I'M PICKING ON THE BIGGEST, DEADLIEST WAR MACHINE
IN SCI-FI HISTORY.
Dr. Kaku: ALONG THE WAY, I WILL TEST SPACE-AGE WEAPONRY...
WOW! LOOK AT THAT.
...HOOK UP WITH SCI-FI FANS...
IN 150 YEARS, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY POSSIBLE
TO BUILD A STARFIGHTER LIKE THIS.
...AND TALK TACTICS WITH THE TOP BRASS.
IT CAN LITERALLY DESTROY THINGS UP TO TERRESTRIAL SIZE.
I'M GONNA BUILD A STARFIGHTER THAN CAN BLOW UP THE DEATH STAR.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.
I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST
AND A SCIENCE-FICTION [Echoing] FAN.
JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE SCI-FI [Echoing] SCIENCE.
THE DEATH STAR IS THE MOST MONSTROUS WEAPON
TO APPEAR IN SCIENCE FICTION.
IT HAS THE FIREPOWER
TO INCINERATE AND DESTROY ENTIRE PLANETS.
BUT, AS EVERY SCI-FI FAN KNOWS, IT HAS AN ACHILLES HEEL.
IN "STAR WARS," LUKE SKYWALKER TOOK IT OUT
WITH JUST AN X-WING FIGHTER.
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING MOMENTS IN SCI-FI.
EVERYONE SAID IT WAS AN IMPOSSIBLE JOB EXCEPT FOR LUKE.
LUKE DID IT.
THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE.
IT'S NO GOOD. I CAN'T MANEUVER.
STAY ON TARGET.
WE'RE TOO CLOSE!
[ IMITATES SPACESHIP ]
LOOSEN UP!
I HAVE YOU NOW.
STAY ON TARGET.
AAH!
I LOVE "STAR WARS,"
BUT COULD A SMALL CRAFT NO BIGGER THAN A FIGHTER JET
REALLY DESTROY A MOON-SIZED BATTLESTAR?
I'M GONNA FIND OUT.
I WANT TO USE THE MOST ADVANCED SCIENCE
TO DESIGN A STARFIGHTER TO TAKE ON THE DEATH STAR.
FIRST, I WANT TO USE HUMAN PILOTS
BECAUSE ROBOTS CAN BE TURNED AGAINST YOU,
AND HUMANS STILL HAVE MORE ADAPTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY.
SECOND, I NEED SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY
TO EVADE THE DEFENSES OF THE DEATH STAR.
AND LASTLY, I NEED RAW FIREPOWER TO GO IN FOR THE KILL
AND BLOW UP THIS MONSTROUS BATTLE STATION.
MY STARFIGHTER DESIGN WILL DEPEND ON THE TACTICS I NEED
TO OUTWIT THE DEATH STAR'S DEFENSES.
IT WON'T BE EASY, BUT I'VE HAD A LUCKY BREAK.
THE PENTAGON HAS AGREED
TO LET ME TALK TO ONE OF THEIR TOP STRATEGISTS.
COLONEL ROD ZASTROW IS AN EX-TOP GUN PILOT
WHO FLEW F-15s DURING THE GULF WAR.
IF WE EVER SEE A DEATH STAR LOOMING AT US FROM OUTER SPACE,
HE'S THE MAN WHO WILL MEET THE CHALLENGE.
COLONEL, IT'S A GREAT PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
WELL, DEATH STAR IS GONNA BE HIGHLY DEFENDED,
AND SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO USE
NOT ONLY A COMBINATION OF SPEED AS WELL AS MANEUVERABILITY,
BUT I THINK WE SHOULD EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF SWARMING.
IF A SINGLE X-WING
CAN MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE SURFACE OF THE DEATH STAR,
THEN IT MAY BE ABLE TO DELIVER THAT KILLER BLOW.
