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Someone’s replaced the lightsaber ‘swoosh’ with Owen Wilson’s voice because The Internet

Jamie Milton

It’s the meme you never knew you wanted

The best things in life are unexpected: a winning lottery ticket; a David v. Goliath sports shock; a pigeon accidentally flying into a window.

And now this – a Star Wars scene in which every lightsaber swoosh sound is replaced with Owen Wilson saying “wow”.

Wow indeed. Who know such gold could be sourced from one man’s voice and a scene from The Phantom Menace?

Not many voices express the word “wow” with as much actual overwhelmed emotion as Owen Wilson. Most people’s “wow” is laced with sarcasm, or the underlying feeling that they’re not actually all that impressed. But Owen Wilson is impressed. Owen Wilson is intrigued. Every “wow” expressed by Owen Wilson has genuine feeling.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, someone made a ten-hour YouTube video collating every time Owen Wilson says the word “wow”. Spoiler: he says it a lot.

Combined with Star Wars’ doomy, imminent-death soundtrack (RIP Qui-Gon), Wilson’s “wow” factor enters another dimension. Musician Josh Billinson, who created this video, changes the pitch of each “wow” in line with the ferocity of every lightsaber strike. There’s a subtle art to it. And what should be The Phantom Menace’s most gripping scene has been reduced to a 20-second comedy masterclass.

Would this sound replacement get tiring if applied to every scene from the intergalactic franchise? Quite possibly. Despite that, is this the best Star Wars meme since Jar Jar Binks himself? Absolutely.