The lightsaber sound debuted in Star Wars in 1977, created by sound designer Ben Burtt, who blended the hum of an old film projector motor with television interference to give the weapon its distinctive buzz. As the films became a global cultural phenomenon, the sound became shorthand for Jedi, Darth Vader and epic science-fiction combat. It later spread through toys, video games, fan films and online edits, where a short clip is enough to signal a duel or a dramatic reveal without any dialogue.