BUT THE COLONEL THINKS IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY
A LONE STARFIGHTER COULD OUTWIT THOSE DEFENSES ON ITS OWN.
HE THINKS I'M GONNA NEED A WHOLE SWARM.
BY WAY OF A SIMPLE ANALOGY,
IF ONE WERE TO BE, SAY, IN A GAME OF BASEBALL,
LET'S SAY YOU HAVE A BATTER DOWN HERE.
YOU WOULD HAVE ONE PITCH COMING FROM THE CENTER.
THE BATTER HAS JUST GOT ONE PITCH TO DEAL WITH.
LIKE A SINGLE STARFIGHTER AGAINST THE DEATH STAR.
ABSOLUTELY.
LET'S TRIPLE THE DIFFICULTY.
AND IF WE NOW HAVE THREE PITCHERS
THROWING BALLS AT THE BATTER THERE,
HE'S NOT JUST HAVING ONE VERY HIGH-SPEED,
100-MILE-PER-HOUR BASEBALL TO SWING AT.
HE HAS TO MAKE UP HIS MIND. "WHICH ONE DO I SWING AT FIRST?"
WHAT IF THOSE BASEBALLS COULD MANEUVER?
THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO MANEUVER TO DECEIVE HIM TO LOOK AWAY.
THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO SLOW DOWN
AND MANEUVER AND WORK TOGETHER.
FROM BEHIND.
ABSOLUTELY.
AND IF YOU START ADDING MORE AND MORE, YOU CAN IMAGINE,
FROM THE BATTER'S PERSPECTIVE, IT JUST OVERWHELMS HIM,
AND THAT'S THE KEY TO JUST GETTING ONE GUY TO LEAK THROUGH,
AND THAT'S THE END OF THAT DEATH STAR.
THE TACTIC OF SWARMING IS SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE.
IN FACT, IT'S JUST LIKE WHAT THEY DID IN THE MOVIE.
YOU KNOW, SPEAKING TO COLONEL ZASTROW,
I BEGAN TO APPRECIATE THE FACT
THAT "STAR WARS" IS NOT THE USUAL SCIENCE-FICTION MOVIE
BASED ON TECHNOBABBLE AND SCIENCE-FICTION GIBBERISH.
THERE'S SOME REAL, SOUND MILITARY PRINCIPLES,
INCORPORATING REAL STRATEGY AND TACTICS.
FOR SWARMING TO WORK,
MY STARFIGHTERS NEED TWO ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS.
THEY MUST BE EXTREMELY AGILE
AND SO FAST, THEY ALLOW THE DEATH STAR NO TIME TO REACT.
WHAT I'M GONNA TACKLE FIRST IS SPEED.
THIS IS THE FASTEST MANNED ROCKET EVER BUILT.
APOLLO 10 CLOCKED AT SPEEDS OF 25,000 MILES PER HOUR.
BUT THIS TOOK MORE THAN 2,500 TONS OF ROCKET FUEL.
THAT'S WAY TOO MUCH FOR MY STARFIGHTER TO CARRY.
IN THE FUTURE,
I THINK SPACECRAFT WILL BE FUELED BY ANTIMATTER.
WHEN ANTIMATTER COLLIDES WITH MATTER,
THERE'S AN EXPLOSION
THAT CONVERTS THE MATTER INTO PURE ENERGY.
IT'S 100% EFFICIENT.
SO, INSTEAD OF TONS OF FUEL, I ONLY NEED OUNCES.
THIS TAXI IS GOING AT ABOUT 20 MILES PER HOUR,
BUT IMAGINE THAT WE COULD SOMEHOW REPLACE
THE GASOLINE IN THE TANK WITH ANTIMATTER FUEL.
THEN THIS TAXI WOULD BE CAPABLE OF ROCKETING
AT 2 MILLION MILES PER HOUR.
IT'S THE PERFECT FUEL FOR MY STARFIGHTER.
