Monday, May 5, 2014

Musical Monday - The Imperial March


Yesterday was May 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. Today is May 5th, which is the Revenge of the Fifth, so it seems appropriate to make today's Musical Monday selection my favorite piece of music from the Star Wars series: The Imperial March.

My favorite character from Star Wars has always been Darth Vader1. Even as a kid first watching the movies in the theater, I knew that Vader was the best character in the movie, much better than the whiny Luke, the cynical Han, or the distracted Leia. And don't get me started on the dishonest duo of Kenobi and Yoda. They might have been the heroes of the story, but Vader was clearly the star. His casual, unhurried, and almost placid evil was compelling in a way no other villain I had seen before had been. Vader made villainy almost a casual affair, striding through the movies with uncaring self-assurance.

And this piece of music, first heard in The Empire Strikes Back, fits Vader's personality perfectly. Steady. Implacable. Filled with power. And it is the music that I hear in my head whenever I walk around.

1 Vader from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Rogue One, which, along with The Force Awakens are the only five Star Wars movies that have ever been made. Perhaps someday someone might make some prequels telling us Vader's back story. It hasn't happened yet, but it might.

Subsequent Musical Monday: Count to Ten by Paul & Storm

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