Let's look at the music of Star Wars! So much of what we associate with the galaxy far, far away is connected to the soundtracks composed by John Williams. We take a look at the diagetic music of the films, from the cantina band tracks to the celebratory songs by Ewoks and Gungans. We also examine the common musical themes that John Williams built into the audio DNA of the saga, as well as musical pieces that may have influenced Williams in his composition. Our guest expert is Dr. Jason Giachetti, who teaches music at the college and high school level. He has a doctorate in music education, with an emphasis on percussive instruments.

In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It's a monthly podcast about science and Star Wars!

To better understand the music, Dr. Giachetti prepared a presentation that showcases the musical notation in the score, and the YouTube version of this episode has his slides synched up to the podcast audio.

You can watch the original Jabba's Palace song on YouTube.

Watch the end of A New Hope without any music!

Here's Darth Vader's scene with a romantic song playing. Redouble our efforts indeed!

Check out the Hans Zimmer Master Class that Jason mentioned.

And here's the books he recommended:

The Film Music of John Williams by Emilion Audissino

Creative Strategies in Film Scoring by Ben Newhouse

Musical Composition: Craft and Art by Alan Belkin

Melissa and Lisa welcome two guest experts to cover Fast Five, the movie that really accelerates the franchise into greatness. Prison escapes, train heists, and a bank vault crashing through the streets of Rio make up the action, but the movie is also about family (of course) and reunites some of our favorite characters. A city planner and a visual effects artist who worked on Tokyo Drift join our podcast family in this high speed episode!

Here's a great behind the scenes video about the practical stunts in the bank vault sequence!

And where we got the math about whether Dom and Brian could really tow the vault!

Follow James Floyd on Twitter and Instagram.

And check out his Star Wars filming location tours, Galaxy Far, Far Away Journeys!

Follow Melissa @melissatruth

Follow Lisa @dustchick

The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever!

Listen to episode 4 here

Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Melissa and Lisa discuss Fast & Furious, the fourth movie in the Fast saga. The car chases and stakes are finally high! Letty's (maybe) dead! Dom is bulletproof! Lots to discuss. Melissa and Lisa also welcome Dr. Jackson Vane to the show to discuss medical issues throughout the franchise, including the most important question - how are these characters even still alive??!

Check out Jackson's Hi Everybody! A Bad Medicine podcast including the episode about Hobbs & Shaw!

And follow Jackson's podcast on Twitter.

Follow Melissa @melissatruth

Follow Lisa @dustchick

The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever!

Listen to episode 3 here

Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

We chat blue food in Star Wars and here on Earth, where's it's not nearly as prevelant. Dr. Changqi Liu from San Diego State University shares his expertise about flowers, berries, and other foods. But does he know why blue raspberry flavoring exists? Cook up some blue noodles, pour yourself a glass of blue milk, and enjoy!

More about butterfly pea flower lemonade!

More about color-changing gin!

Find out more about Changqi's research!

Subscribe and never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.

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Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here!

In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It's a monthly podcast about science and other fields of knowledge and Star Wars!

In this episode, Melissa and Lisa chat about Tokyo Drift and interview a stunt driver. Lisa explains the physics of drifting and Melissa posits whether the saga takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie may feel out of place, but all is forgiven because it introduces Han to the franchise.

Check out the Motion Picture Driving Clinic's website and on Instagram

Follow Melissa @melissatruth

Follow Lisa @dustchick

The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever!

Listen to episode 2 here

Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Voice actor extraordinaire Vanessa Marshall joins us on this episode of Star Warsologies! She is the voice (and soul) of "space mom" Hera Syndulla from Star Wars: Rebels, among many other credits. We talk about the importance of found family, fandom, and Joseph Campbell's hero's journey template. Vanessa is such a force for good and we are so excited to geek out with her about Star Wars and tons of other topics. Enjoy!

Find Vanessa on Twitch, Instagram, and Twitter!

You can visit her at one of these upcoming convention appearances:

Fairfax Comic Con August 26-27, 2023 in Virginia Superstar Comic Con September 23-24, 2023 in Savannah, GA

SPOOKALA October 6-8, 2023 in Tampa, FL

uWu Con October 27-29, 2023 in Mesa, AZ

Also, hear her voice as Wonder Woman in season 4 of Harley Quinn now streaming on HBO / MAX!

Here's the link to the Metal Gear Solid event Vanessa mentioned, with ongoing online content.

And you can even take an acting class from her on SkillsHub.

Subscribe and never miss an episode of Star Warsologies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.

Follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Join our Facebook fan group!

Did you miss an earlier episode? Catch up here!

In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It's a monthly podcast about science and other fields of knowledge and Star Wars!

