Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has become somewhat infamous for picking apart the various scientific nuances of pop culture films and the like.
The 2013 science fiction film Gravity, for example, was raked over the coals by Tyson for its depiction of space. All this is to say that it's no surprise to see him dumping on the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.
To be fair to Tyson, the National Geographic Channel's version of StarTalk specifically posed the question of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek or the Millennium Falcon and why to the noted author, and it's not shocking to see which he picked given his predilections and subsequent explanation. Tyson, of course, favors the Enterprise.
"There's no question," he quickly responds in the clip. "The Enterprise has the benefit of being real. In the sense that there are real scientists and real engineers on staff — on the ship — monitoring its engines, its warp drives, its photon torpedoes and so, it's fake-real. As opposed to the Millennium Falcon, which is just fake-fake." He doesn't stop there, though. It's also the purpose of the Enterprise that puts it ahead of the Falcon.
See, the Enterprise is a ship designed to explore rather than reach a destination. According to Tyson, this is a first in storytelling. It's not meant to go from one place to another, it's a habitat of its own.
"That was revolutionary in terms of what we think space would and should be about," he concludes. It's not just somewhere to be voyaged across, but a place of its own with stories and significance.
There's also the firepower difference to consider. The sheer size of the Enterprise puts it into an entirely different class, making any encounter between the two laughable. Or, in Tyson's words, the Enterprise would "wipe its ass" with the Falcon. Which is certainly ... one way to put it.
The StarTalk television show airs at 11 p.m. EST Sundays on National Geographic.
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