NOW WE SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF HOW TO REACH FANTASTIC VELOCITIES,
MILLIONS OF MILES PER HOUR, WITH OUR ANTIMATTER ENGINES,
BUT WE STILL HAVE ONE SMALL DETAIL TO SOLVE...
HOW DO I MAKE A TURN?
AH, THERE'S OUR ASTRONAUT.
COMING UP...
I EXPERIMENT WITH AN ULTRACENTRIFUGE.
WOW! [ LAUGHS ] LOOK AT THAT!
AND I'M BLOWN AWAY BY THE LATEST WEAPON.
WITH ANTIMATTER ENGINES,
WE'VE LICKED THE PROBLEM OF SPEED,
BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.
IF THE ENEMY LOCKS ON TO YOU, YOU'RE A SITTING DUCK,
SO THE NEXT PROBLEM IS MANEUVERABILITY.
IN SCI-FI MOVIES,
STARFIGHTERS BANK LEFT AND RIGHT
JUST LIKE OUR JET FIGHTERS HERE ON EARTH,
BUT THE MOVIES HAVE GOT IT WRONG.
THERE'S NO AIR PRESSURE IN SPACE,
SO BANKING TO TURN WON'T WORK.
THIS GUY KNOWS EXACTLY HOW DIFFICULT
IT IS TO TURN IN SPACE.
NASA SHUTTLE PILOT KEN REIGHTLER
SAYS IT'S LIKE TRYING TO DRIVE MODEL HOVERCRAFT.
OKAY.
GOOD LUCK.
SAME TO YOU.
LET'S GO TRY.
OKAY.
SPACESHIPS AND HOVERCRAFT BOTH HAVE TO TURN
WITHOUT THE HELP OF FRICTION,
AND THAT MAKES NAVIGATING THIS SIMPLE COURSE DIFFICULT.
WHENEVER YOU MAKE A TURN,
YOU ASSUME THAT THINGS ARE GONNA SLOW DOWN
AND THAT YOU CAN FINE-TUNE THE MOTION.
WRONG!
WHEN YOU MAKE A TURN, IT JUST KEEPS ON GOING AND SPINNING.
AND YOU TURN THE OTHER WAY, AND IT KEEPS ON GOING AND SPINNING,
SO YOU HAVE THIS CONSTANT ZIGZAG MOTION.
WE ASSUME THAT FRICTION IS EVERYWHERE, BUT NOT HERE.
SHUTTLE WAS EASIER, RIGHT?
SHUTTLE WAS MUCH EASIER.
[ LAUGHS ]
Man: 4, 3...
AND LIFTOFF OF SHUTTLE DISCOVERY.
REAL SPACECRAFT, LIKE THE SHUTTLE,
HAVE A CLEVER WAY OF STAYING IN CONTROL.
THEY HAVE DOZENS OF THRUSTERS,
SOME SO SMALL, YOU CAN BARELY SEE THEM.
LET'S SAY YOU WANT TO MAKE A 90-DEGREE TURN.
WHICH THRUSTER WOULD YOU USE, AND HOW WOULD IT WORK?
WELL, ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE, WE HAVE 44 OF THOSE JETS,
AND SO TO MAKE THAT TURN,
WE'D PROBABLY USE THE ONES IN THE TAIL,
AND WE'D FIRE THEM THIS WAY.
NOW, ONCE YOU'VE FIRED THEM, YOU'D START TO ROTATE,
AND THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO FIRE THE OPPOSITE ONES
TO STOP YOU IN THE ATTITUDE THAT YOU WANTED TO SET.
OTHERWISE YOU JUST KEEP ON GOING.
THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT, YEAH.
WE WOULD JUST CONTINUE AROUND, SORT OF LIKE THOSE HOVERCRAFT.
THEY JUST KEPT GOING AROUND AND AROUND.
OUT OF CONTROL SO EASILY.
EXACTLY.
I'M READY TO START ON MY STARFIGHTER DESIGN.
