in the Rocket city inside the science of episode

Two artificial arms

Armor

Control panel

Vision enhancement

Among the additions to Vader following his disastrous duel with Obi-Wan in Episode III:

Respirator, artificial voice

Two artificial legs

Evidently, the body work has affected neither Vader’s dexterity nor his command of the mysterious “Force.”

Darth’s parts

ePiSoDe iii:

Revenge of the Sith

Directed by: George Lucas

Released: May 19, 2005

First weekend gross: $108.4 million

Total domestic gross: $380.3 million

Total worldwide gross: $849.0 million

Academy Awards: Nominated in one category: Makeup. Did not win.

The good: The opening space dogfight and the subsequent crash landing onto Coruscant.

The bad and the ugly: The climactic scene as Anakin becomes Vader — “Nooooo!” — always makes us laugh. And not in a good way.

“A bad feeling about this”: Obi-Wan to Anakin as the elevator doors close near the start of the movie.

Limbs chopped off: a) Anakin cuts off both of Count Dooku’s hands (and then, at the urging of Palpatine, Dooku’s head). b) Obi-Wan cuts off two of Grevious’ six cybernetic hands during a lightsa-ber fight. c) Jedi master Mace Windu loses his hand during a lightsaber battle in Palpatine’s office.

Three years after the onset of the Clone Wars, the noble Jedi Knights have been leading a massive clone army into a galaxy-wide battle against the Separatists. When the sinister Sith unveil a thou-sand-year-old plot to rule the galaxy, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes rises the evil Galactic Empire. Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the dark side of the Force to become the Emperor’s new apprentice — Darth Vader. The Jedi are deci-mated, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Yoda are forced into hiding. The only hope for the galaxy are Anakin’s own offspring — the twin children born in secrecy.

Great quote:

“Remember back to your early teachings. ‘All who gain power are afraid to lose it.’ Even the Jedi.” - Chancellor Palpatine

Sources: “The Science of Star Wars” by Jeanne Cavelos; “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination” by National Geographic and the Boston Museum of Science; “Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary” by David West Reynolds and James Luceno; AbsoluteAstronomy.com; StarWars.com; Internet Movie Data Base; www.the-numbers.com; Lucasfilm Ltd.

images: Courtesy of Lucasfilm

Graphics, research by Charles Apple/Special to The Times Interviews, research by Kenneth Kesner/The Huntsville Times

Cyberneticarms and legsThe technology used to put Anakin Skywalker back together — into the form of the fearsome Darth Vader — isn’t farfetched at all. Manmade arms and legs have been used for years, says Jeanne Cavelos, author of “The Science of Star Wars.”

“Prosthetic limbs can even be outfitted with temperature or pressure sensors,” she writes, “so that the temperature of a hot cup of coffee in a user’s hand or the pressure of the hand against the cup can be detected.” This will be even more important in the development of artificial legs with sensors in the heels and toes that would allow a user to walk, run or, perhaps, fight with lightsabers.

“Scientists have even figured out how to make artificial limbs that can change skin tone to keep up with a user’s tan,” Cavelos writes. This suggests that Vader might enjoy a vacation one day relaxing beneath the twin suns of his home planet of Tatooine. Or, at least, he might try the Death Star tanning salon.

Standard blasterThis is a typical blaster as used by Imperial Stormtroopers in Episodes IV through VI. This particular one was liberated in the cloud city of Bespin and wielded by Princess Leia Organa.

Gas cartridge

cap

Adhesive grip

Heat vents

Safety

Folding three-position stock

Radiator fins

Range-finding sight

A standard power cell will provide a stormtrooper with 100 blasts. This could be important: As far as we can tell in the movies, stormtroopers don’t often hit their targets.

Bullets of light?

Blasting ships

Standard blasters as used by soldiers and fighter ships in “Star Wars” appear — emphasis on the “appear” part — to be made of light, like a laser beam.

“What you’re doing at the atomic level is you’re generating photons,” says Gerald Wilson, lead for Directed Energy programs in the U.S. Army Cruise Missile Defense Systems Project Office, Redstone Arsenal. “So you’re collimating those photons and projecting them in a collimated fashion to whatever desired target.”

This increases accuracy, among other things. “It’s like standing on the top of the Empire State Building and being able to hit a basketball out in Colorado Springs,” Wilson says.

“There have been various targets, real targets, that have been actually shot out of the air with lasers,” Wilson says. “In terms of relative size, equivalent to artillery pieces or guns, we’re there.”

Some of the most spectacular blaster use is in the giant space battle that opens Episode III.

“These large ships have so much extra power that they can continue to be able to lase as long as you want,” says DeYoung. “How big your energy supply is is how long you can hold your finger on the trigger.”

The key for using laser-type blasters in these ships will be energy, DeYoung says. Generating it and storing it is the problem. But folks are working on this.

“The idea of having lasers on aircraft with nearly unlimited ‘magazines’ is definitely within (10 to 20 years) of time frame,” says DeYoung.

Collimate: To make parallel; to line up Normal light Collimated light

I II III IV VIV

“Ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.”— Han Solo in Episode IV

“There’s a certain amount of inspiration that goes into future concepts when we see these movies.”— Dave DeYoung, director of Energy Programs for Boeing’s Directed Energy Systems group in Albuquerque, N.M.

BLASTERS