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Out There: The Science Behind Sci-Fi Film and TV
Explore the science behind some of your favorite popular science fiction tropes--from escaping a black hole to riding a space elevator to the stars—in this illustrated guide from NASA advisor and host of the popular Tested podcast Offworld .
Whether it's researching new technology, theories, or possible extraterrestrial situations, the showrunners and directors of our favorite science fiction shows and films are often extending the boundaries of real science, leaving viewers and fans to wonder, "Could this really happen?"
In Out The Science Behind Sci-Fi Film and TV , author and filmmaker Ariel Waldman dives into the fascinating real science behind some of the most beloved space-themed science fiction tropes, from faster-than-light travel to AI ships, hypersleep, and imagining life on other planets. Each chapter dives into a particular situations or scientific questions that frequently show up in science fiction pop culture. Aided by interviews with a diverse range of scientists, educators, authors, and journalists, Out There takes science fiction fans, movie geeks, and popular science lovers on a journey to the farthest depths of space, revealing how thin the gap between fiction and reality can be.
Whether it's researching new technology, theories, or possible extraterrestrial situations, the showrunners and directors of our favorite science fiction shows and films are often extending the boundaries of real science, leaving viewers and fans to wonder, "Could this really happen?"
In Out The Science Behind Sci-Fi Film and TV , author and filmmaker Ariel Waldman dives into the fascinating real science behind some of the most beloved space-themed science fiction tropes, from faster-than-light travel to AI ships, hypersleep, and imagining life on other planets. Each chapter dives into a particular situations or scientific questions that frequently show up in science fiction pop culture. Aided by interviews with a diverse range of scientists, educators, authors, and journalists, Out There takes science fiction fans, movie geeks, and popular science lovers on a journey to the farthest depths of space, revealing how thin the gap between fiction and reality can be.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published August 22, 2023
12 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Ariel Waldman
2 books17 followersAriel Waldman makes "massively multiplayer science", instigating unusual collaborations that spark clever creations for science and space exploration.
Ariel is the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory of ways to participate in space exploration, and the global director of Science Hack Day, a 20-countries-and-growing grassroots endeavor to make things with science. She is the author of What's It Like in Space?, a collection of stories from astronauts (Chronicle Books, 2016).
Ariel is also the co-author of a congressionally-requested National Academy of Sciences study on the future of human spaceflight. She sits on the council for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), a program that nurtures radical, sci-fi-esque ideas that could transform future space missions. In 2013, Ariel received an honor from the White House for being a Champion of Change in citizen science.
Ariel originally grew up in Kansas where she attended art school at the Kansas City Art Institute. Never having anticipated that she would one day stumble into a gig at NASA, her mission is now to enlighten others on how anyone can actively contribute to the furthering of science and space exploration in clever new ways.
Ariel is the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory of ways to participate in space exploration, and the global director of Science Hack Day, a 20-countries-and-growing grassroots endeavor to make things with science. She is the author of What's It Like in Space?, a collection of stories from astronauts (Chronicle Books, 2016).
Ariel is also the co-author of a congressionally-requested National Academy of Sciences study on the future of human spaceflight. She sits on the council for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), a program that nurtures radical, sci-fi-esque ideas that could transform future space missions. In 2013, Ariel received an honor from the White House for being a Champion of Change in citizen science.
Ariel originally grew up in Kansas where she attended art school at the Kansas City Art Institute. Never having anticipated that she would one day stumble into a gig at NASA, her mission is now to enlighten others on how anyone can actively contribute to the furthering of science and space exploration in clever new ways.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 2, 2024
The world needs more books like this one, which celebrate, bold, creative ideas in science. And which call for science to be an essential part of entertainment. Society needs anything that brings science to more people.
So, I really wanted to love this book, and maybe other people will. Each chapter is way too short to be anything more than an introductory morsel. Each is organized as a historical review of how the idea appeared in entertainment, including examples older than most readers. Then most chapters include edited transcripts of relevant interviews, preceded by lengthy bios of the speakers. Yet, this pattern just didn’t work for me at all. Please just focus on the idea, and hide credentials and small talk in some endnotes, or online appendixes. Of course, this would enable and require a MUCH deeper analysis if the idea. And then I would have been satisfied.
The book starts slowly, with more engaging and edgy sections towards the back.. i most liked space elevators, language, earth’s ending and suspended animation, because these were covered with at least minimal adequacy.
Some cool example facts: it takes a million years for fusion energy to escape the sun’s core.. that’s quite a delay, and (without intervention) our oceans will be burned off in as little as 500 million years, which isn’t so much compared to the geologic record. (p76-78) If you reduce your body temperature 10°F, your metabolism slows by 70% (p117) which is how bears hibernate. But only one tiny primate does, so we are much distant research away from implementing such a system.
