Star Wars: Neil DeGrasse Tyson On Its Scientific Accuracy

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Neil DeGrasse Tyson Reveals the One Scientifically Accurate Thing in Star Wars

By Cian Maher

Published Jul 22, 2018

Neil DeGrasse Tyson scrutinized Star Wars in the past, but at San Diego Comic-Con, he reveals the one scientifically accurate thing in the series.

Neil deGrasse Tyson recently revealed the one scientifically accurate thing in the entire Star Wars movie series. In the past, Tyson has scrutinized the franchise, along with several other science fiction properties, for not adhering to scientific rules, which makes sense given that Star Wars itself is mostly a space opera, not a science fiction saga.

Tyson is renowned worldwide for his combination of scientific principles and popular culture. The Cosmos presenter tends to find himself breaking difficult concepts down so that even people who aren't from a scientific background can understand what is really going on in science fiction. From Game of Thrones to Titanic, Tyson has grappled with some of the biggest franchises in entertainment history. Yesterday was no different, as Tyson spoke about the scientific accuracy of George Lucas' original 1977 Star Wars film.

Speaking at the Cosmos: Possible Worlds panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, Tyson addressed A New Hope's scientific accuracy. He said (via CinemaBlend):

"In the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the first of the series it was, Luke comes out and he sees a double sunset. That is the only scientifically accurate thing in all of Star Wars. No, in all seriousness, more than half the stars you see in the night sky are double and multiple star systems and no one had thought to put a planet around any of them. So, the fact this was portrayed in Star Wars, I'll just give a shout-out to that exercise in bringing the rest of the star family into the storytelling that unfolded."

So, there you have it. A double sunset. Despite all of the things from the series that Tyson has debunked over the years, he has now commented on the only thing that Star Wars gets right. Tyson's past critiques of the Star Wars franchise have all been fair, such as BB-8 rolling over sand on Jakku without any treads and Starkiller Base harnessing the energy from a star without vaporizing the planet that it's on.

However, it is refreshing to see the famed astrophysicist also give credit to the series where credit is due. Although he is often the first to point out logical errors in popular films, he is also the first to openly praise them when they get something right. Tyson's new series of Cosmos: Possible Worlds comes out in early 2019. For those interested in hearing more of what he has to say, be sure to check that out.