These are Skywalker Sound sound effects consisting of 2 medium explosions. They debuted in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and were recorded by either Ben Burtt and/or Randy Thom. It seems to be considered as a stock sound effect though.
They should not be confused with SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - CRACKLING EXPLOSION, MEDIUM 01 due to sounding similar.
Info[]
- First Recorded: 1980
- Creator: Ben Burtt
- Owner: Skywalker Sound (1980-present)
- Origin: United States
- Year Debut: May 21, 1980
- First Heard: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Similar Variations[]
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - CRACKLING EXPLOSION, LARGE 01 (highly processed edit included at the start)
- Sound Ideas, ROCKS, EARTHQUAKE - RUMBLE, CREAKS, CRASHES, TUMBLING, AVALANCHE (Included in various pitches)
- Sound Ideas, WWII Explosion With Debris 01 - Single, World War II era explosion with trailing debris (included in flanged variant)
Used In[]
TV Series[]
- 12 oz. Mouse (Heard once processed and very high-pitched in "Adrift".)
- Star Wars: Clone Wars
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Heard once in "Storm over Ryltoh" and "Children of the Force"; also, both takes heard in "Children of the Force" as a Mustafar facility's floor begins to split)
- Star Wars: Droids (Heard once in "The Great Heep".)
- Star Wars: Rebels (Used for the stomps of AT-AT walkers)
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
TV Specials[]
- Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out (2012) (Used for the stomps of AT-AT walkers)
Movies[]
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- Avalon (2001)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- A Bug's Life (1998)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) (Various edits used for candy fireworks.)
- Cloverfield (2008)
- Contact (1997)
- Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
- The Dark Knight (2008) (Heard during the Hospital explosion scene.)
- Doctor Strange (2016) (Heard once in reverse)
- F/X2 (1991) (Includes and introduced the sound in various pitches / processing)
- Fast & Furious (2009) (Heard once when the (now aflame) 2nd tanker trailer hits the ground after Letty says "Dom." during the climax of the opening chase.)
- The Fate of the Furious (2017) (A muffled variant is heard once when the outpost in Berlin starts blowing up.)
- Finding Nemo (2003)
- Forrest Gump (1994)
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) (Only heard in the remastered version.)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Happy Feet (2006) (In multiple pitches.)
- Hart's War (2002)
- Hellboy (2004)
- Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012)
- Hulk (2003)
- The Incredibles (2004)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) (lower-pitched)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
- The Iron Giant (1999)
- Iron Man (2008)
- James and the Giant Peach (1996) (Used for the peach hitting ground after falling.)
- Jurassic Park 3 (2001) (Heard twice in the climax as the Spinosaurus splashes its head in the water.)
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean (2005)
- Mars Attacks! (1996)
- A Minecraft Movie (2025)
- Pearl Harbor (2001) (lower-pitched edit used once; normal pitch used once in the Director's Cut)
- Rango (2011) (Used for large water splashes.)
- Red Tails (2012)
- A River Runs Through It (1992) (Used once for waves crashing from a river.)
- San Andreas (2015) (Used for large water splashes.)
- The Simpsons Movie (2007)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) (Heard once in modified version, I TMD the Hedgehog think)
- Spider-Man (2002)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (debut)
- Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
- Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
- The Suicide Squad (2021)
- The Terminator (1984) (Audio Restoration and Re-Mixing)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017) (A slightly processed variant is heard once when Thor crashes through the side of the Bifrost Bridge after he kicks himself away from Hela.)
- Titanic (1997) (Used once mixed with a slightly edited variant of SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - LOUD, ABRUPT POP for an off-screen distress rocket blowing up.)
- Volcano (1997)
- War Horse (2011)
- Willow (1988)
- Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
- XXX: State of the Union (2005) (Various pitches for water splashes.)
- Young Indiana Jones and the Treasure of the Peacock's Eye (1995) (Heard once in a high pitch)
Shorts[]
Video Games[]
- Secret Weapons Over Normandy
- Star Wars: Battlefront (2004 Video Game) (Used for explosions, dubbed as "exp_ord_rocket_med02". Also heard in lower pitches for AT-RT, AT-TE, and AT-AT walkers)
- Star Wars: Battlefront II (Several edited variants are used for the footstep sounds of the AT-ST, AT-AT, and AT-TE Walkers.)
- Star Wars Battlefront II (2017 Video Game)
- Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) (Video Game) (used for AT footsteps, files "res_m11a_uta_order66_00144-00147")
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002) (Video Game)
Theme Parks[]
Online Videos[]
- THX Grand featuring Finnick the Saber Tooth Squirrel (2022) (Heard when a red light explodes)
Image Gallery[]
Audio Samples[]