We've reached the end of the The Rise of Skywalker (minutes 141-142)! In this season finale, Xanthe goes through the music and sound credits and explains how each role contributed to the production. We also compare the "transition to end credits" music across all 9 Skywalker Saga films and discuss how The Rise of Skywalker's version fits into a lar…

By Chrysanthe Tan

Music theorist and film musicologist Dr. Frank Lehman returns to the show to discuss the final scene of the film (minutes 131-135)--which includes his favorite cue from The Rise of Skywalker score! We cover a ton of ground in this episode--including the growing-up of Rey's theme, the final cue as a strategic open text, the encoding of Darth Vader's…

In minutes 126-130 of The Rise of Skywalker, Ben and Leia become one with the Force and beings across the galaxy celebrate their victory against the Sith Eternal. Joining me today is Nathan Fontyn (from the ["Music By John Williams"](https://x.com/JWilliams_Fan) Twitter). We discuss John Williams's sentimental themes, his use of choir, and the "gre…

The good guys win! Reylo kiss! Ben Solo dies! Minutes 121-125 of The Rise of Skywalker are packed with action, romance, and melty 'splody faces. Joining me today is Ender Smith (AKA AurekFonts), who talks with me about subjective sound design, chiastic structure, how character deaths are scored in Star Wars, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there…

In minutes 116-120 of The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine unleashes Force lightning on the Resistance fleet, Rey gets a boost from the voices of Jedi past, Sidious declares that he is all the Sith, and Rey retorts that she is all the Jedi. Oh, and Palpatine has a really bad time as he disintegrates from his own Force lightning. 😬 Joining me today are …

In minutes 111-115 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey Force-transfers her lightsaber to Ben, Palpatine sucks the life out of the Dyad, and Lando shows up with a massive Citizens' Fleet ready to join the fight. Christina Ward (from The Band Batch) returns to the show to analyze Palpatine's vocal delivery from an operatic speak-singing perspective. We als…

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 Th…

In minutes 101-105 of The Rise of Skywalker, Finn has a Force feeling, Finn and Jannah ride obraks toward the Steadfast's navigation tower, and Rey approaches her grandfather on the Sith throne. John Hoey from The Resistance Broadcast returns to the show to discuss trumpet cascades, Sith geiger counters, Finn's Force sensitivity, Palpatine's home f…

Xanthe, James, Christina, and Ender review Star Wars in Concert—which we attended at Walt Disney Concert Hall on November 21, 2024. Anthony Daniels hosted the evening, Sarah Hicks conducted The Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Robert Istad directed the CSUF University Singers. Discussion timestamps: 0:00 - Intro to "Star Wars in Concert" 1:41 - Highli…

In minutes 96-100 of The Rise of Skywalker, Artoo restores Threepio's memory, Finn and Poe give an inspiration speech to the Resistance fighters, and Rey lands on Exegol. My Aussie friend Catherine Kneen joins me to talk about one-line-at-a-time dialogue, chunky button pushes, the many components of March of the Resistance, and more! Timestamps: 0:…

In minutes 91-95 of The Rise of Skywalker, Luke stops Rey from throwing her lightsaber into the fire and raises his old X-wing from the water. Jeremy Sawruk returns to the show to discuss orchestration flavorings, the re-use of the iconic "Yoda and the Force" cue, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 3:09 - Poe's theme. 4:53 - March of the Res…

In minutes 86-90 of The Rise of Skywalker, Ben Solo speaks to his dad and throws his lightsaber into the sea. Pete and Alex from Star Wars Minute join me today to talk about 80s TV robots, high school coach pep talks, the "woob woob woob" sound, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 3:00 - Music that reminds Pete of David Lynch's DUNE. 4:55 - H…

In minutes 81-85 of The Rise of Skywalker, we witness a major turning point in the narrative: Rey stabs Kylo, Leia dies, and Rey heals Kylo's wound. I'm happy to have Dan Golding back on the show to discuss bummer remixes, botched Force themes, John Williams's post-Jurassic Park action music, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 5:44 - Where t…

