Decoding Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar: A Deep Dive into Wormholes, Black Holes, and Space-Time with Erin Macdonald

In 2014, Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar captivated audiences worldwide. Set in a dystopian future where Earth faces a catastrophic crop blight, the narrative revolves around former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), who is recruited for a groundbreaking mission. This mission aims to transport humanity to a new habitable planet, achieved through a wormhole.

Back on Earth, Cooper’s daughter, Murph (Jessica Chastain), tirelessly works on solving an equation that could facilitate the mass relocation of humanity from Earth. In an engaging conversation, the film was discussed with Erin Macdonald, astrophysicist and scientific advisor for Star Trek. The discourse delved into the portrayal of wormholes, black holes, and the intricate space-time manipulations featured in the movie.

For those eager to explore more about the science behind science fiction, feel free to email your questions to shortwave@npr.org for potential inclusion in a future episode. To enjoy ad-free access and support our work, consider subscribing to Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

Short Wave is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode was masterfully produced by Rachel Carlson, skillfully edited by showrunner Rebecca Ramirez, fact-checked by Tyler Jones, and expertly engineered by Jimmy Keeley.