Does It Fly? – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode of Does it Fly? is presented by Netflix, the exclusive home of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, starring Hayley Atwell, Allen Maldonado, Earl Baylon, Richard Armitage, and Zoe Boyle. Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is now streaming only on Netflix.

2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie is perhaps best remembered for the near-perfect casting of Angelina Jolie as the iconic video game character. And if you think it might seem an odd fit for an episode of Does it Fly? we would like to point out a few things that will correct the record on that front. For while this may not be the most well-loved action movie of its generation, it has all the elements that get us excited to talk about a project.

Well, one element that contains multitudes, we should say. This movie’s “MacGuffin” has it all! It’s made from meteorites, which help grant it some strange and otherworldly powers. It only reveals its true power during the confluence of specific astronomical events such as planetary alignments or solar eclipses. It can be used to control time itself, and as you know, we love trying to wrap our heads around time travel story and science logic on this show (see our Doctor Who and Back to the Future and Terminator episodes for examples).

What will Hakeem and Tamara find on this adventure and bring back for us to learn?

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If you’re of a particular age, the summer of 1989 holds special meaning for you. Specifically, you were almost certainly completely obsessed with Tim Burton’s Batman starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. The film redefined superhero movies for a generation, was a relentless blockbuster at the box office, and kicked off a wave of Batmania that left no merchandising stone unturned well beyond that fateful summer.

But at the heart of that film is Nicholson’s stunning Joker performance. And one of the elements that makes it so memorable is how it marked the first time that the Joker was depicted in live action as a brilliant, but murderous chemist, just as he was in his very first comics appearance back in 1940. Joker spends the second half of the movie holding Gotham City hostage via “Smilex” a deadly nerve toxin that leaves its victims with a hideous post-mortem grin on their faces.

These kinds of weaponized poisons are nothing new in the real world, but it’s the specific combination of effects that Smilex creates that make it so notable. We’re taking a look at the real world parallels, including some disturbingly high profile terrorist attacks that would have made the Joker proud. In the process, we also examine just how this movie’s approach to live action superheroics (and supervillainy) changed everything on the big screen.

Watch the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here or check it out on our YouTube page!

SUGGESTED VIEWING 

Of course, you must watch Batman (1989). But here’s a friendly reminder that we also covered one of Tim Burton’s other great films, the original Beetlejuice, on an episode of Does it Fly? recently, and you should absolutely check it out right here.

And while the rules of the Joker toxin as we discuss them in this episode apply specifically to this particular Batman movie it’s been around in other media, too. Notably, a generally less lethal version made a few appearances on the classic Batman: The Animated Series, which is always worth a watch, especially now that gorgeous remastered versions are available on HBO Max. A few to consider that might scratch your Smilex-induced itch…

“The Last Laugh” (S1E15) 

It’s primarily laughing gas here, but you know what it’s supposed to be.

“Almost Got ‘Im” (S1E35)

A case can be made that this is the best episode of the series, even though the Joker and his attendant poison only feature in one segment of it.

“The Laughing Fish” (S1E46)

Based on several classic issues of the comics (more on one of them down below) this is probably the closest you’ll get to the lethality of the original toxin in animated form.

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do! 

VX Nerve Agent

We’re bringing this up here in part because of the extraordinarily well-documented (and almost Joker-esque) assassination of Kim Jong-Nam in 2017. The murder was carried out using VX, a nerve agent and banned chemical weapon that is considered one of the most deadly and fast-acting out there. Let the CDC fill you in, because trust us, you want no part of this stuff.

The Animal Kingdom and Joker Venom

“There is no venomous animal on the planet that could do [everything the Joker Venom does]. Having said that, there are components of different animal venoms in the animal kingdom that could, in combination. My understanding of the Joker is that he’s quite a smart chemist, so it would be possible to extract the components from those venoms and put them all together.”

More on this subject from Professor Jamie Seymour can be found here.

Now, about that “recipe” (do not do this)...

You’d want a little venom from the box jellyfish, known as one of the deadliest marine animals. A pinch of cone snail venom. And perhaps a dash of the blue-ringed octopus’ fatal defense mechanism.

2001 Anthrax Mailings

A somewhat Joker-esque crime that terrorized an entire nation involved the mailings of lab grown anthrax to high profile politicians and journalists in the autumn of 2001. No less than the FBI itself has a wealth of resources on this incredibly bizarre case.

The Source Material

For those who want to dive a little deeper into the comics, there are two key stories to consider. Note that the idea of Joker injecting victims with a toxin that causes them to die smiling was introduced in his very first appearance, way back in Batman #1 (1940). 

