Did You Catch This 'Star Wars' Inside Joke In 'The Book Of Boba Fett' Finale?

Aaaaaaah!

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • Updated 2 years ago • 4 min read

There is a bit of a tradition, joke, reference, and callback with sound design with cinema. It all started with a sound designer named Ben Burtt. When he was working on the original Star Wars film in 1977, he was browsing the Warner Bros sound effects library when he came across a distinct and guttural scream labeled “man getting bit by an alligator.” So he added it to a scene in the original Star Wars film for the cry of a stormtrooper falling to his death in the Death Star. This scream became known as the Wilhelm Scream, and the rest is history. Since its use in Star Wars, the Wilhelm Scream has been used in almost every Star Wars film released and countless film and tv shows outside of Star Wars. The Book of Boba Fett gloriously continues that tradition.

The Book of Boba Fett finale missed the mark on more than a few plot points throughout the episode and series. However, it did feature the famous Wilhelm Scream in quite a hilarious manner. Does this fix any of the problems with the episode? No, but it is one of the greatest moments of the episode and the series. In the finale, Scorpion Droids have Boba and his allies pinned down. Their shields are too strong for blasters, so Boba calls in the big guns. He rides back into Mos Espa on his newly acquired rancor.

The rancor does its best King Kong impression by climbing on top of buildings and flinging Pyke Syndicate fighters left and right. One Pyke, in particular, gets hit a little harder than the rest. After a bit of trouble finishing off one of the Scorpion Droids, the rancor grabs one of the Pykes. In a spectacular display of awesomeness, the rancor raises the Pyke, and then Boba shoots him. However, the Pyke isn’t dead yet because soon after, the rancor hurls the Pyke through the air behind them, sending him rushing off into the distance. That is when we get that iconic scream again, and it is glorious. The scene is epic, and the scream is hilarious. It is truly a highlight of the episode.

The scream itself is not exclusive to Star Wars. The Wilhelm Scream was first used in the 1951 film Distant Drums. In 1953, the sound would be used again in the film The Charge at Feather River. In the movie, an arrow shot a private named Wilhelm in the leg. The sound designer used the scream from Distant Drums, and the term “Wilhelm Scream” was born. However, there is no concrete evidence of who created the scream.

Ben Burtt claims (through his research) that it was a character actor named Sheb Wooley who uttered the scream. Wooley’s wife, Linda, seconded Burtt’s opinion. Despite not being directly credited with the scream he is most likely responsible for, he is known for one other contribution to pop culture. Sheb Wooley wrote and performed the song The Purple People Eater.

Some film critics and movie buffs have grown to despise the scream. They say it is now too recognizable, and it destroys the illusion in the film when it is so identifiable. Regardless, the cry has been a film staple since its debut seven decades ago. The sound has been a staple of cinema for several years, and it will continue to be a staple for several more. Filmmakers and sound designers are constantly trying to find ways to work the famous scream in anywhere they can. Whether in Star Wars or some other film, it always brings a smile to someone’s face. It is one of the connecting tissues between Star Wars films that give them a sense of unity, and it shows its legacy that there are still sound designers fighting to keep it in the series.

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