The Physics of Star Wars: The Science Behind a Galaxy Far, Far Away

by Patrick Johnson

Explore the physics behind the world of Star Wars, with engaging topics and accessible information that shows how we’re closer than ever before to creating technology from the galaxy far, far away—perfect for every Star Wars fan!

Ever wish you could have your very own lightsaber like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi? Or that you could fly through space at the speed of light like Han Solo and Poe Dameron?

Well, those ideas aren’t as outlandish as you think.

In The Physics of Star Wars , you’ll explore the mystical power of the Force using quantum mechanics, find out how much energy it would take for the Death Star or Starkiller Base to destroy a planet, and discover how we can potentially create our very own lightsabers. The fantastical world of Star Wars may become a reality!

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Star Wars, Physics, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Popular Science

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2017

Reviews

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book for a Star Wars fan. Its main point is more about the question of whether certain things from the Star Wars films are possible in the real universe, and less about explaining the real-world scientific details of how things work. Though I am not at all a scientist, I am curious enough about science that I would have liked a bit more detail about the real-world science that Patrick Johnson mentions throughout the book.

The main topics are: space; planetary science; planet-based transportation; space travel; handheld weaponry; heavy weaponry; the Force; robotics; and other tech. Within each topic, Johnson looks at 4-6 things from Star Wars, explaining how they seem to work within the Star Wars galaxy, what real-world physics concepts they relate to, and whether the Star Wars version would likely be possible in our galaxy.

The Physics of Star Wars is probably best read a little bit at a time--and the short sections within each main topic are great for that. Because I can't help myself, I read the whole thing in just a few days. My 16-year-old son, who loves math, science, and Star Wars, read it before I did, and he enjoyed it a lot.

[Joshua Schadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een boek waar Star Wars en hedendaags wetenschap samenkomen. Niet alleen wordt getoetst of lichtzwaarden, hyper space, the Deathstar en the force op dit moment in een vorm mogelijk zouden zijn. Ook wordt er een poging gedaan te achterhalen wat er allemaal nodig is of nog moet worden ontwikkeld door de mens om deze star wars fenomenen werkelijkheid te maken.

Verder wordt gekeken naar onderwerpen zoals; Sterren, planeten uit de film en de kans om alien-achtige levensvormen tegen te komen hedendaags. Alle thema’s uit de geliefde films komen terug en zijn met deze wetenschappelijke blik interessanter dan ooit.

Alle onderwerpen en theorieën worden op een wetenschappelijke, maar begrijpbare, taal uitgelegd naar de lezer. Tijdens het lezen merk je bij de schrijver een grote passie voor Star Wars en wetenschap, hierdoor wordt alles uit de kast gehaald om je zoveel mogelijk mee te nemen. Dat maakt dit boek voor mij!

Ik zou het boek aan iedereen aanraden die maar enige affiniteit heeft met Star Wars of de wetenschap van de toekomst. Soms is het enigszins lastig te begrijpen wat er wordt geschreven door de moeilijke theorieën die worden uitgelegd. Mijn tip? Accepteer wat er staat (ook al begrijp je het niet) en pak de kern van het probleem wat wordt geschetst. Dikke aanrader dus, geweldig!

May the force be with you!

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn't understand all the science but what I did I found intriguing and curious.

[kesseljunkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book and is a great basic textbook for physics. Honestly, if they’d tried to teach science to me like this I’d likely have done a LOT better in those classes. Worth a read!

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun, educational read where Dr. Johnson explains different ideas about the science behind the fanciful creations of George Lucas. It is a fun read that is full of good science. I recommend it to everyone.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for revising A Level physics, bad after a physics degree. You need to be really into star wars, as this reads like a revision guide and gets a bit repetitive!

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have mentioned this before, but I was a Star Wars fan as a child. I had the original trilogy on VHS and had marathons where I would watch them all weekend. I never had the toys, and I didn't read the novels, but I could quote the movies like nobody's business. However, that only applies to the original trilogy, Episodes IV through VI. The prequel trilogy never sat well with me, and I didn't want to see the sequel trilogy at all.

Patrick Johnson found a niche with this book. He applies real-life physics to the fantastical universe of Star Wars, and he does an adequate job of it. The book covers a lot of ground. It goes from the mundane world of trash collection to the amazing super-science behind lightsabers. Along the way, he answers questions about engine and ship design, plasmas, general and special relativity, and more.

