Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is winning raves from the hard science crowd for its physicists-approved depiction of the complex science of wormholes, the fissures which warp spacetime so that gigantic distances can be traversed outside of the normal confines of sublight travel. Put more simply, a wormhole stretches and bends the spacetime fabric so that two points located far from each other are pulled together. Basically, it’s the best shortcut you could ever find.
Sound complicated? It very much is. It’s also a supercool plot device that science fiction writers and filmmakers can’t resist. Not to be confused with wormholes are black holes, which are sources of gravity so dense not even light can escape from its pull. This means you can’t see them, which is too bad because they probably look pretty cool.
Somewhat related to those is plain old hyperjumping, faster-than-light travel that, like wormholes, bypasses the usual rules of physics and takes a traveler across immense distances. On the eve of Interstellar’s global release, here are the Top 10 boldest black holes, headiest hyperjumps, and wildest wormholes on streaming.
'Fringe'
If you’re going to travel to a parallel universe to replace the son you lost in this one, you’d better be prepared for pop-up singularities that plague the globe—as well as a fascinating alternate world where coffee is rare and the Dodgers never left Brooklyn. [Where to stream Fringe]
'Dune'
The universe of Dune revolves around the spice melange, a substance that not only serves as a mind-expanding aid, it ‘folds space,’ making interstellar travel possible. Let’s see shrooms do that. [Where to stream Dune]
'Thor: The Dark World'
As in Norse mythology, the Bifrost Bridge is a wormhole-like portal that connects our world to the realm of the gods. So yeah, you’re gonna need a portal for that. [Where to stream Thor: The Dark World]
'Battlestar Galactica' (2004)
The titular vessel made a number of faster-than-light jumps in its history, even tangling with black hole-orbiting Cylon bases, but its most important jump was its final one—which delivered it to Earth’s doorstep. [Where to stream Battlestar Galactica]
'The Black Hole' (1979)
Though this 1979 thriller may seem hopelessly dated and scientifically inaccurate, it scores points for introducing the concept of Ernest Borgnine in space. [Where to stream The Black Hole]
'Donnie Darko'
Donnie Darko is a difficult to parse, but once you realize that vortex through which the jet engine hurtles is a time-bending wormhole that connects our ‘prime’ universe to the ‘tangent’ universe, then it all makes sense. Kind of. [Where to stream Donnie Darko]
'Stargate'
Kurt Russell and James Spader step through a portal, travel through a wormhole, arrive in a distant galaxy… and find that the place is a whole lot like ancient Egypt. [Where to stream Stargate]
'Star Trek' (2009)
Rebooting a beloved franchise with an alternate reality may be a risky move, but hey, blame Spock and his artificial black hole which got unwieldy and sent him back in time, creating a new timeline. [Where to stream Star Trek]
'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'
Warp drive can be a beautiful thing, but attempt it within the boundaries of our solar system, and you might create a wormhole that’s pulled in an asteroid heading right for you. Wormholes ain’t easy. [Where to stream Star Trek: The Motion Picture]
The Millennium Falcon's Light Speed Jumps
The darn thing never seemed to work when it should. Fixing it meant back-breaking work with heavy tools in the bowels of the ship. And it was subject to enemy sabotage. But hey, when you engage that throttle, and the surrounding stars elongate into elegant threads of beauty that stretch past you and envelop you and your cockpit in an other-wordly state of zen, well… all is forgiven. Even Nien Numb would agree. [Where to find Star Wars]
