The story you’ve been waiting nearly 40 years for is finally here. Alright, maybe you weren’t that curious about how the Rebels got their hands on the Death Star plans, but Gareth Edwards and company have laid things out in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and while it may not be the knock-out blockbuster many hoped for, there’s still much discussion to be had. One of the points of the conversation is a score from Michael Giacchino, who was brought in mere months before release to replace Alexandre Desplat. The result is a bombastic composition which touches on cues from the franchise while resisting an all-out pantomime.
“It does borrow from traditions that both John [Williams] and George Lucas borrowed from when they made the original Star Wars, you know,” Giacchino tells EW. “George was looking at Flash Gordon, the old serials, and John was looking at [Gustav] Holst and different composers along the way to get a baseline for what he wanted to communicate. There is a wonderful musical language that John put together for the original films. I wanted to honor that vernacular but still do something new with it, something that was still me in a way.”
With the complete score now available to stream, we’re also thrilled to exclusively debut an alternate poster from the film by Tony Stella and Midnight Marauder. The Ralph McQuarrie-inspired art takes a watercolor-esque approach giving more of an old-school feel than perhaps Disney’s official posters for Rogue One manage to accomplish.
Check out the full score below, along with the alternate poster, and our discussion if you missed it.
Midnight Marauder is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer, illustrator, and cinephile. Follow him on Twitter (@midmarauder) and any inquiries can be e-mailed. Tony Stella’s work can be found on his site and his Twitter (@studiotstella).
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is now in theaters nationwide.