Star Wars: Rebels - 12 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References You Need To See
11. Wilhelm Scream
In Spark of Rebellion, as the Rebels attempt to rescue the Wookies on Kessel, Ezra fires his energy slingshot at an approaching Stormtrooper. This sends the trooper off the bridge they’re standing on, tumbling towards his certain death, and as he falls he emits a high-pitched scream.
This is known as a Wilhelm scream, a stock sound effect from 1951 that is now one of the most common in cinema. While it originated in the 1950s, it owes a huge amount of its popularity - and its name - to Star Wars.
It was sound designer Ben Burtt who found the recording and named it after a minor character from the film The Charge at Feather River. Since then it has appeared in countless movies, including every single Star Wars film, as well as TV shows and video games, and indeed it often comes from an unfortunate Storm/Clonetrooper.