I was incredibly excited to learn that my favorite television science team – the Mythbusters – would be taking on the challenge of a Star Wars special. My son and I were already giggling as the opening credits scrolled by, just like the classic Star Wars crawl.
Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long to discover which three myths they would be testing. We got to watch Jamie attempt the grappling hook swing with Leia from A New Hope, shiver as they determined if Luke could survive the cold by being stuffed inside a tauntaun from Empire Strikes Back, and delight in the high energy physics of the Ewoks double log crush of the AT-ST from Revenge of the Jedi. That’s right, fellow Star Wars geeks, the Mythbusters stuck with the original trilogy for this special.
I love the Luke tauntaun myth. See how it turns out tonight at 8/7c. #sithbusters pic.twitter.com/US0HZlYVbn
— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) January 4, 2014
Sprinkled liberally with Star Wars quotes and costumes, this episode of Mythbusters is head and shoulders above all the others. Speaking of being “too tall”…. Adam revealed that he is just a bit too tall to be a Stormtrooper.
If you missed the special, and forgot to set it to record, you can catch it on the official Discovery Channel website. I won’t spoil the scientific conclusions for you, but I’ll admit that I was excited by how they all turned out. I may even nap in my own tauntaun sleeping bag tonight in celebration.
Don’t let watching the episode be the only Star Wars science you experience this year, though!
You can do an experiment where you recreate Han’s blaster sound.
Or just be a fun kid who claims to use the Force while doing an experiment on absorbency of paper towels. Serious bonus points should be added to her grade for putting on the Leia wig while doing science.
Perhaps you want to find that perfect idea for your science fair, and your teacher happens to be a huge Star Wars fan like me. Check out this book, which is packed with experiments that will dazzle them into showering you with love and extra credit.
Did you see the special? What do you wish they had tested? I would love to have seen them see if you can cauterize the wound as you cut off someone’s hand. I guess that could be awfully messy if the myth got busted.
Until next week – love science and may the Force be with you!