In minutes 76-80 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey meets Dark Rey and duels Kylo Ren on the Death Star wreckage. Composer and choral conductor Steve Danielson joins me today to talk about Williams-y action scoring, tritone stability, shame spirals, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 8:58 - Stress underscore. 11:49 - What is the movie trying to s…

In minutes 71-75 of The Rise of Skywalker, Finn and Jannah connect about their stormtrooper pasts and Rey sets out for the Death Star wreckage by herself. Kris AKA StarWarsLawyer joins me for a discussion about stormtrooper Force sensitivity, the foreboding tendencies of "water adventure" music, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 4:29 - Stor…

In minutes 66-70 of The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo asks Rey to join him, General Pryde shoots Hux, and we wind up on Kef Bir. Marianne joins me today to discuss thematic reappropriation, Poe vs. Heroics themes, a demure Palpatine moment, complicated nostalgia, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 5:37 - Psalm of the Sith, a misshapen clone of the…

Are all people on the Dark side repressed theater kids? What's that weird "wee!" sound during the Kylo/Rey duel? Do the strings represent Rey and brass represent Kylo in this scene? We discuss all of this and more in today's episode about minutes 61-65 of The Rise of Skywalker, featuring Darth Choco and Element7! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 5:0…

In minutes 56-60 of The Rise of Skywalker, our heroes rescue Chewbacca and Rey wanders into Kylo's creepily-sterile-looking private quarters. Tony Thaxton returns to the show to discuss "noticing vs. not noticing," deaths in Star Wars, the sound design of Kylo/Rey's Force chats, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 5:18 - Not noticing the musi…

In minutes 51-55 of The Rise of Skywalker, Babu Frik does the procedure, C-3PO performs the Sith translation, and Rey senses that Chewie is still alive. Returning guest Brandon Wainerdi (Talking Bay 94) joins me to discuss the usage of the Main Theme, Shirley Henderson's voice work on Babu Frik, MacGuffin mechanics, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hel…

John Williams has a cameo in this set of minutes! Also in minutes 46-50 of The Rise of Skywalker, the gang lands on Kijimi, we meet Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik, and we learn more about the droid hacking thing that'll get C-3PO to translate the Sith inscription. Camila Quiñones returns to the show to talk about the sound-forward worldbuilding of Kijim…

In minutes 41-45 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey shoots lightning from her fingers and destroys the First Order transport that she believes Chewie is on. Dominic Sewell returns to the show to discuss symmetry in the Friendship theme, the shroud over John Williams's writing process, mus-emes (musical memes), and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 8…

In minutes 36-40 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey heals the vexis, the Knights of Ren arrive on Pasaana, Rey confronts Kylo Ren in the desert, and Chewie is captured. Today, Patrick Cotnoir (The George Lucas Talk Show, The Naboo Movie, The Great Kamino Kaper) joins me to discuss over-the-top evil music, the sound design of Kylo/Rey's desert showdown, …

In minutes 31-35 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey and the gang fall through the sinking fields, find Ochi's dagger, and encounter a snarling serpent. Sawyer Markham joins me today to talk about ambient loops, snake sounds, musical exit points, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 3:06 - Sawyer's overall thoughts about the music in this film. 7:30…

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 - M…

In minutes 21-25 of The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren debuts his newly repaired mask, our heroes make it to Pasaana in time for the Aki Aki Festival of the Ancestors, and we get our first piece of source music in the film. Alex Cunningham returns to the show to discuss Kylo's helmet voice, First Order dialects, stabby punctuation, and the use of dieg…

Palpatine has returned, and author Katharine Coldiron joins me to discuss minutes 16-20 of The Rise of Skywalker. We talk about the logic of leitmotifs, songs vs. performances, Bugs, the storytelling matrix, conveying information through image vs. sound, and more. Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 4:51 - Microphone speculation. 13:55 - "Somehow, Palp…

