Today is May the Fourth, and Mr. Fred is celebrating with a special episode of Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks.
For Mr. Fred, Star Wars is more than lightsabers, space battles, and droids. It helped spark a lifelong interest in technology, imagination, computers, coding, teaching, and helping young people become builders.
And May the Fourth is extra special in the Aebli family because it is also Mr. Fred’s son’s birthday.
In this episode, Mr. Fred looks at Star Wars as a technology story. From the Death Star’s tiny thermal exhaust port to the problem-solving personality of R2-D2, this episode explores what a galaxy far, far away can teach us about coding, artificial intelligence, STEM, design thinking, Disney Imagineering, and future technology.
The big idea?
Technology needs imagination. But it also needs wisdom.
In this episode, Mr. Fred talks about:
- Why Star Wars has always been a technology story disguised as an adventure
- What the Death Star can teach us about design flaws and security vulnerabilities
- How R2-D2 and C-3PO give us a fun way to think about modern AI tools
- Why Disney World and Galaxy’s Edge are powerful STEM learning environments
- How Disney Imagineering blends storytelling, automation, engineering, and design
- A special shoutout to former student and friend Jim Cesari, who now works in Disney Imagineering systems automation
- Why today’s kids are already becoming builders through games, coding toys, robotics, AI tools, and hands-on tinkering
- The May the Fourth Tech Challenge for families, students, and teachers
May the Fourth Tech Challenge
Pick one piece of Star Wars technology and find its real-world equivalent.
- Droids and modern robotics
- Holograms and mixed reality
- Bionic limbs and advanced prosthetics
- AI assistants and conversational tools
- Space travel and aerospace engineering
- Laser systems and directed-energy technology
- Tractor beams, if you want to get wonderfully nerdy
Then ask:
What would it take to close the gap?
That question is the beginning of engineering, coding, and invention.
Links Mentioned
GetMeCoding.com
https://www.getmecoding.com/
Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks Podcast Home
https://www.getmecoding.com/podcast-mr-freds-tech-talks/
How A Walt Disney World Vacation Can Inspire Learning
https://www.getmecoding.com/5-must-see-stem-related-disney-attractions/
What Is a Database? A Simple Explanation Using Star Wars
https://www.getmecoding.com/what-is-a-database-a-simple-explanation-using-star-wars/
The 2026 Coding Toy Idea Book for Kids
https://www.getmecoding.com/episode-26-2026-coding-toy-idea-book/
Coding Toy Idea Book 2026: The Best Coding and STEM Toys for Kids
https://www.getmecoding.com/best-coding-toys-2024/
STEM Activity: Build a Model of Disney’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster
https://www.getmecoding.com/stem-activity-rocknrollercoaster/
Explore GetMeCoding Courses
https://courses.getmecoding.com/
May the Fourth be with you. Always.
Keep learning.
Keep questioning.
And keep building.
