Much of the first two minutes of this track are not heard in the film – or at least not linearly.

0:05-0:32 Force theme, all four phrases, alto flute? English horn? Both?, D minor

0:32-0:48 incidental

0:48-0:57 Main theme, Flute answered by clarinet, C Major. Might this have been used in the opening sequence? Seven minutes into the film, in between the First Order firing on the resistance base and Poe disobeying Leia's order, the main theme is heard – but it's not in the soundtrack. That means the editors must have borrowed that main theme from somewhere else. I suspect it's from here, though I'll have to wait for the DVD release to confirm or deny that hypothesis.

0:57-1:12 Incidental

1:12-1:35 Leia's theme, D-flat major, 1st and 2nd phrases, flute with tremolo strings.

1:35-1:50 Incidental

The rest of this track is used linearly in the film:

1:50-1:58 Rey melody, E-flat minor, flute, 1st phrase, quietly. This during Maz's “find the code breaker” monologue. Why Rey's melody is heard during Maz's scene puzzles me...

1:58-2:30 Incidental

2:30-2:40 Ren's wannabe motive, trombone, C minor, quietly. This happens during Reylo's first ForceTime conversation

2:41 Orchestral crescendo to quiet

2:42-3:01 incidental

3:01-3:17 Sarabande, A minor, woodwinds, both phrases.

3:17-3:25 Crying motive, horn, A minor.

3:25-3:51 Incidental

3:51-4:08 Force theme, e minor, english horn? Flute? Both?, 1st and 2nd phrases

4:08-4:27 incidental horn passage sounds very much like Jurassic Park

0:00-0:15 Incidental. Descending clarinet solo followed by active strings. Leia: “Find a new base.”

0:15-0:49 Ren's Power motive as The First Order arrives, tracked through hyperspace

There appears to be some major editing in this track because there are discrepancies between the film and the soundtrack. In the film, the desperation motive is heard between the arrival of The First Order and the Resistance March below. That appears to have been edited in from another part of the music as it's absent from the soundtrack.

0:49-0:59 Resistance March (strings, d minor) as resistance scrambles a defense.

0:59-1:22 Resistance March (brass, E-flat minor). This was not used in the film as far as I can tell.

1:22-1:42 Desperation motive. This was used in the film.

1:42-1:46 Ren's Power motive, trombone. Omitted from film.

1:46-1:50 Ren's Power motive, horn. Included in film.

1:50-2:04 Incidental.

2:05-2:15 Leia's theme, D-flat major, horn, 1st phrase only

More editing here - a LOT more:

In the film, there's a prominent ascending then descending triplet line in the trumpets, but it's not heard on the soundtrack. I wonder where that came from...?

Also, in the film, Ren's power motive is again heard fortissimo by horns just before Ren doesn't fire on Leia. But that's not heard in the soundtrack. I suspect in this case, the editors copy/pasted from 1:46.

And finally, in the film, the first phrase of Leia's theme is heard in the strings in between Ren's power motive and the pause as Ren hesitates. Again, that's missing from the soundtrack.

2:15-2:23 Incidental

2:23-2:34 Orchestral crescendo leading to dramatic pause as Ren hesitates shooting Leia.

In the film, this sequence took a few minutes as we see Ren hesitate, then his colleagues fire anyway, the bridge explodes, and we see Leia sucked out of the ship into empty space. But in the soundtrack it's much faster.

2:34-2:56 Leia's theme (piano? harp? both? I can't quite tell), 1st & 3rd phrases, as Leia saves herself.

2:56-3:06 Force theme, C# minor, strings, 1st phrase only

3:06-3:29 Leia's theme, strings with horn answers, E Major

3:29-3:35 Force theme, first phrase, horn, e minor, as Leia is safe

3:35-3:44 Incidental

3:443:58 Rey's melody, quietly and slowly by harp, 1st and 2nd phrases elided, as Leia drops Rey's beacon and Finn picks it up.

0:00-0:08 incidental

0:08-0:38 Low male voices for Snoke. This is also reprised from The Force Awakens, but I'm not sure I can call it a “theme”.

0:38-0:49 Low, scratchy viola as we see Ren approach Snoke

0:49-1:12 Wannabe motive x2 by horn. Snoke: “When I found you...”

1:12-1:20 Imperial March. Snoke: “A new Vader. … I was mistaken.”

