Advertise on podcast: Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars

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 does anyone hang out with C-3PO? We also get into the inevitable discussion of AI's role in translating and understanding ancient languages and scripts, as well as how the Empire removing people from their individual cultures comes straight from the colonizer's playbook. Show Notes: Check out Giraffe on the Star Trek podcast Strange New pod, which is live every Thursday at 6:30pm Pacific time! And find her on Instagram and BlueSky! We mentioned some relevant past episodes during this discussion: check out our languages episode with David Peterson, who created languages for Game of Thrones, Marvel movies, and more, and our anti-fascism episode with historian and author Chris Kempshall. You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.  

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 movies, as well as their experiences with non-traditional puppetry like animatronics, motion capture, and claymation. Panelists include Cheralyn Lambeth (puppet builder, Dinosaurs!, Avenue Q), Kirk Thatcher (writer and director, The Muppets Haunted Mansion), and Fon Davis (model maker, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline). Moderated by Melissa T. Miller (Star Warsologies podcast). Links from the panel discussion: Check out Adam Kreutinger's @PuppetNerd YouTube Channel and the Stan Winston School for puppetry building tips.  Watch the Tested video Fon mentioned where he shows Adam Savage around Fonco Studio's effects lab.  Here's the TikTok video Kirk mentioned where the baby in Dinosaurs talks back to the director. If you want to hear more about Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, check out the LA Comic Con panel about those movies that Melissa and Fon did together in 2024.     

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 Essential Atlas and how the book is literally a childhood dream come true. It turns out a lot of the mapping framework came from a video game mechanic! Show Notes: Follow Jason on BlueSky @jasoncfry and send any cartographic errors you find to [email protected] Check out the official Galaxy Map on starwars.com! Buy your copy of Jason's Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, or peruse some of the maps on Wookieepedia. Check out all of Jason Fry's other Star Wars books, including The Last Jedi (adult novelization) and Rebels: Servants of the Empire series. Other books mentioned in this episode include Atlas of Middle Earth, Atlas of Medieval History, The Mask of Fear from the Reign of the Empire series. You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.  

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 discuss feminism, gender identity, and the importance of representation when it comes to Star Wars, including within the fandom itself. Becca is a freelance academic who has studied Star Wars from multiple academic angles including historical, data technology, gender identity, and even environmental. Show Notes: Check out Becca's website for more of her work on Star Wars as well as resources for for film analysis and research. Get your copy of Becca's book "The Empire Strikes Back (BFI Film Classics)" Listen to our episode recreating the panel from 2023's Celebration in London about Andor that included Becca and other experts. Find out more about the Galaxy Tour science field trip. And if you do sign up to go, make sure to put "Star Warsologies" in the Order Notes when you check out! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.  

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 wampas, Star Wars creatures great and small are a beloved part of the galaxy far, far away. Moderator S.T. Bende (author of Star Wars Bestiary, Vol. 1: Creatures of the Galaxy) will quiz this panel of animal experts and fans on how everything from porgs to purrgil are adapted to their environments and show similarities to life here on Earth. New members to the Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts are welcome, bring questions about your favorite sci-fi and fantasy animals! Show Notes: Buy the Star Wars Bestiary! Check out our episode with panelists Earyn McGee, all about lizards, and with Sam Wynns about wildlife conservation! We love to talk about critters, as you may have noticed. Here's our panels from Star Wars Celebration 2022 and Legacy Expo 2025! Find out more about the Galaxy Tour science field trip. And if you do sign up to go, make sure to put "Star Warsologies" in the Order Notes when you check out! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.  

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 Andor, there are also some hints in the holiday special, so of course we talk about that! Join us to help fight misinformation with the truth! An illustration from "How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality" provided by Samuel Spitale. Show Notes: Check out Samuel's website and YouTube channel. He's also on Instagram. Get a copy of Samuel's book "How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality" Get a copy of Samuel's coffee table book "Collecting a Galaxy - The Art of Sideshow" Find out more about the Galaxy Tour science field trip. And if you do sign up to go, make sure to put "Star Warsologies" in the Order Notes when you check out! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.  

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 there!), but we also dive deep into the similarities between Mars and Tatooine and how early travelers explored the galaxy far, far away. Since Katherine is so well-versed in the Extended Universe books, we also talk about the few examples of scientific exploration present there. Show Notes: Get involved in the Save NASA Science advocacy from the Planetary Society, including participation in October 5-6 Days of Action! Learn more about NASA's Perseverance rover and the Europa Clipper mission that Katherine mentioned. Check out Melissa's Nerdist article about the Mars samples that look like lightsabers! Find out more about the Galaxy Tour science field trip. And if you do sign up to go, make sure to put "Star Warsologies" in the Order Notes when you check out! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

