The Arena

Conception and development

John Williams, the composer, was responsible for crafting the musical score for the 2002 film, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, which is part of the prequel trilogy. This mirrored his role in the previous four Star Wars movies. For the musical performances, he enlisted the talents of the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices. However, for "The Arena," which provides the musical backdrop for the executions occurring in the Petranaki Arena on Geonosis, only the orchestra was utilized.

The Attack of the Clones soundtrack was initially made available by Sony Classical on CD on April 23, 2002, and subsequently as an MP3 download on May 24, 2005. Later, on September 25, 2015, Sony Classical revealed its intention to reissue the Attack of the Clones soundtrack alongside the soundtracks of the other five films in three distinct sets: Star Wars: The Ultimate Vinyl Collection, Star Wars: The Ultimate Soundtrack Edition, and Star Wars: The Ultimate Digital Collection, all scheduled for release on January 8, 2016.

Summary

"The Arena" is predominantly polyphonic, meaning that the various sections within the orchestra generally perform unique musical lines that differ from each other in terms of rhythm and pitch. This theme is written in the key of A minor, is performed at a tempo of 88 bpm, and employs a duple meter with a time signature of 4/4. Furthermore, the theme shares melodic similarities with the "droid march" from the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace soundtrack.

The theme commences with a section featuring percussion, string, and woodwind instruments that frequently transitions into the key of C major before returning to the tonic key. Brass instruments are used sparingly during this segment. This initial section is actually homophonic.

Anakin tames the reek

Shifting to a polyphonic texture, the theme then incorporates a snare drum roll that leads into the main melody, played by the tuba and bass trombone. This melody is supported by a simple quarter note rhythm provided by the snare drums and low strings. The rest of the low brass and french horns then join in, repeating the melody an octave higher. The trumpets enter towards the end of the melody's second iteration. The melody is then repeated by the french horns, with the trumpets playing a countermelody that initially consists mainly of the note E. Following this, the theme transitions into a complex set of brass rhythms led by the trumpets. This is followed by a brief phrase involving woodwinds, strings, and keyboard percussion, leading into a fast string part that repeats four times before transitioning into another altered version of the main melody.

After this altered melody, the composition continues with several measures featuring more brass, again set to a quarter note rhythm by the percussion. It then builds into a frantic percussion section with accented bursts from the brass. This leads into a fast-paced brass part, accented in the background by short bursts of strings. Next, the theme features a heavily accented phrase played mainly by brass instruments, followed by a descending low brass phrase. The main melody is played again, this time alternating between the trumpets and the low brass. The low brass then plays two sets of two notes that are slurred together, complemented by a trumpet part consisting of a three-note phrase that repeats twice.

The main melody is then played again by the trumpets. The low brass then repeats the sets of slurs, this time to a much faster, more intricate trumpet part. The low brass then plays a complex rhythm with trumpets and strings playing in short bursts. After this, the french horns play the main melody once again, with brass, woodwinds, and strings playing bursts in the background. The trumpets and percussion play in between the phrases that compose the melody. Next, the low brass plays another rhythm similar to the one earlier, with trumpets playing in the background.

Anakin rescues Padmé and Obi-Wan

Next, the strings transition into a brief section of "Across the Stars," the primary love theme from Attack of the Clones. After several measures of low brass and trumpets, the theme moves into a timpani and string section, where the strings repeat a fast phrase repeatedly. The brass play occasionally throughout this part. Following the string/timpani part, the low brass play an extremely low phrase. The next few measures feature the percussion, followed by the brass. Then the low brass and low strings play a bass melody, while the keyboard, percussion, and woodwinds play quick bursts. This is followed by another reference to "Across the Stars" by the strings, and then the french horns.

This leads into another fast string part succeeded by a phrase split between the euphoniums and other low voices. The theme then references "The Force Theme," which switches from low brass to trumpets and back again. The strings follow playing the previous upbeat part once again. The trumpets come in for the last time, and the theme fades out with a low string part. By the end, the music has settled into the key of C major.

Use

In the soundtracks

Within the Attack of the Clones soundtrack, the theme appears at the one minute and fifty-five second mark of the track titled "Love Pledge and The Arena." The majority of this track is comprised of "The Arena" theme. Although the theme is present in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, it is absent from the film's soundtrack.

In the movies

In Attack of the Clones, the theme is exclusively used during the planned executions of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padmé Amidala within the Petranaki Arena on the planet Geonosis. However, in this context, much of the theme is omitted, except for the segments that accompany Poggle the Lesser's announcement of the executions' commencement up until Skywalker tames the reek. It also features in one of the main menus on the DVD. In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the theme is reintroduced to set the scene for the planet Kashyyyk before the battle there, and again when Darth Vader attacks the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

In other canon media

The Takodana map features the theme during the "Strike" game mode in DICE's 2017 Star Wars Battlefront II.

In Legends

The 2002 expansion pack for the video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, titled Clone Campaigns, incorporates the theme as part of a medley of background tracks that represent each of the game's factions. Specifically, the theme represents the Confederacy of Independent Systems faction. In the 2002 video game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, the theme is used during bounty hunter Jango Fett's pit arena fight on Outland Transit Station in Chapter 1, and during the pit arena fight at Gardulla the Hutt's palace in Chapter 4. The composition reappears in the 2003 massively multiplayer online roleplaying game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, and its expansion packs, due to its presence in the game's initial release.

The theme is also present in the 2003 console game Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It first appears during the LucasArts logo sequence before the main menu. The game includes the theme in several missions, such as "Mission 1: The Rescue Begins," when the player first encounters IG-227 Hailfire-class droid tanks, in "Mission 2: To the Arena" when the player and other Jedi reach the landing pad, in "Mission 3: The Battle of Geonosis" as the player approaches a gunship on foot, in "Mission 4: The Evacuation of Rhen Var" during the cutscene showing the player's arrival on Rhen Var, in "Mission 9: New Alliances" while on foot in the Separatist base, in "Mission 14: Assault on Thule" after the last power farm is destroyed, and during "Mission 15: Dark Side Rising" after the last hangar is destroyed. The theme is also played in the "Academy" game mode on Geonosis.

The theme is used at the end of Chapter 12 of Star Wars: Clone Wars (2004) when Mace Windu is surrounded by B2 super battle droids after losing his lightsaber during the Battle of Dantooine. Chapter 22 also features the theme during clips depicting Separatist victories across the galaxy. The composition is used in Chapter 23 as the Separatist Droid Army begins its attack on the planet Coruscant. It also appears in the 2005 Star Wars: Republic Commando video game as the player is briefed inside a Republic gunship during the Geonosis intro scene. It returns during "Save the Ship," part of the second campaign, and during "The Bridge at Kachirho" and "Search and Destroy" in the third campaign.

In other media and merchandise

The sheet music for the theme appears in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones: Selections from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the sheet music book for Attack of the Clones, published by Bantha Music. The book was released for the following instruments and editions: trumpet, piano, easy piano, clarinet, tenor sax, and alto sax.

Sources

• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones soundtrack
• Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones: Selections from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Sony Classical to Release Ultimate Editions of Original Star Wars Soundtracks on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

• Star Wars music on Wikipedia