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PODCAST

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars

part of the Skywalking Network

From archeology to zoology, real-world science is everywhere in Star Wars! Every episode includes an interview with an expert discussing how Star Wars relates to their field of study. Explore the many ways science is represented in a galaxy far, far away with hosts Melissa Miller and James Floyd, both freelance writers for Star Wars Insider magazine. Part of the Skywalking Network

science

All Episodes

47:37

70: Mass Media in Star Wars

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/09/16

This episode of Star Warsologies covers mass media, propaganda, and media literacy in a galaxy far, far away! Author Samuel Spitale joins us to talk about the difference between journalism, news, propaganda, advertising, and other media terms. He posits that the lack of media in the original series was a deliberate (and wise) choice for storytelling. While it plays a role in the recent series Andor, there are also some hints in the holiday special, so of course we talk about that! Join us to help

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49:18

69: Space Exploration in Star Wars

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/09/02

This episode of Star Warsologies covers space exploration topics with an operator of the Mars rover! Katherine Winchell is an astrogeologist whose love of Star Wars has a lot to do with her career in the space program. She is also the head organizer of the upcoming Legacy Expo convention, which takes place in Burbank on September 13-14, 2025. We talk about the con (and Star Warsologies will be there!), but we also dive deep into the similarities between Mars and Tatooine and how early travelers

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46:46

68: Andor: From Resistance to Rebellion (San Diego...

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/08/08

This episode of Star Warsologies is our San Diego Comic-Con 2025 panel entitled "Star Wars Andor - From Resistance to Rebellion" and features Dr. Drea Letamendi, Desmond Hassing, Jendia Gammon, Robert Dagnall, and Dr. Catherine Hicks as panelists, moderated by podcast co-host James Floyd. Panel description: Fighting the tyranny of the Galactic Empire is dangerous work, whether in the halls of power on Coruscant or in the dark recesses of the Outer Rim. Panelists will dive deep into the popular show

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44:30

67: Star Wars in Bulgaria

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/07/15

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to Nenko Genov, a huge Star Wars fan who grew up in Bulgaria. We met Nenko through Star Wars Celebration and it was so interesting to learn about his experience growing up in Bulgaria in the 70s and 80s. He shared how hard it was to find Star Wars content and connect with other fans. Nenko is now the Bulgarian translator for Star Wars and other comics, so we also chat about how that came about. Show Links: Follow Nenko on Instagram and BlueSky.

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52:44

66: Anti-Fascism in Star Wars

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/06/17

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to historian and author Chris Kempshall about how Star Wars is rooted in politics and anti-fascism, and has been since the beginning. Chris Kempshall joins us to talk about the definition of fascism and how to rebel against it. Star Wars may be fiction but there's plenty of timely lessons, especially in the recently completed show Andor. How can that help us understand what's happening in American politics? Can we practice resistance in an immersive

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51:40

Bonus: Science of Disneyland, recorded at WonderCon 2025

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/06/01

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share the recording of Melissa's WonderCon 2025 panel "Science of Disneyland!" Panel description: Disneyland is just down the road, so let’s take a virtual field trip to explore the parks from a different point of view. There’s something to discover in every land - life on other planets in Galaxy’s Edge, dinosaurs roaming the railroad, and majestic rock formations in Cars Land - just to name a few. There’s also robotics everywhere, from the original

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58:56

65: Fon Davis and the Secret Miniatures of the Star...

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/05/13

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share the recording of our our Star Wars Celebration Japan panel "The Secret Miniatures of the Star Wars Prequels" with Fon Davis! Watch the YouTube version of this episode for all the amazing behind the scenes visuals shared during the panel! You should also watch the YouTube video we refer to in (and showed during) the panel, which includes many of the miniatures in the Star Wars prequels. Panel description: Episodes I, II, and III revolutionized the

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01:01:10

64: Droids, AI, and Sentience, recorded at Star Wars...

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/05/06

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share the recording of our our Star Wars Celebration Japan panel "Droids, Artificial Intelligence, and Sentience" Panel description: R2-D2 and C-3PO. BB-8. Battle droids. Star Wars isn't Star Wars without its lovable droids. We'll examine the science of robots, the programming of personality and the ethics of sentient mechanicals in society, plus go behind the scenes on designing droids for the movies. Why do droids in Star Wars look the way they do? Why do

en

01:10:07

63: Science of Revenge of the Sith, recorded at Star...

