A closer look
Lightsaber sound effects in Star Wars were invented by accidentally walking past a broken television set while holding a running film projector motor. Sound designer Ben Burtt noticed that the idle hum of the projector perfectly harmonized with the electrical interference buzzing from the picture tube, creating that iconic sci-fi whoosh. George Lucas built a massive, multi-billion dollar intergalactic mythology around laser swords that essentially sound like faulty mid-century home appliances screaming at each other. It really puts things into perspective when you realize that the most feared weapon in the entire galaxy, wielded by space wizards with telekinetic powers, was engineered by someone tripping over bad wiring in a Los Angeles sound booth