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 power on Coruscant or in the dark recesses of the Outer Rim. Panelists will dive deep into the popular show Star Wars: Andor, especially season 2, and examine themes of resisting authoritarianism and aspects of outright rebellion. How do the choices made by Cassian Andor, Mon Mothma, and Luthen Rael make the galaxy more free but also more perilous? Psychologists Drea Letamendi (Lattes with Leia, The Arkham Sessions, Aliens Expanded) and Catherine Hicks will take you into the minds of Imperial loyalists like Dedra Meero and insurgent fighters like Saw Gerrera. Also charging into the fray will be speculative fiction author Jendia Gammon (Atacama, Doomflower, The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern), San Diego State rhetoric and writing instructor Robert Dagnall, and American Indian studies professor Desmond Hassing. Hosted by James Floyd (Star Wars author, Star Wars Insider regular contributor, Star Warsologies podcast co-host). Fight the Empire! Check out the slides from the panel as well as some panel photos on the YouTube version of the episode: https://youtu.be/zEdBI5R-5D4 Full show notes page, including how to find the panelists online  

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, so we also chat about how that came about. Show Links: Follow Nenko on Instagram and BlueSky. Nenko is also an author. All his books are in Bulgarian (no English translations yet!), but check him out on Goodreads or through publishers Artline and Hermes. Plus audiobooks from Storytel! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.  

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 help us understand what's happening in American politics? Can we practice resistance in an immersive environment like Galaxy's Edge and use it to talk about the ongoing ICE raids? Is there reason to hope? And of course we chat about Order 66. Show Links: Check out Chris's books "The History and Politics of Star Wars" and "The First World War In Computer Games." The books Chris recommended are "The Empire Triumphant" by Kevin J. Wetmore and "The World According to Star Wars" by Cass R. Sunstein. Listen to Chris's earlier appearance on the podcast in our Andor season 1 panel. Chris also joined James's panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025 "Droids, AI, and Sentience." You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

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 formations in Cars Land - just to name a few. There's also robotics everywhere, from the original audio-animatronics to the advanced Spider-Man that swings across Avengers Campus. Our panel of experts includes astrophysicist Lisa Will, geologist Garrett Vice, paleontologist Stuart Sumida (who worked on the Matterhorn animations), and biologist Elizabeth Rega (who consulted on the Hall of Presidents). All are huge Disney fans who can't wait to geek out and help you experience Disneyland from a whole new angle. Show Links: Listen to the episode Geology of Galaxy's Edge, where Garrett dives even deeper into the cool rocks around both Disneyland parks in California! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

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 miniatures in the Star Wars prequels. Panel description: Episodes I, II, and III revolutionized the use of computer graphics in film but did you know that the ILM model shop was still in full swing during production? There are more miniatures in each of the prequels than the original trilogy combined! Fon Davis, an ILM model maker during the Special Edition and prequels era, takes us through his favorite behind the scenes photos and stories - many of which involve explosions. From the podracing arena on Tatooine to the lava flows of Mustafar, a surprising number of miniatures were created and used in tandem with other visual effects. Take a deep dive into the movie magic! Show Links: Watch season 2 of Light & Magic on Disney+ now for more from Fon and other ILM behind the scenes images and stories! For more ILM stories, check out the Episode II panel from SiliCon 2022 with Fon Davis, John Goodson, Kim Smith, Nelson Hall, and Don Bies! Fon has also joined us for convention panels about Galaxy Quest, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, as well as at Star Wars Celebration in London in 2023! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

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 the scenes on designing droids for the movies. Why do droids in Star Wars look the way they do? Why do we all love R2-D2? How close are we to having droid intelligence and personality in our own world? Let's go inside the gears and processing units to explore all the possibilities. Our team of experts includes Yukie Nagai (Project Professor, International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo), Fon Davis (ILM Model Maker - Star Wars), Chris Kempshall (author, Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire and The History and Politics of Star Wars) and Joel Welch (PhD Law candidate at Western University, Emerging Technology Policies & SciFi). Moderated by James Floyd (Star Wars Insider; Star Warsologies, Star Wars Crossword Puzzles). Show Links: Check out Yukie Nagai's robotics website. Check out Chris Kempshall's website. You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

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 would wildlife thrive on Coruscant? Are we close to making robots similar to C-3PO and R2-D2? We'll try to tackle these questions and more with our lineup of experts in all sorts of fields, including Dr. Yukie Nagai (robotics), Dr. Takafumi Maruishi (volcanology), Dr. Kazuo Tanaka (particle physics), Gabriel Santos (paleontology), and Melissa Miller (science communicator). Join host James Floyd (Star Wars author, Star Wars Insider regular contributor, Star Warsologies podcast co-host) in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Episode III with a look into its science and technology. Show Links: Check out Yukie Nagai's robotics website. Check out Kazuo Tanaka's at home particle detector Check out Takafumi Maruishi's volcanic research. You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.

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 publishes books? Did the Empire erase or burn all books about the Jedi? Did that lead to a renaissance after Return of the Jedi, with stories of Luke Skywalker turning into everything from fairy tales to fan fiction? Show Links: Check out all the amazing Star Wars books available from Penguin Random House! You can order James's crossword puzzle book now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads! Subscribe to never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here! Follow us on BlueSky and Instagram or join our Facebook fan group! Star Warsologies is a podcast about science in a galaxy far, far away. Hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of storytelling in the franchise with their keen interest in all things academic.