TROS 11: Where's Babu? (Minutes 51-55 with Brandon Wainerdi)

Star Wars Music Minute

In minutes 51-55 of The Rise of Skywalker, Babu Frik does the procedure, C-3PO performs the Sith translation, and Rey senses that Chewie is still alive. Returning guest Brandon Wainerdi (Talking Bay 94) joins me to discuss the usage of the Main Theme, Shirley Henderson's voice work on Babu Frik, MacGuffin mechanics, and more!

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Hello there!
• 6:07 - Significance of droids dying.
• 11:04 - Steven Spielberg's concern over Babu Frik.
• 14:25 - How do you feel about this use of the Main Theme?
• 21:45 - Octatonic moment.
• 22:55 - Babu Frik's puppet work, voice work.
• 27:06 - Mystery music a la Attack of the Clones.
• 32:37 - J.J. Abrams as D-O; are you distracted by celebrity voice cameos?
• 36:37 - "I think Star Wars, as a property, excels when..."
• 42:28 - Sly use of the Emperor's theme mixed with Imperial March; Is John Williams an omniscient narrator?
• 47:59 - Figuring out the mechanism of the MacGuffin.
• 51:03 - Brandon's weird way of consuming Star Wars.
• 59:47 - Shirley Henderson recorded Babu's "droid is ready" line in multiple languages.
• 1:07:51 - Levity in Star Wars, high expections.
• 1:12:24 - Rhythmically/metrically interesting action transition.
• 1:18:52 - Keri Russell as Zorii Bliss.
• 1:22:58 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things to Check Out:

• Palpatine=Sidious Force dot net discussion: https://boards.theforce.net/threads/palpatine-sidious-its-so-obvious.245896/
• Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/

Musical Themes:

• 1a. Main Theme (A Section)
• 59) Mystery (Form 2)
• 17. Emperor
• 41a. Kylo Ren A (Aggressive)

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

• OST 8. "Fleeing from Kijimi"
• FYC 7. "Fleeing from Kijimi"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

• New: Williams. Göransson. Giacchino.
• Previous: Ben. John. James.

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

• New: John Williams's relationship with Star Wars (both the media itself and the people who make it).
• Previous: More behind the scenes stuff about the music and sound design in the Disney-era.

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

• New: Lord of the Rings (composed by Howard Shore) and Rings of Power (composed by Bear McCreary) and the animated RotK
• Previous: Halloween (composed by John Carpenter)

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Guest: Brandon Wainerdi

• Talking Bay 94 (one-on-one interviews with the cast and crew of Star Wars) - https://www.talkingbay94.com/
• Brandon's StarWars.com contributor page: https://www.starwars.com/news/contributor/bwainerdi
• Greg Grunberg: Playing Snap Wexley and Watching Star Wars for the First Time with Best Friend, JJ Abrams (Talking Bay 94) - https://www.talkingbay94.com/2020/07/17/greg-grunberg-star-wars-interview-podcast/
• James Clyne: Designing Lando's Millennium Falcon, Kylo's TIE Silencer, and the Look of the Sequel Trilogy (Talking Bay 94) - https://www.talkingbay94.com/2021/05/26/james-clyne-designing-landos-millenium-falcon-kylos-tie-silencer-and-the-look-of-the-sequel-trilogy/
• Jedi at 40 | Ben Burtt and Randy Thom on Crafting Ewokese, Jabba's Voice, and the Rancor's Roar - https://www.starwars.com/news/jedi-at-40-ben-burtt-randy-thom

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