4.8 • 739 Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2025
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Is there a hidden dimension beyond space and time, a cosmic shortcut that could let us defy the speed of light? From warp drives to wormholes, science fiction has long dreamed of hyperspace travel—but could it ever be real?
Watch my exclusive video The End of Science https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-the-end-of-science
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isaacarthur
Use the link gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $30.
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
What Is Hyperspace? Exploring the Science Behind FTL
Episode 492; March 27, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Edited by: Merv Johnson II
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Phase Shift, "Forest Night"
Chris Zabriskie, "Unfoldment, Revealment", "A New Day in a New Sector"
Stellardrone, "Billions and Billions"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
0:00.0 | Hello, SFIA audio listeners. In this month's Nebula exclusive, big alien theory, |
0:05.2 | we're asking the reason alien civilizations might be rare is because most aliens are huge. |
0:10.5 | To hear it and every episode early and ad-free, plus hours of bonus content, |
0:15.1 | check out go.nebola.tv slash Isaac Arthur and use my code, Isaac Arthur. |
0:21.4 | If hyperspace were real, what dangers might lurk in the great unseen, and could it ever be more than a sci-fi dream? |
0:34.1 | From warm holes to warp drives to hyperspace lanes, science fiction has given us imaginative ways to cheat the cosmos, but is in even possible? |
0:44.3 | And what is hyperspace anyway? Grab a drink, a snack, give the like and subscribe buttons a smack, and let's explore hyperspace. |
0:52.3 | Hyperspace is an intriguing concept that bridges the gap between science and imagination, |
0:58.5 | often serving as a stand-in for Fast and Light FTR travel in speculative stories. |
1:04.7 | Its presentation varies widely, appearing in major science fiction franchises like Star Wars, |
1:13.6 | Isaac Asmos Foundation series, and TV shows such as Babylon 5. At its core, hyperspace refers to an alternate dimension or |
1:20.1 | higher dimensional space that allows travelers to bypass the normal constraints of our universe. Instead of being restrained by the cosmic |
1:29.5 | speed limit, the speed of light, hyperspace offers a theoretical shortcut, enabling rapid |
1:35.2 | journeys between distant points in the cosmos. While the term hyperspace doesn't have a direct |
1:41.0 | and universal counterpart in current scientific models, it draws inspiration |
1:45.5 | from real physics concepts, such as higher dimensions in string theory, wormholes, or the |
1:50.9 | manipulation of space-time. Its interpretation in science fiction reflects as much narrative |
1:56.4 | creativity as scientific plausibility. In science fiction, hyperspace has not just a tool for traveling faster than light, it's |
2:04.6 | a rich narrative device that shapes the words and stories built around it. |
2:08.6 | In Star Wars, hyperspace lanes offer established routes for interstellar travel, bottlenecks |
2:14.6 | for trade, piracy, and battle. |
2:18.1 | In Dune, the Spacing Guild's forward space ability allows instantaneous movement through |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Isaac Arthur, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Isaac Arthur and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.