"The Throne Room" is a theme written by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. After its first appearance in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, it was transformed into a leitmotif.
Use[]
In the movies[]
The Walton-esque piece is played during the medal ceremony at the end of Episode IV. John Williams develops it into a set of chromatic variations during the scene in Return of the Jedi in which the Rebel fleet takes off into hyperspace. A longer rendition was written and recorded later (heard on the Skywalker Symphony album). This extended version was also recorded for the album version of the end credits for Episode III.
On television[]
The theme is also played in The Star Wars Holiday Special by the end of the show along with archive footage from A New Hope.
In video games[]
"The Throne Room" is played in the end credits of Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught.
In audio[]
As with the film, the theme was played during medal ceremony sequence in the radio version of the Star Wars story. The theme is also used in the audiobook adaptation of A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy. Additionally, the book's narration seems to imply that the theme itself is in fact being played by musicians at the medal-awarding ceremony.
In Star Tours[]
A version of the theme was composed by John Williams for the Disneyland attraction Star Wars. The track was included on Disney's Legacy Collection release of themes from Disneyland attractions.
In non-canon[]
In the non-canon LEGO Star Wars special The Empire Strikes Out the theme is played at the end when Darth Sidious presents Darth Vader with a medal in front of a group of adoring fangirls. It is also used in the ending of the audiobook version of William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Verily, A New Hope).