The Physics of Star Wars

by Patrick Johnson
2017, Simon & Shuster
Paperback, 256 pages, $22.99 CAD

Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Physics of Star Wars is a study of Star Wars’ worldbuilding through the lens of physics, looking to either explain how things work, or find some analogue within our own world to check the practicality of each concept within the Star Wars universe. Patrick Johnson limits himself to the official canon that Disney established in 2014, and does not include elements from The Last Jedi. I would be interested to see what he has to say about it had the chance to express his opinions. Although, I have to admit that Patrick fails to grab my attention for too long despite my interest in his opinions. He has a deep knowledge of the subject matter, but fails to make his point come across. His explanations are dry and uninteresting; his writing lacks any kind of personality, as if he’s a professor teaching a lesson.

Patrick structures his writing in sections—such as Space Travel or Robotics—​which each contain topics like Grenades or Moisture Farming. This is one of the strengths of the book, as you can easily go back and review Patrick’s analysis of each topic once you’ve finished the book. I also enjoyed Patrick’s subtle critique on how Star Wars tries to integrate science with its worldbuilding. However, he may be too subtle. I would have preferred for him to briefly explain the concept and its counterpart in the real world, then spend more time critiquing instead of treating the material like a textbook or a Wiki page. It makes me question who this book was written for. Any fan of Star Wars would find the book lacking in proper representation of the universe, while those interested in physics may consider the book too novice for them to enjoy. Maybe the target audience lies in-between these two—someone who has a padding interest in Star Wars and only has a basic understanding of physics. And yet, I can’t imagine anyone who would read this book would do so for leisure. The voice that Patrick decided on for the book does not match the target audience. A livelier, more carefree tone would have helped make this a much more interesting read, as there isn’t enough academic material in here to make it an invaluable resource for fans of the Star Wars canon.

I think anyone looking to get this book would be better off consulting Wookiepedia or the Star Wars Subreddit to see what fans of the series have to say about the topic, or even to participate in the discussion themselves. I may go back to The Physics of Star Wars again in the future if I want to see what Patrick had to say about a particular piece of worldbuilding when building my own worlds, but I do not see myself reading this again for leisure due to the dry, uninteresting way it was written.