Star Wars Imperial March

The Imperial March is a musical theme recurring in the Star Wars movies. It was composed by John Williams.

One of the best known examples of a symphonic theme for a movie, it is a classic example of a pompous march. Although played by an orchestra on the movie soundtrack, it is often played by brass bands; military bands are particularly effective in delivering the theme's martial stance. The Imperial March was also performed by heavy metal band Metallica together with the San Francisco Symphonic Orchestra.

In the movies, the march is played when the Emperor or Darth Vader appear, or when their appearance is suggested - although note that it had not been written when the first film, ', was made. A few notes of the Imperial March were played in ' in a scene between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. In , the Imperial March is played whenever the Republic and Anakin Skywalker's dark future is hinted at.

See also: Galactic Empire