For example, is the design of the TIE Fighter plausible? Would the Millennium Falcon be able to fly? Is there an in-canon reason for Luke and Leia being different ages despite being twins due to time dilation?

Johnson wrote The Physics of Star Wars sometime in 2017, so it does not cover anything about The Last Jedi or The Rise of Skywalker. Not that it matters, since he referenced some plot points in The Force Awakens and completely lost me due to the names. Rey is the girl, right?

Anyway, thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I am a total nerd, but I found this book to be a lot of fun. It covers a wide range of scientific topics in relation to Star Wars, and touches on everything from planetary science to transport to weaponry to droids. The author is obviously writing as a Star Wars fan first and a physicist second, because instead of making fun of the holes in the science of Star Wars, the book is more about exploring science as it connects to Star Wars concepts, and seeing how close we could get to making it a reality. Overall, a quick and entertaining read.

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so fun! You don’t need to know anything about physics to enjoy this. Of course it turns out not everything in Star Wars is possible but that’s only in our universe! He doesn’t crush all your Star Wars dreams, don’t worry. This book is all in good fun. 4 stars

[Chuy Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to learn that this kind of book even exists. It so cool to me that a scientist/physicist loves star wars and takes the time to compare the star wars tech to our own. I really enjoyed it :)

[Kayla Feingold · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun, geeky read! The physics explanations stay around a high school level and are easy to follow. I enjoyed the thought experiments on our favorite tech from the Star Wars world.

[Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty excited to read this book, but I have to say that I was rather disappointed. There is a lot of good information on a large number of topics, but I feel that each one only touches on the subject and doesn't offer too much substance. I thought it would be cool to see how some of this technology might be possible in the future, but they don't go quite so deep on that for many of the subjects.
As far as readability, for those that are not physics or science majors like myself, it is quite easy to understand. The book does do a great job at explaining the various technologies in the forms of plasma vs. light. Those were quite informative. Prior to this I have read Michio Kaku's "Physics of the Impossible" and "The Science of Star Wars", so many of these topics I have read about before and these here don't go as in depth as those.
It's a good fun book overall, but I just wish it had dove a little deeper into some of these technologies that we take for granted in these wonderful films.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and quick read that's not super deep.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A PHYSICS PROFESSOR LOOKS SYMPATHETICALLY AT STAR WARS

Author and professor Patrick Johnson wrote in Introduction to this 2017 book, “This book uses the fantastic world of Star Wars to explore physics in a new way… the stories take place in a galaxy far, far away, so the laws of physics should still apply. On the other hand, these are obviously works of fiction; is there any point in applying those laws? This book makes the case that it is both fun and worthwhile to do so. Sometimes the physics shown in the movies is spot on while on other occasions it would require advanced technology or new discoveries in the realm of physics to make sense… this book contains a series of categorized topics. Each topic is given a brief introduction and backstory followed by analysis of the physics in the Star Wars universe as well as where current technology or scientific understanding puts us relative to it.”

He observes, “If there are [according to the Drake equation] 2 billion planets with life, it seems as if we should meet (or hear from) a new alien about every week or so. Not so fast! When you compare that with trillions of planets in existence, the chances of even a second planet with life on it in our Milky Way are quite small. Even if there were a second planet in the galaxy with life on it, it would probably be tens of thousands of light-years away. When we consider interacting with life that far away, there are many complex factors.” (Pg. 22-23)

He explains, “There are ways in which traveling through hyperspace would not require a violation of relativity, though. The idea that two points in real space are connected by a ‘tunnel’ taking advantage of additional dimensions Is not unheard of in physics theories, there connections between points in space-time are called wormholes. Here’s how a wormhole works: Hold a piece of paper in front of you and fold it in half. Now take a pencil… and poke a hole through the folded paper. Now imagine that an ant wants to walk from one side of the paper to the other… if the ant walks through the hole, it can get from one side of the paper to the other much faster… three-dimensional space as we understand it would be folded through a fourth dimension to create connections between two points… this is impossible visualize fully. Still, if a hyperdrive were able to distort space-time such that it warped and created a hole … traveling through hyperspace would not violate any laws of physics. It would just require tremendous amounts of energy to accomplish these jumps.” (Pg. 93)

