Rogue One: A Star Wars Story really wants to differentiate itself from other Star Wars movies. As the franchise's first-ever standalone spinoff, the movie is bucking a number of traditions that have been a part of every Star Wars movie so far. The film doesn't feature any Jedi, it lacks an opening crawl, and it's the first movie in the franchise to not be scored by John Williams. The film's music was instead conducted by Michael Giacchino, and if you're curious about how it sounds, here's how you can listen to the Rogue One Soundtrack.
You'll have to be patient. The soundtrack hasn't been released yet, but it is available for pre-order in CD format only (how quaint) from Amazon, with an expected release date of December 16 — the same date the movie hits theaters. There's no track listing given, probably because some titles may be somewhat spoilery, but Star Wars purists will be happy to know that the film's score will still feature some of Williams' iconic themes mixed in with Giacchino's new music. For evidence of this, you needn't look any further than Rogue One's trailers, which feature music that's both haunting and bombastic with some help from Williams' "Force Theme" — while also sounding somewhat like Pirates of the Caribbean at times.
Another trailer features echoes of Williams' "Imperial March," which makes sense given that the movie features the return of Darth Vader to the big screen.
And for a better idea overall of what Giacchino is capable of, you can check out his prior work, as he's not exactly a newcomer to the movie music scene. He composed the memorable score for Lost, and has shown he's capable of taking on a big spectacle franchise by creating the music for the rebooted Star Trek trilogy. He's even taken the reins from an iconic John Williams property before by composing the score for Jurassic World, and he's handled the music for a number of Pixar animated films like The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Inside Out. But without question, Giacchino's crowning achievement so far is his score for Up , which won him an Academy Award, Golden Globe, a Grammy, and a BAFTA for Best Original Score. Seriously, if just hearing the first few notes of "Married Life" doesn't put tears in your eyes, you're not human.
Michael Giacchino certainly has some big shoes to fill in taking over Star Wars soundtrack duties from John Williams for Rogue One, but given his capabilities, I'd say the franchise's music is in good hands.
Images: Walt Disney Pictures
