Kevin Kiner might not be a household name like John Williams, but he’s actually behind more “Star Wars” music than any other composer alive. As the man tapped to bring music to “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, “Star Wars Rebels”, and “Star Wars: The Bad Batch.” He established the sound of Ahsoka’s theme on screen, and he and his sons, who he regularly composes with, came up with the iconic organ music of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s theme. Even if you don’t think you’ve heard his music or themes, you absolutely have. From that striking opening note of “The Clone Wars” to the mystical themes of the Force in “Rebels” to the military marches in “The Bad Batch”, he’s really put his thumbprint on the sound of “Star Wars.”
One of the great things about Kevin Kiner, though, is that he’s able to build on the work of John Williams when it makes sense. One particularly striking example of this is in the sequences of “The Clone Wars” that deals with the execution of Order 66. He took the haunting theme from that moment in “Revenge of the Sith” and incorporated it into the fabric of his own music in a way that leaves the audience in tears.
