Former NASA astrophysicist Jeanne Cavelos examines the scientific possibility of the fantastical world of
Star Wars
. She explains to non-technical readers how the course of science might soon intersect with such fantasies as interstellar travel, robots capable of thought and emotion, habitable alien planets, bizarre intelligent life forms, high-tech weapons and spacecraft, and advanced psychokinetic abilities. She makes complex physics concepts, like quantum mechanics, wormholes, and Einstein's theory of relativity both fascinating and easy to comprehend
. The Science of Star Wars
does for Star Wars what Lawrence Krauss's bestselling
The Physics of Star Trek
did for the Star Trek universe.
Cavelos answers questions like:
* How might spaceships like the Millennium Falcon make the exhilarating jump into hyperspace?
* Could a single blast from the Death Star destroy an entire planet?
* How close are we to creating robots that look and act like C-3PO and R2-D2?
* Could light sabers possibly be built, and if so, how would they work?
* Do
aliens look like "real" aliens might?
* What kind of environment could spawn a Wookie?
* What would living on a desert planet like Tatooine be like?
* Why does Darth Vader require an artificial respirator?
* Can we access a "force" with our minds to move objects and communicate telepathically with each other?