Skip to main content

Ahsoka's Composers Break Down Scoring This Week's Big Cameo

Screenshot: Lucasfilm

Balancing the need to bring a new but familiar sound to Star Wars while also playing in the footsteps of John Williams’ legendary music for the saga is a challenge for every composer who joins the franchise. Few have faced it as often as the Kiner family—composer and father Kevin, alongside his children Deana and Sean—whose work has come to define a new generation of Star Wars music across Clone Wars, Rebels, Bad Batch, and now Ahsoka. But even then, some moments will always find a way to present new challenges.

Such was the case this week for the Kiners when they had to score a brief, surprising moment for this week’s penultimate episode of Ahsoka: the return of Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. Racing in—well, as fast as those goldenrod droid legs will carry him—to provide a message of clemency from an absent Senator Leia Organa to save Hera from the wrath of a New Republic disciplinary tribunal, 3PO’s brief moment in Ahsoka’s narrative is a touching link between the events of the franchise’s streaming TV universe and the wider Star Wars movie mythology. But it was also a moment where, as Ahsoka’s composers, the Kiners found themselves grappling with the idea of playing with the iconic motifs of John Williams.

“Honestly, not putting in any music [at first],” Deana Kiner—who, alongside her father and as the music group Kiner Music with her brother Sean, has helped score Star Wars Rebels, the seventh season of the Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, and now Ahsoka—said reflecting on the process of scoring Threepio’s arrival.

“Originally, that scene played completely dry until we realized it was playing too empty,” Sean added. “And then the music came very, very naturally because we had license to use those themes, [but] that’s just how it was spotted,” he continued, referring to the stage of the composing process where the footage is looked over to see how and where the composers’ scores will be most effectively placed.

“It’s a strong scene, but I think that was the fastest cue—in terms of writing—for the entire season,” Sean said, when the composers ultimately decided to spotlight Threepio with a moment that blends Ahsoka’s thematic work for the New Republic with elements of some of Williams’ most iconic pieces from the films, the main Star Wars fanfare and, of course, Leia’s incredibly touching theme. “That came out in under an hour, I believe. That’s way faster than anything we’ve ever written. But we were just channeling John a little bit, and it was just natural to follow in terms of leitmotif for this. When you see C-3PO, you just get those chills. ‘Oh man, there’s the guy I’ve been watching since I was a kid,’ you know? He’s talking about Leia, and Leia’s pulling a baller move saving Hera from these politicians. It all just felt very natural.”

“I personally have been working 17 years trying to refine what it means to sound like Star Wars without aping John Williams, without being Mini Me John Williams,” Kevin—who has been a part of Star Wars since scoring Clone Wars almost two decades ago—said of the push and pull between incorporating elements of Williams’ iconic music and charting his own sonic path in the galaxy far, far away. “And they [Deana and Sean] have been spending 10 years at the same time. And it’s really tough. It’s a super, super fine line because you want the feeling of... the very first cue on [Ahsoka’s] soundtrack starts out with this Japanese percussion, kind of woody percussion, but then it goes kind of similar to the Star Wars sound. With the New Republic [scores], I’m pretty proud of the fact most of the feedback I’ve received has been positive. So I think we’ve been successful in not just rehashing, or whatever you want to call it—we try to give it the Star Wars sound, the sound John Williams used.”

“Part of our approach is to build on what influenced John, so by basically building on our master’s master. Like, classical pieces he was referencing, pieces he would draw from, we would also look at those pieces,” Deana added. “We find that implementing those and utilizing them can be just as effective to make it feel more Star Wars.”

“A few times we surprised Dave [Filoni] by putting the Force theme in,” Kevin continued. “One time he changed it and said, ‘No, let’s do it in this other scene,’ but most of the time if we’re going to use a John Williams theme, Dave has the idea to use it. And out of five hours on the soundtrack, there’s probably a minute and a half of John Williams’ themes. But it speaks to how powerful those themes are, that you remember at the end of episode four [when Anakin appears], and all of a sudden part of the Imperial March kicks in. Oh boy, thumbs up!”

“We try to treat it like the strongest spice in our arsenal. We don’t want to put too much of it, because otherwise it will start to lose its potency. Very similar to cooking, really, where we know how impactful it will be if you just get a small taste of it and it hits you at just the right moment,” Deana reflected. “That’s how we try to approach it, using it as tastefully as we can.”

“The cooking reference is, we’ve been cooking with this stew for a long time. It’s kind of ingrained in the pot,” Kevin concluded. “So now it kind of comes naturally that when it’s time to sound like Star Wars, we sound like Star Wars. It’s our sound, and yet it harkens to what John was doing, as well.”

Stay tuned to io9 for more from our chat with the Kiners soon.

Stream Ahsoka now


Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Only Version of Return of the King Worth Watching Missing From Max After Streaming Bug

Screenshot: Warner Bros. Bad news for Max subscribers who’ve made re-watching The Lord of the Rings extended editions an annual New Year tradition: the third film in the trilogy, The Return of the King — which just celebrated its 20th anniversary! —is only available to stream in its theatrical version. No ancient evil is to blame, thankfully; it’s an unspecified “tech issue,” according to a Max spokesperson who responded to a comment request from Vulture after the issue was noted by dismayed fans on Reddit . The fact that The Return of the King extended edition is merely temporarily unavailable is actually good news given Max’s track record for removing content in the past, and the explanation makes sense considering The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers remain available in both their theatrical and extended editions. The Max spokesperson assured Vulture that The Return of the King extended edition will be, ah, returning soon to the service, though as of this writing i...

Unicorn Jerky Is Not Only the Perfect Name for a CBD Candy Edible, It's Also 20% Off, and Proceeds Go to The Trevor Project [Exclusive]

Unicorn Jerky CBD Candy | $24 | Sunday Scaries | Promo Code UJSUPPORT20 Unicorn Jerky (Subscribe & Save) | $19 | Sunday Scaries | Promo Code UJSUPPORT20 Read more...

You Can Visit Freddy Fazbear's Pizza in Hollywood

Image: Universal Pictures Just in time for Halloween and for the release of Blumhouse and Universal Pictures’ Five Nights at Freddy ’s fans can visit a pop-up location of the fictional franchise from the game and film. That’s right, a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza has mysteriously appeared in Hollywood. Like in the game and upcoming film, it’s a run-down spot that’s been closed down due to some mysterious activity within. Unfortunately, you can’t actually go in unless you’re hired as a security guard (kidding)—it’s just a facade for photo-ops you can visit. Check out the video captured by deadboifilms on TikTok below at the location on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood (near the Chateau Marmont Hotel). If you want to encounter the animatronic band of fuzzy and totally friendly creatures from the game, you’ll have to visit Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, there’s a walk-through in the DreamWorks theater lobby that’s been taken over by Blumhouse which features the real Jim ...