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Buzzkill of Science is at it again. Neil deGrasse Tyson VS The Force Awaken(SPOILER?)

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Arkos

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OMG the Kassel Run is about maximizing efficiency along a loosely fixed route. 12 parsecs speaks to his ship's computer's and his ability to set the most risky and effective route (hence why the Millenium Falcon is special and Han is considered a skilled pilot).

I mean this is 101 people
 
Unashamed of inanity, #TheForceAwakens repeats the Millennium Falcon boast of completing the Kessel Run in "under 12 parsecs"

This has been explained many times now. The Kessel run is filled with worm holes and flying closer to them requires a higher speed as to not be sucked into their gravitational pull. The falcon is so fast it can get closer than other ships which allows it to travel a shorter distance. It's like saying I crossed this rocky terrain in 400 meters because I could keep my footing but it took my buddy 600 meters because he avoided most of the hard parts. It's quirky but not a plot hole.

In @StarWars #TheForceAwakens, the energy in a Star is enough to destroy ten-thousand planets, not just a few here & there.

In @StarWars #TheForceAwakens, if you were to suck all of a star’s energy into your planet, your planet would vaporize.

Firstly you don't know how efficient or what fantasy containment methods the first order had. Secondly it's not real mate, it's fiction in which people have super powers
In @StarWars #TheForceAwakens, BB-8, a smooth rolling metal spherical ball, would have skidded uncontrollably on sand

Isn't BB-8 a physical prop that actually moved pretty well?
 

Trey

Member
He is 100 percent correct about BB8. Disney's ability to give charm to nonspeaking, nonhuman characters remains unmatched.
 
I think the vitriol NDT gets is thanks to presenting himself as an official voice on science. Yet the things he's saying here are either extremely obvious or patently false. I'm not taking him seriously by any means, but this humor is low brow stuff disguising itself as intelligent and sophisticated lecture.

He is 100 percent correct about BB8. Disney's ability to give charm to nonspeaking, nonhuman characters remains unmatched.
Yeah, I was very pleasantly surprised. I thought BB-8 would be a shameless R2D2 ripoff when they first rolled him out back at Star Wars Celebration, but now I'm convinced he's the far superior. Maybe because his screams and squeals don't don't as angry as R2's?
 

nynt9

Member
Holy shit guys he's joking. Star Wars is serious business, huh? I can't believe how angry people are over this.
 

Plywood

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To be fair, the parsec thing always annoys me a bit. It's as nonsensical as "I completed it in 12 miles".

Well, considering that the Kessel Run was a tight angled path around a cluster of black holes 12 parsecs actually would make sense considering most sane people would prefer to swing wide and avoid the unneeded risk of flying that close to them.
 

KarmaCow

Member
Well, considering that the Kessel Run was a tight angled path around a cluster of black holes 12 parsecs actually would make sense considering most sane people would prefer to swing wide and avoid the unneeded risk of flying that close to them.

This has been brought up multiple times and I'm assuming it's a EU thing to explain a quick comment from Han in response to someone asking if the ship is fast, as if anyone in the universe would care about the distance Han would travel when smuggling goods.

The salt in this thread is palpable.

I think most people are joking. It's very tempting to post faux outrage for dumb humour.
 
I'm not going to get mad or call him a buzzkill or anything, but what a tired joke made worse by rhe fact he's a science guy so it makes it seems like he feels obligated to point put the scientific fallacies to us laymen. Yes, fiction is fake, we get it, you don't need to make a joke about it every time it'll earn you attention. Reminds me of the tired "lol video game logic" any time something mildly abnormal happens.
 
If people are actually mad at this I feel sorry for them.

Neil just pokes fun at things and tries to teach science at the same time. He's not hating on the movie or calling it shit.

Bb-8 was real, but the real question is, was the sand real? Was it coarse, rough, irrigating, and got everywhere?

Bb-8 is cuter than R2, science said so.

I'm surprised he didn't mention the beam splitting up or how close solar systems were.
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
I think the vitriol NDT gets is thanks to presenting himself as an official voice on science. Yet the things he's saying here are either extremely obvious or patently false. I'm not taking him seriously by any means, but this humor is low brow stuff disguising itself as intelligent and sophisticated lecture.


Yeah, I was very pleasantly surprised. I thought BB-8 would be a shameless R2D2 ripoff when they first rolled him out back at Star Wars Celebration, but now I'm convinced he's the far superior. Maybe because his screams and squeals don't don't as angry as R2's?
^this
 
This has been explained many times now. The Kessel run is filled with worm holes and flying closer to them requires a higher speed as to not be sucked into their gravitational pull. The falcon is so fast it can get closer than other ships which allows it to travel a shorter distance. It's like saying I crossed this rocky terrain in 400 meters because I could keep my footing but it took my buddy 600 meters because he avoided most of the hard parts. It's quirky but not a plot hole.

"Many times" in what circles?

I've never heard it before.
 
Star Wars isn't sci-fi so I dont get the point of this. It's like pointing out the science mistakes of The Lord of the Rings.

Star Wars is 100% fantasy.

Well it is Science Fiction *pretty much fantasy in my book. Most of it isnt realistic or great depictions on reality. Yeah as some posters have said he is probably having fun pointing these things out. Like a historian would have fun to poke on inaccurate depiction. Fun to read regardless.
 
The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast always do a breakdown of big 'science fiction' movies and talk about what is based on real science or not. It's always fascinating and I can't wait for their Star Wars breakdown. Check out their Interstellar and The Martian discussions.
 
In @StarWars #TheForceAwakens human beings exist, speaking with American and British accents, despite the fact the events taking places are happening in a distant galaxy from the Milky Way and in the distant past.
 

nib95

Banned
Surely he's wrong about BB-8 given that he's a practical prop and they actually controlled him on set in Abu Dhabi.
 
People need to chill the fuck out.
I think you might be reading too much into it. For example, it would be easy for me to think that you're yelling at people right now given the coarse language you've chosen, when really you were probably pretty mellow and relaxed when you typed that. I mean, it would be pretty ironic for you to angrily ask people to relax, so I've chosen to give you the benefit of doubt.

I don't think anyone is outraged about this. Just mildly perturbed. Have a nice day! :)
 

KarmaCow

Member
Surely he's wrong about BB-8 given that he's a practical prop and they actually controlled him on set in Abu Dhabi.

It wasn't completely autonomous. The last page has a gif of the props they used before they CGI'd them out.

See, these tweets have value, challenging assumptions people have made.
 
Star Wars is serious business. You people do understand the point of these tweets is light hearted ribbing and using popular sci-fi as an opportunity to educate about real science right? These are not actual critiques. Ya''ll are smart enough to figure that out and not lose your shit, right? Right?
 
Thankfully we still have a scientifically grounded film as the number one of all time. Audiences are wising up to this stuff. Hopefully they do it better for the next one.
 
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