Star Wars: Lucasfilm Celebrates 40th Anniversary of John Williams’ Empire Strikes Back Score

John Williams is easily the most famous film composer in movie history, having scored classics such as Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Superman, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and more. However, Williams is perhaps best known for his work on the Star Wars franchise. The composer has been working on the saga since its inception, and this month marks 40 years since he began work on the franchise’s second film: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. May will mark the anniversary of the movie’s release, but according to a recent Instagram post from Lucasfilm, this month is the time to celebrate the film’s iconic score.

“40 years ago this month, John Williams began scoring sessions with the London Symphony Orchestra for The Empire Strikes Back. What’s your favorite theme from Empire?,” Lucasfilm wrote.

You can check out the post below:

Many people responded to the photo, answering Lucasfilm’s question:

“The Asteroid Field. It marries perfectly to the Images on screen, heightening the tension and increasing the pace,” @jimbobmetherell shared.

“The Rebel Fleet/End Titles,” @the_edges_hat answered.

“Yoda and The Force,” @shuggabawlz replied.

“Imperial march or Lando’s theme. Generally any of the pieces throughout Bespin,” @putpanic8522 replied.

Recently, Williams won his 25th Grammy due to his work with the Star Wars franchise, but this one didn’t actually come by way of the feature films. Williams won the award for Best Instrumental Composition, which is an award for an original composition that can only be released as a single or track, so full albums aren’t eligible. The award was given to the famed musician for “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Symphonic Suite”, a track he created for the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attractions in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Williams beat out the likes of Fred Hersch, Brian Lynch, Vince Mendoza, and Christian McBride for the award.

Williams is also nominated for Best Original Score at the Oscars this year for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He’ll be going up against Alexandre Desplat (Little Women), Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker), Randy Newman (Marriage Story), and Thomas Newman (1917). Over the years, Williams has been nominated for more than 50 Academy Awards, winning five of them.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is still playing in select theatres, and the 92nd Academy Awards air on February 9th on ABC.