Pre-Ramble
There are already books available here on Earth offering to explain the physics of the Star Trek universe. But for Star Wars, most books focus instead on how Star Wars “got physics wrong” rather then to try to create an imaginary framework within which the technology of the series could be explained. This blog post is an attempt to offer an explanation of the physics of the Star Wars universe in a way that does not interact with the actual story lines by explaining the physics of how gadgets in the story work, rather than why they might be in the story.
Imaginary physics and actual physics can have a bit of overlap. For example: warp drive may actually be possible, but there is no such thing as dilithium crystals (but there are lithium-6 crystals that may someday actually help us get to Mars in half the time of conventional propulsion systems).
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Overview
The history books in the Star Wars universe may record that the scientific manipulation of neutrinos was discovered shortly after the invention of the laser (about equivalent to our post-war technology of the early 1960’s). Manipulating neutrinos is something that in our universe is still quite impossible, and considered unlikely for the foreseeable future. With this discovery their technological development history arc looks very different from ours.
The primary thing that sets Star Wars universe physics apart from the real world of human physics, as well as other make believe physics universes in myriad science fiction story lines, is that Star Wars physics is based on the mastery and manipulation of neutrinos. Many tech inventions of the Star Wars universe would rely on how neutrinos can be made to interact with matter on a quantum physics level, and in how neutrinos can be ‘displaced’ through various forms of scientific manipulation. This open up the possibility of creating new and innovative ways of explaining virtually all Star Wars root technologies and devices.
This proposed make-believe technology is well suited to be very reliably measured and controlled using analog feedback resonance controls, which use dependable solid-state analog components. This might explain why an interplanetary civilization, that appears to have been very technologically advanced for a prolonged period of time, does not seem to have experienced the same digital technological revolution that we have been undertaking in our technological development arc. This could explain why they continue to rely on knobs and gauges and seem to lack virtually any computerized systems or controls.
Lightsabers
Enabling Technologies:
1 – 4d Blaster technology (see Blasters)
2 – Neutrino Resonance Controller
3 – Neutrino Virtual Prism Controller (see Death Star blaster beam combination)
The Neutrino Resonance Controller is a component device that creates a neutrino resonance bubble in the local population of neutrinos. This bubble is matched to the specific sub-atomic resonance frequency of the 4d Blaster beam coming from that same lightsaber device. Each lightsaber device creates a unique and random frequency code so that the two beams will repel each other and act as a sword, rather than just pass through each other like two beams of light. The bubble surrounds the Neutrino Resonance Controller in an extreme oblong shape. The neutrino resonance bubble has the scientific property of completely dissipating the 4d Blaster beam that has its same unique frequency, while at the same time passing through all matter without any interaction like a typical neutrino would.
In Ep7 we see Neutrino Virtual Prism Controller technology being used to split the 4d Blaster beam into three beams, resulting in the three-pronged lightsaber (see diagram below).
Blasters
Enabling Technology:
4d Blaster Laser
Manipulates neutrinos on a quantum physics level to create a feedback loop which amplifies the amount of energy contained in a laser beam. The amplification increases power by one order of magnitude for each energy unit. Only the amount of energy used to create the beam limits how powerful the beam can become. This amplification technology is subject to loss of power to the beam over distance in a predicable equation, which makes it necessary to be in relatively close proximity to the target for the weapon to be effective.
Death Star blaster beam combination (as first seen in the destruction of Alderaan in Ep4)
Enabling Technology:
Neutrino Virtual Prism Controller
Creates virtual neutrino prisms that can be used to change the direction of light energy at a specific point in space relative to the controller device. These virtual prisms can combine multiple 4d Blaster Beams into a single beam, which becomes increasingly magnified in power relative to the number of source beams that are being combined.
It was later discovered that this technology could be adapted to split a low-energy 4d Blaster Beam into multiple beams, each with minimal power loss from the original beam. This discovery directly lead to the invention of the Three-Pronged Lightsaber (as first seen in Ep7).
Defense/Deflector Shields
Enabling Technology:
Neutrino Displacement Accelerators (pictured below)
Uses spinning turbines to “throw out” a scattering of neutrino particles in a controlled pattern. These neutrino particles have also been modified and energized in such a way that makes them absorb and repel forms of energy.
Power Converters
Enabling Technologies:
1 – Discovery of Neutrino-Conjunctive Particles
2 – Neutrino-Conjunction Capacitor
Neutrino-Conjunctive Particles were quickly adapted to work inside of “neutrino-powered” batteries. These are usually replaceable, interchangeable component parts that act to create power from neutrino particles by forcing them to interact with protons on a quantum physics level. This interaction creates free electrons, which are then harnessed by the Neutrino-Conjunction Capacitor to provide a steady, scalable and adjustable power source for myriad devices.
Hyper Drive
Enabling Technology:
Matter-Neutrino Cohesion Controller
Manipulates the sub-atomic oscillation of neutrinos to force them to interact with and form a temporary and controllable cohesion with matter. This allows each molecule of a star ship and its contents to be linked to a neutrino particle on a quantum mechanical level. The neutrino and the particle of matter, by the property of their attachment to each other, can then both be made to travel at faster than light speeds.
Carbon Freeze Chamber(Ep2)
Enabling Technologies:
1 – Matter-Neutrino Cohesion Controller (see hyper drive)
2 – Discovery of Neutrino-Conjunctive Particles (see power converters)
Encases matter in carbonite. This is achieved by creating an interaction between the molecules of matter to be frozen and the neutrinos in the area, which makes a new molecular pairing in the same way as used by a Hyper Drive. A Neutrino-Conjunctive carbon molecule is then infused with each pairing which locks them together as a new carbonite molecule. The molecular pairing can be removed with a specific frequency signal which causes the carbonite structure to spontaneously evaporate thereby releasing the frozen matter.
Cloud City
Enabling Technology:
Neutrino-Gravitational Anchor Controller
The Unipod at the bottom of the stalk below Cloud City is the location of the Neutrino-Gravitational Anchor Controller. This device creates an anchor in space that is tied to the local gravitational forces in the area. The result is an anchor that will not move from its location relative to the gravitational source, such as a planet. This anchor effect occurs irrespective if its position is within the atmosphere, as it is with Cloud City, as apposed to a space-station in orbit above the atmosphere. Cloud City has been held up by, and built upon, this Neutrino-Gravitational Anchor in the atmosphere of the gas giant planet, Bespin.
Holograms
Enabling Technology:
Neutrino Scanning Emitter
Neutrinos are positioned at a point in space relative to the Neutrino Scanning Emitter device, which is similar in technological complexity to cathode ray tube technology. These positioned neutrinos are at a variable intensity which affects the amount of light reflected off of them. This effect results in a moving 3-D image in visible light.