Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars

73: Cartography in Star Wars

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 [https://bsky.app/profile/jasoncfry.bsky.social] and send any cartographic errors you find to essential.atlas@gmail.com Check out the official Galaxy Map on starwars.com [https://www.starwars.com/star-wars-galaxy-map]! Buy your copy of Jason's Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, or peruse some of the maps on Wookieepedia [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Essential_Atlas]. Check out all of Jason Fry's other Star Wars books [https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/42134.Jason_Fry], including The Last Jedi (adult novelization) and Rebels: Servants of the Empire series. Other books mentioned in this episode include Atlas of Middle Earth [https://bookshop.org/p/books/atlas-of-middle-earth-karen-wynn-fonstad/aac48a4346b7c260], Atlas of Medieval History [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-new-penguin-atlas-of-medieval-history-revised-edition-colin-mcevedy/a1e6a3babcd4053d], The Mask of Fear [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735101/star-wars-the-mask-of-fear-reign-of-the-empire-by-alexander-freed/] from the Reign of the Empire series. You can order James's crossword puzzle book [https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/star-wars-crossword-puzzles] now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads [https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-reads]! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-warsologies-a-podcast-about-science-and-star-wars/id1567158758], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/66fIiGZU3poOlTETQZf7qO], or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/category/podcasts/starwarsologies/]! Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/starwarsologies.bsky.social] and Ins [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]t [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]agram [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/] or join our Facebook fan group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/525984202561077]! 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.

72: Feminism in Star Wars

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 [https://www.beccaeharrison.com/] 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)" [https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Strikes-Back-Film-Classics/dp/191123997X] Listen to our episode [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/new-podcast-star-warsologies-35-celebration-andor-the-empire-and-a-history-of-resistance/] 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 [https://galaxytours.com/product/star-wars-tour-tunisia-science-of-the-galaxy-far-away-group-tour-2025-davin-anderson-lee-bullock/]. 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 [https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/star-wars-crossword-puzzles] now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads [https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-reads]! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-warsologies-a-podcast-about-science-and-star-wars/id1567158758], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/66fIiGZU3poOlTETQZf7qO], or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/category/podcasts/starwarsologies/]! Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/starwarsologies.bsky.social] and Ins [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]t [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]agram [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/] or join our Facebook fan group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/525984202561077]! 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.

71: Star Wars Critters at LA Comic Con

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 [https://youtu.be/AyXw_sCJD4A] 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 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/star-wars-bestiary-vol-1-creatures-of-the-galaxy-s-t-bende/46bf0ce4697028a7]! Check out our episode with panelists Earyn McGee, all about lizards [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/new-podcast-star-warsologies-30-herpetology/], and with Sam Wynns about wildlife conservation [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/star-warsologies-14-wildlife-conservation/]! We love to talk about critters, as you may have noticed. Here's our panels from Star Wars Celebration 2022 [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/new-podcast-star-warsologies-17-galactic-critters/] and Legacy Expo 2025 [https://youtu.be/pY5yFXrJuYU]! Find out more about the Galaxy Tour science field trip [https://galaxytours.com/product/star-wars-tour-tunisia-science-of-the-galaxy-far-away-group-tour-2025-davin-anderson-lee-bullock/]. 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 [https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/star-wars-crossword-puzzles] now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads [https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-reads]! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-warsologies-a-podcast-about-science-and-star-wars/id1567158758], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/66fIiGZU3poOlTETQZf7qO], or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/category/podcasts/starwarsologies/]! Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/starwarsologies.bsky.social] and Ins [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]t [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]agram [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/] or join our Facebook fan group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/525984202561077]! 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.

70: Mass Media in Star Wars

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 [https://www.samuelcspitale.com/] and YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@HowToWinTheWarOnTruth]. He's also on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howtowinthewarontruth/]. 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" [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710856/how-to-win-the-war-on-truth-by-samuel-c-spitale/] Get a copy of Samuel's coffee table book "Collecting a Galaxy - The Art of Sideshow" [https://www.sideshow.com/collectibles/star-wars-collecting-a-galaxy-the-art-of-sideshow-sideshow-collectibles-5009091] Find out more about the Galaxy Tour science field trip [https://galaxytours.com/product/star-wars-tour-tunisia-science-of-the-galaxy-far-away-group-tour-2025-davin-anderson-lee-bullock/]. 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 [https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/star-wars-crossword-puzzles] now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads [https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-reads]! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-warsologies-a-podcast-about-science-and-star-wars/id1567158758], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/66fIiGZU3poOlTETQZf7qO], or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/category/podcasts/starwarsologies/]! Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/starwarsologies.bsky.social] and Ins [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]t [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]agram [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/] or join our Facebook fan group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/525984202561077]! 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.

69: Space Exploration in Star Wars

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 [https://legacyexpo.org/] 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 [https://www.planetary.org/save-nasa-science] advocacy from the Planetary Society, including participation in October 5-6 Days of Action [https://www.planetary.org/advocacy/day-of-action]! Learn more about NASA's Perseverance rover [https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/] and the Europa Clipper mission [https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/] that Katherine mentioned. Check out Melissa's Nerdist article [https://nerdist.com/article/perseverance-rover-dropped-object-looks-like-lightsaber-rock-sample-tube-on-mars/] about the Mars samples that look like lightsabers! Find out more about the Galaxy Tour science field trip [https://galaxytours.com/product/star-wars-tour-tunisia-science-of-the-galaxy-far-away-group-tour-2025-davin-anderson-lee-bullock/]. 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 [https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/star-wars-crossword-puzzles] now! For a free puzzle, download the activity kit from Star Wars Reads [https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-reads]! Subscribe to Star Warsologies on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-warsologies-a-podcast-about-science-and-star-wars/id1567158758], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/66fIiGZU3poOlTETQZf7qO], or wherever you listen to podcasts. Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here [https://skywalkingthroughneverland.com/category/podcasts/starwarsologies/]! Follow us on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/starwarsologies.bsky.social] and Ins [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]t [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/]agram [https://www.instagram.com/starwarsologies/] or join our Facebook fan group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/525984202561077]! 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.