Does It Fly?

By: Roddenberry Entertainment
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  • Summary

  • Putting your favorite sci-fi and pop culture to the test! Join hosts Hakeem Oluseyi (How The Universe Works, NASA's Unexplained Files, Baking Impossible) and Tamara Krinsky (Scirens, Marvel's Red Carpet, Girls Gone Greek) as they put your favorite pop culture concepts to the test and determine once and for all if they're possible in the real world.

    From Roddenberry Entertainment, the heart of fandom! Roddenberry Entertainment provides thought-provoking, quality genre entertainment that sustains the legacy of founder and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. We are devoted to producing viewer-centric properties that actively recognize the integral role that audiences and storytelling play in the betterment of society. Roddenberry's productions promote experience over observation; encouraging audiences to think, question, and challenge the status quo of the world in which we live.

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    doesitfly@roddenberry.com
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Art Science Science Fiction
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Episodes
  • The Biggest Science Flaw in Invincible

    The Biggest Science Flaw in Invincible
    Feb 7 2025
    There's one big reason why Invincible season 3 will never be the realistic superhero animation that it truly wants to be...“It’s like peeing your pants on purpose!”Omni-Man“Iconic” is a word that’s overused to the point of meaninglessness, but it’s pretty safe to say that the power of flight is the one most associated with being a superhero. There were plenty of super strong heroes in myth, legend, and even popular culture for centuries, but combining that with the power to defy gravity and fly is where what we know of as a “superhero” really begins to take shape. Even Superman, in his earliest stories, couldn’t outright fly, and was instead “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,” a power often described as being limited to about 200 yards at a time. Eventually, self-directed flight became more convenient from a storytelling perspective…not to mention cool.Sure, there have been plenty of “explanations” given for superheroic flight in various stories through the years, but nobody has ever tried to fully explain the reasoning behind it as well as Invincible. Originally a brilliant comic from Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, it has been adapted into an equally brilliant adult animated series on Prime Video. With Invincible season 3 now finally here, we thought it might be a good time to take a look at the Invincible concept of self-directed humanoid flight, whether it makes sense in the story, and if there’s any scientific hope whatsoever that one day humans might be able to shake loose the bonds of gravity.Check out the latest episode of Does it Fly? for the answers to these questions…WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/FlILlAncxZQSUGGESTED VIEWING Look, all of Invincible on Prime Video is masterful superhero storytelling. Less nihilistic than The Boys but every bit as thought-provoking and violent, you really need to check it out. That being said, pretty much everything you need to know about the rules of flight as they’re portrayed in this show come from the first three episodes of season one. But trust us, you’ll want to watch 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? Of course you do! The Law of Conservation of MomentumNot to spoil everything right up front, but this basic law of physics pretty much crushes our dreams of ever flying like Invincible. Let NASA explain…they would know!GravityGravity is another one that’s kind of tough to get around. Again, we figured NASA probably has the best explanation here.Spacetime DiagramsThere’s no easy way to summarize these, but especially for our audio-only listeners who couldn’t see our visualization, this should help.“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”For some variations and historical context on that Archimedes quote go here!Birds do it. Bees do it…But we can’t? That’s not fair! Here’s how birds and insects are able to fly, though.And for the non-scientific stuff…The article that Tamara quotes about the matter of making Mark Grayson bi-racial in the TV series can be read in full here.Hakeem refers to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, a truly incredible podcast which did a series on World War I called “Blueprint for Armageddon” which can be found here. We’re big fans. And also, do not forget that Invincible was an AMAZING comic long before it was a TV series. Need something to while away the long wait between new Invincible seasons? Want to get even further ahead in the story? Invincible from Image Comics is the way to go.WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?This isn’t the first time we’ve tackled superheroes on Does it Fly? so you might want to check out our episodes on Batman, The Boys, and Iron Man to get a better sense of the real world concerns that superheroes (and villains) might face. And for a different kind of superheroic flight, check out our episode on The Rocketeer, too!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: RoddenberryBluesky: @roddenberrypod.bsky.socialFor Advertising Inquiries: doesitfly@roddenberry.comCheck out the official Does it Fly? playlist, too!
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    51 mins
  • What the BEST Star Trek Movie Gets WRONG About Science!