So, I really wanted to love this book, and maybe other people will. Each chapter is way too short to be anything more than an introductory morsel. Each is organized as a historical review of how the idea appeared in entertainment, including examples older than most readers. Then most chapters include edited transcripts of relevant interviews, preceded by lengthy bios of the speakers. Yet, this pattern just didn’t work for me at all. Please just focus on the idea, and hide credentials and small talk in some endnotes, or online appendixes. Of course, this would enable and require a MUCH deeper analysis if the idea. And then I would have been satisfied.
The book starts slowly, with more engaging and edgy sections towards the back.. i most liked space elevators, language, earth’s ending and suspended animation, because these were covered with at least minimal adequacy.
Some cool example facts: it takes a million years for fusion energy to escape the sun’s core.. that’s quite a delay, and (without intervention) our oceans will be burned off in as little as 500 million years, which isn’t so much compared to the geologic record. (p76-78) If you reduce your body temperature 10°F, your metabolism slows by 70% (p117) which is how bears hibernate. But only one tiny primate does, so we are much distant research away from implementing such a system.
September 4, 2023
"Out There" is an interesting look at the real and possible science seen in sci-fi movies and shows. Waldman provides insight and asks questions of many scientists and sci-fi writers. Each chapter covers a different concept, and they're the perfect length for dipping in and out of the book. It doesn't read like a textbook and isn't exhaustive; it's just right for a casual science reader. The book itself is gorgeous with a fantastic cover and beautiful illustrations inside.
I wish there had been a comprehensive list of the shows and movies talked about listed in the back of the book.
I wish there had been a comprehensive list of the shows and movies talked about listed in the back of the book.
August 22, 2023
As anyone who knows knows: I’m the biggest sci-fi fan, although I came to it by way of… fairies? So I was excited to read about black holes, wormholes, clones, giant insects (less so), propelling Earth through Space, smart spacesuits, AI and sentient ships (my favourite!), “terraforming” (it isn’t) on Mars (everyone knows The Mars Trilogy is in my top 2 and not 2), space elevators, and politics in space (a.k.a. yes: The Expanse). All of these topics are covered, and more: Waldman speaks to humanity’s best minds to examine whether the science of our favourite sci-fi tropes stands up to real physics—and the answer is that sometimes it does, and other times it doesn’t.
Most of the book is interviews (Q/A form) with an introduction and conclusion from Waldman, which I found interesting but a less rigorous way of talking about the subject. The material is laid out in the most stylish way with beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter : I can totally imagine displaying the hardcover on my equally stylish coffee table for people to marvel at my SF bona fides.
All of which to say, this is a fun (if not rigorous or deeply academic, in spite of the experts) book that will spark your interest to find out more, if you like. It leans heavily towards sci-fi in film, and I discovered lots through it (including, finally, Georges Méliès’s 1902 film A Trip to the Moon). Out There will be lots of fun for science fiction film buffs, and somewhat less so for those who are science fiction literature buffs (like me).
Thank you to NetGalley and to Running Press for access!
Most of the book is interviews (Q/A form) with an introduction and conclusion from Waldman, which I found interesting but a less rigorous way of talking about the subject. The material is laid out in the most stylish way with beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter : I can totally imagine displaying the hardcover on my equally stylish coffee table for people to marvel at my SF bona fides.
All of which to say, this is a fun (if not rigorous or deeply academic, in spite of the experts) book that will spark your interest to find out more, if you like. It leans heavily towards sci-fi in film, and I discovered lots through it (including, finally, Georges Méliès’s 1902 film A Trip to the Moon). Out There will be lots of fun for science fiction film buffs, and somewhat less so for those who are science fiction literature buffs (like me).
Thank you to NetGalley and to Running Press for access!
November 10, 2024
Not to be negative; this book is beautiful, designed well, with nice magic eye pages between chapters. Because it's kind of a survey-like overview of science fiction concepts, it would be perfect for, say, a budding teen science fiction author. It would really spur some imagination. But if you're already a sci-fi buff, maybe you won't find anything new or thought provoking here.
May 7, 2025
A really solid little book that goes over a wide variety of science fiction concepts and relates them to modern day science. It's well done and has some fun facts but if you're already a big consumer of sci fi works you're not likely to learn all too much.
Overall though I recommend it, just don't expect more than a taste of each topic.
Overall though I recommend it, just don't expect more than a taste of each topic.
September 15, 2023
A collection of interviews and discussions with lots of fascinating people about the real science behind the tropes we see in science fiction films and tv series. This is a great book to inspire the imagination and to serve as a starting point for more exploration. I’ve enjoyed reading it this week and will now hand it over to my elementary school aged son to hopefully inspire him. One of his heroes, Dr Mae Jemison wrote the introduction and she shows up later in the book as well.
The illustrations and design of the book is lovely as well. It isn’t a big book and doesn’t go deep into any of the topics but it’s a great overview and highly inspiring.
The illustrations and design of the book is lovely as well. It isn’t a big book and doesn’t go deep into any of the topics but it’s a great overview and highly inspiring.
June 8, 2025
Daft!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews