The George is a stock sound effect first recorded in 1972 for the movie American Grafitti. Since the release of American Grafitti, the sound effect has been used in several Lucasfilm Ltd. movies, notably the Star Wars films produced by The Walt Disney Company, replacing the series' cinematic stock sound effect known as the Wilhelm scream which sound designer Ben Burtt mostly uses. The sound effect was provided by, and affectionally named after, American Grafitti and Star Wars director George Lucas.
On February 22, 2018, sound editor Matthew Wood revealed that Lucasfilm had decided to not use the Wilhelm scream anymore following the release of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens and instead replace it with a new stock sound effect, starting with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and used again in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. Wood and David Acord confirmed the stock sound effect's name in February 2020 after the release of Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, but have refused to confirm when the effect takes place in any of these films.
Sound designer David W. Collins revealed that it was used by a TK stormtrooper in "A Different Approach," an episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch which aired on February 28, 2024.