But for much of the character’s criminal career after that he was comparatively harmless…that is, until 1973’s Batman #251 which brought back the idea of the Joker as a murderer with a penchant for unique chemistry, in a brilliant tale called “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” by the legendary creative team of Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams. This story, along with “The Laughing Fish” and “The Sign of the Joker” from Detective Comics #475-476 by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers also formed the basis of the similarly named Batman: The Animated Series episode above. Since then, well…it’s been around a lot, but these are the two real historical keys for those who can’t get enough!

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

Shortly after the success of Batman, Disney tried to replicate it with The Rocketeer. We took a look at that movie’s iconic jetpack technology here.

We also took a look at another rich guy superhero when we unpacked the science and story logic behind Iron Man’s arc reactor, which you can watch here!

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

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For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

How realistic is the science of time travel as depicted in Back to the Future?

Back to the Future just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Let’s put that in perspective for you: Back to the Future is now older than the period of time that Marty McFly traveled in that first film, where he rocketed at 88mph from 1985 back to 1955. And while the concept of using a weird, well, concept car as a time machine might seem a little quirky, it certainly didn’t hamper this flick, which is generally considered a pretty timeless classic, despite its ‘80s trappings. For the record, we consider it one of those classics, too!

And while we generally believe that you probably shouldn’t spend too much time thinking about the logistics of time travel (although we already covered a little of that in our episode about the TARDIS from Doctor Who), the specific mechanisms of time travel in Back to the Future are just too cool and appealing (not to mention iconic) to ignore. So in this episode, Hakeem and Tamara tackle it all! What are the specific rules of time travel in the Back to the Future trilogy? What’s the significance of hitting 88mph in order to go back in time? Is there a real world equivalent to the flux capacitor? And, of course, the age old question… “what the hell is a gigawatt?!?”

All this and more in the latest episode of…Does it Fly?

SUGGESTED VIEWING 

At this point it’s hard to imagine any of you haven’t at least seen the original Back to the Future, one of the most beloved movies of the 1980s. But we suppose it’s possible that a few of you might not have watched the entire trilogy. Well, guess what? Those movies rule pretty hard, too and Hakeem and Tamara went through all three films to make sense of the time travel science and story rules. Get going!

There’s also Expedition: Back to the Future which is a fun capstone to the film’s legacy, the DeLorean, and more. Check it out on Max!

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!

“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble. It’s the things we know for sure that just ain’t so.”

Hakeem’s quoting Mark Twain via his friend, Professor Edward W. Kolb, has some additional scientific context in the link above!

The scientific case for time travel.

“It turns out that our speed through space squared plus our speed through time squared is equal to the speed of light squared. So all things in the universe that exist are always moving at the speed of light through spacetime. So if you move more quickly through space, you’ll move more slowly through time…so the higher the energy situation, the more slow the time travel is.”

Tachyons

“These are hypothetical particles that can only travel greater than the speed of light.”

(Look, we know Hakeem was pretty harsh on these hypothetical particles, but they’re pretty darn cool anyway.)

(1.21) gigawatts!

“What the hell is a gigawatt?” (Marty McFly…not Hakeem or Tamara. They’re much more articulate and thoughtful). 

(flux) Capacitors

“A capacitor is something that stores energy. They come in different geometrical configurations…”

The Many Worlds Interpretation

“But when you make a measurement, you can only ever actually see one state at a time. So the ‘many worlds interpretation’ basically just says that when you make an observation, the only thing you’ve discovered is what world you’re in. Every possible outcome actually occurred.”

Scirens

Certainly by now you’ve checked out Tamara’s incredible other project dealing with the intersection of science and storytelling, right? And if not, what are you waiting for? Go now!

And while you’re here, might we suggest making a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation?

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

Twisters is in theaters now and we took a look at the science of the film, via the lens of the original 1996 movie!

Star Wars: The Acolyte just completed its inaugural season on Disney+. Time to learn how lightsabers work…and why none of you should have them!

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

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For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

The (air) pressure is on as we dive into some on-set stories, Wizard of Oz references, and barometric gossip as we break down the science and story logic behind a beloved 90s movie: 1996’s Twister.

Alright, buckle up, because we're diving into the whirlwind world of Twister! Picture this: back in '96, director Jan de Bont dropped a disaster thrill ride that had us all glued to the screen, courtesy of writers Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin. It's about a bunch of gutsy storm chasers in Oklahoma, led by the tornado-whisperer Jo (Helen Hunt). Meanwhile, her ex, Bill (Bill Paxton), shows up with divorce papers just in time for a tornado party. But hold onto your weather-predicting prototypes - Jo unveils her brainchild, Dorothy, a cutting-edge weather gadget packed with sensors that could rewrite tornado research, which promises to beef up our tornado warning systems from a measly three minutes to a solid 15. Of course, no good blockbuster is complete without a villain. Enter Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes), a rival chaser with a snazzy device of his own, the DOT 3, which is basically a knockoff Dorothy. Talk about stormy competition! Cue a wild chase through tornado alley, with trucks in ditches, Dorothy prototypes flying, and power lines crashing down faster than you can say "F5!"

And here’s the kicker: amidst all the chaos, Twister isn't just Hollywood blowing hot air. It’s inspired by real-life storm science, like the TOtable Tornado Observatory (TOTO), which paved the way for Dorothy. Sure, TOTO had its quirks (ever heard about its tango with an Oklahoma storm?), but it laid the groundwork for sticking sensors in tornadoes like nobody’s business.

So, while Twister cranks up the drama to eleven (seriously, who drives into an F5 tornado?) it sparked serious conversations about the future of tornado research. Could Dorothy's sensor-packed canisters really hold up in the eye of a twister? The jury’s out, but in this episode, one thing's for sure: whether you're a weather buff or just in it for the flying cows, Twister makes you believe in the power of science, storms, and a good ol' fashioned summer blockbuster. 

SUGGESTED VIEWING 

Unfortunately, the only recommendation you’re going to get here is the film itself! Don’t worry, it’s not a slog – Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and a young Alan Ruck are a lot of fun. Buckle up for two hours and come back to us when you’re ready to challenge colleagues to get scientific measurements as fast as you can. You know, the crazy stuff. 

And there’s even a sequel, Twisters, in theaters now! Just note that we hadn’t seen Twisters when we were researching this episode, so we’re only discussing the original movie here, spoilers and all. 

FURTHER READING 

Want to get a little deeper into the science - on set, within the film, and in real life? We got you. Here are some references for all of those hoping to start jumping into tornadoes! 

Tornado Measuring 

“What you’re talking about, about gathering data, can really be looked at like a scientific principle. All the data that is possible to get, that’s what you want to get. Ideally, you’d have satellites. You’d have ground base sensors.” 

See also: Response Times and Intensity   

TOTO 

“Balls in a barrel in windy conditions wouldn’t stay in a barrel. Most would probably stay in as it spinned around!” 

Barometric Pressure 

“They have such low pressure… that homes basically explode. High pressure on the outside, low pressure on the inside, that makes an explosion occur.” 

See also: Pressure Measurements and Intensity Distribution 

The VFX Challenge 

“Visual effects are the effects that are done after you’re done shooting. Special effects, or sometimes referred to as practical effects, are done on set. The origin of this film starts with visual effects.”  

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

Star Wars: The Acolyte just completed its inaugural season on Disney+. Time to learn how lightsabers work…and why none of you should have them!

Can’t get enough of The Boys, now in its fourth season on Prime Video? Well then you certainly won’t want to miss our episode detailing how Starlight’s powers might work!

A Quiet Place: Day One is in theaters now, and we took a look at how those aliens might have evolved their unique (and deadly) powers.

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial 

Facebook: Roddenberry

Twitter: @Roddenberry  

For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

In the vast galaxy of science fiction, few weapons shine as brightly as Star Wars’ lightsaber. From its classic hum to its array of colors, the lightsaber has captivated generations, transcending its origin to become a timeless artifact of adventure and heroism.

And as a kid, who didn’t have imaginary battles with their lightsabers? Now, imagine if those weapons really existed! We delve into the world of Star Wars and analyze the science behind the lightsabers as well as the importance of this crazy device in the movies but also in our lives…

The lightsaber exists at the nexus of advanced technology and timeless mythology, serving as a powerful symbol of the “Star Wars” universe. Their unique designs, impactful glow, and distinctive sound make them an iconic piece of sci-fi history.  But with this great honor comes a lot of questions. What are lightsabers actually made of? Are there any existing modern technologies that could bring us closer to a real life lightsaber? And just how important is this mystical weapon to the Jedi and Force users in general?

All this and more will be explored in our latest episode…

SUGGESTED VIEWING

The lightsaber and its lore plays an integral role in all nine films of “The Skywalker Saga” and those are the movies that make up the spine of the Star Wars universe. We assume you’ve probably seen them, but if you want a refresher just for this episode, you should consider revisiting Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), all of which have points we referenced in our discussion.

And while the Star Wars universe on television already seems a little overwhelming, our hosts also took a dive into some episodes which specifically expanded and explored lightsaber function and history. If you want to check those out, they are…

Star Wars: The Clone Wars S5E6 “The Gathering”

This one shows Jedi students on a quest to find kyber crystals to complete their lightsabers. 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars S5E16 “The Lawless”

The first glimpse of the mysterious Darksaber in action. 

Star Wars Rebels  S3E15  “Trials of the Darksaber”

More info and context for the Darksaber, arguably the most important lightsaber variant in current Star Wars canon!

The Mandalorian S2E8 “The Rescue” 

If you’re hoping to see the Darksaber in a live action context, this is the episode for you.

For those of you looking to really dive into the entire Star Wars universe and don’t know where to begin, well…good luck! When it comes to viewing orders for big franchises that take place across long periods of time, we generally endorse watching everything in “release order” rather than “timeline order.” For example, that means you watch the original trilogy first, then the prequels, and so on down the line. 

But especially with Star Wars, there’s always the temptation to try and do things in story chronological order. And who are we to say no? So for you brave souls who want to try and “start at the beginning” for the galaxy far, far away, here’s how you’d do it…

Star Wars lore has become so sprawling that it’s now broken up into distinct storytelling eras. 

THE HIGH REPUBLIC

Star Wars: The Acolyte (TV)

Currently the earliest piece of live action Star Wars lore, The Acolyte takes place 100 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga films.

THE FALL OF THE JEDI

These films and TV series detail the period when the Jedi lost influence over the galaxy, the Clone Wars, and Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the Dark Side. 

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Film)

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (Film)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TV)

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Film)

REIGN OF THE EMPIRE

These films and TV series set the stage for the classic, original trilogy of Star Wars films, as the Empire rampages across the galaxy and the seeds of the Rebellion are sown.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (TV)

Solo: A Star Wars Story (Film)

Obi-Wan Kenobi ( TV)

Andor (TV)

Star Wars Rebels (TV)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Film)

AGE OF REBELLION

The most famous period in Star Wars history! You probably know all about these already.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (Film)

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Film)

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (Film)

THE NEW REPUBLIC

So far, this era has only been explored on TV and not in film, but it details the “lost years” between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

The Mandalorian (TV) – Seasons 1 & 2

The Book of Boba Fett ( TV)

The Mandalorian (TV) – Season 3

Ahsoka ( TV)

Star Wars Resistance (TV)

RISE OF THE FIRST ORDER

The latest period in Star Wars history thus far explored!

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (Film)

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (Film)

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (Film)

And these anthology shows take place throughout the Star Wars timeline, but are fun additional viewing:

Star Wars: Visions (TV)

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (TV)

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (TV)

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!

Lightsabers - The Physics of Science Fiction

“It looks like a metal thing. It could be like a sonic screwdriver or something like that. But when it is initiated, a beam of light or a beam of plasma, depending upon who you ask, is emitted. And it's like a weapon. It's like a solid object that's really hot, can cut through metal.” 

How Plasma Cutters Work

“Everybody wants to own a lightsaber, but no one should… That is a dangerous piece of equipment. If it's going to slice through things the way it does. We have technologies that do that. We have lasers that cut metal. A plasma cutter is what it's called.” 

What is a photonic crystal? The reason why photonics-electronics convergence technology is needed, and the details of research

“But if you hit a light beam from the side, it's not a solid thing. Right? So you know what we see with the battles where lightsabers are bouncing off of each other, just pure light of any no wavelength would not be able to do that. When I started looking into could you confine light in such a way, I discovered something that's new and it's called a red Rydberg blockade, where they create what is known as a photonic crystal, where you can make photons sort of bond with each other in a sort of way.”

See also: Creating heralded hyper-entangled photons using Rydberg atoms and Rydberg atoms in hollow-core photonic crystal fibres

Ben Burtt & the Sounds of Star Wars

“I think that one of the reasons that this has become such an iconic thing is in part due to the production design of it, and specifically the sound design of it. Ben Burtt was the sound designer, and he actually has said that the lightsaber sound was the very first thing that he worked on for the Star Wars universe, when the original trilogy was being done.” 

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

Can’t get enough of The Boys, now in its fourth season on Prime Video? Well then you certainly won’t want to miss our episode detailing how Starlight’s powers might work!

A Quiet Place: Day One is in theaters now, and we took a look at how those aliens might have evolved their unique (and deadly) powers.

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial 

Facebook: Roddenberry

Twitter: @Roddenberry  

For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

When it comes to the A Quiet Place franchise we kept coming back to one big question: What are the biological factors that would allow these terrifying aliens who terrorize Earth to hunt via sound alone? The aliens, often referred to as “dark angels” in the films, have a number of distinct characteristics which will inform our questions.

For starters, they're blind but incredibly sensitive to sound, which gives them an instinct to kill everything that emits the slightest noise. They are also incredibly strong and fast and they possess armored skin which protects them from most kinds of weapons, including bombs and fire. The only ways to kill them (so far) are to drop them into deep water (since they can’t swim) or by emitting high-frequency sound which causes the armor on their heads to open and expose their only vulnerable part: their ears.

In this episode we will dive into how this alien echolocation differs from what we see in animals native to our planet, and the environmental factors that might have contributed to how and why these creatures evolved as they did.  And then there are all the story elements to consider, from the sound design (and lack thereof) of the films themselves, the question of childbirth in a world where uttering a sound can get you killed, and much more. Oh yeah, and then you might want to find out who from the film thought this movie should have been called Don’t Fart. It’s all fair game in Does it Fly? episode 12!

SUGGESTED VIEWING

This episode is FULL OF SPOILERS, don’t say we didn’t warn you! So, we’d recommend you watch both A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II. Keep in mind, we recorded this episode without having seen A Quiet Place Day One (in theaters now), so there’s no spoilers for that film. 

And if you’ve seen the entire franchise and still need this creepy itch scratched, when watching A Quiet Place, Hakeem also thought about the 2018 film Bird Box (you can find it on Netflix) starring Sandra Bullock, where the threat is sight instead of sound—if you see the force extinguishing humans, you die. It’s kind of creepy, but definitely a good horror watch before going to bed!

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!

Echolocation

“Let's talk about the anatomy of these aliens... They are big and strong. Their limbs are incredibly long and at the end they have these claw-like hands... Their heads are made of these plates that open to reveal the fleshy parts underneath. But their exoskeleton and the plates on their head, those things are virtually impenetrable. So, in order to kill it, what they've discovered is, is that with the right high frequency pitch... The monster just freaks out all the plates, opens on his head, making it vulnerable, and then they can take it out.”

See also: Engaging Silence: Behind the Daring Sound of A Quiet Place

Hearing in Cockroaches, Spiders, Elephants and Other Animals

How Cockroaches Experience the World

“There are some animals that use air movements [to listen]. One of my favorites is one of my least favorites… I was a kid in New Orleans. And if you live in New Orleans, especially in the 1970s, you have to deal with a monster even scarier than the one in this movie… They're called roaches.”

See also: Do Cockroaches have ears?

The Earth’s terminator Line

“There's that ring that separates the light side from the dark side, what we call the terminator in astronomy. And at the terminator [on planets that do not rotate] there will always be incredibly strong winds. So you will need something like those big claw hands to just sit there against those winds.”

See also: The Moon's Terminator Line

Project Hail Mary

“Andy Weir, who wrote The Martian which then became a movie with Matt Damon, also wrote Project Hail Mary, which I don't want to give too much of it away, but… a big part of the book is trying to figure out and understand the aliens' background [and] the kind of world that they come from.” 

How A Quiet Place Sound Designers Made Audiences Afraid of Their Own Noise

“Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl, who were actually nominated for an Oscar for sound editing for the first film… said:  ”By working on scary films as sound designers, we can become the puppet masters of the audience's emotions in an invisible way as opposed to the image. A great picture editor, Walter Marsh, had this wonderful saying along the lines of ‘images come in through the front door, but sound comes in through the back door’.” 

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

Can’t get enough of The Boys, now in its fourth season on Prime Video? Well then you certainly won’t want to miss our episode detailing how Starlight’s powers might work!

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial 

Facebook: Roddenberry

Twitter: @Roddenberry  

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For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

“Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave, with a bunch of scraps!”

Yes, Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane is both furious and incredulous when he delivers that line in 2008’s blockbuster and zeitgeist-defining Iron Man movie. If we’re being real, we’ve often wondered about that, as well. Never mind the less than ideal circumstances under which Tony Stark designed and built the power source for the Iron Man armor, not to mention its dual nature as a lifesaving device and an incredibly efficient fusion-type power generator. Oh, and then there’s the fact that its basis is an entirely new element, known as palladium in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Yes, despite the MCU’s admirable commitment to internal consistency and logic, we admit that the ARC Reactor is a lot to swallow. But that doesn’t mean we love it any less! And when we love something at Does it Fly? that’s our cue to dig into both the science and story logic behind it to see if it flies…just like some repulsor-powered jet boots.

In this episode we look at everything from the elemental nature of the power source to the amount of force the reactor might constantly be generating (not to mention how that would function when surgically embedded in a human body) to the philosophical and ethical questions raised around superhero-level technology in the real world. Want to find out if Iron Man really flies? This episode is for you!

SUGGESTED VIEWING

At minimum, to understand this episode, you should probably have watched the first Iron Man (2008) movie, which is also the very first movie in what would later become known as the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’re assuming that if you’re on this page and you’ve read this far, you’ve already done that. But limiting us to that would be no fun at all, so Does it Fly? is proud to present (in the tradition of our Planet of the Apes saga complete and correct viewing order) the complete and official guide to Tony Stark’s entire saga on screen in the MCU.