He acknowledges, “One of the most infamous quotes from the Star Wars movies is Han Solo’s claim that the Millennium Falcon ‘made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.’ It is infamous because a parsec is a unit of distance rather than time. There have been all kinds of theories proposed to explain how this is possible… maybe Han just talks a big game and he had no idea what he was saying and hoped that Obi-Wan and Luke didn’t either.” (Pg. 104)

He notes, “In space no one can hear you scream. Space is a vacuum, and sound requires a medium … in order to propagate. Without air (or some other material), sound cannot exist… A common critique of the scientific accuracy of the Star Wars movies is the presence of sounds (most often explosions) in space. Many are happy to excuse this issue on the grounds that the films just wouldn’t be as fun without the sound of explosions…” (Pg. 119-120)

He states, “As of now, there are not any known ion cannons in operation… But the effects depicted in the films are still capable of being generated. Electromagnetic Pulses (EMP) have been developed as weapons. An EMP is generated with every detonation of a nuclear weapon, but they have been weaponized outside of nuclear bombs as well.” (Pg. 139-140)

He says, “The idea of a tractor beam is reasonably easy to imagine… how could you create a ‘beam’ of attractive force? The force would either have to be gravitational or electromagnetic in origin… To create a gravitational attractive force, you would have to be able to manipulate space-time around a target… This sounds like a very clean way to accomplish the goal. There is only one problem: we don’t have the slightest ability to do this… You can also focus electromagnetic energy to the point that it warps space-time enough to accomplish this… However, this has the same problems as using any kind of energy to warp space-time.” (Pg. 228-230)

This book will be of keen interest to Star Wars fans who want to explore the feasibility of its fictional ideas.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the unbelievable privilege of having the author of this book as my physics professor at Georgetown University. I never dreamed that I could actually make it through a full year of calculus-based physics, but with Dr. Johnson at the helm, learning physics was a joy, even for someone like me who was TERRIFIED of physics going into it!

This book reads just like Dr. Johnson is in real life: down to earth, very relatable, extremely funny, and able to make physics interesting for any student (or reader). This is probably sort of obnoxious to say, but in my experience the typical physics enthusiast/professor isn't very capable of making physics at all engaging or enjoyable. I mean, really, when you think "physics professor," you probably think of some extremely boring class presided over by an even more boring professor. But Dr. Johnson is the opposite! Which is why this book is so fantastic.

In this book, he takes his talent for explaining physics so well (and with so much humor!), combines it with his literally limitless storage of Star Wars knowledge, and uses each to springboard off the other, weaving together a book that leaves you knowing far more about both your own world and the worlds created in the Star Wars movies. I am nowhere near the Star Wars enthusiast that he is, however, I have found myself wondering if some of the cool things I've seen in Star Wars movies could really be a reality someday (or somewhere in another universe), and he happily addresses these questions in his book.

For example, who hasn't wondered if we could ever have lightsabers or blasters (or what they really are made of)? And what's up with people hurting each other with lightning that comes out of their fingers? And could the Death Star REALLY destroy another planet? And, if so, how could it do that? And I had never really understood what Luke's family was doing - moisture farming? What the heck? And I had never really thought much about how cool it was that Luke's home planet had two suns (turns out, we here on earth don't WANT two suns - Dr. Johnson explains why!). And how in the world does the Millenium Falcon barrel through the universe at light speed without hitting things like planets and such that should otherwise be in its way?

And on and on. He takes our reality and uses it to talk about their reality in Star Wars, or he takes their reality and helps us understand ours better. These themes are woven throughout the book, and the result is masterful and so very interesting. If you like science or Star Wars (especially if you like Star Wars!), this is YOUR BOOK.

[dobbs the dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!

I am a big space geek and absolutely love Star Wars, so this was completely in my wheelhouse.
What I liked about it is that it looked at pretty much every aspect of the movies and how physics would be used for each thing and also the real world application of that science. Some examples that were looked at: lightsabers, interplanetary communications, Cloud City, droids, hyperspace, the Death Star, force lightning, and SO many more! I really liked how it broke every concept down and explained it in a somewhat accessible way (as I mentioned before, I am a big space geek and am quite familiar with most concepts in physics, so for me it was accessible, but that may not be the case if you are not as familiar with these concepts).

