One of the most enduring qualities of “Star Wars” is the saga’s unique approach to sound design. More than any other aspect of the franchise, the specific sounds of each weapon, spaceship, creature, and more are what makes “Star Wars” live and breathe in its own universe. Just the way we are instantly invited to relive moments from the films as soon as we hear a brief cue from John Williams’ score, hearing distinct sounds from the saga will also remind us of unforgettable images from any of the films. The thrilling sound of a lightsaber turning on, the equally frightening and soothing growl of Chewbacca, the energizing ping of a blaster being fired, these are all sounds that even the most novice fan can instantly recreate in their mind.
As the perfect bridge between the original trilogy and the new one, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” predictably used a lot of the sounds from episodes IV, V, and VI that fans were accustomed to, while also easing them into the brand new sound effects of the new films. Everything from blaster fires to creature sounds have an aura of familiarity. This makes sense, since Ben Burtt, who’s been designing “Star Wars” sounds for many decades, returned to the franchise for ‘The Force Awakens.’
In order to appreciate the melding of the old and the new, Vimeo user and editor Zakery Ramos-Taylor has put together a quick montage of distinct sounds from the first episode of the new trilogy. Taylor doesn’t just line-up sounds in a chronological order; he rather prefers to split them up into different categories. We of course begin with the weapons, where the subtle differences between blasters and lightsabers can be clearly heard. Moving onto the creature sounds, Chewie’s familiar growl becomes mixed with the various new grunts and screams from new beasts that are introduced to the saga. Of course, this being “Star Wars,” the montage has to end on a series of glorious space explosions. Watch the video above.