If you’ve never watched a single MCU flick and just want to follow Iron Man’s adventures, this is the way to do it in the correct order. We promise you’ll see every imaginable use of the ARC Reactor by the end of it. And just for fun, we’re even including a guide to all the different ARC Reactors used in each of these films!

Iron Man (2008)

• Palladium Arc Reactor Mark I
• Palladium Arc Reactor Mark II

Iron Man 2 (2010)

• Palladium Arc Reactor Mark III
• Ivan Vanko’s Arc Reactor (Mark I Whiplash Armor)
• Ivan Vanko’s Arc Reactor (Mark II Whiplash Armor)
• The New Element Arc Reactor Mark I (this is also used in The Avengers)

The Avengers (2012)

Iron Man 3 (2013)

• The New Element Arc Reactor Mark II

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

• The New Element Arc Reactor Mark III (also seen in Captain America: Civil War)

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

• The New Element Arc Reactor Mark IV

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

• The New Element Arc Reactor Mark V

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

• The New Element Arc Reactor Mark VI

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!

Tokamak Fusion Reactor

“An ARC reactor is something that actually exists, we call it a tokamak reactor. It probably weighs thousands of tons, and they’ve barely solved the big problem of plasma crashes. These things…have been in development for decades and they’re notorious for these plasma instabilities. It must generate a plasma in order to generate fusion…”

Deuterium

“The issue is the byproducts, like radiation. Fusion has less radiation than fission does. But you still want to avoid as many byproducts as possible.”

See also: Tritium

Quantum Tunneling

“You have to have a lot of energy, high intensity, and high temperature.”

See also: Net positive fusion and Cyclotron

“The Intersection Between Genius and Access”

“It’s scientifically proven…they used who gets a patent as the metric for scientific success. And guess who gets a patent? Those who in their childhood were exposed to patent-getters.”

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

Can’t get enough of The Boys, now in its fourth season on Prime Video? Well then you certainly won’t want to miss our episode detailing how Starlight’s powers might work!

And in case you missed it, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes still in theaters, don’t miss our deep dive into whether that movie series might be an unsettling depiction of our actual future!

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You wouldn’t believe the number of potential topics surrounding Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys that we discussed before settling on this one…and that includes some that were absolutely (in the spirit of the show itself) NSFW. But ultimately, we decided to go with breaking down the secret of Starlight’s powers. 

For those of you who might not know, Annie January, known as Starlight, is a member of The Seven, a group of superheroes funded and managed by Vought International. Generally speaking, Starlight is one of the only members of the Seven with selfless, benevolent motivations, but becomes disillusioned when she sees the dark secrets of Vought and her teammates. Starlight can fly and manipulate light. Her trademark power is electricity conversion: she can absorb the ambient electricity from her surroundings in order to fuel her powers which can often manifest as focused blasts of light from her hands. It is unclear if these blasts are made out of plasma or pure light energy. They can manifest as either heat, concussive force, or blinding light. 

Why Starlight? She’s the most central character on the show with powers who also isn’t morally reprehensible, for one thing. But more importantly, we felt her power set was the one that would provide the most interesting discussion points to start us off. We may get to some of your other problematic faves from The Boys in future episodes, so don’t worry!

SUGGESTED VIEWING

Ordinarily, we’d direct you to specific episodes of The Boys that deal heavily with Starlight’s powers and origin (similar to how we gave you episode recommendations in our episodes on  Star Trek’s Transporter or Doctor Who’s TARDIS). But since The Boys is so heavily serialized, and individual episodes might not make a ton of sense in a vacuum, you may as well watch the whole series. And if you haven’t watched The Boys on Amazon Prime Video yet, just what the heck are you doing reading this? Go! And THEN watch our latest episode!

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!

Oh, and before we get into the scientific concepts that help generate Starlight’s powers, you might already know that The Boys TV series was based on a comic book series of the same  name by Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson. The entire series has been collected in some handy omnibus editions, and it’s just different enough from its TV counterpart that you should check it out!

Electric Fields

“In order to understand electric fields, there’s a related thing called electric charge. The fundamental units of electric charge are found in matter. Those are electrons, which have negative electric charge and we use that as the standard of one unit of electric charge, and the proton…which has positive electric charge that’s equal in magnitude to that of the electron which to me is a crazy coincidence because the electron is just one single thing but a proton is a composite system of quarks and gluons.”

