ODDBALL: The Physics of the DeathStar
So you want to destroy Alderan? One physicist shows you how…
It’s one of the most iconic sequences in all of film: the evil galactic empire takes the captured princess to her home planet of Alderaan, a world not so different from Earth, threatening to destroy it unless she tells them the location of the hidden rebel base. Distressed but loyal to her cause, she lies, giving them the name of a false location, which they have no way of knowing. Nevertheless, they give the order to fire, and despite her protestations, this is what happens next.
And one physicist walks you through exactly how science could pull it off. Here’s hint – it doesn’t involve lasers and has even scarier implications that you think…
“Now witness the firepower of fully armed and operational battlestation!” – Emperor Palpatine
