Does It Fly? Podcast Por Roddenberry Entertainment arte de portada

Does It Fly?

Does It Fly?

De: Roddenberry Entertainment
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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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Episodios
  • How the Vulcan Mind Meld from Star Trek Works

    How the Vulcan Mind Meld from Star Trek Works
    Aug 22 2025
    “My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts…”Vulcans right before they guess your phone password.We’ve all seen them do it. A Vulcan gets cozy with an individual, gently places a perfectly-manicured and long-fingered hand along their face, gets that distant look in their eye, and suddenly their minds are one. No, it’s not a clever party trick, it’s an incredibly useful information gathering tool, as well as an intimate (even emotional) act that Vulcans don’t take lightly and thus only deploy in circumstances that absolutely demand it. Yes, we’re talking about the Vulcan Mind Meld this week! And despite being one of the most famous pieces of Star Trek lore there is surprisingly (or perhaps thankfully) little on screen explanation of it. But explaining how a mind meld may or may not work requires us to dig into how brains actually conjure up and store things like memories, the electrical impulses that make up thoughts, and actual real world non-verbal communication. There are also some fascinating pieces of Star Trek history to be uncovered in our quest to determine not just the “how” of this famed plot and story device, but the “why” of how it came to be. Our hosts, Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi and Tamara Krinsky have once again performed a mind meld of their own to bring you the very best breakdown of sci-fi and pop culture you’re going to find in this quadrant.Check out the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here if you don’t believe us!https://youtu.be/YllWLbrhKP0?si=xJxH6Gbb2mUVnbUdFURTHER VIEWINGDespite being one of the most famous bits of Star Trek lore, the Vulcan Mind Meld is something that’s only been used relatively sparingly on screen. You probably know the broad strokes of what it is and what it’s supposed to do, but here are the specific episodes and moments we used for reference in this episode:Star Trek season 1 episode 9 - “Dagger of the Mind”Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3 episode 23 - “Sarek”Star Trek: Voyager season 1 episode 8 - “Ex Post Facto”Star Trek: Voyager season 2 episode 16 - “Meld”Star Trek: Enterprise season 1 episode 17 - “Fusion”FURTHER READINGDo 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! What is a Mind?Oh no, are we getting all philosophical again like we did in our recent Freaky Friday episode? Well…maybe not as much this time. In fact, to prove it, here is an exceedingly scientific breakdown of what makes up the brain itself: neurons and how they work! See also: the concept of “theory of mind” which we have also discussed recently!Brain Energy SignalsIn order to detect what a brain is thinking, you need to read the signals…which may be electrical in nature but come in units of measure we aren’t used to dealing with!Mirror NeuronsNo, not neurons that make you behave like your evil double from a parallel universe (sorry, this is a Star Trek episode, so couldn’t resist), these are far more practical. And in a way, it’s a form of mind meld!Technological Mind MeldsThe scientific study that Hakeem references where scientists used technology to essentially create a mind meld was captured on video here.Where are Memories Stored in the Brain?In order to access the thoughts of another, they have to theoretically be stored somewhere, right? All this and more answered here.Behind the Scenes! If you want to go deeper into Tamara’s explanations about how the Mind Meld came to be, we always recommend These are the Voyages, TOS Season One by Marc Cushman and Susan Osborne and The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek - The First 25 Years by Ed Gross and Mark A. Altman.WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?This ain’t our first rodeo (in this case, “rodeo” means “exploration of concepts from Star Trek)! Our first episode ever took on the transporter and you can watch that right here.We also took a closer look at the Genesis Device from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Watch it here!WE ARE RUNNING A CONTEST! WIN SOME COOL PRIZES!Does It Fly? Presents: The Ultimate Nerd GiveawayRoddenberry Entertainment's Does It Fly? is proud to present a giveaway that will make all of your nerd, geek, and sci-fi fan hearts flutter. Want to know how to enter and win? The main thing you’ll want to do is watch and listen for the secret word which will be mentioned in this and upcoming episodes. You’ll see the word appear on screen at a random point in the broadcast as our hosts say it, and it will be accompanied by a tone for our audio listeners. The secret word will appear in Does it Fly? episodes released between July 2 and August 22 so don’t miss ‘em!But there are SO MANY OTHER WAYS TO ENTER! So log in at this link and learn all the different ways you can enter to win! https://gleam.io/IhJtq/dif-ultimate-nerd-giveawayNow, as for those prizes…SECOND RUNNER UP:Prey Soundtrack ...
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    48 m
  • FREAKY FRIDAY and the SCIENCE of Body Swap Movies

    FREAKY FRIDAY and the SCIENCE of Body Swap Movies
    Aug 8 2025
    It’s a time honored trope in movies: one brain, soul, consciousness…whatever you want to call it, either gets placed in a brand new body or gets swapped with someone else’s. Sure, it’s been done a bunch, but some would argue that it has never been done better than in the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. It’s such a simple premise, where a daughter and mother suddenly wake up in each other’s bodies, but it’s done to particularly hilarious and iconic effect in this version.Now, the inherently “magical” element of two consciousnesses switching places is one thing, and one that’s difficult to quantify from a scientific standpoint. But before we can even think about the “swapping” issue, we have to answer the question of what is the nature of consciousness at all. In other words, this is a much heavier episode than we expected it to be when we first set out to make it. Thankfully, we have Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi and Tamara Krinsky to guide you through it all.Check out the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here for more!https://youtu.be/ozzzTDqFIfAFURTHER VIEWINGOK, so obviously, you probably want to have seen the 2003 version of Freaky Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan before watching this episode. Although don’t dismiss Disney’s 1976 original version of the film that starred no less than future big screen legend Jodie Foster and all-time small screen legend John Astin! Just note that we hadn’t seen the newest movie, Freakier Friday, at the time we recorded this episode. But there are a couple of other key body swap movies that Tamara mentions in the episode. One is Penny Marshall’s 1988 classic Big, starring Tom Hanks. That’s a classic of its decade, and you’ve probably already seen that one. If you haven’t seen Big, well, the only possible explanation we can think of is that you probably weren’t a kid in the ‘80s or ‘90s. Just note that this isn’t two consciousnesses switching place but rather a kid waking up in his own suddenly adult body.But 1984’s All of Me, starring Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin, and directed by Carl Reiner is something of an underrated comedy gem in general…not just for the body-swap genre! And if we can make one more kind of offbeat recommendation: Justice League Unlimited season 3, episode 8 “The Great Brain Robbery” has Flash and Lex Luthor switching consciousnesses, to hilarious results!Don’t worry, you still only really need to have seen Freaky Friday to get what we’re talking about today, but our questions about the nature of consciousness apply just as much to these other classics! FURTHER READINGDo 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! What Is Consciousness?Hakeem starts off the episode by asking a question that made our heads spin ever so slightly: what is consciousness? Well, to explain that, you can look at it from a scientific and biological/neurological perspective or you can take a more philosophical approach. Somewhere between the two you will find true consciousness. Oh no, now we’re talking like the kinds of people who ask deep philosophical questions, too! Sorry for the long readings in those links but there are no easy answers to…oh no, we’re doing it again!Theory of Mind“Theory of Mind” sounds more intimidating than it is, and to make up for the extra long readings above, we found one with helpful illustrations for you this time! Hey, it’s still from Stanford.Foreplanning and Animal ConsciousnessSure, humans can think of scenarios that haven’t happened yet (or, if you’re anxious, that may never happen) but if we may quote Hakeem: “We are not the only conscious entities on this planet.” To that end, here’s some animal kingdom proof for you! If you want to read that paper he cites about the chimpanzee tricking its food rivals, it’s here. Or this creepy bird doing creepy human baby imitations to trick us into giving it food.The Biology of Consciousness?It’s as simple as this: when you are anesthetized, certain portions of the brain are inactive, but when you wake up, they activate. Here is a more complicated explanation. BUT remember, correlation does not necessarily equal causation!The Big PictureDon’t you love it when Tamara surprises Hakeem during the science section? She recommends The Big Picture by Sean Carroll as a wonderful way to look at some of the questions of consciousness.The History of Freaky FridayFor some more context on how this movie came together, we’ve got just the thing.“You Are Not the Voice in Your Head”Check out The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer for a deeper exploration of this concept.WE ARE RUNNING A CONTEST! WIN SOME COOL PRIZES!Does It Fly? Presents: The Ultimate Nerd GiveawayRoddenberry Entertainment's Does It Fly? is proud to present a giveaway that will ...
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    48 m
  • The SCIENCE of SUPERMAN!

    The SCIENCE of SUPERMAN!
    Jul 12 2025
    “You’ve got ME? Who’s got YOU?!?Lois LaneWith a new Superman movie now in theaters (James Gunn’s aptly titled Superman) it’s time to take a look at one of the biggest conundrums in all of popular culture. Just where do Superman’s powers come from? While there have been conflicting explanations for this given by comics, TV shows, animated series, and movies through the decades, one point has taken hold pretty solidly for most of the character’s eight-plus decades: many of Superman’s powers come from the fact that he comes from a race of aliens who developed under a red sun, which means our more intensely radiant yellow sun charges up his cells and gives him his amazing abilities.The nature of Superman’s powers had been addressed in different ways in the comics over the years (at one point, ALL Kryptonians were simply born with super powers, before explanations like Earth’s lighter gravity, our yellow sun, and others were added to the mythos). But the first media adaptation that really tried to address the source of his powers came with Richard Donner’s masterful Superman: The Movie (1978). In that film, no less than Marlon Brando as Jor-El patiently explains to the audience the ways a Kryptonian would adapt to Earth’s environment and the powers one might get.Look, there’s only so much realism we can expect with a character like Superman, who is more of an ideal to strive for than a hard science fiction character. But we dive into the science and the story, and also discuss the timeless vibes that make that first proper Superman movie such an enduring classic in this episode.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9jeGwHn57EFURTHER VIEWINGMuch of this episode’s discussion was based around two of the best superhero movies ever made, Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). While Christopher Reeve might be the most perfect piece of superhero casting ever, the other two movies in that franchise are uneven at best. But there’s other Superman media that address the source of the Man of Steel’s powers!While divisive, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel made a valiant effort to explain why Superman can do the things he does (including the yellow sun). And James Gunn’s currently in theaters Superman (2025) leans heavily on the solar power angle. It’s also just an absolute blast and the best superhero movie in years.FURTHER READINGKrypton and Its SunThere are two main ingredients in Superman’s home planet that are said to contribute to his powers on Earth. One is that Krypton itself is habitable (and potentially with heavier gravity), and in order for that to be the case, it has to exist in the habitable zone of the star it orbits. Proxima Centauri B is one such world that has captured scientists’ attention.The one more relevant to today’s discussion is that Superman was born under a red sun, which makes Earth’s yellow sun supercharge his cells. In Krypton’s case, that’s a dying star known as a red giant. Which brings us to…A quick guide to the different colors of stars. Although, as Hakeem points out, Earth’s sun isn’t yellow, but green! Eventually, it will turn red, but that’s a problem none of us will be around to see.KryptochondriaWe all remember photosynthesis from elementary school, right? But in order for human (or animal in the case of Krypto the Superdog) cells to be charged up with solar radiation to the degree necessary for superheroics, cellular organelles and ribosomes would have to function differently. Also the amount of the neurotransmitter known as adenosine triphosphate (creatine devotees know all about ATP) it would take to generate the energy for super-feats is prohibitive.We confess that following Hakeem on the matter of the absorption spectrum is a little challenging, but don’t just take our word for it! Failed Flying Techniques and More!Tamara gives us a red giant batch of story analysis and background info in this one, but because seeing is believing, some stuff is better watched than read. For more context on Superman: The Movie and the incredible effort it took to make you believe a man could fly, check out The Magic Behind the Cape (where we get the “best special effect of all” that Tamara quotes) and Front Projection 101. Also, somewhere on a Superman: The Movie Blu-ray extra that doesn’t appear to be online, there is video evidence of the “dummy shot out of an air cannon” failed flying technique Tamara brings up, but we can’t link it here! WE ARE RUNNING A CONTEST! WIN SOME COOL PRIZES!Does It Fly? Presents: The Ultimate Nerd GiveawayRoddenberry Entertainment's Does It Fly? is proud to present a giveaway that will make all of your nerd, geek, and sci-fi fan hearts flutter. Want to know how to enter and win? The main thing you’ll want to do is watch and listen for the secret word which will be mentioned in this and upcoming episodes. You’ll see the word appear on screen at a random point in the broadcast as our hosts say ...
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    50 m
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