• See also: Straight Line Motion and Rotational Motion

Light-Matter Interaction

“If I have a wall, the light does not pass through it. So that means that the light is actually interacting with those atoms and those molecules in that wall and the light is being absorbed, it’s  not making it out the other side. But if I have a window, which is also made of matter, but it’s transparent. But why is it transparent? It’s because the matter, which is primarily the electrons, are…I’m going to use a word that isn’t really appropriate but makes sense…I’m going  to personify matter…they choose not to interact.”

Ion Pumping

“Every cell in your body has the ability to create an electric charge and just become a tiny little battery. They do this thing called ion pumping where they kick sodium and chlorine ions out of themselves. Ions have a positive electric charge so that leaves the cell interior with a negative electric charge. For example, the electric eel, when they want to generate their electric current, they take those ions back into themselves but then they do what a storm cloud does. What a storm cloud does to generate a lightning bolt is it separates the negative and positive charge in the clouds…and the charge is going to flow and make a connection with the ground.”

• See also: Electric Eels

Virtual Particles

“There is a mirror realm of fields and a mirror realm of particles. We exist and interact, we’re made up of real particles, real electrons and protons. Our electric fields are real electric fields. But then we discovered that there are so-called virtual particles that make up these fake virtual fields.”

• See also: Higgs Boson

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

The new era of Doctor Who is in full swing on Disney+ right now, so in case you missed it, now would be a great time to revisit our Who-centric episode about the TARDIS!

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial 

Facebook: Roddenberry

Twitter: @Roddenberry  

*Roddenberry Entertainment participates in affiliate programs and may receive a small commission for links on this page*

For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

Wait…don’t we already have VR headsets? Not like the ones in Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, we don’t! We’re diving headfirst into one of the most talked about sci-fi TV hits of the year to unpack just how close to reality wearable tech like this show’s (dangerous) headset might be. Spend some time with us as we look at parallels with modern neurotechnology, and stick around to learn who Hakeem and Tamara’s favorite scientists are. And what does Copernicus have to do with all this, anyway? All this and more in the latest episode of Does it Fly? now available everywhere.

SUGGESTED VIEWING

We’re switching the order up this week, because, really…we’re assuming you’ve already watched 3 Body Problem on Netflix. But just in case you haven’t…get going! We’ve already spoiled chunks of it for you!

Anyway, you’re lucky the viewing section is so light (compared to the massive amounts of homework we assigned for our Planet of the Apes episode last week) because there’s some cool reading to go along with this week’s episode…

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!

If you enjoyed the show, you’ll want to check out the books that it’s based on, known as the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy Liu Cixin. Those books are The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End. A perfect way to pass the time while you wait for future seasons of 3 Body Problem on Netflix!

Now as for the science end of things…

Three-Body Problem (physics)

“We’re not talking about that today!” (OK, fine, it’s the wrong three-body problem, but it’s still pretty cool, so check out the link.)

Neurotechnology

“That [VR headset as seen in Netflix’s 3 Body Problem] falls under a somewhat mature now, but definitely super-active field of research and development called neurotechnology. These are brain-human interfaces that occur in numerous ways. And right now, they’re being used mostly for good, not for planetary invasion….”

“...There’s basically three ways we can interface with the brain: magnetic fields, light, and magnetic resonance imaging [see also: MRI] The thing here is the wireless ones are all high resolution/large volume, but they don’t have the same degree of specificity as the implants [see also: Neuralink]. So that’s where we exist right now, where you can modulate brain activity. This is really good for paraplegics, where they have a system that’s mounted on their skull [see also: BCI].

SQUID (superconducting quantum interface device)

“Squids are these amplifiers, or incredibly sensitive detectors. They can detect something like a single photon of very low energy.”

Copernicus

“Branded as a heretic for daring to suggest that the entire universe does not revolve around the Earth, but that the Earth revolves around the sun, which I think is a great metaphor for humanity, which is discovering that the Earth is not figuratively the center of the universe and that there are other folks out there.”

Rosalind Franklin

Winner of the inaugural Tamara’s Favorite Scientist award on DiF! See also: The Harvard Computers

Ibn al-Haytham

Winner of the inaugural Hakeem’s Favorite Scientist award on DiF! 

And here’s some bonus reading for you that deals with the tech as it appears on the show…

3 Body Problem's Headset Is Not the VR We Want – It's Our Worst Nightmare

3 Body Problem’s VR Tech Got a Big Glow-Up from the Books

3 Body Problem VR Headset Review: Magical Tech In Need Of More Apps

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

The new era of Doctor Who is in full swing on Disney+ right now, so in case you missed it, now would be a great time to revisit our Who-centric episode about the TARDIS!

And for everyone keeping up with Star Trek: Discovery every Thursday (as well as Trek fans of all kinds) we broke down the plausibility of the transporter right here.

