Warning - This article contains minor spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2.
As we always say, music is the cornerstone of Star Wars. George Lucas even called it the "secret sauce" of his films. The scores breathe life into what's on screen, delivering gravitas to epic battle sequences and personal emotional moments. At the heart of the musical world of Star Wars is John Williams.
The composer's fingerprints are in all Star Wars projects, not just the main saga films. Many of his themes and motifs have been referenced and re-used in other scores over the years, each time adding familiar magic to new projects. The Mandalorian is new in almost every sense. The show's music is a much different flavor than what Star Wars fans are used to, but even in Ludwig Goransson's wild scores John Williams' work can be found...
NEWS
In The Mandalorian "Chapter 10: The Passenger," a variation of John Williams' "March of the Resistance" song can be heard. Ludwig Goransson mixed his own version of the iconic Star Wars: The Force Awakens track for the scene involving the New Republic X-Wings at the 34:20 mark in the episode.
Williams' full piece can be heard below:
WHAT THIS MEANS
The emergence of "March of the Resistance" is the first time one of Williams' pieces has been referenced in The Mandalorian , and it came at a very appropriate time. Din Djarin's world is ever-expanding and still fairly unfamiliar, so musically connecting some of the elements that we have seen before is a great way to tie things together for the audience.
Goransson has said that he intends to pay homage to Williams' work through his The Mandalorian scores, and we're starting to see some of that payoff now. Other cues from the series, such as The Child's theme, have elements of Williams' work. But now we have a full connection.
With this in mind, what comes next? As The Child's Force powers continue to grow alongisde Djarin's understanding of the mystical energy field, it seems conceivable that the Force theme could be referenced. With Boba Fett now a factor in the series, could his motif from The Empire Strikes Back return? Or even some of Kevin Kiner's work, like Ahsoka's theme when the character makes her live-action debut? Maybe even the clones' theme?
It'll be exciting to hear what Goransson has in store for us. Star Wars music is one of the most exciting parts of watching the stories unfold, proving to be tracks that could be listened to endlessly. The Mandalorian has offered several incredible new themes to the Star Wars musical glossary, and the incorporation of previous elements will further bind this galaxy together.
