Star Wars Saga

Star Wars Saga is medley of themes from Star Wars films written by Stephen Bulla (see below) in 2017 of music written by John Williams (see also below) for nine of the Star Wars blockbuster movies.

The medley begins with the “Main Theme (Stars Wars)” movies, written in 1977 for the first of the Star Wars films, Episode IV: A New Hope. The theme has been used again in almost all of the films in the Star Wars franchise.

Next comes “The Imperial March”, sometimes known as “Darth Vader’s Theme”. It was written for the second Star Wars movie in 1980, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and has been used in most of the Star Wars films when Darth Vader or the “Dark Side of the Force” is referenced.

A major reduction of tempo and a change to a more lyric style leads to “Han Solo and the Princess”, which also first appeared in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. The love theme is considered a complementary expansion of Princess Leia's Theme, the theme of Princess Leia, first heard in A New Hope, and also begins on a major sixth. Whereas Princess Leia's Theme represents a pure innocence of the Princess, Han Solo and the Princess trades in this innocence for a new element of maturity in her character. It also recurs in several later films in the franchise.

The next song originated much later in the Star Wars canon. “The Jedi Steps” first appears at the end of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), when the heroine Rey goes seeking Luke Skywalker, who is in seclusion. It is developed in the 2017 film Episode VIII: The Last Jedi as the leimotif for Rey’s Jedi training.

Another change in tempo and style takes us into the almost playful “Rey’s Theme”, which also occurs first in Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It presents the lonely orphan, reduced to scavenging parts from the wrecks of damaged Imperial vessels. The theme later appeared in the teaser trailer for Episode VIII The Last Jedi and appears prevalently in certain scenes involving Rey within the film itself. The theme returns again in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in several scenes involving Rey.

The mood of the medley becomes very dark as it presents “Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle”, also from Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015). The theme is introduced during Kylo Ren’s first appearance in The Force Awakens, and is played throughout the film. In introducing the theme for Kylo Ren, composer John Williams approached it as an extension of “The Imperial March” (and references Darth Vader, his grandfather and, at the time, role model) without being too similar. He wanted the theme to convey Ren’s evil power, his strength, and the threat he poses in a way that would be immediately accessible to the audience.

In Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Williams composed a “light-side” edition of the theme, which represents the return of Ben Solo (Kylo Ren’s birth name) to the light side of the Force.

The medley then jumps back in the canon, with “March of the Resistance”, which first appeared in 2015’s Episode VII: The Force Awakens. In Episode VIII:The Last Jedi the theme is used again.

In Solo: A Star Wars Story the theme is briefly used and in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker the theme is played repeatedly and also uses first notes of “March of the Resistance” as part of victory motif near the end of the film.

The medley flips back to the beginning of the Star Wars franchise, by segueing back to the first film, Episode IV: A New Hope, for “The Throne Room (and End Title)”. The triumphal processional is played during the celebration at the end of the film and segues into the end credits. John Williams later develops it into a set of chromatic variations during the scene in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in which the Rebel fleet takes off into hyperspace.

Composer John Towner Williams (b. 1932) has composed many of the best known scores in film history. His compositional style blends romanticism, impressionism, and atonal music with complex orchestration. Best known for his collaborations with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, he has received numerous accolades, including 27 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With a total of 54 Academy Award nominations, he is the second-most nominated person in the award's history, after Walt Disney.

Arranger Stephen Bulla (b.1953) began his musical instruction at age six, growing up in a musical household where his father played tuba and his mother played piano. He eventually graduated Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston.

In 1980 he won an audition for the position of Staff Arranger to “The President's Own” United States Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra in Washington DC. For the next thirty years he would provide musical scores for myriad White House events, beginning with the Reagan era until 2010.

For fifteen years he conducted the National Capital Band (Washington DC). He presently serves as artistic director and principal conductor for New England Brass Band and Brass of the Potomac.

The music for Star Wars Saga was provided for the band

by Ross Fjermedal and Susan Evans and Dewey, the Service Dog.