Star Wars Rebels: An Interview with Composer Kevin Kiner

Kevin Kiner, composer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, returns to a galaxy far, far away with the upcoming Star Wars Rebels animated series. In this exclusive interview, he discusses his writing process, musical background, and previews the theme for Lucasfilm's new show.

Looking back at his first involvement with Star Wars, Kiner says that it was daunting to follow John Williams. But it was invigorating, as well, and continues to be with his new work on Star Wars Rebels. He grew up playing rock n' roll in garage bands, and melded that sensibility with classical on Star Wars: The Clone Wars -- and will do so again on Star Wars Rebels. Tone-wise, the music for Star Wars Rebels "will have a different sound," he says. "It's going to be a little closer to A New Hope than Clone Wars was. Now, to be able to go back and start using John's themes in different ways is exciting for me."

Kiner also shows off some his own string-instruments, including the cello-like guitar viol, which he plans to use on the new series. Finally, he demos the Star Wars Rebels theme, which builds in complexity and incorporates classic Star Wars melodies. At the piece's end, Kiner is excited, saying, "And we have a new generation of Star Wars."