TROS 6: Speeder Chase Shenanigans (Minutes 26-30 with Conor Power)

Star Wars Music Minute

In minutes 26-30 of The Rise of Skywalker, Lando tells Rey, Finn, Poe, and the gang about Ochi of Bestoon, and our heroes encounter flying stormtroopers. Film music researcher Conor Power returns to the show to discuss "style topics," the Heroics themes, and John Williams' original cue for the speeder chase.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Hello there!
• 3:09 - Musical scorekeeping, motifs.
• 5:49 - Style topics (style topos).
• 9:07 - Lacking the terminology to explain musical interpretations.
• 10:42 - Listening to the start of these minutes.
• 14:24 - Octatonic flute filigree.
• 21:01 - Optimistic suspensions, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head?
• 24:43 - Lando's voice through the mask.
• 27:21 - March Onboard Spacecraft incidental motif.
• 33:32 - Best line in the scene.
• 39:01 - Heroics (Broad) theme.
• 49:29 - Sinister underscore while Lando talks about Ochi.
• 58:21 - Strings with an anguished symphony quality.
• 1:03:13 - The use of Leia's theme when Lando mentions her.
• 1:10:27 - This part reminds Xanthe of "The Adventures of Han" from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
• 1:12:33 - Elephant in the room: John Williams' "Speeder Chase" cue, which didn't make it into the film.
• 1:24:49 - Are the beats of this action sequence hard to follow? Would the scene have been more cohesive with Williams's original cue?
• 1:29:53 - How to get the best work out of John Williams (speculation).
• 1:38:58 - Heroics theme after "they fly now."
• 1:47:02 - Augmented Rey's theme.
• 1:52:00 - Timpani sticking out.
• 2:04:09 - Playing John Williams's original "Speeder Chase" cue.
• 2:10:43 - JW "adventure-action" music; this action cue sounds like more of a lighthearted diversion than a pivotal melodrama.
• 2:13:59 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things to Check Out:

• Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Truck Chase (1981) - https://youtu.be/yqQD8sVtfA4?si=n40NskdT0wO_vWT0
• Finn and Poe Escape the First Order - Star Wars Eposode VII: The Force Awakens - https://youtu.be/k3C83hzkg7o?si=iq6y7mT5hqMPaQLd
• Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/

Musical Themes:

• 41a. Kylo Ren A (Aggressive) - hinted through ostinato
• 47a. March of the Resistance (A Section) - or something similar
• 88) March Onboard Spacecraft
• 62a. Heroics (Broad)
• 4. Leia
• 45a. Rey A (Theme A-Phrase)
• 62b. Heroics (Brisk)

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

• nowhere, but OST 5. "The Speeder Chase" was supposed to be here.

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

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

• New: "Excellent job, sir." ("Terrible job, sir.")
• Previous: Vivid symphonic storytelling.

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

• New: What conversations does Williams have with the mixers and editors? Were there even conversations?
• Previous: Interviews with the orchestrators.

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

• New: Minari (by Emile Mosseri), Dracula (by John Williams), The Fury (by John Williams)
• Previous: If Beale Street Could Talk (by Nicholas Britell)

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Guest: Conor Power

• ESB 7: Musical Referee (Minutes 31-35 with Conor Power) - https://youtu.be/_FtXZNRWZIA
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cpower1997
• Conor is on BlueSky.
• (Article) Swashbucklers and Femme Fatales: Gender Coding in John Williams’s Score to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - https://revista.uclm.es/index.php/cuadernosdeinvestigacionmusical/article/view/2830

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