Star Wars Main Title The " Star Wars Main Title " is the theme played at the beginning of eight of the nine theatrically released " Star Wars " films and almost every other piece of Star Wars media ( video games , TV series , etc . ) . The film scripts refer to this opening theme as " war drums . " It was composed by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra . It quickly became one of the most recognizable theatrical motifs in the history of film . The " Main Title " segues directly into a piece created specifically for each film . These are : " The Arrival at Naboo " or " Boarding the Federation Battleship " ( ) ; " Ambush on Coruscant " ( ) ; " The Revenge of the Sith " ( ) ; " Rebel Blockade Runner " ( ) , which goes on to quote the ending of " Mars " from Gustav Holst ' s " The Planets " ; " The Ice Planet Hoth " ( ) ; " Approaching the Death Star " ( ) ; " The Attack on the Jakku Village " ( ) . " Main Title and Escape " ( ) . The theme is described by John Williams as representing the ideas of heroism and adventure , both of which are prominent throughout the films . He used numerous musical phrases to accent certain steps in the hero cycle , depicting the tales of Luke Skywalker , the protagonist in the original trilogy . He used mainly brass to give the theme a majestic feel . The theme seems to appear in - universe during a celebration of Life Day , in which Princess Leia sings a tune similar to the theme . Conception and development . John Williams was referred to George Lucas by Steven Spielberg to be the composer of the score for ( at the time just called " Star Wars " ) . When creating the main theme for the film , John Williams attempted to compose a piece with an " idealistic , uplifting but military flare [ " sic " ] to it . " He wanted the theme to mainly feature the strong brass section of the London Symphony Orchestra , as he himself played brass when he was young . He tried to set it in the most " brilliant register of the trumpets , horns and trombones " in order to have a " blazingly brilliant fanfare " at the start of the piece , and thus the score . He also did this in order to have the title contrast with the second theme which was more lyrical , adventurous , and romantic in style . Symbolism . The " Main Title " is symbolic of many aspects of the " Star Wars " saga . The most prevelant of these would be the idea of heroism and adventure . The following phrases each represent a particular step toward heroism : The theme is also used to represent the character Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy . However , due to the non - existence of Luke at the time , the theme is not used for this purpose in the prequel trilogy . The title is also referred to in the scripts as " war drums " . Summary . The " Main Title " starts off as a fast and rather complicated phrase for the brass . After the short intro , the theme goes into the most recognized melody , with the trumpets playing . The strings come in after the trumpet melody is played twice . The strings play a calmer , more peaceful melody before the brass comes back in with the main melody . The melody plays through twice before the strings finish the theme with a fast , diminuendoing phrase . Similarities with other compositions . Many people claim that John Williams ' scores for the " Star Wars " saga ( mainly the Original Trilogy ) are very similar to ( or even plagiarized from ) other composers ' works . One such connection has been made between the " Star Wars Main Title " and the main theme from the film " " by . The two themes share similar melodies and orchestration , with the first eight notes being identical , though the last three in " King ' s Row " are played slower than in the " Main Title " . The two melodies then go in different directions . The " Star Wars Main Theme " resembles many " heroic " melodies , such as the " Siegfried Horn Call " from Wagner ' s Ring Cycle . Sections of the motif can also be heard in Carl Nielsen ' s Fifth Symphony . Curiously , the London Symphony Orchestra , who recorded the Star Wars soundtrack , had recorded the first complete Nielsen Symphony cycle under Danish conductor Ole Schmidt just the year before Star Wars . Also of interest is the ' logo theme ' which shares the first ( and only ) six notes of this theme in a faster , sped up version . Use . In the movies . The " Main Title " also occurs within the films themselves , notably : as a faster , dramatic variant in " " , when Qui - Gon Jinn and Obi - Wan Kenobi fight B1 battle droids aboard " Saak ' ak " , when the CIS and Republic armies charge towards each other in " " , when Obi - Wan delivers Luke to Tatooine in " " , during the chasm shootout in " " , when Luke flees from the wampa in " " , when Luke fights Jabba the Hutt ' s henchmen over the sarlacc in " " , and again during Poe Dameron ' s trench run on Starkiller Base ( part of Scherzo for the X - Wing ' s ) in " " . In the EU . In " " ( both the film and the ) , a shortened version with an altered rhythm appears as the main title sequence . It also appears in the episode Slaves of the Republic when Anakin signals R2 - D2 . This theme is also played during the opening