In minutes 11-15 of The Rise of Skywalker, we see Rey training in the jungle of Ajan Kloss under the light guidance of General Leia Organa; Kylo and Rey have their first Force chat of the film; and Rey reunites with Poe and Finn. Star Wars author and Rey aficionado Riley Silverman is here with me to discuss Rey's epic "training suite" theme, Leia's…

In minutes 6-10 of The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine has a chat with Kylo Ren, Poe and Finn lose a game of Dejarik to Chewie, a spy gives the Resistance information, and the Falcon lightspeed skips to evade TIE fighters. Klaudia Amenábar of RuPalp's Podrace returns to the show to discuss the Resistance polycule, octatonic brass, Exegol sound design,…

This is an introduction to the music of The Rise of Skywalker with an emphasis on the first 5 minutes. In the episode, I also go over my aims for this season of Star Wars Music Minute, talk about balancing meta-commentary and media-commentary, and share my favorite thing about the TROS score. Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 0:50 - What to expect fr…

Mastering engineer and film music restoration expert Chris Malone joins Xanthe for the season finale to talk about all things Empire Strikes Back soundtrack. We cover a ton of ground, from analog recording technology and methodology to the unique issues affecting The Empire Strikes Back releases. This episode contains many visuals, including specto…

Chrysanthe covers minutes 121-125, answers listener questions, and shares their 30 takeaways, trends, surprises, and highlights from The Empire Strikes Back season of Star Wars Music Minute. This is part 1 of a 2-part season finale! 📹 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/RoEzVlLUFt8 ⭐️ Patreon/Discord server: https://patreon.com/chrysa…

Justin Leo Kennedy is back for another sound design deep-dive! 🎉 Today, it's all about R2-D2. Using a virtual ARP 2600 synth emulator and a recording of his baby crying, Justin attempts to reverse-engineer Ben Burtt's iconic Artoo beepspeak, teaching us a lot about sound synthesis along the way. We also discuss minutes 116-120 of The Empire Strikes…

If you play The Empire Strikes Back backwards, will you hear the wind whispering "Luke?" Are the gentle climaxes on Cloud City byproducts of calculated sensory deprivation? How does John Williams convey Luke's emotional state and connect Leia to the Force? Today's guest is Camila Quiñones -- writer, host of Beings of the Galaxy podcast, and one of …

Dan Golding is here to discuss minutes 106-110 of The Empire Strikes Back! We talk about Ben Burtt's frustrations, intense pedal points, a nasal brass canon, free fanfares, Empire being an "editor's film," and how the music is "meanwhile" (sounds strange, but it'll make sense when you listen to the episode). 😅 Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 7:05 -…

Minutes 101-105 of The Empire Strikes Back feature extraordinary drama, peril, romance, and even some lightly comedic underscore. Takeo Rivera (English professor, playwright, performance studies specialist) returns to the show to discuss the score's function as a "warm blanket," Threepio's crush on Lando, the film's romantic aesthetics, and more. T…

Pete the Retailer and Alex Robinson from Star Wars Minute join me to discuss the music and sound in minutes 96-100 of The Empire Strikes Back. Han gets frozen in carbonite! John Williams's dramatic, emotional score moves us through the action. In this episode, we also listen to the original footage from the carbonite freezing scene before music was…

James Waterman and Justin Scheid from The Band Batch are here for minutes 91-95 of The Empire Strikes Back. We talk about Threepio's analog rejuvenation, the timpani doom roll, and what happens when Star Wars voice actors are overdubbed in later editions (like how Jason Wingreen was replaced by Temura Morrison). We also get to hear Justin's favorit…

