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‘Star Wars’ screenwriter asks for Neil deGrasse Tyson’s science advice

Even if Tyson doesn't respond to writer Chris Weitz's request for help, the Internet's other astrophysicists are standing by.

 

Aja Romano

Internet Culture

Posted on Jun 2, 2015   Updated on May 28, 2021, 5:01 pm CDT

As if it weren’t already clear that we’ve entered a new generation of Star Wars, it is now—the writers are apparently taking actual science into account.

On Sunday, Chris Weitz paused his work on next year’s Star Wars: Rogue One, the first standalone film in the franchise. Weitz had apparently run into a problem that only one intergalactic hero could help him with: Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Although we don’t know what Weitz’s question was, or whether deGrasse Tyson got back to him, Weitz was in luck: apparently, the Venn diagram of Twitter users who follow both Star Wars writers and astrophysicists includes more than a few other astronomers and astrophysicists. Who knew? 

That last Twitter account belongs to the Science and Entertainment Exchange, an organization featuring a litany of celebrity advisors including Rob Reiner, Lawrence Kasdan, and Dustin Hoffman. The organization’s aim is to connect entertainment industry creators with scientists who can help them achieve their science and sci-fi goals. 

So even if Tyson can’t use the Force on this particular occasion, Weitz is in good hands.

Photo via Image Editor/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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*First Published: Jun 2, 2015, 7:50 am CDT