Star Warsologies: A Podcast About Science and Star Wars

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we chat with Maria Sandoval, head of the hair department on The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka!

Maria Sandoval joins us to talk hair design and styling in Star Wars. She discusses her work on the recent shows and The Mandalorian and Grogu movie and how much thought goes int o each actor's look. Even though most of the title characters don't have hair, or it's covered by a helmet most of the time, it all has to fit in with the Star Wars aesthetic. We talk about what the hair department is in charge of versus makeup, costuming, and Legacy Effects. And of course we discuss the many iconic hairstyles of other Star Wars characters like Leia and Padme. We also get meta and speculate what kind of hair stylists exist in-universe. Are there braiding droids?!

Show Links:

Follow Maria at @bibbidibobbidibatuu on Instagram and keep an eye on her website for more updates! You can also follow her at @onlyspeederfans on IG.

Maria will be at Halcy-Con in October in Orlands, find her there! She'll also be part of the Virtual Cantina event at Star Wars Celebration in Los Angeles in April 2027!

Listen to Maria's interview with Skywalking Through Neverland, our podcast friends!

Check out Maria's IMDb page to check out her impressive credits!

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 this episode on YouTube to see all the slides from the panel - screenshots, science concepts and more! https://youtu.be/rW-WBS_uWM0

Panel description: Tom Cruise's diverse filmography is a perfect way to talk about science! What part of his impossible missions are actually realistic? What does real-life physics and human anatomy have to say about all those stunts? We'll also cover aliens, cloning, time loops, and even vampires and mummies! Lisa Will (astrophysicist and astronomer), Gracie Ermi (computer and machine learning scientist), Elizabeth Rega (anatomy professor and science advisor), Ronald Coleman (stem cell biologist and author), Laine D'Augustine (aerospace engineer and pilot), and Paul Wynns (retired naval aviator and flight school owner) are eager to explore what we can learn while eating our popcorn and being entertained by one of the biggest movie stars. Moderated by science communicator Melissa T. Miller.

Sound recording and editing by Isabella Miller.

In this episode of Star Warsologies, we share our panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2026 "Star Wars Tourism: Visiting a Galaxy Far, Far Away on Earth!"

For this fun panel, held in the Star Wars room on Friday of SDCC, we were joined by SDSU professor Jake Rowlett. It was a great discussion of the filming sites we've been to, along with fun pictures (and even a video!), plus James sharing how much work he's done to find some of these places around the world. We recommend checking out the YouTube video linked below for this episode, there's lots of great visuals. Hopefully this inspires you to make your own Star Wars-themed vacation plans!

Show Links:

Here's the YouTube video! https://youtu.be/gNFHk9xCjlo

James's awesome maps to filming locations:

California: tinyurl.com/StarWarsinCA

UK: tinyurl.com/GFFAJourneysUK

Ireland: tinyurl.com/GFFAJourneysIreland

Madeira: tinyurl.com/GFFAJourneysMadeira

Other Resources:

Join GFFA Journeys Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2798527723635415/

Check out Galaxy Tours trips to Tunisia: galaxytours.com

More filming locations maps: StarWarsBoardingPass.com

Facebook group That Place in Space: facebook.com/starwarsplaces

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 Deana Weibel about her book "The Ultraview Effect" and how to recognize the sense of awe in a galaxy far, far away (as well as our own!).

The ultraview effect refers to astronauts who see the depths of space and are awed by the unknown. There may not be much awe of space travel in Star Wars, but there is awe when it comes to the power of the Force. Luke Skywalker's journey in the original trilogy lines up with an astronaut's journey, including him being humbled and coming back to learn more. We also cover Force Ghosts, how awe can become terror, and how religions and the Force may go hand in hand in a galaxy far, far away. And we also talk about Star Trek and Firefly a bit too and how sci-fi and fantasy gives us a sense of awe in our own lives!

Show Links:

Check out Deana's website for more about her book "The Ultraview Effect: What we can learn from astronauts about awe, humility, and exploring the unknown" and her other projects.

Follow Deana on Instagram and BlueSky!

Learn more about Deana's upcoming book about the Voyager Golden Record.

See images and learn more about the recent Artemis II mission's lunar flyby that we talked about, thanks to NASA!

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 2026 panel "Science of Disneyland!"

Watch the YouTube version of this episode for all the amazing behind the scenes visuals shared during the panel!

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. We'll cover topics including physics, the psychology of play and Disney adults, the history of witches and magic, and the role of technology and automation in the happiest place on Earth. Our panel of experts includes astrophysicist Lisa Will, historian Beth Pollard, psychologist Drea Letamendi, art historian Roland Betancourt (author, Disneyland and the Rise of Automation: How Technology Created the Happiest Place on Earth), paleontologist Stuart Sumida (advisor, Matterhorn animations and co-author, Disneyland Rocks! The Geology of the Disneyland and California Adventure), and biologist Elizabeth Rega (consultant, Hall of Presidents). Moderated by science writer Melissa T. Miller. 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 or watch the 2025 panel from WonderCon too. Hopefully we'll get to do this every year!