    What the BEST Star Trek Movie Gets WRONG About Science!
    Jan 24 2025
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock are built around one key piece of technology which may or may not have real world implications.“KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!”Admiral James Tiberius Kirk, 2285There are countless reasons why fans love Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Up until that point, it was the most action-packed installment of Star Trek ever put on screen, so that certainly has something to do with it. William Shatner delivers an all-time great career performance in this one as Admiral James T. Kirk, full of downright Shakespearean drama with his old enemy, the diabolical Khan Noonien Singh. It’s got at least one of the most memorable, shocking, and poignant moments in franchise history. Or maybe it’s just Ricardo Montalban’s magnificent chest. Who’s to say?But possibly lost amidst all that magnificence is the fact that The Wrath of Khan is built around a truly great piece of science fiction with the Genesis Device. A project designed to help Starfleet terraform barren worlds is also potentially the ultimate weapon in the galaxy, given that in creating new life it first has to wipe out anything else that’s there. Of course the wrong people want to get their grubby mitts on it!In this episode we’re diving into just what it would take to truly terraform an alien world, and whether the Genesis Device follows its own rules in the Star Trek universe. Check out the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here…SUGGESTED VIEWING Star Trek II: The Wrath of KhanYou mean to tell us you’re watching or listening to a Roddenberry podcast and you somehow haven’t seen Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? We sure hope you watched it before this episode spoiled the absolute hell out of it for you! But in all seriousness, there’s a reason this is the most critically acclaimed and beloved Star Trek movie of all time and why we chose it for this week’s topic. Star Trek III: The Search for SpockBut also, you can’t watch The Wrath of Khan (or get a full picture of the scope of the Genesis Device’s implications) without also watching Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Forget that even number/odd number nonsense about the Star Trek movies, this one is just as essential!Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 Episode 22 “Space Seed”And just in case you’ve never done this, we also highly recommend “Space Seed” which first introduced Ricardo Montalban as Khan Noonien Singh. It doesn’t have anything to do with terraforming in space, but it’s a classic bit of Star Trek lore, nonetheless!The Evolution of Planet EarthWant a real life taste of what the Genesis Device does…except over the course of millions/billions of years instead of minutes/hours? This video is pretty cool.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! TerraformingWhile still primarily a science fiction concept, the idea of using terraforming to make a planet or moon into something that can support life as we know it is gaining considerable steam as we look to our nearest neighbor, Mars. See also: Bionengineering“Is there life on…Venus?”Wait, that’s not how the song goes! But the key here is that while Mars gets all the attention as the planet in our solar system with the most potential to support life, there’s also a chance that Venus could, as well. Key to that is the presence of phosphine in the atmosphere, which scientists have gone back and forth on, but recently found new evidence that it may be present.“PIXAAAAAAR!”Read more about that funny connection between a beloved animation studio and these beloved Trek movies here.“Colonized by earth bacteria”It doesn’t take long, just to give you an idea of how quickly “life finds a way.”The Mars TrilogyTamara brings up Kim Stanley Robinson’s acclaimed trilogy about terraforming our nearest planetary neighbor, Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars. There’s also the follow-up The Martians which is a collection of short stories that expands this universe further.Project Hail MaryAnother Tamara recommendation this week is the Hugo Award-nominated Project Hail Mary from sci-fi author Andy Weir. You might also recognize Weir’s name as the author of The Martian, which was adapted into a beloved film from director Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon.The Wrath of Khan: The Novel!Even if you’ve seen Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan dozens of times, Vonda N. McIntyre’s superb novelization of the film is full of surprises that will enrich your understanding of the story and your love of Trek in general. For extra credit, follow it up with her equally great (possibly better than the film it’s based on!) novelization of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock!WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?Go back to the very beginning with the first ever episode of Does it Fly? which tackled another iconic Star Trek concept: the ...
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    48 mins
  • The Wolf Man and the Science of Werewolves