Each chapter is broken down into what it is that is being looked at, which movie it is from, which characters it involves, and which physics concepts are being applied. I especially liked that it outlined which concepts were being applied, because there were some that I would never have thought would be applicable to the specific item. For example, when Obi-Wan is searching for the lost planet of Kamino, it looks at how this planet could be lost/hiding, and the concept being used is gravitational lensing. If you had asked me, a very lay person, to explain how this planet could be lost/hiding, I'm not sure how I would have explained it, but as soon as they mentioned gravitational lensing, I was like, 'of course!', and then it went on to explain how exactly gravitational lensing would work in this instance.

I listened to the audiobook of this, and I do have to say that it required a fair bit of concentration, as it is very sciency and there are a decent number of equations that are really hard to follow in audio form. It did give a few resources for some of the concepts, which I really appreciated, and even after falling down a black hole of youtube videos, my mind is still completely boggled by the idea that: 1+2+3+4+...∞ = -1/12. That's probably more math than most folks are interested in, and even though I still don't understand it, I still thoroughly enjoyed trying to understand it.

If you love Star Wars and science, I would definitely recommend this book. And of course, May the F=mA Be With You!

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

As readers/viewers, we generally, (willingly) participate in the literary element of "suspension of disbelief" when we read fiction and watch films. According to Wikipedia, suspension of disbelief is a "...willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe something surreal; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment... coined in 1817 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge..." If one rwad.this book with that in mind, this book would be pointless...and a little soul crushing for Star Wars nerda. One does not watch Star Wars films and walk out angry because the physics of the Death Star, light sabers, and AT-ATs are improbable or impractical. That said, this book (mostly) recognizes that its objective is more of a fun intellectual exercise in "What if...?" and not an angry rant from, say a pop science physicist as to how the movie makers "got it all wrong." Johnson examines the physics from both the Star Wars galaxy and the physics of our world. It's a super nerdy book on a lot of levels. It can get a little tiresome if you read too many chapters in one sitting, so I recommend spacing out the reading over time. And, on a side note, this would be an awesome instructional tool for an intro level physics teacher.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

When: PT, RO, OT, TFA
Where: Mustafar, Bespin, Coruscant, Tatooine, Kamino, Hoth, Naboo, Geonosis...
Characters: All
Short intro background: [What is being addressed and questions to be answered]
Backstory: [Within Star Wars]
The physics of Star Wars: [How things work in that ‘verse]
The physics of Real Life: [How things work in-’verse]

Something I love with this book is the format. Granted, I’m listening to the audiobook (which is not the best choice), but the layout of how the content is provided is the same: The title, a quote from SW, and the information listed above.

Some of the “whats” that are provided as titles and/or discussed in the physics parts include:
Trash in space, Tibanna gas, travel, communication, star/solar systems, atmosphere, solar panels, gravity, velocity & accel, hyperspace, relativity, ship design, plasma vs lasers, energy, [the] Force, medical advancements, holograms, and augmented reality

I really like Johnson’s words on parallel universes, why hyperspace doesn’t violate the laws of physics, and why the Kessel Run could be measured in distance.
I also like that he uses canon and non-canon (Legends?) information.
The appendices (one on SW terms and one on physics ones) are both super helpful and awesome.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) This book would be the written script if a bunch of college students, physical majors and/or PhD candidates, were kicking back a few beers (or some other adult-type beverages), watching a few Star Wars (yes, even Phantom Menace), seeing the action and then getting into a discussion of "could that actually happen in our galaxy?" This work dives into all the possibilities, from trying to determine exactly when "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" happens, all the way to determining if tractor beams and electronic shields could actually work in the real world. It doesn't get too technical, but being physics and trying to highlight feasibility and reality, you can't escape math and numbers. For the audiobook, it is a bit amusing to hear the reader run through multiple zeros in rapid succession to try to convey a very large or very small number (or binary language...that makes an appearance here as well). The reader does a good job with the material, which could easily turn real dry, real fast. All in all, a fun read for all the Star Wars fans out there...one that doesn't require a degree in physics to understand.

