The Science of Star Wars: An Astrophysicist's Independent Examination of Space Travel, Aliens, Planets, and Robots as Portrayed in the Star Wars Films and Books

301 Pages·2000·1.83 MB·English

by  Jeanne Cavelos

THE
SCIENCE
OF
STAR WARS
ALSO BY JEANNE CAVELOS
The Science of The X-Files
Babylon 5 Book #7: The Shadow Within
AN ASTROPHYSICIST’S
INDEPENDENT EXAMINATION
OF SPACE TRAVEL, ALIENS, PLANETS,
AND ROBOTS AS PORTRAYED
IN THE STAR WARS FILMS
AND BOOKS
THE
SCIENCE
OF
STAR WARS
J C
EANNE AVELOS
To my husband,
who had to pass
the Star Wars
before out first date.
I’m glad you did.
THE SCIENCE OR STAR WARS. Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Jeanne Cavelos. All
rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book
may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or
reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New
York, N.Y. 10010.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cavelos, Jeanne.
The science of star wars : an astrophysicist’s independent examination of
space travel, aliens, planets, and robots as portrayed in the Star wars films and
books / Jeanne Cavelos p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-312-26387-4
ISBN 0-312-26387-2 (pbk) 1. Space sciences. 2. Star wars (Motion picture)
I. Title. QB5OO.C38 1999
500.5—dc21
99-22007
CIP
First St. Martin’s Griffin Edition: May 2000
Text design by Stanley S. Drate/Folio Graphics Co. Inc.
D 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
1 Planetary Environments
Are planets as common as they seem in Star Wars? How likely are Earth-
type planets? Could a planet have two suns, as Tatooine does? What
conditions are necessary for a planet to develop its own life forms, as we
see on Hoth, Tatooine, and many others? What are conditions really like
within an asteroid field, and what are the chances of successfully
navigating one? How likely is it that humans could live comfortably on so
many different planets? How could Naboo have developed its unique
structure? Is alien life likely on a moon, such as the Ewok moon of Endor,
or the moon of Yavin? Could a planet be entirely desert, like Tatooine?
And if so, could life form there?
2 Aliens
What might alien life be like? How likely are we to find humanoid aliens?
How about intelligent aliens? How likely are the various aliens we meet
in Star Wars? Why might Jar Jar Binks have those crazy eyes? Why
might Wookiees be bipeds? What is life like for a Hutt? Could giant slugs
live inside asteroids? Can Ewoks really climb trees? How might
Scurriers, Dewbacks, Rontos, and Banthas survive on the desert planet of
Tatooine? Might a Sarlacc really take a thousand years to digest its prey?
Why do Jawas’ eyes glow? What dangers does desert life pose for
humans?
3 Droids
Are droids shaped like R2-D2 and C-3PO the most practical types of
robots for humans to build? What would be the best design for a battle
droid, or for legged tanks like the Walkers? Could we someday build
robots as intelligent as Artoo and Threepio? Can we make robots that see,
hear, and speak, like Star Wars droids? Can we create robots that have
their own emotions, and why would we want to? Can robots detect our
emotions? Can robots express emotions? Why do Artoo and Threepio
constantly argue? Why can’t Han and Threepio get along? Can we create
bionic limbs like Vader’s and Luke’s? What injuries might require Vader
to use a breathing aid?
4 Spaceships and Weapons
Could Star Wars ships be traveling around the galaxy at near the speed of
light? How fast can ships go using propulsion, and what is the most
efficient fuel? Could Han Solo get around the light-speed limit by
traveling through a wormhole, warping space, or traveling through hidden
dimensions? What is hyperspace? Could the vacuum of space itself
provide energy for space travel? Could Star Wars ships accelerate rapidly
without crushing their passengers? How might ships create artificial
gravity? How might antigravitational vehicles like speeders and STAPs
operate? Is there any way to explain Han’s boast about the Kessel Run?
How do blasters and other laser weapons in the movies work? Could we
build light sabers?
5 The Force
Is there any way to incorporate “the Force” into our current scientific
understanding of the universe? Could the Force be carried by particles
that pervade space? Could these particles provide energy to levitate
objects? How could Jedi affect such particles just by thinking about it?
Could there be an unknown force that has the effects of the Force? Could
the Force allow Jedi to see the future, or to see events at great distances?
Can the Force be explained with quantum theory? Can the mind control
events on the quantum level? How might Jedi influence “the weak
minded”? Do humans have any psychic abilities? What evidence have
scientists found of telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis?
Afterword
How does the introduction of midi-chlorians in The Phantom Menace
affect our understanding of the Force? Could microscopic life forms exist
within every living cell in every species? What might the midi-chlorians
be like? Could they connect Jedi to the Force? Could high concentrations
of midi-chlorians be inherited? Could the midi-chlorians have caused
Anakin’s fatherless birth?
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INDEX