Giant Freakin Robot

Music matters when it comes to movies. Like, a lot. That truth was brilliantly demonstrated by that video a while back where somebody stripped all the John Williams score out of the medal ceremony that wraps up the first Star Wars movie. With Williams’ music in place, a simple scene becomes truly epic. Without it, it’s soooooo very awkward. So, taking that thesis into account, what would happen if you took music created for one movie and dropped it into another? Obviously, the majority of the time this would probably result in a huge mess, but one enterprising fan decided to take a bit of Star Trek and merge it with a bit of Star Wars. You can see the results below.

We won’t actually see Star Wars: Episode VII until December 18, 2015—we’ll just have to satisfy ourselves by gorging on Star Wars Rebels in the interim—but we might get our first look at the film by the end of the year. That is, aside from leaked concept art and set photos taken by aerial drones (we really do live in a world where movie sets are under siege by spy drones). Reports say that the first trailer for Episode VII may appear before the year is out and that it will feature new original music by none other than John Williams.

This news comes from John Williams Fan Network, which says that not only does the legendary Star Wars composer actually have the teaser trailer in his possession—probably with a heavily armed, Disney-funded private security force surrounding him at all times, even when he’s in the can—but he’s going to record the new music for it very soon. That’s good news, because as we all know, the best part of the prequels was Williams’ score.

There are many reasons George Lucas’ iconic Star Wars trilogy has had such a profound impact on pop culture, and on many of us individually. From its unforgettable characters to the mythic arcs they traverse, from the exotic alien worlds the the crazy lifeforms that populate them, there is no shortage of material to fire the imaginations of all of us who grew up loving the Star Wars films. But one element that’s just as important as the writing, direction, or performances, is John Williams’ epic score. If you’ve never truly taken a moment to appreciate just how much the music heightens the emotional effects of the story, allow us to present Exhibit A: “Star Wars Minus Williams.”

We’ve been doing a lot of looking forward to Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World recently, especially as it has recently started its Louisiana production. But we’re looking backward for this story. Not, like, all the way back to when dinosaurs ruled the planet or anything, but back to 1993, when the best of the dinosaur movies ruled the planet. Can you see the beasts running amok after those bastard children? But more importantly, can you hear John Williams’ booming score taking you from one scene to the next? You’ll soon be able to enjoy the sweeping strings in the most attractive way possible, as Mondo has officially announced their upcoming vinyl editions of Jurassic Park: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, due out on June 11, the 21st anniversary of the Steven Spielberg-directed film’s release.

As if this country didn’t already have enough bad blood with Berlin, yesterday the city saw the premiere of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness. (Germany also gets the full theatrical release before us, on May 9.) But I’m not going to hold any national grudges here, because the premiere’s Q&A session with the cast and Abrams was a lot of fun to watch, and dropped an orchestral bomb on fans, albeit one we were patiently waiting for anyway.

When asked if Abrams‘ longtime musical collaborator Michael Giacchino — whose Star Trek Into Darkness score was lauded for a minute or so — Abrams said, with some stammering, “For Star Wars, it’s very early days to know, but I believe that going forward that John Williams will be doing that film, because apparently he was there long before I was.” A cheeky line like that would have gotten a roar at Comic-Con or even a home for the deaf, but not much going on in Berlin by way of uproarious laughter.

This news fits in with Giacchino’s earlier comments that Williams should be the one scoring Episode VII, as well as Williams’ own hopes to work on another Star Wars film.

The full Q&A is on the video posted below, and is worth the watch. The question about the score comes in right at the 7:00 minute mark. Be sure and watch the hilarious little moment that begins at 5:25, as a spectator’s question takes everyone by surprise.

When Disney and Lucasfilm hired J.J. Abrams to direct the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, there was some concern around who Abrams would bring on to help him make the new movie. Abrams often surrounds himself with the same collaborators he’s been working with since the beginning of his career. Enter Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino — who has been working with Abrams since the TV series Alias in 2001 — and speculation that he would replace long-time Star Wars composer John Williams on the new film.

According to TrekMovie, Michael Giacchino recently addressed the sold-out crowd at Luzern Concert Hall in Lucerne, Switzerland about his feelings towards John Williams, and who should do the music for Star Wars: Episode VII. Giacchino said:

I will say this. One of the things that excites me most about Star Wars coming back is chance to hear a John Williams score. He has been a great inspiration to me over the years. He has been a great teacher to me and good friend and I would love nothing more than to hear more of his music from that universe…so if it were up to me I would say ‘John, you must do it.’