[Devon Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes the awesome world of Star Wars and breaks down the science behind it all. From lightsabers to hyperspace travel, it explores the physics principles that could make these things possible.

What I really enjoyed about the book was how it made complex scientific concepts accessible and relatable. The author did a fantastic job of explaining things in a way that even somewhat amateur scientists like me could understand.

One of the highlights for me was the section on the Death Star and its planet-destroying power. The book delves into the science of superweapons and explores the feasibility of such a destructive force. It really made me appreciate the thought that goes into creating a sci-fi universe like Star Wars and another part about the book I liked is when they compared are own firepower to the planet obliterating super weapon.

Overall, “The Physics of Star Wars” is a fascinating read for both Star Wars fans and science enthusiasts. It combines the excitement of the franchise with the wonders of physics, making it an entertaining and educational experience. May the Force be with you as you dive into this cosmic adventure!

[Hypable Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read our full review on Hypable!

The Physics of Star Wars is a great read for anyone who’s ever dreamed of living in a galaxy far, far away. What’s that? You didn’t think that was possible? Well, it may be time to think again.

Star Wars is definitely more fantasy than sci-fi, but with technology advancing at such a rapid rate in the world today, things that we once thought to be inconceivable are ebbing closer to reality. The more we learn about both Earth and Space, the less fantastical some elements of the Star Wars movies become.

One of the most impressive things about The Physics of Star Wars is the vast range of topics that it covers. From the anatomy of the galaxy and the organisms living within it, to transportation and weaponry, to droids and the Force, there’s nothing that the book shies away from.

[Faisal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for Star Wars & Science fans.
The author does a very good job of explaining the context (in Star Wars, for example Light Sabers, Hyperdrives, Binary stars, The Force etc.), then tries to come up with a scientific context (of how things are working in the movie or novels or the script), after which he provides current scientific context (debunking or upholding the things shown in the movie).

My favorite: Light Saber - we don't know whether they are actually light or plasma swords. If light, then they would be too cold and shallow to actually cut through something (think laser pointers). If plasma, then they would be too hot and a jedi would not be able to hold the metal container.
Quite disappointing for my son and I.

[Mrklingon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science fun in the Galaxy Far, Far Away!

To be honest, I didn't *finish* this (ran of out of time on my loan), but it's a very nicely done SCIENCE book that *uses* Star Wars as a launching point for all kinds of articles.

There's two ways to do this - the "buzzkill" way that essentially debunks the errors and inaccuracy of the stories. Maybe satisfying for someone with an axe to grind, but not that enjoyable.

This book does it the other way - "we see x, y, and z in Star Wars... how could that happen?" Then launches into analyzing the in-universe observations of the films, and moves on to explore what it would take in our reality. It's done gracefully and respectfully of the GFFA, real science, and the reader.

[Colleen Villasenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that the author is both a scientist and a Star Wars fan. He compares the physics of Star Wars to real-world physics. While he concludes that much of what happens in Star Wars is not feasible in our world, it is a great way to introduce real-world physics to others. He breaks it down into sections which makes this a fast and relatively easy read. He keeps the explanations relatively simple, although he also introduces equations and concepts that allow the reader to pursue further study on their own. I think a physics class from him would probably be enlightening and entertaining.

[Aidan McCourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty neat, and for when it was written pretty up to date on what movies were out (It was 2016 so Rogue One was the most recent) Interesting and informative, but kinda peters out towards the end. A lot of stuff like “droids” is just like car factory assembly more or less, but a lot of the hypothetical stuff is cool.

[Max Lapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could a lightsaber work in real life? Or what is the true power of a Death Star or a Starkiller Base? Indeed, this is a look taken with a grain of physics. You would like it, cause written by a fan for fans.

[Kaley ❄️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly a really fun and interesting read! It went through basic physics of a bunch of items so it gave a more generic overview but it was easy to understand if you didn’t understand a lot about physics!

[Lizzy Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah yes it makes sense that this was written in 2017, anything about AI is slightly moot (and in reflection makes the last few years of AI terrifying)

All in all an interesting book with real work thought and application of science

[Doug Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed at how superficial this read.

[Scott Loughridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty interesting read, its like the show "The Big Bang Theory" if they only talked about Star Wars.