Finals are gone and put away, school is all but out, and I sit here commemorating the end of yet another school year. College broods on the horizon like a distant storm, and it seems that only next year will I be free, if only for a short time, from the shackles of school. But, dismal thoughts aside, it is the end of the school year, and I look forward to kicking back to watch a movie at night. Speaking of movies and TV shows, this week, the tv show of the week is the upcoming Andor show. I look forward to analyzing the Andor trailer music.
Source: Star Wars Andor - Official Trailer Music - Lucasfilm
“That is what a reckoning sounds like.”
- Fiona Shaw
The music in the Andor trailer is quite complex and multifaceted, as is the trailer itself. We are given glimpses of various planets, some new and some more easily recognizable. Somehow, we keep returning to a rural village, during which the music in the trailer ramps up in intensity and urgency. It seems like the rural village is possibly Andor’s home, and from here, we can make a few inferences at how this song ties into Star Wars culture, and what it can tell us about the real-life culture it was no doubt based upon.
The use of lyrical string instruments and percussion, immediately evoked visions of a Mexican culture. The actor, Diego Luna, is Mexican-American after all. The music functions both as an alarm to warn the rural village, and as a war-song, to symbolize a brooding storm on the horizon. Whatever the empire has got coming is truly no more than what it deserves. As the music goes on, the music grows in intensity. Indeed, the soundtrack is surprisingly powerful by the middle of the video.
Looking at Mexico’s history, it would not be far fetched to say that the rebellion we see in Star Wars is based off of the Mexican rebellion against the Spanish. Themes appear of revolution and growing discontent, as well as a burgeoning sense of change.
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