1:20-1:31 incidental

1:31-1:38 Brooding motive, bass clarinet

1:38-1:43 Power motive x1, muted trombone, e minor, as Ren takes off his mask.

1:43-2:06 incidental music leads to orchestral crescendo. Snoke: “You fail!”

2:06-2:22 more incidental music

2:22-2:30 low voices again

2:30-2:41 brooding, x2, cellos

2:41-2:57 brooding continues, wannabe superimposed. Snoke: “You're no Vader, just a child.”

2:57-3:17 Power motive, horn, x2 as Ren smashes his helmet

3:08-3:17 incidental

3:16-3:27 wannabe, horn

​0:00-0:50 meandering rendition of Jedi Steps, cellos, G minor

0:51 Orchestral crescendo to silence just before Luke tosses the saber

0:52-1:48 incidental music is mixed with Jedi Steps as Rey retrieves the saber and we see porgs for the first time.

In the film, this track was split in two: the begging through 1:48, and 1:48 to the end. In between is Snoke's “When I found you...” monologue, which corresponds to track three from the soundtrack.

1:48-2:02 Force theme, C# minor, 1st and 2nd phrases, horn. Rey: “We need Luke Skywalker.”

2:02-2:44 Incidental

2:44-2:56 Rey's theme, D minor, 1st and 2nd phrases, strings. Luke: “Go away.”

2:56 Sarabande, A minor, 1st and 2nd phrases, horn. Luke drinks milk.

3:18-3:26 Crying motive, horn

3:26-3:30 incidental

3:30 key change from A minor to B-flat minor

3:30-3:34 incidental

3:34-3:44 last-ditch fanfare, 1st and 2nd phrases, trumpet, Luke goes fishing

3:44-3:53 last-ditch fanfare, 1st phrase only, flutes

3:53-4:12 sarabande, 1st and 2nd phrases, A minor, brass lead. Luke: “You're wasting your time.”

Track 01 – Main Titles and Escape

0:00-1:27 The B-flat major main title during the opening crawl is the same as every episode.

1:28-1:36 The brief, meandering piccolo solo is identical to A New Hope.

1:36-1:37 The rhythmic ostinato is very similar to that used in A New Hope.

1:37-1:58 Incidental music as we see the resistance evacuating their base.

1:58-2:06 Two fortissimo renditions of Ren's motive in the horns. This corresponds to the arrival of the star destroyers. Leia: “Oh no!”

2:06-2:18 A meandering iteration of Ren's brooding motive in the low strings as General Hux says “We've caught them in the middle of evacuating.”

2:18-2:41 Incidental music as Poe and Hux have their “can you hear me now” conversation. Hux: “No terms, no surrender.”

2:41-2:46 Rebel fanfare in A Major as the star destroyer starts firing on Poe.

2:46-3:02 Incidental music as TIE fighters are released and the star destroyer fires on resistance base.

Like all the Star Wars films, The Last Jedi soundtrack differs significantly from the music actually heard in the film – and this is the first such instance. In the movie, the main theme is heard just after the star destroyer fires on the resistance base and right before Poe disobeys Leia's order, but that is absent from the soundtrack. Immediately following, Poe's theme is heard in the film but not in the soundtrack. Both instance beg the question: If not written for The Last Jedi, from where does this music originate? Obviously Poe's theme has to come from The Force Awakens (no other film uses that theme), but what about the main theme? That could come from any of the previous films. But I won't be able to positively identify it until The Last Jedi is released on DVD and I can compare side-by-side excerpts.

3:02-3:12 The Resistance March is heard as the good guys mount their attack. “Bombers approaching.”
This is a new triple-meter version of the march – to my knowledge, one not heard in The Force Awakens. And actually, I'm not sure it's heard in The Last Jedi, either. I'll have to wait for my next viewing to confirm, but I believe the Resistance March is only heard once in the film's opening sequence even though it's heard twice in the soundtrack. I *think* the iteration heard on the soundtrack at 3:23 – not this triple-meter version – is what's heard in the film.

