The new theme sounds like it is taking us back in time, like the introduction of a sad fairytale. We begin with a mournful sequence of Han and Leia lamenting the loss of the perfect yet impossible pairing, a quiet yet regal statement of the motif. Softly and slowly it leads us to remember the painful beauty of their times together. The result is a heartrending sequence that touches our hearts and souls right to the very core. We then progress to a somewhat chaotic and tumultuous sequence where the motif is never really completed, left to trail off into another variation of the motif, and another, and another. This effectively frames the complex and yet hauntingly perfect romance between the star-crossed couple. The music then sinks into a dark, mysterious sequence, the point when darkness began to infiltrate the purity of their love. We sense the tribulations that have torn through their sacred bond as the theme wavers and morphs several times but is always there, symbolising the unbreakable romance between the princess and the scoundrel. John Williams allows the music to rise to the grand, sweeping complete theme that enraptured us since Empire Strikes Back, even as he switches out a note or two that conveys the melancholic nostalgia when Han and Leia truly were happy together. For even though the Force was cruel to Skywalker's daughter and the man who loved her, there were moments when even the entire galaxy could not keep them apart. The final statement of the motif is quiet yet powerful, even as its simplistic tone reminds us of the young Princess Leia, the innocent yet brilliant girl who never quite found her place in the galaxy. That a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was a romance full of purity and light, strong yet fragile, ephemeral yet eternal. One whose roots were cruelly snatched away from her, and the other who threw away his roots to find a better life. Against all odds, they found each other. May the Force be with both of them, always.
"If you see our son. Bring him home." Leia to Han The Force Awakens Just like her and Luke's parents Anakin and Padme her relationship was ill fated but this time Han and Leia's son is lost to the dark side and Han tried to help him when Uncle Jedi Master Luke gives up on him and goes into hiding and turns into a self pity Jedi Grand Master who quits teaching Jedi for good all because he lost his nephew who was his greatest student in a class of 12 hopeful Jedi
Am I the only one who hears this theme when reading The New Jedi Order novels when Han and Leia's marriage was in trouble for a while after Chewie died?
So you like the part that is the same as the original is what you're saying. Restrained might be a better word for the first three minutes. This is no longer an overt, gushing love theme. It's a reflection of love lost, missed opportunities, and regret.
Not a very successful rendition of the love I know between Han and Leia in the original trilogy. The original script really perfectly portrayed a love pulse through space and time: across the galaxy, and throughout a dreamlike adventure.
Yet it perfectly captures how their love and their relationship evolved and changed by the time of the sequel trilogy. Reflection of love lost ... strong memories of that relationship. It's much more introspective than the original.
