Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars

We chat blue food in Star Wars and here on Earth, where's it's not nearly as prevelant. Dr. Changqi Liu from San Diego State University shares his expertise about flowers, berries, and other foods. But does he know why blue raspberry flavoring exists? Cook up some blue noodles, pour yourself a glass of blue milk, and enjoy! More about butterfly pea flower lemonade! More about color-changing gin! F...

In this episode, Melissa and Lisa chat about Tokyo Drift and interview a stunt driver. Lisa explains the physics of drifting and Melissa posits whether the saga takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie may feel out of place, but all is forgiven because it introduces Han to the franchise. Check out the Motion Picture Driving Clinic's website and on Instagram Follow Melissa  @meli...

Voice actor extraordinaire Vanessa Marshall joins us on this episode of Star Warsologies! She is the voice (and soul) of "space mom" Hera Syndulla from Star Wars: Rebels, among many other credits. We talk about the importance of found family, fandom, and Joseph Campbell's hero's journey template. Vanessa is such a force for good and we are so excited to geek out with her about Star Wars and tons o...

No Dom, no problem! Lisa and Melissa dive into the physics of 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious. Welcome Roman, welcome Tej. Don't let those pesky laws of gravity keep you down. Also weighing in is legal expert Stephen Lee, a former federal prosecutor. Hear what he has to say about Brian's terrible record as an undercover cop, can you earn a "clean record," and other ongoing leagal themes of the saga. Check...

Star Warsologies hosted "Andor: Making a Rebel, Making a Rebellion", a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023.  The Star Wars series Andor speaks powerfully to today's audience about fighting oppression. Examining the first season of the Disney+ series, we will explore the motivations and actions of Cassian Andor, Mon Mothma, Luthen Rael and other characters as they put it all on the line to re...

It all begins with this episode of The Facts & The Furious covering the low stakes of the first movie, 2001's The Fast and the Furious. As Melissa and Lisa realize, very few laws of physics are broken but there's still find plenty to talk about. Our guest expert is Maria Romano de Leon, curator of the San Diego Automative Museum. Learn about NOS, car culture, and why a lack of traffic may be the m...

Here's another of our San Diego Comic-Con 2023 panels! The Science of Superpowers brought together amazing scientists to talk about how realistic superheroes and supervillains are and whether there's any version of their powers in real life.  Here's video from our panel, plus slides we presented in the room. Thanks to everyone who came out and asked questions. We're so glad you found us online too...

Star Warsologies hosted the "Indiana Jones and the Nexus of Archaelogy, History, and Punching Fascists" panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023. This podcast episode contains the audio of the panel, with the slideshow images from the PowerPoint presentation. Our panelists are Bailey Jorgensen (archaeologist, Alf Museum of Paleontology), Kara Vetter (senior director of cultural resources, Museum...

This episode, we're chatting with Gracie Ermi, and expert in machine learning. Are droids sentient? Is it ethical to wipe their memories and reprogram them? Other than the well-publicized art and writing controversies, what are some ways AI is already part of our lives? Are we close to a Star Wars level of robotic intelligence or an uprising? These are just some of the subject we cover in this epi...

Trailer for the new podcast The Facts & The Furious with Dr. Lisa Will and Melissa Miller. Two scientists break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Hear from a stunt driver, a medical doctor, a psychologist, a lawyer, and others fans who have something to say about how things would go down in real life. This deep dive is also a fun rewatch of all 11 Fast & Furious mov...

This episode, we're chatting with linguist David Peterson, who constructs languages for properties like Game of Thrones, Elemental, House of the Dragon, the MCU, and many more! He weighs in on Aurebesh as a written language, as well as Binary, Shyriiwook, Gungan, and other spoken languages. It's a fascinating conversation with someone who clearly loves talking about language. Enjoy! In Star Warsol...

Star Warsologies hosted "Andor, the Empire, and a History of Resistance" panel at Star Wars Celebration Europe in April 2023 in London. Because the panel audio ended up not recorded by accident, we invited the original panelists back to re-create the panel and add some new content, just for our listeners. Coming back we have Chris Kempshall, Rebecca Harrison, Oli Mould, and Jake Rowlett. Unfortuna...