I'LL USE ANTIMATTER TO POWER IT, AND FOR TOTAL CONTROL,
I COULD USE LOTS OF THRUSTERS, JUST LIKE THE SPACE SHUTTLE.
ONE POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A STARFIGHTER
IS TO MAKE IT ROUND, LIKE A PORCUPINE WITH QUILLS.
EACH QUILL WOULD BE A THRUSTER.
THIS WOULD GIVE MY DESIGN
UNPARALLELED 360-DEGREE MANEUVERABILITY...
AND A REALLY COOL LOOK.
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THAT DESIGN...
THE SHAPE.
ALL THOSE THRUSTERS CREATE FRICTION.
IF MY STARFIGHTER TRIED TO LAND ON A PLANET,
IT WOULD BURN UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
HOLLYWOOD DID GET SOME THINGS RIGHT.
FOR A STARFIGHTER THAT CAN SLICE THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE
AND MANEUVER IN OUTER SPACE,
YOU DO WANT A DESIGN THAT LOOKS LIKE A JET FIGHTER.
I THINK I'LL USE FOUR ANTIMATTER ENGINES
THAT CAN FIRE FORWARDS AS WELL AS BACKWARDS.
USED IN COMBINATION, THE FOUR ENGINES WILL BE ABLE
TO ROTATE THE SHIP IN ANY DIRECTION.
PLUS, WE HAVE MICROTHRUSTERS, GIVING YOU THE ABILITY
TO MAKE MINOR, PRECISE CHANGES IN DIRECTION.
THAT'S WHY WE GET MAXIMUM SPEED AND MAXIMUM MANEUVERABILITY.
MY STARFIGHTER WON'T BANK LIKE LUKE SKYWALKER'S.
INSTEAD, IT WILL SWIVEL.
IT'LL FLY ONE WAY, THEN FIRE ITS THRUSTERS,
SWIVEL, AND HEAD OFF IN A NEW DIRECTION.
THAT'S HOW REAL SPACECRAFT TURN IN SPACE.
A SWARM OF FAST AND AGILE FIGHTERS
SHOULD BE ABLE TO BREACH THE DEATH STAR'S DEFENSES,
BUT THEIR VERY SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY
GIVE ME A NEW HEADACHE.
IF A FIGHTER PILOT TURNS TOO QUICKLY,
"G" FORCE WILL MAKE HIM BLACK OUT.
IN MY ULTRA-FAST STARFIGHTER,
THINGS COULD GET EVEN MORE EXTREME.
MY PILOT COULD BE CRUSHED TO DEATH.
DEEP UNDER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY,
MY FRIEND PROFESSOR HOE LING HAS A POWERFUL CENTRIFUGE
THAT I'M GOING TO NEED.
I GOT A PROBLEM.
HUMANS ARE MADE MOSTLY OF WATER,
SO THIS WATER-FILLED BALLOON WILL REPRESENT MY PILOT.
AH, THERE'S OUR ASTRONAUT.
OKAY, LET'S PUT THE PILOT IN THE COCKPIT.
HOE LING'S CENTRIFUGE WILL RE-CREATE THE "G" FORCES
A PILOT WOULD FEEL MAKING A SHARP TURN IN MY STARFIGHTER.
A CAMERA INSIDE THE CENTRIFUGE RECORDS WHAT HAPPENS.
WOW! [ LAUGHS ]
LOOK AT THAT! OH, MY GOD.
NOW, IF THAT WAS A HUMAN,
THAT HUMAN WOULD'VE BEEN SQUASHED LIKE THAT.
NO WAY A HUMAN PILOT COULD WITHSTAND
THESE KINDS OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCES.
HOW MANY G's ARE WE AT RIGHT NOW?
THAT'S ABOUT 25 "G."
25 "G"?
SO A 100-POUND MAN WOULD WEIGH 2,500 POUNDS?
OH, MY GOD.
