A planetary physicist reveals how the science in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' actually holds up

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December 19, 2017 12:02 AM

Physicists say there are things we can easily understand about how a galaxy far, far away works in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi".

Scientists who love Star Wars say the movies are science fantasy, not science fiction.
That distinction means the audience is immersed in an alternate universe where not all forces act the way they do on Earth.
But there are a few very believable ways the franchise employs technology and physics to craft a credible story.

For a devoted Star Wars fan like Grazier, that's okay.

But there are a few surprising ways that some of the franchise's boldest ideas are grounded in not-so-far-off scientific principles and technology.

Here are four of the coolest ways that the characters in Star Wars are (almost) like us.

Robots like C-3PO and BB-8 are plausible future helpers.

. Sophia still sounds very robotic, but it can converse without pre-programmed responses — a potential first step towards more robot helpers for humans.

Moving at warp speed is a possibility that can't be ruled out.

Grazier said the question marks about the laws of quantum physics are big enough that "you can sell this as a way to travel faster than light."

'The Force' may actually be with you.

pilots saw something bizarre on their screens in flight.

“They’re seeing an object that seems to have a force field — as they describe it — around it, that’s hovering before it suddenly disappears out of the sky as soon as they think they’re getting a radar lock on it,” Times Reporter Helene Cooper said on The Daily podcast.

The first rule of space: Avoid the vacuum.

Physicist Stephen Cass, a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum, co-authored the book "Hollyweird Science" with Grazier. Cass told Business Insider that the characters in "Star Wars" share an important habit with astronauts from Earth: everybody avoids going outside.

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