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

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we chat with chemistry professor (and Melissa's former boss!) Seth Cohen.

We get into a discussion of lightsabers, of course, and learn about the real-life crystals involved in laser experiments that sound a lot like Kyber crystals. There's also a lot of cool info about different metals, including how the strength of beskar might not be in the material itself but how it's prepared. We get into some fun new questions about the cortosis helmet in The Acolyte too. Seth calls chemistry "the central science" and we really do find a variety of topics to cover when it comes to Star Wars!

Show Notes:

Seth's research group is currently at UCSD but he's moving soon to UC Irvine! And learn more about DARPA projects like Atmospheric Water Extraction and LifeStraw that we talked about.

Learn more about MOFs (the chemistry kind) that earned the Nobel Prize!

You can also check out Mike Sailor's research at UCSD that we talked about in terms of beskar armor!

Check out our related episodes on lasers in Star Wars and one about prosthetics.

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.

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we chat with Chris Cooper, editor of Star Wars Insider magazine. The final issue is out now!

We send our beloved Star Wars Insider magazine off with a fond farewell discussion with editor Chris Cooper. Hear James and Melissa's origin stories in terms of their work for the magazine! Listen to us compliment each other on our favorite articles that the other has written! Learn more about Chris's work and fandom, and what he wants to do next. And then go pick up your copy of Star Wars Insider issue 237, the end of an era.

Show Notes:

Read Chris's writing in the Doctor Who universe!

Learn more about Chris and his work in the Star Wars universe on his Wookieepedia page!

Here's the starwars.com article James wrote and where he and Melissa met for the first time!

Check out the list of Melissa's Insider bylines on Wookieepedia.

Check out the list of James's Insider bylines on Wookieepedia.

You can find the Donny and Marie Star Wars special on YouTube.

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.

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk cybersecurity (or lack thereof) in Star Wars with expert Malia Mason.

There's a lot of plot points around stolen data in Star Wars - Rebel Base locations, Death Star plans, undercover ISB agents just to name a few. Malia talks about her work and whether she would work for the good guys or end up recruited by the Imperials. Of course we cover R2-D2's ability to plug into a random port on the Death Star and download information. Could that be because he was once Anakin Skywalker's droid and has outdated permissions? And what does our expert think of data centers like on Scarif? Would she have cleared Galen Erso to work on something as critical to the Empire as the Death Star? We also talk about the meta level, as Star Wars uses deep fakes to de-age actors for prequels and uses artificial intelligence to bring us Darth Vader's voice.

Note: We recorded this conversation on February 27, 2026 - the day before the US began attacks on Iran, so our discussion of cyberwarfare does not include breaking news.

Show Notes:

If you haven't already, listen to our previous episode about wearable technology, which we discuss in terms of cybersecurity of all that personal medical data.

Check out this article about cybersecurity lessons in Star Wars!

And it's never a bad time to rewatch Saturday Night Live's Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base sketch, and the follow up sketch.

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.

On this episode of Star Warsologies, we talk to bioengineering professor Benjamin Smarr about technology integrated into the body.

There's tons of wearable tech in Star Wars! Luke has a prosthetic hand and Darth Vader is more machine than man. How does that technology integrate into their bodies and minds? Benajmin Smarr shares his insights from researching health technology that helps people understand the patterns our bodies go through. He also speculates about projects he'd pursue if he was a professor in the Star Wars galaxy - including whether Jedi's midichlorian count changes are they age, train, or even just don't sleep well. We also get into women's reproductive health. How could Padme's pregnancy with twins have gone overlooked? Here on Earth, why are there still so many mysteries surrounding the female body? We also tackle circadian rhythms and (just weeks into daylight savings time) ponder how so many species from hundreds of planets manage to adjust to a standard time.

Show Notes:

Check out the Smarr Lab's website for tons more info about his research projects and publications.

Book recommendations by Benjamin about circadian rhythm: Satchin Panda's "The Circadian Code" and "The Inner Clock" by Lynne Peeples.

Learn more about UCSD's Center for Microbiome Innovation.

Listen to our feminism episode mentioned in this conversation. And also our episode about prosthetics!

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 we talk to earthquake geologist Wendy Bohon about planets, lava and lots and lots of explosions!

Dr. Wendy Bohon joins us this month to discuss how life might begin and be sustained on planets in a galaxy far, far away. The answer is earthquakes! Or are they called Tatooine-quakes and Hoth-quakes? We dive into Naboo's watery core and discuss whether Mustafar was the right place to build an evil lair. And of course we get in to the Death Star's ability to destroy planets. Alderaan is in pieces but what happened during the tests on Jedha and Scarif?

Show Notes:

Follow Wendy on YouTube, Instagram, BlueSky, and other social media sites. And check out her website!

Learn more about the Cave of the Crystals Wendy mentions, that reminds her of Crait and the crystal foxes!

If you can't get enough geology talk, give our debut episode (from 2021!) a listen. We also talked more about Mustafar in our Revenge of the Sith panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025.

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.