I GUESS THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS IN OUTER SPACE, RIGHT?
THAT'S WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE.
I NEED TO FIND A WAY OF STOPPING MY PILOT
FROM BEING SQUASHED EVERY TIME HE TURNS A CORNER.
I THINK I HAVE THE ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM.
THE SOLUTION IS TO SUBMERGE THE PILOT HERE IN WATER.
THIS TIME,
PROFESSOR LING IS GONNA PUSH HIS CENTRIFUGE TO ITS LIMITS.
NOW FOR THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.
SO, HOW MANY G's ARE WE AT NOW?
62.
60.
60! [ LAUGHS ]
LOOK. NO DEFORMATION AT ALL.
THE FIGHTER PILOT WOULD FEEL NOTHING,
EVEN SUBJECTED TO ASTRONOMICALLY SEVERE ACCELERATIONS.
SO, BY GOLLY, IT WORKS.
THIS IS A FANTASTIC RESULT,
AND IT'S ALL THANKS TO THE BUOYANCY FORCE.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TAKE A SWIM, GRAVITY PUSHES YOU DOWN,
BUT THE BUOYANCY FORCE DUE TO WATER PUSHES YOU UP,
AND THE TWO JUST ABOUT CANCEL,
AND THAT'S WHY YOU FLOAT IN WATER.
SO IF YOU INCREASE THE "G" FORCE,
YOU STILL HAVE A CANCELLATION
BETWEEN GRAVITY AND THE BUOYANCY FORCE.
NOW WE NEED TO INCORPORATE A LIQUID COCKPIT INTO MY DESIGN.
IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE AN X-WING,
BUT I THINK THIS IS WHAT A REAL STARFIGHTER MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
MY STARFIGHTER'S ALMOST READY.
IT'S FAST, IT'S AGILE, BUT IT'S MISSING ONE THING --
SOME SERIOUS FIREPOWER.
I'M DESIGNING A STARFIGHTER TO DESTROY THE MIGHTY DEATH STAR.
THE MISSION INVOLVES TAKING ON A FLEET OF ENEMY FIGHTERS.
MY STARFIGHTER IS FAST AND MANEUVERABLE,
BUT AT THE MOMENT, IT HAS NO WEAPONS.
TO BEAT THE DEATH STAR'S FIGHTERS,
IT NEEDS A KILLER PUNCH.
STRIKE!
IN "STAR WARS", SOME SHIPS ARE ARMED WITH A MASS DRIVER.
IT'S A SIMILAR CONCEPT TO WHAT WE SCIENTISTS CALL A RAIL GUN.
WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT A RAIL GUN IS ITS PROPELLANT --
ELECTRICITY IN MASSIVE QUANTITIES.
RAIL GUNS ARE ACTUALLY NOT THAT DIFFICULT TO BUILD,
BUT THE NAVY HAS TAKEN IT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
THEY'VE CREATED A MILITARY-GRADE RAIL GUN.
THEY TAKE AN OBJECT THAT WEIGHS AS MUCH AS A BOWLING BALL,
AND THEY CAN HURL IT TO 7 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.
THAT IS A FANTASTIC VELOCITY.
BUT I'M STILL NOT SURE THAT IT'S FAST ENOUGH.
IT'S A BIT LIKE MY BOWLING BALL.
THE PROBLEM WITH A BOWLING BALL IS,
NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY, I CAN ONLY MAKE IT GO SO FAST.
THE LONGER THE BOWLING BALL TAKES TO REACH THE TARGET,
THE MORE TIME THE TARGET HAS TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY.
I NEED A RAIL GUN THAT FIRES A BULLET MUCH FASTER,
AND I THINK I KNOW JUST WHERE TO FIND ONE.
IN A BACKWATER OF NORTH CAROLINA,
SAM BARROS AND ARON KOSCHO
ARE WORKING ON THEIR OWN RAIL GUN.
