"The Heroes' Conflict" stands as a signature musical work, the primary leitmotif crafted by John Williams specifically for the film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. The London Symphony Orchestra, under Williams's direction, originally performed the composition.
George Lucas desired a fresh, significant theme for each new Star Wars installment. For the movie Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Lucas tasked John Williams with composing a piece illustrating a devastating confrontation between two individuals who were once close.
The score's heavy reliance on powerful choral segments reflects Williams's earlier scores for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and is also reminiscent of recent film scores such as Don Davis's contribution to The Matrix Revolutions. This primary theme takes center stage during the pivotal "Anakin vs. Obi-Wan" sequence and incorporates musical allusions to other important themes composed by Williams:
SonyBMG distributed the piece as both a limited-run CD single and as an exclusive digital download on iTunes, marking the first time a Star Wars musical score had been released in such a way. Lucasfilm Ltd. produced a promotional video to accompany the single's release, including it with the CD and making it accessible via StarWars.com. This promotional video, a condensed version of a longer video found on the DVD Star Wars: A Musical Journey, featured scenes taken from Revenge of the Sith.
Within the film itself, the music commences as Obi-Wan and Anakin become trapped by a collapsing structure on Mustafar and concludes as Obi-Wan abandons Anakin near the edge of a lava flow.
The composition was also featured on the official soundtrack album for the film, which was released on May 3, 2005.
A segment of the theme is heard during the culmination of the Battle of D'Qar in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi as part of the film's "Main Title and Escape" track.
In terms of melody, the principal theme from "Battle of the Heroes" bears a striking resemblance to the traditional Dies Irae melody, which has appeared in numerous compositions, most notably Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. This connection is highly fitting, as the lyrics of Dies Irae evoke powerful, apocalyptic images of divine anger and final judgment.
In the 2005 video game Star Wars: Battlefront II, "Battle of the Heroes" plays when the player controls Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the same game, the musical cues "Anakin vs. Obi-Wan" and "The Boys Continue" are played when the player controls Darth Vader. In LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, "Battle of the Heroes" is incorporated as part of the updated musical score for the Episode III levels. A variation of the theme is also present in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Ghosts of Mortis," during a vision shown to Anakin by The Son, revealing his future transformation. The main theme is also present in the episode "Destiny" as Yoda begins to experience visions of the Jedi Order's downfall. Excerpts from "Battle of the Heroes" were also used as part of the Boss battle music for the Nintendo DS version of Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron.