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The Physics of Star Trek and Beyond #1

The Physics of Star Trek

lawrence m. krauss stephen hawking

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What exactly "warps" when you are traveling at warp speed? What is the difference between the holodeck and a hologram? What happens when you get beamed up? Are time loops really possible, and can I kill my grandmother before I was born? Until now, fans of "Star Trek" were hard pressed to find answers to vital questions such as these. Now Lawrence M. Krauss, an internationally known theoretical physicist and educator, has written the quintessential physics book for Trekkers and non-Trekkers alike.

Anyone who has ever wondered, "Could this really happen?" will gain useful insights into the "Star Trek" universe (and, incidentally, the real universe) in this charming and accessible volume. Krauss boldly goes where "Star Trek" has gone -- and beyond. He uses the "Star Trek" future as a launching pad to discuss the forefront of modern physics. From Newton to Hawking, from Einstein to Feynman, from Kirk to Janeway, Krauss leads the reader on a voyage to the world of physics as we now know it and as it might one day be.

Featuring the Top 10 biggest physics bloopers in "Star Trek," as selected by Nobel Prize-winning physicists and other dedicated Trekkers!"This book is fun, and Mr. Krauss has a nice touch with a tough subject...Readers drawn by frivolity will be treated to substance." "--New York Times Book Review"

"Today's science fiction is often tomorrow's science fact. The physics that underlies "Star Trek" is surely worth investigating. To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit."--Stephen Hawking (in the foreword)A

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1995
Series
The Physics of Star Trek and Beyond

This edition

Format
188 pages, Paperback
Published
August 16, 1996 by ReganBooks
ISBN
9780060977108
ASIN
0060977108
Language
English

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About the author

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lawrence m. krauss

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Lawrence Maxwell Krauss is a Canadian-American theoretical physicist and cosmologist who taught at Arizona State University (ASU), Yale University, and Case Western Reserve University. He founded ASU's Origins Project in 2008 to investigate fundamental questions about the universe and served as the project's director.
Krauss is an advocate for public understanding of science, public policy based on sound empirical data, scientific skepticism, and science education. An anti-theist, Krauss seeks to reduce the influence of what he regards as superstition and religious dogma in popular culture. Krauss is the author of several bestselling books, including The Physics of Star Trek (1995) and A Universe from Nothing (2012), and chaired the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Board of Sponsors.
Upon investigating allegations about sexual misconduct by Krauss, ASU determined that Krauss had violated university policy, and did not renew his Origins Project directorship for a third term in July 2018. Krauss retired as a professor at ASU in May 2019, at the end of the following academic year. He currently serves as president of The Origins Project Foundation. Krauss hosts The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss and publishes a blog titled Critical Mass.

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Community Reviews

Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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Takai
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Readers know that today’s science fiction often becomes tomorrow’s science fact. But how does “Star Trek” stack up against the real universe? As readers explore the concepts, they will discover what science the creators of the series got right . . . and not so right . . . in the “Star Trek” future. Written by a theoretical physicist, readers will find much to ponder in the discussion of physics as it is known today and the suggestions of what it might one day become.

For fans of the series as well as for those with an interest in physics, this is a voyage filled with fascination.

Recommended.
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Magdalen
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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I was interested in reading this book to see real-world applications of "fictional" physics. There were times I was lost. Overall though s good read.
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nunpuia23
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Good Book. If gives you exactly what the title of the book says it will do. The book took complicated physic problems and made them easy to understand in relation to how the Star Trek series uses them. The book also gave what it would take for things to happen the way that they did in the series/movies and how that plays into both the writing of the series and the way that the movies/series showed things in a certain order. If you are "sciency" and like to learn how the things in the show are done and if they were realistic then read this book.
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Uniasus
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Fun little pop science book the main drawback of which is it does not require you to watch any Star Trek. Superficially mentioning couple of names and episodes it delves mainly in standard stuff of black holes, anthropic principle, alien life, time travel, string theory etc making it just another popular physics book.
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Shasira
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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As a Star Trek fan, this book fulfilled both sides of my knowledge quest about Star Trek; it is both legitimate and impossible, given that it is a dream creation. Krauss provides clear and understandable evidence for both and that balanced portrayal made reading this book a pleasure for a non-physicist, Trek fan. I liked his tone and style of writing as well. Concepts were easy to grasp and it was fun to read.
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Kieli_Heart
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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This is an interesting read. Krauss hits on a lot of the main science from the shows and whether those are plausible at all. It's refreshing to know that a lot of it isn't that far from possibility. Our technology is just not there yet and may not be for a long time, but it's interesting to know how these things may be put into effect. He touches on subjects like transporters, food replicators, warp-drive, anti-matter, phasers, alien life, and more. The only thing about this book is that it is over 20 years old now, so some of the physics theories may be more developed now or maybe even rebuked. Also, much of the book talks about semi-general cosmological ideas, so if you've read other pop-physics books like I have, some I had read many times before. Still worth reading, though.
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zaynab_hamied
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Trekkers will enjoy the scientific point of view about how the ships can/might/won't fly, transporter technology, time travel, neutron stars, dark matter, the holodecks, phasers, and assorted other Trek technobabble and props that makes science fiction fun. It's a deep read, and delves into, well, physics, and is not to be consumed in one sitting or even one weekend by the average human. Heavy in details, formulas, and facts, it's sure to change your perspective on which ever franchise you like - from TOS, TNG, VOY, ENT, or even DS9.
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subishiro
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Nice fun book. Updated edition of course very quickly out-of-date. Nice ways of thinking about some things and a nice reminder of previous trips through the Star Trek universe.
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