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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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © Space the Nation

Latest Episodes:

S4E11: DUNE 2 (LIVE) Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan drank the water of life... at Cosmic Coffee in Austin, TX, for our first-ever tiny desk live show. This show has a lot of ambiance (background noise) and even some audience Q&A (none of which are more like comments). We hope you love it as much as we did. Or, you know, can stand it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back! Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

It was as if thousands of podcast listeners suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. We disappeared from Apple Podcasts, because AI. If you listen via that method, there are now literally dozen of new-to-you episodes to enjoy! Please do enjoy. If you want to avoid missing *any* shows, including our special episodes, consider becoming a Patron! We love you either way.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

S4E10: BLADE RUNNER Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan will take those noodles to go while they ponder what they'll do about that turtle on its back. The great grand-daddy of scifi noir, Blade Runner's visuals still resonate even if the script clunks more than it sings. There is IR and a critique of capitalism in this movie.

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S4E09: EX MACHINA Mar 09, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan open up some Keikaku beers and ask this movie if it knows it's a movie. This gorgeous exploration of power, identity, gender, and self-awareness is a decade old but of the moment, with its sexy AI and Joe Rogan billionaire. It has IR, a critique of capitalism, and Oscar Isaac disco dancing. (This did not get posted last week; technical difficulties -- many apologies.)

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S4E08: STARTER VILLAIN Feb 24, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan accede to the superior analysis and portfolio acquisition of cats. We've been meaning to do a Scalzi book for some time -- but which one? Then the decision was taken out of our hands, because talking (typing) cats. There is IR in this book.

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S4E07: LEECH Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan add some fresh motor oil to their hearts to gear up for this adventure in a post-apocalyptic science fiction gothic mutant medical horror romance set in the distantly future French Alps. Intrigued? You should be! This novel sets a high degree of difficulty for itself and... just about succeeds. Like, succeeds enough to be really interesting! There is a lot of body horror, some IR, and a wealth of critiques of capitalism.

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S4E06: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Feb 11, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan watched a movie we did! For those unfamiliar with this off-the-radar franchise, it's a story about the adventures of wise Wookie whose sage is advice is often ignored by his lovable but misguided human friends. We hope you like it! There is IR and even a critique of capitalism.

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S4E05: THE COLONY Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan put on their masks (the right way) and get to the script-doctoring! The Colony (2013) was so bad it birthed two new STN formats: First, we conduct a pathological exam on the movie and try to come up with ways that the patient could have been saved. Second, we sketch out Fishmas, a December-long celebration of Laurence Fishburne's scifi oeuvre. We are taking suggestions for what to cover, having already hit some highlights (Matrix, Event Horizon). There is some IR in this extremely boring movie.

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S4E04: I.S.S. Jan 29, 2024

Show notes

Ana and Dan ask you to notice the hum of the life-support system. If that goes silent, then you're definitely watching this movie, where someone draws attention to the hum of the life-support system so that you will notice when it goes silent. This is not a bad movie, it is a disappointing one. The wrong people sang, damnit! Also, please listen to the end because we need you all to weigh in: Is a wrap a sandwich? Oh, and yeah, there's IR in this movie.

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S4E03: THE TERROR Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

How's this for terror: Ana's beloved mutt got pancreatitis, thus this episode is really late. But, I did it! Here, here it is! And it's an excellent episode.

Ana and Dan haven't cut their tongues out yet, so they can use them to talk about how much they both enjoyed The Terror, one of the best TV shows ever (in Ana's opinion, Dan is not quite as enamored). Compelling performances and fascinating characters, the real terror of the show comes from the oppressive dread of the arctic environment and the unreliability of human nature. God, it's good. I'm so sorry it took me so long to post this.

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