    The Wolf Man and the Science of Werewolves
    Jan 17 2025
    The Wolf Man explores a disturbingly realistic vision of what it would take to turn a man into a werewolf. Does this horror movie have any basis in science fact? Do werewolves and wolf men even obey their own story rules?“Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” The Wolf Man (1941)Werewolves, wolf men (and women), and really werebeasts of all shapes and sizes have been a part of our collective unconscious for about as long as we’ve been able to tell stories. There’s something universal (no pun intended) about the concept of a human being shape-shifting back into a more primal state. And if these tales were terrifying around a campfire, they’re even more effective on screen, where all of the brilliant special effects Hollywood has to offer have long been brought to the table to transform ordinary actors into bloodthirsty werebeasts.But just where (“where oh, werewolf…”) does this story come from? Is there any chance at all that humans can devolve into a more animalistic state? Is there any reason to believe that werewolves could be real, even if they aren’t exactly as depicted on film? Check out the latest episode of Does it Fly? for the answers to these questions and more!SUGGESTED VIEWING This episode is based primarily on the version of the werewolf legend told in 2010’s The Wolfman, directed by Joe Johnston (we took a look at another of Johnston’s films in our episode on The Rocketeer). It’s a tremendously underrated film that starred Benicio del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins, and Hugo Weaving. If you haven’t seen it, we rate it pretty highly.But that film was an updating of perhaps the most iconic werewolf movie of all time, 1941’s The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney, Jr. A key piece of the classic Universal Monsters cycle of films, The Wolf Man is the source of many of pop culture’s most enduring pieces of werewolf lore.However, if you’re looking for the greatest werewolf movie of all time, the one that is the best blend of old and new, then look no further than 1981’s An American Werewolf in London. While something of a horror-comedy, it won the first ever Academy Award for Best Makeup thanks to Rick Baker’s incredible werewolf makeup and what is the undisputed champion of amazingly realistic on-screen man-to-wolf transformations ever put on film. It’s not for the faint of heart, but you can’t call yourself a true wolf-fan until you’ve seen this one.For more on the origins of horror stories, Tamara also recommends Monstrum, which is exceptionally cool.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! MetamorphosisFairly common in nature is the basic concept of metamorphosis, most commonly illustrated by the egg to larva to pupa to final form life cycle found in insects (think caterpillars to butterflies rather than humans to wolves). Not a human thing, necessarily, but a good indicator of how such transformations aren’t uncommon in nature.LycanthropyThere is actually a clinical disorder in which a human can hold the psychological belief that they’ve either turned into a wolf or are in the process of becoming one. There are actual scientific journal articles on the topic!Werewolves in MythologyOne of the earliest recorded stories as we know them is the epic of Gilgamesh, and even there someone turns into a wolf. Similarly, it’s a theme that appears more than once in Ancient Greek mythology. Basically, werewolves have been with us since long before Hollywood discovered them.The Original Werewolf MovieWhile we detail plenty of cool werewolf movies in this episode, there’s one you can only read about, the long lost (thanks to fire) 1913 silent film The Werewolf.LUCAKnown as the Last Universal Common Ancestor, it’s proof that every species on this planet shares a little DNA. Does it prove the existence of werewolves? Absolutely not. It’s still pretty cool, though!WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?This isn’t our first spooky rodeo! If you’re looking for other horror-themed Does it Fly? episodes, allow us to suggest…The Secret Science of Ghostbusters!The Truly Disturbing Horror of Smile (and Smile 2)What Beetlejuice Gets Right About Demonic Possession!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: RoddenberryBlueky: @Roddenberry For Advertising Inquiries: doesitfly@roddenberry.comCheck out the official Does it Fly? playlist, too!
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    45 mins

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