As Yoda says, "There is another." Today's guest is my brother, Nic Tan! We delve into minutes 86-90 of The Empire Strikes Back, which naturally begs discussion about the toys, Boba Fett, Yoda's golden nuggets, cloud cars, negative musical space, changes to film scoring over the decades, how Lando's theme diverges from John Williams's traditional he…

Musicologist Alex Ludwig (Dies Irae guru) returns to the show to discuss minutes 81-85 of The Empire Strikes Back! We talk about the form, orchestration, and rhythm of the Lando's Palace cue, the stern parenting of Yoda and Obi-Wan, and how the music paints the text. Video version of this episode is here: https://youtu.be/tdJUdPsUQBQ Timestamps: 0:…

Opulent violins and sci-fi vocals can only mean one thing: We're approaching Cloud City! Composer/music technologist Jeremy Sawruk returns to the show to discuss minutes 76-80 of The Empire Strikes Back. Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 5:49 - Voice removal. 12:38 - Background "Morse code" sound. 16:34 - Errant horn entrance or sound design? 19:08 -…

In The Empire Strikes Back Minutes 71-75, Yoda raises the ship while Luke looks on in disbelief. Oboist Trevor Mowry and Father David Mowry return to SWMM to talk about this emotional cue (complete with the best E Maj7 chord ever), the "Peter and Wolf"-like instrumentation (are you team French horn or team trumpet?), the expansiveness of Yoda's the…

Music theorist Dr. Lauren Crosby is here to help us take a closer look at the original Boba Fett theme. We compare the pitch material of John Williams's theme to Ludwig Göransson's Boba Fett theme (which debuted in The Book Of Boba Fett), theorize about the relationship between them, and discuss other things from this action-packed set of minutes t…

Talking cave visions, glissando lizards, synthesizers, The Magic Tree, magnets, and more with Ender Smith (of AurekFonts)! This is The Empire Strikes Back minutes 61-65. Video version of this episode (with visuals): https://youtu.be/gYGV9Vy_wDs Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 2:36 - Cue 6M3 "This Is Not A Cave." 5:42 - Demonstrating planing chords …

Suzen Tekla Kruglnska returns to the show to discuss the humorous horror and philosophical twists in The Empire Strikes Back minutes 56-60! We talk about Kubrick musical connections, Yoda's necklace/instrument, mynock sound design, and the visceral extended techniques used to elicit fear. Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 5:36 - Connections to The Sh…

In The Empire Strikes Back minutes 51-55, Han and Leia share their first kiss and we meet the Emperor for the first time. Joining me (for the 4th time!) is music theorist/film musicologist Frank Lehman. We discuss the lineage of musical love themes, John Williams's distinctive Lydian signature, the strange proto-Emperor cue, and he gives us a sneak…

It's finally time to meet Yoda! Joining me today is writer, producer, and Muppet aficionado Ken Plume. We break down Frank Oz's fantastic performance, including his speech syntax and the vocal qualities that define Yoda vs. Miss Piggy vs. Grover vs. Fozzie vs. Bert and Frank Oz's other classic characters. The music takes a backseat in this scene, g…

Flutist & Star Wars music researcher Samantha Tripp returns to the show to talk about the rich sonic environment of Dagobah! This is EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Minutes 41-45. Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 4:27 - How do you feel about the Asteroid Field concert arrangement? 16:15 - Violin articial harmonics at the end of the Asteroid Field. 20:12 - Flute…

We're getting into the Asteroid Field with Thundercat pianist Dennis Hamm! In this episode, we explore the complex harmony, emotion, and triumph in this cue that John Williams once called "a ballet of flying spaceships and asteroids colliding." Dennis also administers a fun listening test toward the end that you'll want to stick around for (there a…

Film music PhD researcher Conor Power joins me for a discussion about The Empire Strikes Back minutes 31-35. We're finishing up the Battle of Hoth along with some shrill piccolos, rollicking pianos, an "extra minor" Luke theme, and a brass line that we both fancy for reasons we try to figure out. As the episode title suggests, the music in this cue…