TROS 22: Good Boy Ben Theme (with Samantha Tripp)

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
Written By Chrysanthe Tan

In minutes 106-110 of The Rise of Skywalker, Ben Solo arrives on the scene, bringing with him a new, redeemed musical theme! As J.J. Abrams puts it, we "make the trip from Ren to Ben." I'm pleased to be joined by Samantha Tripp for an in-depth discussion about this huge moment in the score. 

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 - Hello there!

  • 6:59 - "Approaching the Throne"

  • 14:23 - Sith Wayfinder motif with and without Kylo Ren's Hesitant theme in the background.

  • 18:22 - Two main set pieces happening at once. Battle sounds from ground and space.

  • 25:30 - Quintessential Williams action scoring. "Finn and Jannah at War" set piece theme.

  • 36:29 - Why John Williams loves concert arrangements.

  • 43:25 - March of the Resistance sounds less "march-y" here; it's melodically and rhythmically stretched out.

  • 51:11 - Don Williams (JW's timpanist brother).

  • 57:15 - LA Master Chorale in the Sith Auditorium.

  • 1:08:08 - Is Palpatine's voice more echoey here? Rey's?

  • 1:11:07 - Is Psalm of the Sith subtly woven into this part?

  • 1:21:17 - This part reminds us of "The Immolation Scene" (Revenge of the Sith) and Barber's Adagio for Strings.

  • 1:34:19 - Kylo Ren Redeemed theme!

  • 1:40:37 - J.J. Abrams asking John Williams to "make the trip from Ren to Ben."

  • 1:51:29 - Visualizing Kylo Ren/Ben Solo themes with a cool intervals + emotions tool (Sentisonics).

  • 1:59:57 - Ben's good boy theme getting faster, more hopeful.

  • 2:08:49 - Emperor's Theme (extremely hard to hear in the film, but it's on the FYC soundtrack).

  • 2:16:32 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things to Check Out:

Musical Themes:

  • Approaching The Throne

  • Sith Artifacts (Wayfinder)

  • March of the Resistance (A Section)

  • Kylo Ren 1.5 (Redeemed)

  • Sith Whispers

  • Emperor

  • Psalm of the Sith (A Section)

  • SPM - Finn and Jannah At War

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

  • OST 14. "Approaching the Throne"

  • FYC 17. "Approaching the Throne"

  • FYC 18. "Parents"

  • FYC 19. "Coming Together"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

  • New answer: Dramatic. Colorful. Home.

  • ESB season: Texture. Motion. Thematic.

  • SOLO season: Powerful, evocative, grandiose

  • ANH season: Powerful, evocative, grandiose

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

  • New answer: Would love more of the personal stories behind the music teams of Star Wars. Relatedly, Sam is working on a database of Star Wars music personnel.

  • ESB season: More about the behind-the-scenes people: recording engineers, music editors, orchestra librarians, contractors, etc.

  • SOLO season: Musician stories from recording the sequel films, particularly The Rise of Skywalker.

  • ANH season: What was it like for the musicians recording the original trilogy, particularly the first film? Did they realize that they were playing something so iconic?

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

  • New answer: Outlander (TV series composed by Bear McCreary). Indiana Jones 5 (composed by John Williams)

  • ESB season: The Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat)

  • SOLO season: The Shape of Water (composed by Alexandre Desplat)

  • ANH season: Spider-Man: No Way Home (composed by Michael Giacchino)

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Guest: Samantha Tripp

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Where else to find SWMM:

Chrysanthe Tan

Composer / Violinist

www.chrysanthetan.com
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TROS 23: Mufasa Is Dead (with Christina Ward)
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TROS 21: Palpatine's Home Turf (with John Hoey)