The animated series Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord proposes a reinterpretation of the piece Duel of the Fates, composed by John Williams for The Phantom Menace. It is no longer just the anthem of the lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Maul. The theme is re-signified by linking it to the death of Anakin's mother and his subsequent transformation into Darth Vader, showing that its true function is to announce the exact moment a character crosses the threshold into the Dark Side.
The musical motif as an indicator of narrative transition 🎵
From a sound design perspective, Duel of the Fates functions as a leitmotif of rupture. In Attack of the Clones, it plays when Anakin massacres the Tusken Raiders, marking his first murder out of vengeance. In Revenge of the Sith, it accompanies his final fall as he puts on Darth Vader's helmet. Shadow Lord exploits this logic: the piece does not belong to a physical duel, but to the internal conflict that leads a character to abandon their humanity. It is a technical tool that anticipates an irreversible transformation.
So, the blame lies with the Gregorian choir 😅
It's curious that a song composed for an acrobatic fight ends up being the official soundtrack for Anakin's bad decisions. One would expect to hear it when someone draws a lightsaber, not when a Jedi goes berserker mode with a hoe. But that's how it is: while fans were chanting the theme in 1999 thinking about flying kicks, Williams was already writing the melody of galactic depression. May the Force be with us, and also a good therapist.