Wilhelm Scream Retired From Appearing in Star Wars Films

Each installment in the Star Wars saga brings with it some time-honored traditions, such as a character losing an arm, someone having a bad feeling about something, and hearing the Wilhelm scream. With The Last Jedi, however, fans were only delivered some of these things, as the sound designers have opted to break the tradition of incorporating the shriek that has been present in each episodic entry in the saga.

“In this movie, we decided to move from the Wilhelm scream,” Matthew Wood, the supervising sound editor, revealed to ABC News. “We’re letting the past die, as Kylo Ren says.”

The scream originally appeared in the 1953 film The Charge at Feather River when a character is shot in the leg by an arrow. Sound designer on the original Star Wars, Ben Burtt, tracked down the distinctive shriek for his own library of sound effects, naming it the “Wilhelm” scream after the character in the film.

Burtt incorporated it into Star Wars and each subsequent sequel, up to and including The Force Awakens. The sound effect was absent from Rogue One and The Last Jedi, but there is a specific outcry that is heard in both films.

“We’ve started another scream that we like,” Wood admitted. “It’s actually been in this film and Rogue One, and some other films that are not Star Wars-related. But it’s our own little calling card.”

Wood was excited to reveal this connection, yet refused to reveal when the scream can be heard, which other projects the sound can be heard in, or even what he has named the scream.

“It would reveal too much, but in due time it will be revealed,” Wood joked. “I’ll let it gestate in a few more films before we start talking about what it is.”

Fans of the iconic scream are in luck, as it doesn’t exclusively appear in the Star Wars saga. A thorough internet search has revealed that the effect can be heard in at least 400 films, with plenty more expected to be on the way.

You can search for the new scream when The Last Jedi lands on Digital HD March 13th and on Blu-ray March 27th.

Are you happy to see the sound effect retired or do you wish the tradition would continue? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T ABC News]