Star Wars: The Last Jedi: What Music Features in the Trailer?

Although much of Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s first trailer focuses on Luke Skywalker’s words, that doesn’t mean the music doesn’t play a major part.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi has exactly two minutes of footage that the public can watch, so long as they have access to YouTube. Of course, it makes sense that you may have forgotten most of what the trailer contains because of what Luke Skywalker says at the end.

Check out the trailer below once again, but this time, listen for the music.

The notes at first are mysterious, with a climactic note as we see Rey for the first time. But then it cuts into a version of “The Force Theme” with part of “Rey’s Theme” as well. Throw in a little chorus, and things start to build, then stop for a moment. It makes you listen, doesn’t it?

“Rey’s Theme” plays again as she says “Light,” and then something far darker for, well, “Darkness.” It’s not quite like “Snoke” from The Force Awakens, nor any music that plays for the First Order, but the same effect is there.

Then, though, the music builds back into another rearrangement of “The Force Theme,” this time with brass and strings in the background to drive the larger sense, only cutting out when Luke speaks that line, and then back to the song. At the very end, it almost sounds as though there’s some throat-type singing — and that’s similar to “Snoke” again.

So what does that all mean? Well, on one level, “The Force Theme” works really well for making anything sound grand. Part of that is how iconic it is, but part of that is just the composing skill of John Williams. On a second, what better theme to use for a movie literally titled The Last Jedi, referring to the Force users Star Wars fans know best?

As for the whispers, a YouTube comment has deciphered them all: Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, and Yoda each have lines. Those are also four Force-sensitive people, and yes, Leia’s still canonically Force-sensitive. That ties back into Rey’s vision from The Force Awakens as well. That vision represented her “first steps,” as we hear Obi-Wan say in that scene. In that respect, this trailer shows further steps along that path.

So, where does that leave us beyond ready for the Force to do something now that it’s awake? Well, wanting more, certainly, and ready to keep an ear out for more of “Rey’s Theme.” We expect it’ll play an even bigger role in The Last Jedi.

Next: The Last Jedi: 7 Questions After the Trailer

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters Dec. 15.