No Dom, no problem! Lisa and Melissa dive into the physics of 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious. Welcome Roman, welcome Tej. Don't let those pesky laws of gravity keep you down. Also weighing in is legal expert Stephen Lee, a former federal prosecutor. Hear what he has to say about Brian's terrible record as an undercover cop, can you earn a "clean record," and other ongoing leagal themes of the saga.

Check out Stephen's Substack for more of his legal analysis of pop culture, including Andor, The Flash, Glass Onion, and more! https://moderndetection.substack.com/

https://www.stephenleelaw.com/

Follow Melissa @melissatruth

Follow Lisa @dustchick

The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics come and go, but family is forever!

Listen to episode 1 here

Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Star Warsologies hosted "Andor: Making a Rebel, Making a Rebellion", a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023. The Star Wars series Andor speaks powerfully to today's audience about fighting oppression. Examining the first season of the Disney+ series, we will explore the motivations and actions of Cassian Andor, Mon Mothma, Luthen Rael and other characters as they put it all on the line to resist and rebel against the Empire. What type of people are drawn to stand up to tyranny? How do individual dissenters start forming movements? When can you fight inside the system, and when do you have to fight from the outside? Why does this show resonate so well at this time? Panelists include Robert A. Dagnall (MA candidate in Rhetoric and Writing Studies / instructor, SDSU), J. Dianne Dotson (sci-fi and fantasy author, producer, science writer, biologist), Dr. Drea Letamendi (psychologist at UCLA, host of the Arkham Sessions podcast), Desmond Hassing (lecturer of American Indian Studies, SDSU), Jake Rowlett (PhD candidate, SDSU/UCSB). Moderated by James Floyd (STEAMpop Network, Star Warsologies podcast, Star Wars Insider contributor). Join us as we tackle the nature of the fight to restore freedom to the galaxy. Show notes for this episode are available on Skywalking Network:

It all begins with this episode of The Facts & The Furious covering the low stakes of the first movie, 2001's The Fast and the Furious. As Melissa and Lisa realize, very few laws of physics are broken but there's still find plenty to talk about. Our guest expert is Maria Romano de Leon, curator of the San Diego Automative Museum. Learn about NOS, car culture, and why a lack of traffic may be the most unrealistic thing that happens in this movie.

Follow Melissa @melissatruth

Follow Lisa @dustchick

Follow the San Diego Automotive Museum on Facebook and Instagram

The Facts & The Furious is a podcast rewatch of the entire saga with Dr. Lisa Will (physicist) and Melissa Miller (science writer). We break down each movie of the saga with help from special guest experts. Remember, reality-based physics comes and goes, but family is forever!

Subscribe so you won't miss the rest of our rewatch!

Here's another of our San Diego Comic-Con 2023 panels! The Science of Superpowers brought together amazing scientists to talk about how realistic superheroes and supervillains are and whether there's any version of their powers in real life.

Here's video from our panel, plus slides we presented in the room. Thanks to everyone who came out and asked questions. We're so glad you found us online too, we love bringing our convention content to everyone for free!

Panel Description:

Humans have been fascinated with the potential to gain superpowers for generations. Would a lab accident really transform your DNA? Is it possible to harness regenerative powers from the animal kingdom? Could a mutation make you telekinetic? Hear about the up-to-date science and technology bringing humanity closer to becoming superheroes (and potentially supervillains). Melissa T. Miller (STEAMpop Network, Star Warsologies) moderates a panel of experts that includes Lataisia Jones, Ph.D. (neuroscientist), Erika Anderson, M.S. (reliability engineer), Michelle Nolasco, Ph.D. (science communication consultant, SDSU), Ester Kwon, Ph.D. (nanoscale bioengineer, UCSD), Catherine Schrankel, Ph.D. (cell biologist, SDSU), and Beata Mierzwa, Ph.D. (molecular biologist and science artist, UCSD).

Ester Kwon, PhD is an assistant professor of nanoscale bioengineering at University of California, San Diego @esterjkwon

Catherine Schrankel, PhD is an assistant professor of cell biology at San Diego State University @DrSchrankel @schrankel_lab

Michelle Nolasco, PhD is a molecular biologist and science writer at San Diego State University

Beata Mierzwa, PhD is a molecular biologist and science artist at University of California, San Diego @beatascienceart on Twitter and Instagram

Lataisia Jones, PhD is a neuroscientist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke @HeyDrTay on Twitter and Instagram

Erika Anderson, MS is a reliability engineer at Georgia Pacific @MsSTEMPossible on Twitter and Instagram

Beata, Lataisia, and Erika are also AAAS If/Then ambassadors (ifthenshecan.org) @ifthenshecan on Twitter and @ifthenshecan on Instagram

Star Warsologies is a podcast about science and other fields of knowledge and how they connect to Star Wars. Every episode, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller interview a guest about how their area of expetise intersects with the galaxy far, far away.