The Dead Speak! Er, I guess, the Former Owner Speaks! Possibly…
There used to be a Star Wars tradition of including the world-famous Wilhelm Scream in every flick hailing from a galaxy far, far away. That streak was broken with The Last Jedi though, subverting more expectations. However, a new sound may be usurping its place in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, although no one will say for sure.
The new sound, affectionately called “The George,” is a scream allegedly taken from 1973’s American Graffiti and is the voice of George Lucas. That sound effect was first used in Rogue One and quickly followed up with a placement in The Last Jedi. And according to one of the film’s sound designers, Matt Wood, the scream has also appeared in other non-Star Wars films. There’s been no confirmation of its placement in The Rise of Skywalker from Disney just yet, but ABC News claims it’s in there.
“The Rise of Skywalker, sources tell ABC News, also contains a deep audio Easter egg: a scream that is actually the voice of Star Wars creator George Lucas. The clip, affectionately called ‘The George,’ was originally recorded for the director’s 1973 film American Graffiti. It has appeared in several movies, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and [Star Wars:] The Last Jedi.”
I actually kind of forgot that they’d decided to retire the Wilhelm Scream for The Last Jedi. Granted, I was trying to decipher what was happening before my eyes, so I was pretty distracted. Starting a new sound, though, is cool. Not sure why they didn’t start it with The Force Awakens, but hey, I’m not in charge of a conglomerate now, am I? I sure do hope it’s actually George Lucas screaming, though. I think that’s the cutest part of this whole thing.
That being said, all of this playing coy business is kinda silly. From my quick Googling of a George Scream, I’m not finding much. Some Redditors have been looking through The Last Jedi to find a distinctive scream, but unfortunately, we won’t really be able to compare and confirm until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out on home video for all of us to see and dissect. Heck, maybe we’ll get a finished version with all the cut content added back in? Or not. At least we’re getting a cool new Hollywood in-joke out of it.
