WASHINGTON 鈥斅燞ow real is 鈥淪tar Wars?鈥� Not very, on an obvious level. But some of the science isn鈥檛 that far off; some has actually come true; and many of the larger questions the world of the film franchise raises resonate in our own time and place.
That鈥檚 the conclusion of a video series that asks several groups of Georgetown University professors to weigh in on the plausibility of the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� saga as it pertains to their disciplines.
Business professor Robert Bies, for example, discusses Darth Vader鈥檚 leadership style, contrasting the Dark Side鈥檚 鈥渦nsustainable鈥� use of fear and coercion versus the 鈥渓ighter, brighter, more caring and collaborative鈥� style of the Jedi.
Bioethicist James Giordano says the Jedi mind trick isn鈥檛 quite real, but 鈥淲e can change our discourses, our narratives and perhaps even our postures and gestures to be able to influence others in a variety of different ways.鈥�
Government and public policy professors Hans Noel and Jonathan Ladd look at the political angle of the saga. While Ladd says creator George Lucas 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 know too much about how real politics works,鈥� he adds that an outside perspective can offer 鈥渁 nice way of prompting you to think about how things don鈥檛 work.鈥�
Ladd says those living under the Empire face 鈥渁 huge collective action problem.鈥�
In Ladd鈥檚 words: 鈥淢ost people, even if they wanted to fight off their government, it鈥檚 not in anyone鈥檚 individual (interest) to do that. Because unless you know you鈥檙e organized with a lot of other people and a lot of resources, you鈥檙e probably going to lose.鈥�
And physics professor Patrick Johnson explains the mechanics of a lightsaber, adding that they鈥檙e not as far-fetched as they may seem.
Lightsabers are聽contained plasma streams, which exist. But whereas lightsabers use the Force, 鈥渋n actual physics labs, we contain plasmas using larger electromagnetic fields,鈥� Johnson says in the video.
Without such containment, he says, 鈥淧lasmas themselves would pass right through each other, and not make a very interesting lightsaber battle.鈥� Nor, he adds, would a collision of plasmas make such a cool sound.
The results of getting hit with a plasma stream are pretty realistic though.
鈥淚t would definitely shear off a limb very, very cleanly.鈥�
He adds that 鈥渢his is actually quite healthy.鈥澛燬uch a wound would be immediately cauterized by the high heat, stopping the bleeding and lowering the risk of infection.
Johnson tells 草莓传媒 that he saw the new “The Force Awakens鈥� film on opening night Thursday, and saw the previous film on its first night as well. 鈥淎s an avid 鈥楽tar Wars鈥� fan and a huge fan of science, I jumped at the chance鈥� to make the videos, he adds.
He doesn鈥檛 want to give anything about the film away, but he says 鈥淚 was very, very happy with the way the movie turned out.鈥�
As for the science, Johnson says he has to see the film a few times to make that kind of judgment. But in general, he says, nothing really bothered him, and besides, he鈥檚 not the type to sit and stew in the middle of a movie because it gets a scientific fact wrong: 鈥淚 am willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of entertainment.鈥�
That said, 鈥淚 love it when the movies get the science right.鈥� He gives 鈥淚nterstellar鈥� as a good example, and says the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� films 鈥渆xplore some very interesting scientific themes.鈥�
Perhaps most strikingly, the Kepler telescope several years ago found a planet that indeed has two suns, just like Luke Skywalker鈥檚 home planet of Tatooine.
Johnson says he hopes the videos will help spur an interest in science among kids, the same way TV and movies did for him.
鈥淢y first interest in science came from watching TV shows and movies, and thinking, 鈥橧 wonder how that works鈥�,鈥� Johnson says.
The 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� series helped pique Johnson鈥檚 interest, and so did 鈥� 鈥淭he Simpsons鈥�?
鈥淚t may seem silly 鈥� but there were things that would happen in there that I wondered about when I was young. The writers of 鈥楾he Simpsons鈥� (were) very mathematical and scientific.鈥�
Johnson often tries to use clips from 鈥淭he Simpsons鈥� in his own classes, including one depicting Principal Skinner citing 鈥渃onservation of angular momentum!鈥�
Lightsabers were a particular object of fascination, though.
鈥淢y brother and I would have lightsaber battles growing up 鈥� mine was just a flashlight with some plastic, but in my imagination I was picturing it as a beam of plasma.鈥�
So, could lightsabers ever become real?
鈥淚f we could find a way to harness the Force, we could have lightsabers. But if we harness the force of electromagnetism, we could create a lightsaber.鈥�
It might not take the Force, though: 鈥淲hen computers were first invented, they took up an entire room. And now, the device to contain plasmas takes up entire rooms. So maybe in 20 or 50 years, we鈥檙e gonna have little portable plasma creators in our pockets. And that鈥檚 what a lightsaber is.鈥�
That has positives and negatives, as Johnson readily admits. 鈥淚 certainly would like to have one for the fun of it,鈥� although he says 鈥渢here are a lot of ethical implications. I think that鈥檚 something that should be discussed before scientists go out and create them.鈥�
Johnson calls the video series a great resource for kids, but says there are other Internet and YouTube sources kids could check out like MinutePhysics, SmarterEveryDay, Sixty Symbols. CGP Grey and The Green Brothers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a resource that I wish I had when I was young.鈥�
And if you can鈥檛 get the information you need there, Johnson says, so much the better.
鈥淪ometimes there isn鈥檛 a simple answer to a question. And that鈥檚 even more interesting.鈥�
See Johnson鈥檚 videos:
You can see all the videos .
