What in the Star Wars movies qualifies as remotely plausible, according to our understanding of science, and what is pure fantasy? Writer Jeanne Cavelos brought her scientifically trained eye to this question in her 1999 book, The Science of Star Wars (St. Martin's Press). The following excerpts from The Science of Star Wars have been condensed by Scientific American:

• Do R2-D2 and C-3PO Dream of Electric Sheep?
• Darth Vader: The Six-Million-Dollar Sith
• Could the Death Star Destroy a Planet?
• Might a Sarlacc Really Take a Thousand Years to Digest its Prey?
• The Jump to Light Speed Is a Real Killer

6 Comments

1. 1. frontierscientist 06:11 AM 8/12/08

   An excellent companion to "the physics of Star Trek"--which I use for teaching students here in Denmark!

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2. 2. Karl 02:52 PM 8/12/08

   indeed a harder and more demanding book than "The Physics of Star Trek", since there is less science and of lower quality ("it is the ship that makes the Kessel run in 12 parsecs!?!?)

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3. 3. Karl 03:21 PM 8/12/08

   Science and Star Wars have little to do together, anyway, this seems to be a great way to take now days kids to the dark side of the... er.. to science

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4. 4. SweetMikeMachine 10:43 AM 8/13/08

   One thing that always bugged me about Star Wars is quite simply, is everyone Human? Luke, Han, Emperor Palpatine, et cetera.
   Do they think of it as some kind of mass migration from Earth, and over the generations Humans spread out over the galaxy? Or are all these "people" actually different species that evolved separately on different planets?
   
   Let the one thing many of you never pondered begin to eat away at your brain as it does me.

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5. 5. AntonvanRikxoort 05:57 PM 5/14/10

   Three guys want a room at a motel. Owner says "thirty bucks please." After some thought he decides to only charge $25.00. Sends the bus-boy back with a fin. "How do I split this equally?" he thinks. He gives them each $1.00 and pockets a duece!!!

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6. 6. AntonvanRikxoort 06:02 PM 5/14/10

   I just continue to hope that we humans keep getting as intelligent or more than the speed of light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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