Summary

  • The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg uses her violin skills to honor John Williams' music in a new video.
  • Williams' iconic music is integral to the Star Wars legacy, and Stenberg's tribute is especially fitting.
  • The Acolyte is set to premiere on June 4, delving into High Republic era mysteries with Stenberg's Mae at the center.

Amandla Stenberg, star of the upcoming Star Wars: The Acolyte series, honors renowned composer John Williams. Stenberg is playing an assassin and former Jedi Padawan named Mae in her Star Wars debut. Mae will be at the center of The Acolyte's mysteries, with showrunner Leslye Headland pitching the High Republic-era series with Stenberg in mind to play the leading role before she was officially cast. Stenberg is a longtime Star Wars fan and even cosplayed as Padmé Amidala at Star Wars Celebration 2023.

In a new video from Star Wars, Stenberg, who is also an accomplished violinist, uses her talents to honor Williams' iconic Star Wars music by playing solo violin arrangements that he wrote just for her. Check out the video below:

As Stenberg notes in the video, "John Williams has the ability to create music that feels huge in scope while still being emotive." When she found out that he composed the solo violin arrangements for her, she was "ecstatic when I found out, and terrified. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and it's something I'll hold onto forever."

It's Beautiful To See Star Wars Continue To Honor John Williams' Skill

Williams Is One Of Star Wars' Most Important Creatives

John Williams with the Star Wars logo in the background

Many individuals have contributed to Star Wars' rich legacy and evolution, with Williams being among the franchise's most important and enduring contributors. Stenberg mentioned in the video that "I don't think you can love Star Wars without loving the Star Wars score," an argument that is easy to agree with given how integral Williams' music has been to the franchise, scoring every film in the Skywalker saga, beginning with the original Star Wars in 1977. Williams' instantly recognizable music sets the tone for each movie as the opening crawl begins.

Even though Williams has not scored an entire Star Wars project since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, his skill and invaluable contributions continue to be honored. It feels fitting that Williams created new arrangements to help usher in The Acolyte, the groundbreaking new series that will show the High Republic era and the galaxy prior to the Skywalker saga in live-action for the first time. He helped establish the sequel trilogy as well by scoring all of those films, and creating compelling new music, including "March of the Resistance" and "Rey's Theme."

Williams also returned to write a theme for Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, released in 2022. Many of Ewan McGregor's best scenes in the prequel trilogy are accompanied by Williams' brilliant music, from "Duel of the Fates" to "Battle of the Heroes," making it all the more fitting that Williams composed a piece for McGregor's return to playing Obi-Wan in live-action. It is beautiful to see Stenberg bringing Williams' music to life in a new way as she promotes The Acolyte, with Star Wars continuing to celebrate his captivating music.

The Acolyte's two-episode premiere releases on Disney+ on June 4.

Source: Star Wars