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Space the Nation — Arts
Space the Nation

On Space the Nation, we take our love of science fiction (and fantasy and horror) and smash it together with our professional passions: international relations (as brought to the table by Tufts University professor and Washington Post columnist Dan Drezner) and cultural criticism (as brought to the table by political columnist Ana Marie Cox). It’s a highly informed but hilarious conversation that starts with an examination of a particular text (everything from Ursula K. LeGuin to the MCU, Star Trek to Colson Whitehead) and veers into current events, mental health practices and imagined conversations between Ted Cruz and the Predator. For people who like white papers and graphic novels, Chapo Trap House and what Political Science Twitter used to be.

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Copyright: © Space the Nation

Latest Episodes:

DISAPPOINTMENTS DAY Aug 07, 2026

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In which our heroes discuss recent non-great things in the realm of science fiction, including Disclosure Day as well as M3GAN and Greenland 2s.

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STILL HERE, STILL Aug 07, 2026

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We're still dedicated to producing the podcast, we're still here, we still appreciate your support!

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WORLD WAR Z (2013) Jun 15, 2026

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We delve into Dan's backyard (the next edition of Theories of International Relations and Zombies ain't gonna research itself!) with the least-faithful-to-the-source-material movie of all time. A cursed production that wouldn't stay dead, this movie wound up going viral—it's still the highest-grossing zombie movie of all time.

There is just a bit of IR, and the capitalism won't stay dead, either.

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ROBOCOP (1987) Jun 01, 2026

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Well, is there a critique of capitalism in this movie? I'll buy that for a dollar!

Commentary on, among other things: Corporate malfeasance, the carceral state, the market's encroachment on bodily autonomy, disability justice, and parody of ultraviolence done in service of capital? ACAB except Robocop, that's what I say. There is also IR in this movie.

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ENCORE: KINDRED (1979) May 29, 2026

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What better way to end our celebration of mothers with this meditation on generational trauma—as well as the grit and grace it takes to survive. This is not Octavia Butler's novel with the most transparent commentary on the Current Troubles, it goes deeper than that: It raises questions about repair from trauma, what it is possible to heal, and when wounds have to be honored rather than salved. A perfect accompaniment to preparations for our country's 250th birthday!

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GRAVITY (2013) May 24, 2026

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The George Clooney Rule of competence porn ("If the movie contains Clooney, it contains competence.") overwhelms the argument that Gravity may not, at its core, really be competence porn so much as "barely-made-it-out-and-needed-a-male-presence-to-survive porn." Your space mileage may vary!

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ENCORE: ARRIVAL (2016) May 23, 2026

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More moms in space for May! Arrival may be the movie that split your hosts the most deeply: Dan loves it, Ana can't forgive the movie for confusing linguists with translators, among other things. This movie has a gorgeous soundtrack, a luminous performance from Amy Adams, and a lot of international relations.

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ENCORE: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022) May 13, 2026

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We continue with encore presentations of mothers in space for May. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert use slapstick, sci-fi, and hotdog fingers in this hallucinatory exploration of agency and commitment and the everything bagel. There's IR and a critique of capitalism in this movie.

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THE MERCY OF THE GODS (2024) May 13, 2026

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The minds behind The Expanse are back with a novel about academic infighting and enormous space bugs. Dan identifies with one of the characters! It's a brutal look at how humanity does and doesn't survive contact with utter cruelty. There is lots of IR (and academic intrigue!) in this book.

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ENCORE: ALIENS (1986) May 06, 2026

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Mothers: Can't live with them, can't have existed without them. Science fiction is dominated my male voices, some of them have mommy issues. Here are some of our mommy issues. (Octavia Butler, author of one of encores, is the only creator to be exploring the issue from the inside.)

First up is Aliens, the ultimate not-without-my-daughter text.

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