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
Aug 13, 2023 • 1h 6min
S3E31: THEY CLONED TYRONE
Ana and Dan spelunk into the conspiracy cavern of this wild genre mix-up: Blaxploitation! Mystery! Mad Scientists! Even, dare we say it, some zombie sh*t. The most fun you'll have trying to grapple with the legacy of chattel slavery all year! There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 7, 2023 • 1h 7min
S3E30: RIDDICK
Ana and Dan went and did the worst crime of them all... they got civilized, which means they gave this movie the chance it didn't quite deserve after Chronicles of Riddick's decant goofiness. It's a surprisingly okay return to Pitch Black's creature feature bona fides, if marred rapey bull*** extraneous to the plot. We continue to wonder about the functionality of a merc-based economy. There is IR -- and a dog -- in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 31, 2023 • 1h 6min
S3E29: CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
Ana and Dan calculate the screen time-to-fun ratio for all the characters in this movie, and you'll never guess who comes out ahead! (It is not Karl Urban. Poor Karl Urban.) Ultimately, it's kind of a dud, but you can't help but be impressed by Vin Deisel taking all the studio capital (and money) he earned with Pitch Black and Fast & Furious and making a D&D-inflected space fantasy that has about as much in common with Pitch Black as it does with Fast & Furious. There is IR in this movie. And Judi Dench! Dame Judi Dench is in this movie! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 24, 2023 • 1h 6min
S3E28: PITCH BLACK
Ana and Dan decide to huddle together until the lights go out, because those are the ideal conditions for watching this early-aughts sci-fi horror gem that sheds exposition in favor of steely one-liners, strong characters, and meticulously-constructed shots. (Please keep this in mind if you watch the sequel. The filmmakers did not keep that in mind as they made the sequel.) There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 21, 2023 • 44min
S3 SPECIAL EPISODE: SILO (5-10)
Ana and Dan find out what was wrong at that silo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 17, 2023 • 49min
S3E27: THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR
Ana and Dan write notes to each other on the insides of eggs, on the second skin of a python, in the smoke from a funeral pyre for the last good man on Earth, in the scree of a trail forged by a herd of unicorns. This book has some lovely turns of phrase and.... well, it has some lovely turns of phrase. And some IR. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 10, 2023 • 57min
S3E26: SAN JUNIPERO
Ana and Dan change into their Wham! outfits and day-glow sunglasses to talk about this highly unusual Black Mirror episode: It does not make you want to sink under the waterline of a warm bath and maybe never come out. It's about two hot ladies of the 80s falling in like, then in love, and then maybe out of love and then... well, it has a happy ending! (Spoiler alert?) There is not much IR in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 3, 2023 • 1h 13min
S3E25: JUPITER ASCENDING
Ana and Dan don their flying rollerblades and save some galactic royalty that happens to be dropping from the sky. This is not a good movie; it's not a good bad movie; it's in the uncanny valley between. It's a project where everyone gave 110 percent and a project where no one knew what they were giving 110 percent to. Except Eddie Redmayne. Eddie Redmayne is perfect. There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 26, 2023 • 1h 14min
S3E24: ANNALEE NEWITZ & THE TERRAFORMERS
Ana and Dan have way more questions about robot sex than you probably imagined. I mean, I don't know what you imagine, but we had a lot of questions! Annalee Newitz came by and graciously satisfied our curiosity about R4R (and cat4train) hook-ups, as well as our questions about urban planning and very, very, very late-stage capitalism, all as depicted in their latest novel, The Terraformers. There is IR in this interview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 22, 2023 • 55min
S3E23: NIMONA
Ana and Dan shapeshift into podcasters who occasionally release episodes on time, but not this time. Apologies for the delay, it is mostly Dan's fault (guess who writes these descriptions!). This week, beloved queer fantasy graphic novel, Nimona, a whimsical tale of a magical girl that is also a bleak examination of the violence bred of marginalization. Enjoy! There is IR in this book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
