What does Neil deGrasse Tyson do during San Diego Comic-Con? Play Jenga!
Check out the clips from Neil’s game at the SDCC 2018 Press Event at the Sun & Moon Deck at the Kimpton Solamar Hotel in Downtown San Diego, celebrating his Emmy-nominated show “StarTalk.”
We got photos of the event too: the catering was delicious and the rooftop of the Kimpton is a beautiful spot for an event.
After playing a great game, Neil took the time to talk to attendees and sign copies of his book StarTalk. Even though he was on a tight schedule, he took selfies with everyone who asked, including myself, Jada, and our friend Jose. It was a lovely event all around. Press members were given a copy of his book and a set of StarTalk tasting glasses, and there was excellent food from Upper East Bar, and a beer and wine tasting; Jada tried a sparkling rosé and I enjoyed a Coronado Brewing IPA. (There was also a table with samples of Angel’s Envy bourbon, but I decided I was nervous enough by being in the same room with THE Neil deGrasse Tyson, I didn’t need to get the giggles on top of that.) Compared to the craziness of most of Comic-Con, it was a great chance to chat with like-minded press people (shout out to Sarah from ScreenRant!) and relax while watching a world renowned astrophysicist play a tabletop game.
I got to ask Neil a question while he was waiting for his friend to take a turn in Jenga (I had the question all ready because I thought it’d be a standard press call, and it definitely wasn’t, but if you’re literally shoulder-to-shoulder with Neil deGrasse Tyson you need to ask him a question.) I said “With climate change deniers and Flat Earthers and other attacks on science, what’s the most productive thing an everyday person can do?” He thought about it and said “Continue to be a force of reason online against those who are not.” So there you are. Go forth and be a force of reason.
(It’s been pointed out that in Jenga you’re supposed to take the pieces you pulled out and place them on the top of the stack. We’re guessing that since Neil’s time was pretty limited, they were playing an abbreviated game to keep it from going on too long.)
(Our apologies to his opponent Mr. Jeff Berkwitz for not getting footage of his moves, we were running out of storage space on our camera!)
Watch episodes of StarTalk at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/startalk-with-neil-degrasse-tyson/, and listen to StarTalk at https://www.startalkradio.net/.
Photos by Jada Scarbrough and Elizabeth Wallace. Video and editing by Elizabeth Wallace.