Leonardo said:

"as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced"

I wonder if I'm the first to notice this, or if my ears are playing tricks on me or what... In Star Wars, when the Death Star blows up Alderaan, pay attention to the sound just before the explosion. Doesn't it sound like a scream, cut off in mid just as the planet explodes?

I first noticed it when listening to the mono mix, and I'm pretty sure it's in all the others, too.

Is this real or is it just me? Has anyone pointed it out before?

There is definitely a screaming sound just before the planet explodes. I first noticed it several months ago when listening to the mono mix and thought it to be unique to that version, only to later realise that it is present in the stereo and 70mm mixes also. It is easier to hear it for the first time in the mono since it is mixed more prominently, while in the others it is only faintly audible.

It's also there in the SE mixes, but it seems even more faint, particularly in the 2004 version.