May the Fourth: Hour XVIII

The Tattooine Sunset in 100 Words

Lightsabers, X-wings, droids, stormtroopers, Darth Vader, sure, sure, all well and good – I’ll still wager that this is the moment that cemented many viewers’ love of Star Wars. The Tattooine Sunset is maybe the simplest possible way that George Lucas could visually establish the other-world-liness of that galaxy far, far away yet still keep it rooted in everyday, emotional experiences familiar to all of us. Everyone’s gazed at a beautiful pink-orange sunset and wondered about our place in it all. A double sunset heightens the power, and deepens the mystery. John Williams’s evocative theme gives this feeling musical form.