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial 

Facebook: Roddenberry

Twitter: @Roddenberry  

*Roddenberry Entertainment participates in affiliate programs and may receive a small commission for links on this page*

For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

What would it take for our future to look like the one depicted in the Planet of the Apes franchise?

We love it when one of our topics needs no introduction. Certainly, you’ve seen at least one movie in the Planet of the Apes franchise, right? One of the most venerated film series in sci-fi history, and with good reason! So in this episode, we’re diving into the central question of the entire franchise: is it possible that apes will evolve far enough to match humans in intellect, reason, and more?

Hakeem will take you through the evolutionary and physiological questions posed by the franchise, as well as some compelling studies that indicate that some elements might just be possible. Tamara breaks down the central concept of ape evolution through the lens of three films in the franchise: the original classic Planet of the Apes (1968), Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake (2011), and series reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). Get your bananas ready, because we’re (sorry) going ape this week!

Remember that you can join in on the conversation in the comments on our YouTube page, so be sure to like, subscribe, and come back for more!

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Here are a few recommendations!

Evolution

You can’t discuss anything related to the Planet of the Apes franchise without first understanding the concept that human beings evolved from these relatives of ours. How far we’ve come is another story.

Macaque Speech Experiment

“The narrative my entire life has been that [primates] just don’t have the physiology [for speech]...But it turns out [that macaques] do have all the physiological qualities necessary for speech. But what they don’t have is the brain. If they had a human brain in their physiology, they would be speaking.”

Upright Walking

“Look at the ape behavior in Planet of the Apes. Clearly, it’s a brain change. If you think about it, there’s really three different things. One, they’re thinking like us using emotion and logic. Two, they’re speaking. And three, they’re walking upright, they’re no longer knuckle-walkers. That last one to me is actually the most difficult one, because the research seems to show that if they have the brain change that we’ve already had, and of course we’re relatives, then they could be speaking, being rational, and reasoning the same way we do. But how do you go from knuckle walker to upright walker? That’s another piece of recent research.”

La Planète des singes 

You guessed it, this French novel by Pierre Boulle is better known as the source material for Planet of the Apes! Sometimes you’ll find it under that title, other times as Monkey Planet. Either way, it’s not the exact same story as the film, and features its own twist ending. 

SUGGESTED VIEWING

The Planet of the Apes franchise is VAST and might seem a little intimidating to folks who aren’t familiar with it yet. But for the purposes of what’s discussed in this episode, all you need to watch is Planet of the Apes (the original 1968 classic starring Charlton Heston), the 2001 remake directed by Tim Burton and starring Mark Wahlberg (which is better than you’ve probably heard, but isn’t the most essential entry), and 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which serves as both a reboot of and prequel to the original series of films…and whose sequels lead directly up to this summer’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (in theaters now).

However, for those of you who want to go ape (sorry, sorry, we’re trying to delete it) on the Planet of the Apes franchise, here’s the official Does it Fly? approved viewing order. As a general rule, we firmly believe in watching things in the order they were released, rather than where they take place on the timeline. The franchise begins with five films:

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

These original five movies range from genuine classics (the first is one of the great sci-fi films of all time) to cult flicks that are still absolutely worth your time. Less essential, but still cool for completists, is the 1973-1974 Planet of the Apes TV series, which seems to take place earlier in the timeline than the original films but may or may not be canon. This was followed by an animated series, Return to the Planet of the Apes, which might take place further in the future than Battle for the Planet of the Apes, but in all likelihood isn’t canon at all. Similarly, the 2011 Tim Burton Planet of the Apes movie is a completely different timeline/story, so you can ignore it if you wish (well, except to understand the stuff that we discuss in this episode).

Then there’s the modern series, which could be watched as prequels to the original films, but are really just the start of a brand new franchise. They’re all good, but both Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes (both directed by Matt Reeves of The Batman fame) are two of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st Century. The order is as follows…

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Get watching!

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

The new era of Doctor Who is in full swing on Disney+ right now, so in case you missed it, now would be a great time to revisit our Who-centric episode about the TARDIS!

And for everyone keeping up with Star Trek: Discovery every Thursday (as well as Trek fans of all kinds) we broke down the plausibility of the transporter right here.

FOLLOW US!

Stay in the loop! Follow DoesItFly? on YouTube and TikTok and let us know what you think! 

And don’t forget to follow Roddenberry Entertainment:

Instagram: @RoddenberryOfficial 

Facebook: Roddenberry

Twitter: @Roddenberry  

*Roddenberry Entertainment participates in affiliate programs and may receive a small commission for links on this page*

For Advertising Inquiries: [email protected]

“You maniacs! You blew it up!”