THEIR PROJECTILE GOES MUCH FASTER THAN THE NAVY'S
BECAUSE IT'S MUCH SMALLER.
Barros: THE GUN HAS ENOUGH ENERGY TO SHOOT THIS BULLET OUT
ABOUT 6 KILOMETERS PER SECOND,
WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT OVER 12 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.
IT'LL BE THE FASTEST THAT YOU CAN FEASIBLY FIRE SOMETHING
IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
CHARGING.
12,000 VOLTS.
YOU'RE GOOD. GO.
READY? IN 3, 2, 1...
WOW.
THE AIR BLAST?
YES, I DID.
THE BULLET FLIES SO FAST,
ALL WE CAN SEE IS THE TRAIL OF PLASMA LEFT IN ITS WAKE.
WOW! LOOK AT THAT.
A SMALLER BULLET
DOESN'T NECESSARILY CAUSE LESS DESTRUCTION.
SPEED DOES MORE DAMAGE THAN MASS.
IF YOU DOUBLE THE SPEED, YOU QUADRUPLE THE ENERGY,
YOU QUADRUPLE THE DAMAGE.
THE GUYS HAVE GIVEN ME AN IDEA.
I WON'T SEND A BIG PROJECTILE RELATIVELY SLOWLY.
INSTEAD, I'LL FIRE TINY PARTICLES
AT NEAR THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
I ACHIEVE MAXIMUM IMPACT AND SURPRISE.
PARTICLE-BEAM WEAPONS WILL BE GREAT FOR A DOGFIGHT,
BUT THEY WON'T SCRATCH THE DEATH STAR.
TO DESTROY THE DEATH STAR,
THE LARGEST BATTLE STATION TO APPEAR IN SCIENCE FICTION,
THAT REQUIRES A WHOLE NOTHER WEAPON.
THE PROTON TORPEDOES, IF THEY'RE AIMED CORRECTLY,
THEY CAN GO IN THROUGH THIS EXHAUST PORT.
THAT EXHAUST PIPE IN THE DEATH STAR --
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
LIKE, SOMEBODY, THROW A GRATE OVER THAT.
LUKE SKYWALKER'S TORPEDO
KICK-STARTS A CHAIN REACTION IN THE DEATH STAR'S CORE,
BUT I THINK THAT'S SCIENCE-FICTION MUMBO JUMBO.
I WANT A WEAPON THAT DOESN'T RELY ON A FICTITIOUS WEAK SPOT.
FIRST, IT HAS TO BE COMPACT.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING
THAT CAN BE CARRIED ON A STARFIGHTER.
SECOND, IT HAS TO HAVE ENORMOUS ENERGY,
SUFFICIENT TO BLOW UP AN OBJECT THE SIZE OF A MOON.
AND I'VE GOT JUST THE THING.
[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]
FIND OUT MORE ON...
IT'S ONE THING TO HAVE A DOGFIGHT BETWEEN STARFIGHTERS.
IT'S A WHOLE NOTHER THING TO TAKE ON THE DEATH STAR.
THE DEATH STAR IS A GIGANTIC 100 MILES IN DIAMETER.
TO TAKE IT OUT, I'M GONNA NEED
THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE MATERIAL IN THE UNIVERSE.
THE SAME SUBSTANCE WE USE TO FUEL OUR STARFIGHTERS
CAN BE USED TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE WEAPON --
AN ANTIMATTER BOMB.
A TEASPOON OF ANTIMATTER
WOULD BE ENOUGH TO WIPE OUT ANY MODERN CITY.
AN ANTIMATTER BOMB IS 100 TIMES MORE POWERFUL
THAN A NUCLEAR WEAPON.
IT'S SO DESTRUCTIVE THAT I WOULDN'T NEED TO RELY
ON THE DEATH STAR'S WEAK SPOT.
BUT EXPLODING A DEVICE LIKE THAT COMES AT A PRICE.
