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Inside Star Wars comes from Wundry, the makers of Inside Jaws, Business Wars, and American Innovations.

On American Innovations, host Stephen Johnson gives listeners a ground-level view of the history

behind some of the greatest scientific and technical innovations of the past century,

the airplane nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, you name it.

In the latest series, American Innovations is taking a look at a subject very near and dear to my heart,

the pioneering cinema technology behind Star Wars. Cool stuff.

To bring Star Wars to the screen, new technology had to be invented and utilized in ways that never before imagined.

None of the special effects companies in Hollywood can handle the innovation necessary to bring George Lucas's vision to life, so Lucas built his own studio and forever

changed the way movies are made.

Here's a preview of American innovations where you'll hear how the iconic sound of the lightsaber was created.

And while you're listening, go subscribe to American innovations

wherever you listen to Inside Star Wars,

or find a link in the episode notes.

It's the spring of

It's the spring of 1975 at the University of Southern California and 27 year old Ben Bert is on a mission.

With a microphone in one hand and a portable tape recorder flung over his shoulder he checks his watch almost six o'clock.

Uh-oh.

Burt begins to jog, then the jog becomes a run.

They usually lock the room at six and time is running out

Burt sprints across USC's campus, but the stupid 25 pound recorder is weighing him down

Burt knows this camp as well.

...