The sound comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the television series that followed the original Star Trek crew with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the USS Enterprise-D. Photon torpedoes were the ship's main heavy weapon, and their launch effect became a familiar part of the show's space battles throughout its run from 1987 to 1994. Clips of the sound later spread through fan edits, soundboards and meme videos, where it is used far beyond Star Trek itself. Its short length and clear attack make it an easy, instantly understood cue for firing a weapon in any science-fiction scene.