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.

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.

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.

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!

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.