A mystery motif, initially composed by John Williams, made its debut in the 1983 film, part of the original trilogy, specifically Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, accompanying "The Force Theme." It features prominently in the 2002 Attack of the Clones soundtrack, also created by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. This leitmotif consists of an ascending and descending arpeggio figure in a minor key, with a series of notes. The motif exists in several forms, sometimes displaying a conjunct, undulating motion.
The mystery motif, an arpeggio figure, shares its notes with the initial melody of "The Force Theme," but it omits the third note and is presented in a minor key. Employed in Star Wars musical score as a leitmotif to signify mystery, the motif rises and falls through a sequence of notes, and it comes in different versions: one such version exhibits a conjunct, undulating motion.
The 1983 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, marks the first appearance of the mystery motif, heard as Luke Skywalker observes the burning of his father's funeral pyre on Endor. Woodwinds play the motif once in the track "Light of the Force," accompanying "The Force Theme."
In combat levels of the 1993 video game Star Wars: X-Wing, the mystery motif is played with diverse harmony immediately after the player comes out of hyperspace. Peter McConnell, Michael Z. Land, and Clint Bajakian composed the game's score, while Lawrence Holland programmed its music AI. Furthermore, McConnell and Land managed the iMUSE electronic system.
The 1995 video game Star Wars: Dark Forces, with a score by Clint Bajakian, features the mystery motif. The arpeggio is initially heard on the title screen. Chris Hülsbeck composed the 1998 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, where the motif appears in the track "Where is the ship?"
Mark Griskey composed the music for the 2004 video game Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and both Kreia's and the Sith Triumvirate's motif incorporate the mystery motif. The motif is present in the opening menu of the 2005 Revenge of the Sith video game.
The Collector's Edition soundtrack of the 2011 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic continuously features the mystery motif after "The Force Theme" in the track "Peace, The Jedi Consular."
The game itself uses the motif extensively. In the Jedi Knight storyline, it plays as the Jedi Knight sees Jedi Master Orgus Din collapse a tunnel to stop the Flesh Raiders from reaching the Jedi Temple on Tython. The motif also plays when the Jedi Knight, Grand Master Satele Shan, and the Sith Lord Scourge discuss the Voss Mystics who govern the planet Voss.
Versions of the motif are a key element of the music written for and played during the flashpoint "Kuat Drive Yards." Set in the Kuat Drive Yards during the Battle of Kuat of the Galactic War, the flashpoint was introduced in the 2014 digital expansion Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Starfighter.
The 2020 "Echoes of Oblivion" story in Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught, an expansion for the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game, concludes with the mystery motif playing as former Jedi Aryn Leneer approaches former Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan about her recent encounter with Darth Malgus in the Dantooine Jedi Enclave. The motif also sounds when the Alliance Commander, Arn Peralun, and Aryn Leneer get lost while tracking Malgus in the Enclave. Following the motif, Aryn Leneer's theme plays as Leneer uses Force empathy to follow Malgus's trail.
In Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the motif is initially present in the track "Return to Tatooine," specifically in cue "2m5 Library Scene"—at the Jedi Archives, where Obi-Wan Kenobi was in search of the planet Kamino. Later, it is heard with the cue "3M1 Finding Kamino", when Kenobi first lands on Kamino and experiences its rainy climate. It next appears in the cue "3M6 The Meeting With Fett", as a Kaminoan-ridden aiwha comes out of the ocean and flies around Tipoca City, just before Obi-Wan meets Jango Fett. The motif is subsequently heard in the cue "3M8 Rainy Ramp and Anakin's Nightmare", when Obi-Wan reports to the senior Jedi from a landing platform on Kamino (featured as "The Meadow Picnic" on the released soundtrack). The leitmotif also goes along with the plotting of the Separatist Council on Geonosis, as well as Cliegg Lars' narration of the Tusken Raider kidnapping of Shmi, Anakin Skywalker's mother. As Yoda senses Skywalker's descent to the dark side after Shmi's death from his quarters on Coruscant, the motif plays until Yoda mentions sensing death from Skywalker's fall, at which point "The Imperial March" takes over. When the Supreme Chancellor accepts emergency powers from the Galactic Senate, the descending figure that precedes the main motif is played and morphed into a brief version of "The Emperor's Theme." The score then shifts to the conspiracy motif before transitioning to the Palpatine's machinations motif for Palpatine's acceptance speech.
A variation of the motif can be heard in "Council Meeting," cue 3m1 of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith's soundtrack, also composed by John Williams. It is followed by four notes forming the first four notes of Ahsoka's Theme, which debuted in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film written by Kevin Kiner. The motif also functions as a musical flourish to "The Force Theme" in the track "Goodbye Old Friend," as Obi-Wan Kenobi's blue Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor leaves Commander Cody's Venator-class Star Destroyer in the Coruscant system for Utapau. It also can be heard when Anakin and Padme speak on Mustafar and again in a frenzied manner as Darth Vader recieves his helmet.
The 2015 Rey's Theme, part of the soundtrack for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, plays the motif backwards. Composer Gordy Haab reuses the 3M1 cue with some changes in the 2017 video game Star Wars Battlefront II for its Kamino loading screen.
In Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, the mystery motif is played as a variation of "The Force Theme" as Rey leaves Kef Bir aboard Kylo Ren's TIE whisper. The Attack of the Clones track "Return to Tatooine" is used as a temp track for the rooftop scene between Zorii Bliss and Poe Dameron in The Rise of Skywalker. The mystery motif is present, sounding when Bliss lowers her helmet's eye-shields. In the same 2019 film, the leitmotif is played loudly, overlapping the Force drain scene and increasing in speed, pitch, and volume as Darth Sidious takes the power of Rey and Ben Solo for himself. Music from the "Fate" TV Spot released before The Rise of Skywalker combines "The Force Theme" with the mystery motif, though this music is absent from the film's soundtrack.
The Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, also scored by Kiner, features the motif in the episode "Voices," as Qui-Gon Jinn guides Yoda through the misty swamps of Dagobah, teaching the Jedi Grand Master about the Force and immortality.
In the 2014 Star Wars Rebels episode "Fighter Flight," the mystery motif follows "The Force Theme" similarly to the "The City in the Clouds" track from the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back's soundtrack, right after Ezra Bridger rescues farmers captured by the Galactic Empire in Imperial Troop Transports. The mystery motif shares the same notes and movement as "The Force Theme," but it is played in a minor key. In the 2016 episode "The Protector of Concord Dawn," the mystery motif appears and is further developed by composer Kevin Kiner as the Spectre Sabine Wren plants explosives at the Protectors Camp on Concord Dawn.
The Star Wars Resistance episode "The Relic Raiders" uses the mystery motif when approaching the Sith world of Ashas Ree. In Star Wars: The Bad Batch's episode "Aftermath," a rapid, rhythmic ostinato of the motif is played near the end of the track "Battle Simulations."
Variations of the leitmotif are present in various BBC productions from the 2000s onward, including documentaries, comedy TV shows, and movies. John Williams used the motif in several films he scored, like Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Adventures of Tintin, and The BFG.