Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share the recording of Melissa's WonderCon 2026 panel "Science of Disneyland!" Watch the YouTube version of this episode for all the amazing behind the scenes visuals shared during the panel! 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. We'll cover topics includin...

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we chat with chemistry professor (and Melissa's former boss!) Seth Cohen. We get into a discussion of lightsabers, of course, and learn about the real-life crystals involved in laser experiments that sound a lot like Kyber crystals. There's also a lot of cool info about different metals, including how the strength of beskar might not be in the material itself b...

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we chat with Chris Cooper, editor of Star Wars Insider magazine. The final issue is out now! We send our beloved Star Wars Insider magazine off with a fond farewell discussion with editor Chris Cooper. Hear James and Melissa's origin stories in terms of their work for the magazine! Listen to us compliment each other on our favorite articles that the other has w...

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk cybersecurity (or lack thereof) in Star Wars with expert Malia Mason. There's a lot of plot points around stolen data in Star Wars - Rebel Base locations, Death Star plans, undercover ISB agents just to name a few. Malia talks about her work and whether she would work for the good guys or end up recruited by the Imperials. Of course we cover R2-D2's abi...

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to bioengineering professor Benjamin Smarr about technology integrated into the body. There's tons of wearable tech in Star Wars! Luke has a prosthetic hand and Darth Vader is more machine than man. How does that technology integrate into their bodies and minds? Benajmin Smarr shares his insights from researching health technology that helps people unde...

This episode of Star Warsologies we talk to earthquake geologist Wendy Bohon about planets, lava and lots and lots of explosions! Dr. Wendy Bohon joins us this month to discuss how life might begin and be sustained on planets in a galaxy far, far away. The answer is earthquakes! Or are they called Tatooine-quakes and Hoth-quakes? We dive into Naboo's watery core and discuss whether Mustafar was th...

This episode of Star Warsologies we delve into classical studies - languages, archeology, and epigraphy, which is study of ancient inscriptions! Giraffe joins us to talk about her early introduction to languages with Stargate and The Mummy. She explains the difference between scripts and languages. She also answers important questions like: Does Yoda talk that way just to be different? and Why doe...

As a holiday bonus, please enjoy this recording of a panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 - Celebrating the Puppetry Arts! Panel Description: Puppets have entertained and educated the masses for centuries but the artistry also changes and advances with new technology. Professional puppet builders and performers share insights from their careers working on franchises like Star Wars and the Muppet mo...

This episode of Star Warsologies is all about maps! We talk with Jason Fry, who helped map the galaxy far, far away in The Essential Atlas. How do you map a galaxy? Storytellers get to add their own details in movies, books, comics, TV shows, and even board games, so it's a huge job and nearly impossible to keep it all straight. Jason shares what went into creating the lore for Star Wars: The Esse...

This episode of Star Warsologies covers feminism and gender representation in Star Wars with author and historian Becca Harrison. Becca Harrison tallied up all the screen time for female characters in Star Wars movies over the decades and even made cuts of the film with only dialogue from female characters. They get a lot more screen time these days and we talk about why that's important. We discu...

This episode of Star Warsologies is our LA Comic Con panel about critters in a galaxy far, far away! Hear our panel of experts talk about their favorite animals in Star Wars! Melissa and James are joined by herpetologist Earyn McGee, conservation biologist Sam Wynns, and geochemist Randy Flores. Also check this episide out on YouTube as it includes our slides and other visuals! From womp rats to w...

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 Ando...

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 the...

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 pow...

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,...

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 he...

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 form...

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 min...

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 t...

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 wo...

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 p...

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 wea...

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 hy...

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 philosoph...

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,...