Credit: LucasfilmMany unique ingredients helped Star Wars (later given the subtitle Episode IV — A New Hope) become a global sensation when it opened in theaters in 1977 — those unique Star Wars characters, impressive fictitious landscapes, and jaw-dropping battles are just a few.
We instantly fell in love with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), and even Darth Vader (James Earl Jones).
The faraway galaxy and its striking set pieces, from Tatooine’s Mos Eisley to the Galactic Empire’s Death Star, swept audiences away to another world. And the compelling plot about good versus evil — or the Force versus the dark side — hooked viewers from start to finish.
Then there’s the pulse-pounding action– whether it’s a lightsaber duel or a galactic dogfight, the film knows how to immerse you into its world. But it grabs hold of you from the moment the opening text crawl appears — which would be nothing without the main theme tune.
Composed and conducted by the legendary John Williams (Indiana Jones, Superman, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and several other classics), with the original 1977 recording performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, “Star Wars (Main Title)” also became an instant classic.
During the fall of that year, the now-iconic theme tune peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 in Canada’s RPM Top Singles.
The track’s B-side features another classic from the 1977 film: “Cantina Band.” A New Hope features many memorable scores, with “Imperial March” and “Binary Sunset” among them.
Related: Disney Officially Reboots ‘Star Wars’ After String of Disasters, Removes Sequels From Canon
Other Iconic Themes From the Faraway Galaxy
47 years later, the franchise now has an arsenal of iconic tracks at its disposal, from “Duel of the Fates” by John Williams (The Phantom Menace) to “The Mandalorian” by Ludwig Göransson (The Mandalorian).
“Rey’s Theme” by John Williams (The Force Awakens) is another fan-favorite score.
But let’s not forget the likes of “Ahsoka’s Theme” and “Burying the Dead” by Kevin Kiner (The Clone Wars).
There are so many beautiful pieces of music from the galaxy far, far away that you’d have no trouble compiling your own Star Wars soundtrack for the annual May 4th celebrations.
But with all that said, the main theme tune has been ubiquitous throughout the franchise. The bombastic melody is as recognizable as any quote from the original trilogy, as nostalgia-inducing as any frame from those three films, and as synonymous with the overall franchise — films and beyond — as a lightsaber, a stormtrooper, or Wookiee.
Where Does the Main Theme Feature?
Star Wars Movies
“Star Wars (Main Title)” is almost like a signature on the Skywalker Saga films, of which there are currently nine. It appears in every single one of those entries, which are:
Original trilogy: Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983).
Prequel trilogy: Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2003), and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Sequel trilogy: Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
However, the main theme tune plays during the end credits of the anthology movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and elsewhere throughout the franchise outside the films. Even the reviled short film The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) uses it!
Other Star Wars Content
The main theme tune appears in LEGO Star Wars TV shows and shorts now exclusive to Disney+. Dozens of Star Wars video games that span the decades also feature the score.
Related: Disney Unveiling New ‘Star Wars’ Themed Land This Year, Bigger Than Galaxy’s Edge
A New Main Theme Has Been Created
Now, a brand-new main theme has been composed and created by Wilbert Roget II, Jon Everist, and Kazuma Jinnouchi. As we’ve already said, the franchise is constantly creating thrilling new pieces of music, so why is this one any different?
The main theme tune in question appears in the upcoming open-world video game “Star Wars Outlaws” (2024), which is the first of its kind for the franchise.
“Risk it all as Kay Vess, a scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix,” the official synopsis for the game reads. “Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.”
But the fact that “Outlaws” is the first open-world game for the IP isn’t the only thing that makes its main score special — it’s the fact that the game takes place between during the original trilogy timeline, between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
The new theme tune replaces the original one, which will not be used in the game.
“I was satisfied and happy to move on from doing that John Williams sound,” Wilbert Roget II recently told NME.
“But when ‘Outlaws’ showed up, the team said, ‘No, we don’t necessarily want that. There are no Jedi or Sith. It’s all about the scoundrel experience. This is something different from what we’ve had in Star Wars in the past, and we don’t want that same sound from the movies, we want something new.’ So I decided to test that.”
The upcoming game has been the talk of the town within the fandom since it was announced over three years ago. In recent months, however, it has garnered a fair bit of controversy due to its hefty price tags and the alleged “uglification” of its main female protagonist, Kay Vess, who looks nothing like her real-life motion capture counterpart, Humberly González.
Recent gameplay reveals have also led to backlash from fans, with many criticizing the “outdated” graphics and “janky” gameplay mechanics. But the “Outlaws” main theme tune is nothing short of brilliant. Watch the trailer below and listen from the 1:50 mark:
While it doesn’t hold a candle to the original main theme tune, it certainly stands on its own and feels instantly iconic. It will undoubtedly help give “Outlaws” its own identity, separating it from what is now an ocean of content, whether Star Wars video games or otherwise.
But fans will have to get used to not hearing that beloved original score going forward. While recent years have already seen Disney essentially split the franchise in two — keeping the pre-Disney era and the post-Disney era separate — future installments will be no exception.
In fact, we’ll be moving even further away from John Williams’ beautiful masterpiece. But this actually started a long time ago…
Related: Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser’s Replacement Already Available at Disney Park
Star Wars TV Shows and Movies That Abandoned the Main Theme
Star Wars Movies
Though the main theme tune plays during the end credits of Rogue One, it failed to appear at any point during the second anthology film, Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).
Star Wars TV Shows
The animated shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars (along with the 2008 animated movie of the same name) and Star Wars: Rebels (2014 — 2018) only feature a variation of the original main theme, this time composed by Kevin Kiner.
However, many other Star Wars animated series have their own scores, like Star Wars: Visions (2021), Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021), and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022).
So far, none of the Disney+ live-action shows have used the franchise’s main theme. The Mandalorian (2019), The Book of Boba Fett (2021), Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), Andor (2022), Ahsoka (2023), and The Acolyte (2024) each have their own unique theme (they also each use the same opening helmet/droid-centric sequence and accompanying theme).
As such, there’s no doubt that future shows, such as the upcoming Skeleton Crew (2024) starring Jude Law, will also abandon John Williams’ score.
With all that said, there’s plenty of pre-Disney era content that didn’t utilize the main theme, either, like the ’80s animated shows Ewoks (1985 — 1986) and Droids (1985 — 1986).
Upcoming Star Wars Movies
There are several new Star Wars movies in development, although it’s unclear as to whether or not some will harken back to the George Lucas era with their scores.
The most highly anticipated is The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026), the big-screen adaption of Disney+’s flagship live-action series The Mandalorian, which is unlikely to use the franchise’s original main theme tune. The film is due for release in May, 2026.
One of the more interesting projects, however, is the sequel-era film rumored to be titled New Jedi Order, which will take place 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, focusing on Rey Skywalker (Daisy Ridley will reprise her role) rebuilding the Jedi Order.
However, while Rey will be the star of the film (which technically makes it a Skywalker Saga entry), it’s unknown whether it will be called Episode X in conjunction with whatever the subtitle is. It may end up being a completely standalone installment, and, as such, could abandon the main theme tune, perhaps giving us a newer version of “Rey’s Theme” instead.
But while “Outlaws” also ignores John Williams’ score, the new one does have riffs of his masterful melody from 1977. But here’s to hoping the game itself will transport us back to the golden age of this beloved franchise in more ways than one.
“Outlaws” will be released on August 30, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.
Are you excited about the upcoming game? What do you think of the main theme? Let Inside the Magic know whether you’ll even be playing the game!