# Who should compose Star Wars music after John Williams retires or dies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 9, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517 "2012-11-09T19:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/1 "2012-11-09T19:58:49Z")
His music is such a key element of that signature Star Wars experience, and I’ve no doubt they’ll keep the theme, but he’s 80 and Star Wars sequels are being slated right now. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/2 "2012-11-09T20:10:01Z")
Randy Newman? With a maudlin song at the end. Whoever did the music (and songs!) for the Christmas Special. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/3 "2012-11-09T20:13:29Z")
Danny Elfman ---
**Author:** ![HenryGale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HenryGale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HenryGale)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/4 "2012-11-09T20:37:05Z")
Howard Shore. His work on LOTR is iconic. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/5 "2012-11-09T20:51:51Z")
When John Williams wasn’t available for Superman II and III, [Ken Thorne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Thorne) was used on his (Williams) recommendation. But he’s about seven years older. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/6 "2012-11-09T21:10:38Z")
James Horner (LOTR). ---
**Author:** ![HenryGale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HenryGale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HenryGale)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/7 "2012-11-09T22:22:14Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > James Horner (LOTR). Not sure if you actually mean James Horner or Howard Shore (who did the score for LOTR). But Horner’s a fav too, I’ve always loved his work on Braveheart. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/8 "2012-11-09T23:19:08Z")
> [@HenryGale](#): > > Not sure if you actually mean James Horner or Howard Shore (who did the score for LOTR). But Horner’s a fav too, I’ve always loved his work on Braveheart. d’oh! :smack: I meant Howard Shore, but James Horner’s no slouch, either. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/9 "2012-11-09T23:38:42Z")
James Horner was first to come to mind for his scoring of Star Trek II and III. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/10 "2012-11-10T00:14:42Z")
> [@HenryGale](#): > > Howard Shore. His work on LOTR is iconic. [A Waltz in ‘A’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPAeCZZstK4) by Howard Shore would be a cool closing theme for a Star Wars sequel 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/11 "2012-11-10T00:29:11Z")
Retire? Never. Williams will die with his big, stiff stick in his hand. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/12 "2012-11-10T01:03:11Z")
James Horner, true to his name, uses a lot of horns. Maybe too many. Personally I like Hans Zimmer, I think he’s great at themes, which fits the leitmotif concept that John Williams uses for _Star Wars_ and _Indiana Jones_. I also like Howard Shore, though his last minute replacement on _King Kong_, James Newton Howard, is pretty [good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwxHvLEa_OM). ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/13 "2012-11-13T10:59:41Z")
Oh, I am sure that any reasonably decent composer who can take Holst’s “Mars” and “borrow” it time and again in slightly different ways will do as good a job as Williams 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/14 "2012-11-13T13:24:00Z")
Kevin Kiner does a fine job on the [Clone Wars TV show](http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-The-Clone/dp/B001DQF3WU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352812852&sr=8-2&keywords=clone+wars+soundtrack). Otherwise, I vote for Howard Shore. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/15 "2012-11-13T13:45:11Z")
Just recycle the themes used in the previous Star Wars movies. I’m sure that’s what they are planning for the script. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/16 "2012-11-13T15:05:11Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Retire? Never. Williams will die with his big, stiff stick in his hand. This. Lucas? Pfft. The actors? Pfft. ILM? Pfft. Without the score, it would have just been another moving comic book. Dunno why I don’t care about Lucas, but I get touchy about Williams 🙂 That said, I think he set the Star Wars ‘tone’ deeply enough that there should be plenty of people who can follow in the same ruts. Anyone think Bear McCreary could take it on? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/17 "2012-11-13T15:10:42Z")
I’d like to nominate a descendant of Gustav Holst, should he have any… ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/18 "2012-11-13T15:18:08Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’d like to nominate a descendant of Gustav Holst, should he have any… So, something like what I mentioned in post #13? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/19 "2012-11-13T15:18:45Z")
Yeah, something like that. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517/20 "2012-11-13T16:36:01Z")
I’d say Erich Korngold…he wrote most of Williams’ music- Williams is a prolific copier of other composer’s works. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-compose-star-wars-music-after-john-williams-retires-or-dies/640517.md?page=2)