3:12-3:18 Incidental

3:18-3:23 Resistance March opening

3:23-3:32 Resistance March in full orchestral and in quadruple meter

3:32-4:35 Incidental

4:35-4:49 Desperation motives (horn x4, woodwinds x4, strings x3) as the destroyer targets the resistance cruiser

4:49-5:02 Incidental

5:02-5:42 Horn calls signify all but one resistance cruiser destroyed

5:42 Dramatic pause following orchestral build up

5:43-6:11 Incidental music. Goes into slow motion as the last bomber pilot kicks the ladder, knocking down the detonator.

6:12 Another dramatic pause as it looks like the pilot didn't catch the detonator as it fell.

6:13-6:35 This sounds a bit like Battle of the Heroes from Revenge of the Sith, but I suspect the similarity is coincidental. If it is Battle of the Heroes, then this is the only prequel theme to be heard in The Last Jedi.

6:35-6:52 Incidental music as she DOES catch the detonator and drops the bombs, destroying the dreadnought. This is pretty glorious and compelling music even though it's incidental rather than thematic.

6:52-6:58 Force theme by strings and horn symbolizes the resistance victory.

6:58-7:25 Incidental music after the battle

I saw The Last Jedi for a second time on Tuesday. I took 21 pages of notes (I know, I'm a nerd) on the music and how it relates to the story so I can update my "Music of Star Wars" presentation. Here is a working catalog of all the themes used in the film. Starting tomorrow, I will use this catalog as a reference as I dissect and analyze the soundtrack.
​
Most of the thematic (meaning non-incidental) music reprises themes from previous films.

Reprized from A New Hope:

• The Main theme

​Reprized from The Empire Strikes Back:

• Imperial March

Reprized from Return of the Jedi:

• Luke and Leia

Reprized from The Force Awakens:

• The March of the Resistance

The Force Awakens implied that the Jedi Steps theme is Luke's theme (there were only two characters in that final scene and Rey already has her music, so it seems reasonable that Jedi Steps is Luke's theme), but The Last Jedi did little to confirm or deny that. We do hear the theme a couple of times, but only at the beginning. If this really is Luke's theme, why don't we hear it throughout the film when we see Luke? It should be heard during Luke's battle with Kylo Ren for sure. So I'm still puzzled as to exactly what this theme means.

The March of the Resistance undergoes the most musical development throughout The Last Jedi. It is constantly fragmented, twisted, turned, and pulled in all sorts of directions depending on the narrative function at any given moment.

Poe's heroic theme features much less prominently in The Last Jedi than the March of the Resistance. It's still there, but it's much more subtle (I didn't even notice it the first time I saw the film) and doesn't carry the same weight. I'm a bit confused, though, as to why. Poe plays a major role throughout The Last Jedi, so why don't we hear Poe's theme more?

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, notice how Rey's and Ren's themes are plural. It's because both characters have multiple parts to their music.

Rey's music has five components:

• The tip-toe motive sounds sneaky and delicate

And Ren's music, though not quite as dense as Rey's, has several component parts, as well:

• The power motive, heard when Ren is portrayed as a strong character who relentlessly pursues his goals. It often immediately follows the wannabe motive documented below.
  

It's also worth mentioning how most of Rey's music and all of Ren's music is motivic rather than melodic. A motive is a short but memorable musical phrase, where melodies tend to be longer. Rey's chime motive, for example, is two measures long and uses seven notes. Rey's melody, by contrast, lasts for six measures and uses 14 notes. I was expecting (and hoping) for musical development of these brief motives for both Rey and Ren in The Last Jedi. I have to admit I was disappointed when that didn't happen. Nevertheless, music for both characters permeates the film – it's just that they're always more or less the same as what was heard in The Force Awakens.

Okay, so there are the themes from The Last Jedi that were reprized from previous episodes. Now for the new themes.

The most prominent is Rose's theme, which has two parts:

• Rose's primary theme is the big melody and the contribution that I'll be adding to my “Music of Star Wars” presentation.

It rather similar to the opening phrase of the Force theme...

...  and to Anakin's theme from The Phantom Menace...

… and even to David Newman's theme from the 1999 film Galaxy Quest.

I suppose this could mean that Rose is related to the force, or to Anakin (or to Dr. Lazarus!), but I suspect these similarities are little more than coincidence. All of these themes use scale degrees 5-1-2 and most use 3 in their melodies, which is a cliche of western music - there are a great many more themes that use this pattern, far too many to list here.

Moving along....
​

• Rose's secondary theme is much less prominent. It's heard far less frequently in the film and soundtrack, but is nevertheless worthy (thought just barely) of distinction from the primary theme.

