The Most Terrifying Chord - The Genius of Michael Giacchino

If you ask a Star Wars fan to name their favorite scene from any Star Wars media, chances are they will mention the Darth Vader hallway scene from Rogue One. When I saw this movie in theaters, and I heard the ominous and iconic mechanical breathing of the Dark Lord, I could barely contain my excitement, and neither could the rest of the theater. As Vader mercilessly cut through the helpless rebel troops, the giddy audience reveled in the first time that they had seen the Sith in live action in this century, and at the peak of his power. But what was it about this scene that made it so fantastically amazing? In my mind, that answer to that question lies in its music and the sound design. 

The music of Star Wars is perhaps the single most significant factor that contributed to its success, cementing it firmly into pop culture for nearly 50 years. There isn't a single person on this planet who isn't able to recognize the heroic and bombastic trumpet fanfare that introduces the main theme. Everyone knows the imperial march and its heavy and imposing melody featuring the power of the low brass. All of these songs are a credit to John Williams' genius, and enough cannot be said to thank him. However, the music of Rogue One was conducted by a different composer, Michael Giacchino. 

Giacchino, an Oscar winning composer, has also created some incredible and magnificent themes and scores during his career (Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, and most recently The Batman). He has often collaborated closely with Disney, making him the natural choice to score their newest Star Wars Film. His score payed significant homage to Williams' original pieces, but introduced several new elements and emotions, reflecting the darker and more grounded tone of the film. it features several beautiful themes, such as that which accompanied the final sacrifice of the heroes to get the Death Star plans up into space. However, in my mind, no moment can even begin to compare to the brilliance of the score during the above hallway scene. 

The scene begins with a rising score in Gm, building tension, putting on full display the desperation of the Rebels as they attempt to flee the might of the Empire. As we enter the ship, the trumpets blast out a Eb, turning the chord into a Gm#5, which further serves to put the audience on edge. But as the fleeing rebels reach the door, they find it locked, and slowly, the music fades out, the Gm slowly fading from the low strings. The environmental sounds come in, followed by heavy bootfalls, and the dreaded mechanical breathing. And then Darth Vader ignites his Lightsaber.

It is this precise moment that makes the music in this scene so incredible. When Vader is revealed, the orchestra blasts out a powerful Gm chord, accompanied by the vocals. But additionally, there is the sound of the lightsaber. That low hum comes in at around an E, which turns the tragic Gm chord into a brutal Em7b5 chord. This chord adds even more tension, cacophony, and impending doom to the scene, creating a disastrous sound that shakes the audience to its very core. 

As Vader continues down the hallway massacring the Rebels, the score changes to Ebm, but again, Giacchino incorporates the sound of the lightsaber into his chords. With each swing, the blade hums at around an F#, which is the 3rd of  Em, once again creating dissonance and instilling a feeling of chaos into the scene. 

This brilliant incorporation of the film's sound effects into the score is just one of many things that distinguishes Giacchino as one of the greatest composers of our time. He treats every single score as dedicated passion project, closely collaborating with the directors to make sure that he can truly capture the spirit of the scenes or characters he's writing for. Additionally, he insists on recording all of his pieces live. He needs to be able to connect directly with the music, feel it in his body, to make sure that it is right. 

In terms of his motivation, he appears to be largely intrinsically motivated. Each project he takes on, he does his utmost to make his scores an expression of the passion that he feels for it. Ever since he was little, he has loved listening to and making music, spending hours in his dad's basement listening to vinyl records, especially of classical or big band composers. He wants to produce music of that quality, and he wants to add more power, depth, and meaning to every project, character, and scene that he touches, bringing out the feelings and music that he has inside his head. 

Giacchino has created the soundtracks to some of the greatest movies of my childhood, and has further refined or contributed to the sounds and to the very life of some of my favorite series. For that, and for his incredible creativity and brilliance, he will always be one of my favorite composers of all time.