NOT ONLY DO YOU WIPE OUT THE ENEMY.
YOU ALSO COMMIT SUICIDE.
BECAUSE THERE'S NO AIR IN OUTER SPACE,
THE RADIATION TRAVELS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
AND YOU CANNOT OUTRACE A LIGHT BEAM.
BUT THERE MAY BE A WAY TO DESTROY THE DEATH STAR
WITHOUT DAMAGING MY STARFIGHTER.
IT'S TIME TO TELL THE FANS MY PLAN.
I THINK I GOT THE SCIENCE OF THE WHOLE PROJECT CORRECT.
HOWEVER, I AM RATHER NERVOUS.
I'M NOT SURE WHETHER I GOT THE SCIENCE-FICTION LORE CORRECT.
I MEAN, AFTER ALL, HERE IN THE AUDIENCE,
WE HAVE "STAR WARS" MECHANICS.
WE HAVE "STAR WARS" MAINTENANCE PEOPLE.
THESE PEOPLE LIVE AND BREATHE THE LORE OF "STAR WARS."
I JUST HOPE I GET THAT PART RIGHT.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
TODAY, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO GO UP AGAINST THE DEATH STAR.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
WE START WITH THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF A STARFIGHTER.
I'M USING FOUR SUPER-POWERFUL ANTIMATTER ROCKETS.
THEY FIRE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.
NEXT, MY STARFIGHTER HAS TWO PARTICLE-BEAM WEAPONS
TO WIPE OUT ENEMY FIGHTERS.
AND THEN THE QUESTION OF THE PILOT.
WHAT'S TO PREVENT THE PILOT FROM BLACKING OUT
BECAUSE OF ALL THE "G" FORCES HE EXPERIENCES AS HE MAKES A TURN?
WELL, HERE'S THE ANSWER.
I'M GONNA SUBMERGE THE PILOT IN A LIQUID.
AND FINALLY, TO BLOW UP THE DEATH STAR,
I'M GONNA USE AN ANTIMATTER BOMB.
IF A SWARM OF STARFIGHTERS ATTACKS THE DEATH STAR,
AT LEAST ONE SHOULD GET THROUGH THE DEFENSES TO THE SURFACE.
NOW THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.
YOU'RE UP AGAINST THE DEATH STAR.
YOU DROP A BOMB ON THE SURFACE OF THE DEATH STAR,
AND THAT'S SUICIDE.
YOU KILL YOURSELF IN THE PROCESS.
YOU CANNOT OUTRACE X-RAYS.
YOU CANNOT OUTRACE GAMMA RAYS.
THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO GO DOWN A TRENCH
UNDERNEATH ANTI-ROCKET FIRE
AND DROP THE BOMB DOWN A SHAFT.
THE BOMB HAS TO BE DETONATED AT THE CENTER
NOT TO SET OFF A CHAIN REACTION,
'CAUSE THERE'S NO CHAIN REACTION IN FUSION REACTORS.
THEY GOT THAT WRONG IN THE MOVIE.
YOU WANT TO DETONATE AT THE CENTER
SO THAT THE DEATH STAR WILL SOAK UP ALL THE X-RAYS
AND GAMMA RAYS FROM THE ANTIMATTER BOMB.
THE DEATH STAR ITSELF WILL SHIELD MY STARFIGHTER
FROM THE FASTEST AND MOST DEADLY ELEMENTS OF THE BLAST.
SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT -- HOW TO TAKE ON THE DEATH STAR.
YOU'RE NOW ALL JEDI KNIGHTS! THANK YOU!
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED
BY JUST THE WAY THAT HE TREATED THE STARFIGHTERS.
IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I IMAGINED.
HE EXPLAINS IT IN A WAY THAT I REALLY GOT, SO THAT WAS COOL.
IN 150 YEARS, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY POSSIBLE
TO BUILD A STARFIGHTER LIKE THIS.