According to Variety, the show, Sci-Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible, will feature Dr. Michio Kaku looking at the reality behind Star Wars' favored weapon of choice. After explaining that light can't be formed into a solid blade, Jedi-style, he then goes to work looking for alternatives, including plasma swords and carbon nano-tubes, with the help of experts in the field. As you can see from the pic, he apparently succeeds. My mind is almost so blown that I forgot to say that I really, really want to see lightsaber battles as part of the Olympics now.

Sci-Fi Science premieres on the Science Channel on December 1st.

Geek Alert: Science Channel Builds a Light-Saber! [BLTV/Variety]

The installation is called simply FIELD. Five years ago, FIELD creator Richard Box was an artist in residence in the physics department at Bristol University, and he got the idea to plant his fluorescent crop after hearing a colleague describe playing light saber games with a fluorescent tube beneath power lines in his backyard. So he bribed a local farmer into letting him set up this extraordinary scene, to recreate the light saber game times a thousand.

How does it all work?

According to the UK Guardian, describing the project when it was first created:

A fluorescent tube glows when an electrical voltage is set up across it. The electric field set up inside the tube excites atoms of mercury gas, making them emit ultraviolet light. This invisible light strikes the phosphor coating on the glass tube, making it glow. Because powerlines are typically 400,000 volts, and Earth is at an electrical potential voltage of zero volts, pylons create electric fields between the cables they carry and the ground.

Box denies that he aimed to draw attention to the potential dangers of powerlines, ‘For me, it was just the amazement of taking something that's invisible and making it visible,' he says. ‘When it worked, I thought: ‘This is amazing.''

You can see more of Box's work on his website.

The team at Yahoo! Answers is somewhat split on the outcome; responses include "No. The lightsaber is a laser and lasers can not hurt superman" and "dude, lightsabers can cut through anything! even superman," but thankfully our nerd powers are strong on this one - The answer is, probably not, unless he's already been weakened by either magic or kryptonite at the time.

Of course, if the lightsaber in question is powered by a kryptonite crystal, then he's going to be in pieces faster than you could say "Cut off his hand! Cut off his hand!!!"

Can a Jedi lightsaber cut through Superman? [Yahoo! Answers]

• The Sonic Screwdriver from Doctor Who: This is probably one of the most versatile gadgets in all of science fiction creation. It could be used to disable robots, rewire security grids, repair dead machinery, open locks, and yes, even turn screws. They were never quite clear about how this worked, just that it was "sonic," but it got The Doctor out of more scrapes than McGuyver's Swiss Army knife, and won't raise eyebrows at airport security.
• The Lightsaber from Star Wars: Sure, it was just a sword... or was it? You could use this to open up tauntauns for warmth, melt steel blast doors open, deflect laser blasts, and light your way. Plus, if you have a really steady hand you could probably shave and cut the Thanksgiving turkey with it, and that's just for starters. Plus it has a handy belt loop so you can accessorize with it.
• The Handheld Replicator from Star Trek V: We only saw this thing once on-screen when Spock used it to create a marshmallow while he was camping with Kirk and Bones, but think about how awesome it would be to have this in your pocket. Especially while on a road trip or at the movies. Of course, it's so small in size that you wouldn't be able to get anything substantial out of it, but we envision a river of never-ending candy streaming out that would make your house a pretty popular stop on Halloween. You could even get a toy version of this by mailing a coupon in to Kraft, creating one of the lamest movie tie-in toys ever.
• Ziggy from Quantum Leap: Although unfortunately named after the world's lamest comic-strip, Ziggy was the sentient supercomputer that told Scott Bakula where and who he was, and what he was supposed to be doing. It looked like it was made out of see-through Legos and frequently got whacked by Al in an effort to make it work right, and it would make the perfect PDA. Don't like the lunch meeting it has scheduled for you? Just slap it around a bit.
• Mr. Igoe's hand from Innerspace: Igoe was the mute henchman of Mr. Scrimshaw, and he wanted nothing more than to cause you pain. He had a fake right hand that could pop off and be interchanged with several different tools, including a blowtorch, a corkscrew, a drill, and... a vibrator. Which he puts to good use on the red-haired vixen in the film. Talk about your ultimate handheld gadget, and his license plate even read SNAPON.
• The Neuralizer from Men In Black: Seriously, this pen-sized gadget could come in handy in millions of different ways, and it has the bonus benefit of giving you Jedi-like powers of persuasion as well. Not only could it make you forget things (at user-tweaked intervals), but you could plant suggestions in the newly erased mind the way Will Smith has that woman sass up her life. I'd like to have one just for all the times I get pulled over by traffic cops.
• Honorable Mention — The Bathroom Buddy from Gremlins: In the movie, Billy's dad (who is also the guy who bought the damn Gremlin in the first place) spends most of the movie trying to invent a "Bathroom Buddy" that will revolutionize going to the bathroom. Need a shave? Time to brush your teeth? Thanks Bathroom Buddy! No idea what else it could do, because thankfully the film didn't get too graphic with it. Alas, he never got it to work right, leaving us with a hunk of useless plastic and an empty spot in our pocket.