Palpatine's machinations motif

Palpatine's machinations motif was written by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra for the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. The leitmotif accompanies scenes relating to the machinations of Darth Sidious, and nearly makes up the entirety of the Revenge of the Sith 5m1 cue "Palpatine Instructs Anakin."
First introduced in Attack of the Clones as part of the music accompanying Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly Darth Sidious, accepting the emergency powers granted by the Galactic Senate. The music accompanying the scene also includes the mystery motif, "The Emperor's Theme," as well as the conspiracy motif. The machinations motif is later sung by a choir when Tyranus disembarks his solar sailer and meets with Darth Sidious, an instrumental rendition of the leitmotif is played in Revenge of the Sith. The motif plays in "Padmé's Ruminations," when the lovers Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker both look out their windows as the sun sets on Coruscant, with Skywalker ruminating about submitting himself to Darth Sidious in exchange for the power to cheat death in his inability to let go of Amidala. The leitmotif later plays when Sidious instructs the fallen Skywalker to destroy the Jedi at their Temple, as well as when Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda are at the Jedi Archives, recalibrating the Jedi beacon to warn others to stay away from the Temple and discussing the need to eliminate Sidious and the fallen Anakin Skywalker. The motif in the latter discussion is interrupted by a rendition of the mystery motif, dies irae, and "Duel of the Fates." Nevertheless, the motif continues playing into the next scene, when Kenobi visits Padmé Amidala regarding the whereabouts of the fallen Skywalker, where the music transitions to "Anakin's Dark Deeds."
In the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, an instrumental rendition of the leitmotif is played when Darth Sidious meets and reveals his plans to Rey at the Sith Citadel on Exegol. In the official commercial release soundtrack of the film, the motif makes up a part of the concert suite and track "Anthem of Evil," and is also played in the track "Approaching the Throne."
The motif is played in the 2011 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic, as Valis reveals to the future Hero of Tython that the latter's Padawan, Kira Carsen, was secretly a Child of the Emperor, and when Broonmark pledges his loyalty to the Emperor's Wrath. In Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant of the Galactic Timeline feature on swtor.com, the motif is played as Jedi Master Gnost-Dural discusses the Treaty of Coruscant, an unprecedented peace agreement between the Galactic Republic and the reconstituted Sith Empire.
In the 2013 digital expansion Rise of the Hutt Cartel, the motif is played as Sith Empire forces work to find a way to keep Makeb from exploding to extract Isotope-5, a crucial substance needed for the Empire's survival in the Galactic War. In the 6.2 story update to the Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught expansion that was released in 2020, the motif is played when the volatile and vengeful family of Valkorion reunites within the mind of Satele Shan.
==Sources==
*
*Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones soundtrack
*
*Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith soundtrack
*Star Wars: The Old Republic
*
*Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel
*
*Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker soundtrack
*Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught
==Notes and references==
Category:Themes and leitmotifs