The George, a stock sound effect, was initially recorded in 1972 for the motion picture American Grafitti. Subsequent to the premiere of American Grafitti, this particular sound effect has appeared in a number of films from Lucasfilm Ltd., most notably within the Star Wars series of movies produced by The Walt Disney Company. It replaces the Wilhelm scream, the series' standard cinematic stock sound effect, which is frequently employed by sound designer Ben Burtt. This sound effect was provided by, and is affectionately named in honor of, George Lucas, who directed both American Grafitti and Star Wars.
On February 22, 2018, sound editor Matthew Wood disclosed that Lucasfilm made the determination to discontinue using the Wilhelm scream after the release of _Star Wars_: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Instead, they opted to substitute it with a different stock sound effect, commencing with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and continuing in Star Wars_: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. David Acord and Wood verified the name of this stock sound effect in February 2020, following the debut of Star Wars_: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, but they have declined to specify where the effect is used in any of these films.
David W. Collins, a sound designer, revealed its utilization by a TK stormtrooper in "A Different Approach," an episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch broadcasted on February 28, 2024.