Space the Nation
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 4, 2023 • 1h 19min
S3E21: CANON FODDER: NEUROMANCER
Ana and Dan jack in and try to break through the ICE (insane cultural extrapolation) around this neo-noir heist novel, maybe you've heard of it? SPOILER ALERT: It is as good as you remember and as everyone says. There is IR in this story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 29, 2023 • 1h 3min
S3E20: SILO (E1-4) WITH BONUS ENCORE: ENDER'S GAME
Ana and Dan think something is going on at that silo. We dive into the problem of genre-savviness, the "freeconomy" of the future, and how we would like to see more of Will Patton everywhere. Also, an encore presentation of Ender's Game is going up, as a treat. There is IR in this tv series and a sneaky critique of capitalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 29, 2023 • 1h 11min
ENCORE: ENDER'S GAME
There's something up at that military academy for kids. One of our first Canon Foder episodes! Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 21, 2023 • 1h 3min
S3S19: STAR TREK TOS/STRANGE NEW WORLDS CROSSOVER
Ana and Dan put their redshirts on and join the crew of the Starship Enterprise for this time-hopping remix of an original series favorite and Paramount's sassy prequel. The TOS submariner plot holds up nicely; Kirk's random yeoman-cuddling does not. Strange New Worlds delivers a cautionary message about excessive caution and Anson Mount's hair continues to amaze. There is IR in these episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 15, 2023 • 1h 13min
S3E18: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. III
Ana and Dan agree that Cosmo is a good dog. The final (?) entry in the Guardians saga manages to be both the most emotionally affecting of the bunch and somehow the most forgettable. Discussed: Can we give Bradley Cooper a voice Oscar? Is the High Evolutionary a good executive? IS THERE A GOD? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 9, 2023 • 49min
BAYPRIL/MAY 2023 AUA
It's an intimate AUA this month, but all the more spicy for it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 8, 2023 • 1h 8min
S3E17: YELLOWJACKETS (S2 E1-4)
Ana and Dan don their heliotrope garb to get granular with our favorite exploration of Gen X nihilism (and Gen X music). Dan loves the idea that nothing is necessarily supernatural; Ana has counterintuitive theories about the Antler Queen. What's going on with Walter? Could Lottie be one of those rare good cult leaders? Ben, is he what's for dinner? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 1, 2023 • 1h 10min
S3E16: THE ROCK
Ana and Dan finally get guns -- and wet suits -- and make their way to the final stop in the Passion of the Bay, The Rock. Nic Cage is relatively toned down, Sean Connery is exquisitely arch, and there are enough great character actors in this movie to fill out multiple Law & Order seasons. It's fun and only moderately absurd and contains the least amount of product placement you'll ever see in a Michael Bay film! We break down the IR, discuss the theology of craft vs. capitalism, and determine that the real Baypril was the friends we made along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 24, 2023 • 1h 6min
S3E15: TRANSFORMERS
Ana and Dan ignore the boombox in the background -- is that anything but normal? What exactly is the "more" in "more than meets the eye?" Did Michael Bay know that this franchise would take up over a decade of his life? Did we know that this franchise would wind up taking up over a decade of our lives? What is John Turturro doing in this movie? Will someone tell Megan Fox she needs a pair of pants to go with that belt she's wearing around her hips? There's IR in this movie, and capitalism too, oh boy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 16, 2023 • 1h 10min
S3E14: THE ISLAND
Ana and Dan put on their dystopian-edition Pumas and charm some bacon out of the lunch lady to sit back and enjoy this particularly beautiful BAYPRIL entry about how people should take better care of their clones. (SPOILER ALERT?) How does this project make money selling clones for $5m a pop? Elon could have bought 8000 clones rather than Twitter -- and wouldn't he be happier? Wouldn't it be easier to grow replacement organs rather than a whole human? Who wants to be the official shoe of a eugenics-driven dystopia, anyway? The movie does have some IR, but the capitalist system does not get much critique. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
