Are you among those people who are big fans of watching sci-fi genre movies? If so, of course you know the biggest titles ever featured in this category. The Star Wars franchise is by far the most popular and almost generic term that has even become a common adjective for most. Star Trek is another famous title that is closer to the current reality than Star Wars, where the earth still exists and the existence of planets and interstellar infrastructure is not yet as complex or convoluted. New science fiction titles also touched the memory of patrons and lovers of this genre. Avatar is one of the most recent epic sci-fi movies to take the movie industry by storm. Other titles that also left their mark are Dune Series, Serenity, and Starship Troopers.
Let me ask you then, what is something common in these titles? Can you identify the connection between the titles I have published? The common idea or element behind these science fiction movies is that it features interstellar travel. Interstellar means to travel from one star or solar system to another. Therefore, all of these movies feature ‘starships’ in their usual setting.
What then are starships? They are ships used to travel through another solar system. It has already been widely accepted in the cosmic scientific community that there are hundreds of galaxies beyond our own. Think of starships like the ocean-going imperial galleons of the 15th century during the Age of Exploration. What these starships are not, however, are massive canvas sails, steam, coal, or crude oil. What powers the interstellar vehicles called starships is the element called antimatter.
Since the discovery and application of positrons, the counterpart of positive electrons, antimatter research has intensified to such an extent. Recently, it has been announced that scientists have already found a way to create and even store antimatter in larger quantities than ever before.
The reason antimatter is believed to be the fuel source that makes interstellar travel possible is because antimatter is considered to be the element with the most concentrated energy. If thermonuclear bombs only use 1 percent, antimatter uses 99 percent more concentration. Most of the scientists who made these discoveries believed that antimatter is surely the only candidate for achieving the unthinkable.
Sooner, when large amounts of antimatter can already be stored and its element has been scientifically proven to be applicable in real use, then humanity will begin another discovery. After all, during the Middle Ages, European peoples believed that going beyond the Strait of Gibraltar was unthinkable, since all ships would descend into the bottomless void at the ends of the world. The bold and brilliant navigators proved them wrong and became the pioneers of the Age of Exploration. The same could be happening now, where scientific theories and postulates are often considered outlandish due to the indulgence of fictional media and the reluctance of neoconservative religious communities. History repeats itself. The same could be said in the matter of human discovery, where interstellar travel seemed to be among the highlights. But what is in the future remains to be seen.
