Princess Leia's Theme

Princess Leia's Theme is the musical leitmotif in the Star Wars saga that represents Princess Leia Organa. The piece is composed by John Williams.

Its first appearance was in 1977 with the first film of the original trilogy, A New Hope. The theme is first heard when Princess Leia is captured by Darth Vader. Later, it plays as R2D2 plays her holographic message to Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is also heard very fully as Leia nostalgically remembers the innocent past. Strangely the theme plays when Obi-Wan Kenobi is killed by Darth Vader, even though Leia is not directly involved in this event (the theme may be played here due to the fact that Vader is Leia's father, even though audiences don't know yet). Finally, it plays in the end credits of A New Hope.

In The Empire Strikes Back the theme is again present and is also developed in the new theme Han Solo and the Princess, which acted as the film's love theme. Princess Leia's Theme plays as Han Solo tells Leia that he must leave to settle his debt with Jabba the Hutt. The only other time it plays is at the end of the movie, when Leia and Lando Calrissian rescue Luke Skywalker from the Cloud City on Bespin and Leia and Luke are reunited.

In Return of the Jedi, the theme is heard as Leia shoots a stormtrooper on the moon Endor.

The theme was revived for the "prequel" trilogy. Its first occurrence in a sequential viewing of George Lucas's revised Star Wars saga is in Revenge of the Sith during the final montage of shots at the end of the film as her adoptive parents, Bail Organa and his wife hold the newborn Leia. It reappears soon after during the end credits of the movie.