Composer Ludwig Göransson has detailed his approach to the score for the Star Wars film The Mandalorian and Grogu. He drew from various influences including 1990s television and his production work with Childish Gambino.
Göransson used a 70-piece orchestra along with elements from the film's sound design. He incorporated alarm sounds into an eight-minute opening cue and turned to electronic synths for scenes set on the planet Shakari. For a gladiator arena sequence he recalled watching American Gladiators as a child and used crowd chants with pounding drums and synths. The composer said the most difficult section involved expanding Grogu's four-note theme during a long sequence with little dialogue. He described the process as taking until the final day before scoring to settle on the right approach. Göransson also reunited many of the same musicians from the original series recordings seven years earlier in Los Angeles.