While the news that John Williams is continuing his 45 year long association with the Star Wars galaxy is no doubt amazing news, it only goes to show how seriously the maestro takes completing the signature themes of those original A New Hope heroes. 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story saw Williams finally give Han the theme he lacked in the original and sequel trilogies and now he’s back to do the same for Obi-Wan, a character associated most closely with the Force theme but who will now – finally – get the full Williams treatment.
Williams has written the musical signature for the continuing adventures of the character played by Ewan McGregor, airing on Disney Plus beginning May 25. He recorded last week with a Los Angeles orchestra under tight security, sources say.
It is a coup for both Lucasfilm and Disney, considering the five-time Oscar winner rarely composes for television. His last theme for a weekly dramatic series was “Amazing Stories” in 1985, although he has written two for PBS series (“Masterpiece Theatre” in 2000, “Great Performances” in 2009), and his news and Olympics themes, written decades ago, continue to air on NBC.
Remember, Williams won a Grammy – his sixth for his Star Wars music – in 2019 for his music for Galaxy’s Edge, and with the theme for Solo now adhesively glued to the character and his sequel trilogy scores embedded in the wider musical landscape of the saga, we can only salivate at what’s ahead from the 90 year old wunderkind.
We discussed the possibility of more Williams music and much more on the 127th episode of Making Tracks.