crawl of almost all " Star Wars " video games . Commonly they use the original version , segueing directly into " Rebel Blockade Runner " . A notable exception is the opening crawl of " " , which features a version of " The Imperial March " . The theme appears in all three of the " LEGO Star Wars " games as well as all four " Battlefront " games . It makes an appearance in " " along with . The theme is also played in " " and " " . " " and " " contain the theme . The theme also makes an appearance in " " , " " , " " , " " , and " " . The title also appears in the " The Clone Wars " games " " , " " , and " " . The theme also appears in all the videogames published in 1970s and 1980s , but as many not connected notes . Leia Organa sings a song for the Life Day celebration in " The Star Wars Holiday Special " , very similar in tune to the Theme . This is a superficial indication that " Star Wars Theme " exists in - universe . Some of the lyrics to this song include : In the first episode of the " Star Wars " radio drama adaptation , the theme is used as background music for an Imperial Academy recruitment commercial which Luke Skywalker listens to in his home on Tatooine . Similar indications exist with " Imperial March " ( implied in " The Paradise Snare " to be the official in - universe martial anthem of the Imperial Navy ) and " Duel of the Fates " ( heard from ghastly voices in the Ice Crypts of Coruscant ) . In the soundtracks . The " Main Title " appears in each of the film ' s soundtracks during the opening crawl and the end credits . However , many of the films and their soundtracks contain snippets of the theme in the film itself . In the , the piece occurs twenty seconds into " Panaka and the Queen ' s Protectors " . The theme makes an additional appearance in the track " Fighting The Destroyer Droids " on the Ultimate Edition soundtrack . In the and , the theme only appears in the opening crawl and the end credits . The theme appears in two tracks ( excluding the opening crawl and credits ) in the . These are " Rescue of the Princess " / " Tractor Beam / Chasm Crossfire " and " Land of the Sandpeople " . In the , the piece is featured in " Luke ' s First Crash " and " Carbon Freeze / Luke Pursues The Captives / Departure of Boba Fett " . In the , the piece occurs in * " The Pit of Carkoon " / " Sail Barge Assault " ( 1 : 35 ) or " The Return of the Jedi " , " The Emperor Arrives " / " The Death of Yoda " / Obi - Wan ' s Revelation " ( 3 : 58 ) , " The Battle of Endor " , and " Sail Barge Assault ( Alternate ) " ( 0 : 51 ) . The theme is also used in several Expanded Universe soundtracks . In the " Shadows of the Empire " soundtrack , the motif is used strictly in the first track and is performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra . In , the first and last tracks contain the only occurrences of the theme . This recording is performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra . The " Main Title " segues directly into a piece created specifically for the event occurring after the opening crawl in each film . These are : " The Arrival at Naboo " or " Boarding the Federation Battleship " ( ) ; " Ambush on Coruscant " ( ) ; " The Revenge of the Sith " ( ) ; " Rebel Blockade Runner " ( ) , which goes on to quote the ending of " Mars " from Gustav Holst ' s " The Planets " ; " The Ice Planet Hoth " ( ) ; " Approaching the Death Star " ( ) . In other merchandise . The theme is also used in several other forms of merchandise . This includes numerous audio cards and a Tooth Tunes tooth brush . In popular culture . The " Main Title " has become one of the most recognized theatrical themes ever written . On the January 21 , 1978 episode of " " , lounge singer character sang a version of the " Star Wars " theme with lyrics . Some of the lyrics include : " Star Wars , " " Give me more Star Wars , " " Nothing but Star Wars , " " Don ' t let them end " " Ah , Star Wars , " " If they should bar wars , " " Please let these Star Wars , " " Stay ! " " And hey ! , " " How ’ bout that nutty Star Wars bar ? , " " Can you believe all the creatures in there ? , " " And hey ! , " " Darth Vader in that black and evil mask , " " Did he scare you as much as he scared me ? " " Star Wars , " " Those near and far wars , " " Star Wars ! " The song was also performed after the 20th Century Fox Fanfare in set one of the international tour of . The concerts were conducted by Dirk Brosse . The theme appears in the end credits of the special " " , where it is sung by chickens . artist released a disco version of the theme in 1977 on the album " Star Wars and other Galactic Funk " . It reached # 1 on the on October 1 . It held that position for two weeks . The single became the biggest - selling instrumental single in the history of recorded music , being the first to be certified platinum ( 2 million units ) by the . Meco ' s version eventually was used officially in the " Star Wars " franchise with " Star Wars : Rogue Squadron III : Rebel Strike " , where it played in the arcade mode of the game upon approaching the arcade cabinets . Similarly , it also played when pressing certain buttons on Kamino in the game " LEGO : Star Wars " .