In addition to Rose, there are a few more new themes:

• A minor-key sarabande.
  

Frankly, I'm not entirely sure what all these new themes mean. I suspect it will become more clear as I continue digesting the soundtrack. If anybody out there has ideas, please comment!

So there are all the themes and motives I gathered from a second viewing of The Last Jedi. It's quite likely that I'll discover more bits of new music as I continue digesting, but I believe these are all the major new contributions to the Star Wars musical universe.

Now it's time to turn to the soundtrack specifically. I noticed quite a few discrepancies between the film's soundtrack and the album soundtrack (for example, the soundtrack's finale employs Yoda's theme while the film omits it).
​
The soundtrack consists of 20 tracks. I will endeavor to write 20 more blogs, one per track, over the next month, leading up to my “Music of Star Wars” presentations in January 2018, which will debut new commentary on Episode VIII's music.

I attended a Thursday night preview showing of The Last Jedi and bought the soundtrack the following day. So at this point, I've seen the film once and listened to the soundtrack several times. This blog contains my initial reactions to The Last Jedi movie and music.

WARNING: Spoilers below.

I had high hopes for the new Star Wars film. Rian Johnson, the director, had experience with dark film (including a few episodes of Breaking Bad), so I was expecting something dark and profound, ala The Empire Strikes Back. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with both the film and the music.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE FILM

Rey turns out to be nobody. I like that Star Wars is expanding from a Skywalker saga. This truly is taking the story in a new direction.

Snoke dies in the second film (as opposed to the third, like everybody was expecting).

The humor. Part of the problem with the prequels were that they were always so serious. The Last Jedi does NOT take itself too seriously. Comic relief is in plentiful supply.

Leia gets to use the force! I like that this is established, but it's entirely undeveloped and comes out of nowhere. (More on this below.)

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE FILM

Structurally, the film is a mess. Ethan Gach of Kotaku compares the structure of The Last Jedi to video games, in that games often send characters off on side missions tangential to the fundamental objective. He argues that such sidebar endeavors work in video games because the player is actively participating, but that type of structure in a film is less successful because the viewing audience is a witness – rather than participant – and so only passively engaged. Indeed, these plot points could have been better explored in a game or serial format rather than a movie. It's as if the scriptwriters made a list of all the things they wanted to include and forced all of them in whether they contributed to the story there or not.

What's up with the porgs? They add nothing to the film – only comic relief, which is already plentiful. And they're all horribly animated – it's as if the special effects creators couldn't be bothered to do a decent job! At least those nuns on Ahchto Island actually looked real. It seems like the porgs are just there to sell toys. Strikes me as Disney commercialism at its less than best.

While I like Snoke's earlier-than-anticipated demise, he died with no explanation of where he came from. What's his story? Why did he only come to power after the empire? What was he doing during the rebellion? Why was he hiding? How did he come to seduce Ben Solo? And who are the Knights of Ren? And how did Ben get involved? That was hinted at in The Force Awakens, but nothing came of it in The Last Jedi. I would have much preferred to learn more about Snoke and Ben than watch Finn and Rose head off on a pointless casino excursion.

And what about the confrontation between Luke and Ben? Luke thought for the briefest of moments that he would kill Ben, Ben wakes at precisely that moment and attacks Luke in self-defense? Is this really just a big misunderstanding? This type of thing works well in chick flicks; not so much in Star Wars.

Finally, there's Leia. She gets blown into space but uses the force to survive and make her way back to the ship. I've often thought Leia's force abilities needed to be explored, and I'm glad to see that finally happening, but this came out of nowhere! And with Carrie Fisher's death, I can't imagine they're going to further explore her force abilities in Episode IX. So not only does this come out of nowhere, but it's also leading nowhere. In which case, was it even worth including?

So, while I don't think this is a bad film - it's lightyears ahead of Attack of the Clones - it does feel like a missed opportunity. Johnson had a blank slate - fans would flock to this film regardless of what he did with it - but instead of using that carte blanche to do something truly innovative and groundbreaking, he took the easy way out. There's little, if anything, risk taking - nothing that challenges the viewer. And it's obvious why: money. Adding dozens of epic battles and explosions makes for quite the spectacle and a massive commercial success, but it doesn't necessarily make for a great film.