Here's another one of our panels from Star Wars Celebration! Melissa welcomes creatives who have worked on the movies and TV shows to share their insights and wonderful stories. Hear from Fon Davis (ILM model maker for the special editions, prequels, and The Mandalorian), Jake Lunt Davies (concept and creature designer from everything from The Force Awakens to Andor), Brian Herring (puppeteer for...

This episode is a recording of a panel at Star Wars Celebration, hosted by James Floyd. From sarlacc biology to the physics of lightsabers and the ecosystem of Endor, Return of the Jedi is full of connections to real world science. How might a Hutt evolve? What goes into making a Death Star superlaser? Why do the Ewoks worship C-3PO? Our all-star lineup brings together experts in all sorts of fiel...

This episode we talk to concept and creature artist Terryl Whitlatch about her amazing designs for creatures in the Star Wars Special Editions and Episode I. Are there reptomammals on Earth or did Terryl just invent that term? Why was the sando aqua monster her favorite creature to design? What's your favorite Star Wars critter? In Star Warsologies , hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine th...

This episode we talk about dancing and choreography in Star Wars with Nicholas Foote, a professional dancer. We chat Ewoks, Gungans, and Wookiees. Do Hutts have a mating dance? Do Bothans get the zoomies? And is the ballet in Revenge of the Sith really called Squid Lake?! In Star Warsologies , hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all thin...

This episode we talk about reptiles and amphibians in Star Wars with Dr. Earyn McGee. There's plenty of examples on Tatooine and Dagobah to discuss and we learn more about Earyn's research here on Earth. As always, the best advice is...don't touch it and definitely don't lick it! In Star Warsologies , hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in...

  This episode we look at the representation of Indigenous people in Star Wars. From the Tuskens to the Ewoks, there's examples in the original trilogy and that lore is still being expanded 45 years later in shows like The Book of Boba Fett. Cultural educator Jared Ten Brink joins us to share his connection to Star Wars and the positive and negative ways culture and colonization are depicted.   In...

NASA climate scientist Dr. Kimberley Miner and Walter Beckwith, a science writer at Science Magazine, chat with us about how the Empire affects the planets and environments in a galaxy far, far away. We tackle Bespin, Hoth, Dagobah, and other favorite locales.   In Star Warsologies , hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academi...

In the latest episode of Star Warsologies, Melissa joins the LA Comic Con panel "The Living Force: Evolution in the Star Wars Galaxy"!   Gabe Santos of Cosplay for Science moderates this great panel about Star Wars. Panelists include Melissa Miller (Nerdist, Star Warsologies), Michaela , Phil , Rick O'Connor   In Star Warsologies , hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wa...

In this latest episode of Star Warsologies, we talk about all molecular and cellular biology in Star Wars !   Let's look at the DNA of Star Wars ! You might not expect Star Wars to connect to the world of molecular and cellular biology (the field of biology looking at things at the cellular level and smaller), but it does in a few key ways: the genetic manipulation and cellular development that go...

In this latest episode of Star Warsologies, we talk about all adoption in Star Wars !     From the Skywalker twins going to separate homes as children, to Mandalorian Din Djarin taking on baby Grogu as a foundling, Star Wars is full of adoption tales and styles. In honor of November being National Adoption Awareness Month, we examine the world of adoption and family in the galaxy far, far away. Ou...

In the latest episode of Star Warsologies we talk about the holograms in Star Wars!   From Leia's iconic plea to Darth Vader Force-choking someone over Zoom, our guest expert Thomas Conner breaks down what's a hologram and what we just call holograms. And how Star Wars really changed the game in 1977.   In Star Warsologies , hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with...

In the latest episode of Star Warsologies we team up with the hosts of "Hi Everbody! A Bad Medicine Podcast"   Guests Dr. Jackson Vane and Johnny Kolasinksi join us to talk bacta tanks, lightsaber wounds, and why Darth Vader is taller than Anakin Skywalker.   In Star Warsologies , hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic b...

Presenting "The Science of Jurassic World" This episode of Star Warsologies is one of our panels from San Diego Comic-Con 2022! Star Warsologies usually focuses on the galaxy far, far away, but for San Diego Comic-Con, we decided to branch out from a long time ago to 65 million years ago with this panel on the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise, given that the final chapter, Jurassic World...