In sci-fi films and video games, one of the most commonly broken laws of physics is the use of sound in space. According to the law of physics, sound cannot travel if there are no molecules, such as air or water, to carry the sound waves. In the deep vacuum of space there is nothing for sound waves to travel through. Without an atmosphere for sound waves to travel through, people would not be able to hear explosions or lasers or the roar of spaceship engines in space. However, films and video games include sound in space either out of lack of understanding or for dramatic effect. The use of sound effects gives life and a sense of action and awe in what would actually be a bland display of special effects. Star Wars VI, Halo 2, and Destiny: The Taken King all feature scenes in which the laws of physics are violated by including sound in outer spaces scenes.
Sci Fi media were some of the first mediums to break the laws of physics in a realistic manner. A mixture between the realism of science and fiction allowed the genre to create believable unrealistic scenes. One major film that broke the laws of physics relating to sound in space was Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. During the Battle of Endor, the Rebel alliance forces battles the Empire fleet in space. The scene is filled with the sounds of ships firing lasers, exploding missiles and ships, and the roar of the TIE fighters as they zoom by. In reality, there would be absolutely no sound from the battle, other than radio chatter in the cockpits, because there is nothing for the sound waves to travel through. However, without the sound effects, the scene would be very lackluster and the iconic sound associated to Star Wars space fights would not exist.
Video games are also guilty of adding sound to scenes that take place in space.
One video game scene that had sound in a space scene is in the beginning of Halo 2. During the scene “Return to Sender”, the Master Chief jumps out of the orbital MAC station with the Covenant’s countdown bomb to give the Covenant back their bomb. As he flies towards his target, a Covenant battlecruiser, he passes a allied UNSC cruiser that is being destroyed by lasers from the battlecruiser. The UNSC cruiser’s engines can be heard and seen sputtering as the ship’s hull blows up in loud explosions. Just like the scene from Star Wars, there should be no sound in this scene. But the roar of the engines and the rumble of the explosions help to emphasize the massive scale of the battle happening around the Master Chief who is dwarfed by the enormous ships.
Another video game that includes sound in a space scene is Destiny: The Taken King. In the opening scene, the Awoken fleet launches an attack on the Dreadnaught and its surrounding fleet in the rings of Saturn. The Awoken fighter ships are heard whizzing around the Dreadnaught while their missiles whistle towards their targets. Within the cockpits, the sound of explosions is slightly muted because they occur outside of the ship and the volume returns to normal when the camera pans back out. With sounds, you can follow each fighter ship and each missile in the chaotic space battle. Without sound effects, the scene just looks like a bunch of bugs flying around a lamp at night. This scene uses sound effects matched up with the musical cues to be able to blend into background more easily. Unlike Star Wars, which used sound to create action, Destiny uses sound and music together for dramatic effect.
Although the laws of physics state that there can be no sound in the vacuum of space, film and video games use and manipulate sound effects to scenes for dramatic effect and an awe factor. Without sound effects, the audience would not be able to experience a scene to its fullest extent. Breaking the laws of physics in many other scenarios would break away from the realism and readability of a scene. But sometimes it is justifiable for filmmakers and game developers to break the laws of physics to enhance their audiences’ experience. Sometimes it is useful to suspend believability to help the flow of an action sequence.