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/05/04

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share the recording of our our Star Wars Celebration Japan panel "Science of Revenge of the Sith" Panel description: Revenge of the Sith is full of connections to real world science and technology - from droids and starfighters to the ecosystems of Mustafar and Utapau. How could we make a working lightsaber? Can you really battle over a river of lava? How would wildlife thrive on Coruscant? Are we close to making robots similar to C-3PO and R2-D2? We'll try

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47:44

62: Star Wars Books with Tom Hoeler

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/04/14

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to Tom Hoeler, an editor of Star Wars novels and editorial director for Random House Worlds! Tom tells us how Star Wars books come into being and gives us advice for how to get started with the amazing (but daunting) content of The High Republic. We also dive into in-galaxy books and publishing, like the holo-books seen in Skeleton Crew. Who edits and publishes books? Did the Empire erase or burn all books about the Jedi? Did that lead to a renaissance

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47:48

61: Lasers (and more) in Star Wars

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/03/12

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to Karen Yu about lasers! PEW PEW! This episode, we dive into lasers in Star Wars but it turns out that many of the examples are likely actually something else entirely - plasma! Though lightsabers are sometimes called laser swords, Karen breaks down the reasons that light / lasers simply wouldn't work this way. Same goes for the Death Star's mighty weapon. Somehow we also end up talking about repulsor vehicles, invisible tires, and a lot of other

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44:08

60: Dentistry in Star Wars

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/02/11

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to Dr. Ryder Waldron, a dentist and huge Star Wars fan! On this episode, we talk about mouths - teeth, tongues, and lips all contribute to how an animal eats, sounds, and plays musical instruments. Do clone troopers have baby teeth or did they skip right to adult teeth? How might Max Rebo and Sy Snootles eat? Why do Sith Lords have such terrible oral hygiene? We also talk about porgs, of course! Show Links: Check out Ryder's Star Wars podcasts

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43:32

59: The Force and Eastern Philosophy

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2025/01/20

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to Dr. Krista Noble about Eastern philosophical traditions and their similarities to the Force! Dr. Krista Noble joins us this episode on Star Warsologies to talk about her new book, One with the Force: 18 Universal Truths in Star Wars. Krista is a professor of Vedic studies and shares what she knows about George Lucas's connection to Eastern philosophies. We also cover the roles of the light and dark sides, supernatural abilities, and intuition. When

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48:40

58: Geology of Galaxy's Edge

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2024/12/17

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to a geologist and paleontologist about their recent field trip to Disneyland! Garrett Vice recently led field trips into Disneyland during a scientific conference in Anaheim. So nerdy, right?! He and other geologist and paleontologists scoped out the features of Galaxy's Edge, along with other areas like Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Matterhorn. Give it a listen and, like us, you'll see the parks in a brand new light next

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46:15

57: Archaeology in Star Wars

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2024/11/19

Dr. Samantha Porter joins us to chat about her work using lasers and other technology to map archaeological sites without disturbing them. We delves into the historical significance of the ruins of Yavin and whether it's ethical for the Rebellion to hide out there. And of course we cover Star Wars's favorite archaeologist - Dr. Aphra! We even get a little bit into ancient alien conspiracies. Show Links: Check out Samantha's website and follow her on Instagram! Check out Samantha showing off her

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48:58

Bonus: Galaxy Quest panel at LA Comic Con

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2024/11/06

Enjoy this recording of our LA Comic Con panel about the 25th anniversary of Galaxy Quest! This bonus episide is also available on YouTube with images from the slideshow! Panel description: Let's celebrate 25 years of Galaxy Quest with behind the scenes stories from creatives who worked on the movie, including ILM model maker Fon Davis. He'll be joined by fans who were inspired by Galaxy Quest in their own creative work, including Erin Macdonald, the science advisor for the current Star Trek shows,

en

45:59

Bonus: Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas...

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2024/10/31

Enjoy this recording of our LA Comic Con panel about Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas! This bonus episide is also available on YouTube with images from the slideshow including storyboard art and behind the scenes photos! Panel description: As we kick off spooky season, let’s celebrate the 15th anniversary of Coraline and the 30th anniversary of The Nightmare Before Christmas with some of the creatives who brought these movie masterpieces to life. Fon Davis (set builder, assistant art

en

51:00

56: Science of The Acolyte at Los Angeles Comic Con

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2024/10/18

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk about all things Acolyte at Los Angeles Comic Con! We headed to LA Comic Con and talked about The Acolyte! Ecologist Sawyer Markham weighed in on all the critters! Planetary scientist Michaela Leung tells us about Brendok, Khofar, and that unknown planet! Dr. Drea Letamendi delves into the psychology! And James makes sure we're all up on the Star Wars lore (and there's a lot!). Thanks to all who came out to see us in person and to LACC for having us.

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46:10

55: Space Travel

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2024/10/04

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk space travel with a NASA project support specialist! At San Diego Comic-Con, James struck up a conversation with Johnathan Brendle at the NASA exhibit booth and he agreed to come on the podcast! We cover tons of space travel questions, including: What are hyperspace tunnels (purgill holes maybe?)? Do you need headlights in space? Is the Death Star basically a microwave? Show Links: Follow Johnny on TikTok and Instagram! Learn more about NASA's

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52:10

54: Science of The Phantom Menace at the Fleet...

Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars ·

2024/08/27

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we take the show on the road to the local science center's dome theater to talk about the science of Episode I. The panel includes neuroscientist Ashley Juavinett, cell biologist Claire Meaders, paleontologist Gabriel-Philip Santos, and engineer Mike Tolley. We chat midi-chlorians (of course) and whether they've got a mind of their own. Does Jar Jar have a brain? Is Magneto a Jedi? Plus some wacky real science like arming cockroaches with canons and testing

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