3 trilogies (minus ANH). I think Kylo Ren's motifs do not lend themselves well to longer renditions and so we don't get many. 

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

20 minutes ago, artguy360 said:

Kylo Ren's motifs are used very effectively in the 3 films though I wish the monstrous sounding 'hesitant' motif was used more often. The transformation of his primary motif in TROS is excellent and very satisfying though his theme(s) don't have the kind of sustained play other themes get treated to, including the Imperial March across all 3 trilogies (minus ANH). I think Kylo Ren's motifs do not lend themselves well to longer renditions and so we don't get many. 

 

We have the somewhat extended performance in the Ep 7 end credits. But I agree - I think it is the theme that can most benefit from a concert suite.

 

The motifs are quite short but since there are 3 of them I am sure Williams could construct something of about 2-2.5 mins in length.

[Datameister 2,042]

Rey's theme takes the first four spots. The fifth is a tie between Kylo's, Poe's, Finn's, and the Resistance's themes. I very much appreciated the fact that TFA was grounded in new themes, and excellent ones at that. The sequel trilogy scores are at their finest when they don't spend too much time indulging in musical nostalgia. The magic of the previous films' themes is pretty hard to beat - hard to even recapture, as it turns out. But Williams is capable of a different kind of magic now, and I appreciated that focus in TFA and (to a lesser degree) in TROS.

[_deleted_ 203]

Top 5: Luke

[GlastoEls 562]

Craving a Kylo concert suite...

[Jay 37,353]

7 hours ago, Datameister said:

Rey's theme takes the first four spots. The fifth is a tie between Kylo's, Poe's, Finn's, and the Resistance's themes. I very much appreciated the fact that TFA was grounded in new themes, and excellent ones at that. The sequel trilogy scores are at their finest when they don't spend too much time indulging in musical nostalgia. The magic of the previous films' themes is pretty hard to beat - hard to even recapture, as it turns out. But Williams is capable of a different kind of magic now, and I appreciated that focus in TFA and (to a lesser degree) in TROS.

 

Well said Data! 

[_deleted_ 203]

2 hours ago, GlastoEls said:

Craving a Kylo concert suite...

that completes his redemption arc off screen

greatest missed opportunity: a Ben and Han relationship theme

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

On 12/25/2019 at 6:26 PM, Pellaeon said:

What about the Adagio, used for the destruction of Hosnian Prime by the Starkiller, and the death of Han (and a teensy bit for the death of Lor San Tekka, IIRC)? It’s a theme, surely?

 

Sure it is a motif. But according to the criteria I selected, it does not make the cut - namely does it have an extended performance in the end credits or concert suites.

 

You can see this great list here - https://franklehman.com/starwars/

 

It lists it as an incidental motif on Page 8.

[Pellaeon 593]

38 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Sure it is a motif. But according to the criteria I selected, it does not make the cut - namely does it have an extended performance in the end credits or concert suites.

 

You can see this great list here - https://franklehman.com/starwars/

 

It lists it as an incidental motif on Page 8.

 

It has a concert suite now.

[Sandor 797]

This should be part of it.

[Evanus 217]

I really love the Luke in exile theme. It wasn't in TROS, was it? 

[Ollie 1,059]

I think the best themes were written for TFA.

 

I’ve expressed my adoration for Rey’s Theme, I feel it belongs up there with the original trilogy.

 

Poe’s theme, March of the Resistance and Jedi Steps are the other 3 and then throw in The Rise Of Skywalker theme.

[Jay 37,353]

23 hours ago, Evanus said:

I really love the Luke in exile theme. It wasn't in TROS, was it? 

 

No, it was not

[Pellaeon 593]

Current ranking:

 

73 Rey’s Theme (did anyone not vote for this?)
58 March of the Resistance
49 Jedi Steps
41 Victory
33 Kylo Ren
26 Trio
25 Poe

 

So “Jedi Steps and Finale” + “The Rise of Skywalker” pretty much have you covered!

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

I think in the early going it was a contest to see which one of the last 3 would prevail but Kylo seems to have won out (no doubt by the redemptive evolution of his theme late in the trilogy. I don't it would have placed without that).

 

Top 4 were always clear, as was the top choice.