SCIENCE GOES TO THE MOVIES is a Siskel and Ebert-inspired talk show. Hosted by scientist Heather Berlin and journalist Faith Salie, the show reviews current movies and television shows with a scientific angle.

With the latest STAR WARS epic, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, coming to a screen near you from a galaxy far, far away (Disney) today, on December 18, a recent episode of SCIENCE GOES TO THE MOVIES explores the technology behind light sabers. THE FORCE AWAKENS is the seventh film in the STAR WARS series and is directed by J.J. Abrams. The episode of SCIENCE GOES TO THE MOVIES features an interview with physics professor Vinod Menon discussing the plausibility of how light is used. Does a light saber exist? Can they really be produced in different colors? Can a focused laser create sound? Professor Menon explains how and why the answer to all of these questions is yes.

The show is created and funded in full by the Sloan Foundation and produced by CUNY TV.

For a take on the science that the STAR WARS movies have inspired, National Geographic just published “The Real Science Inspired by Star Wars.”