Star Wars: Rebels - 12 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References You Need To See

11. Wilhelm Scream

Star Wars Rebels Luke
Lucasfilm

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. 

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.