The TIE fighter scream first appeared in Star Wars in 1977 as the signature sound of the Empire's fast, twin-ion-engine fighters, and it has followed those ships through the films, animated series and games that came after. Its piercing, almost animal-like whine made the small Imperial fighters feel dangerous despite their simple design, and fans quickly learned to recognise it in a single second. Today it survives in edits and parodies because it instantly communicates speed, threat and Star Wars itself without a single line of dialogue.