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
Feb 4, 2022 • 47min
S2E3: STARGATE
Ana and Dan traipse through a mysterious alien artifact with the capacity to revolutionize space travel with a brilliant plan: blow it up. This is a very silly movie and generated very silly arguments, including, "Is the stargate made of vibranium or unobtanium?" There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 2, 2022 • 1h 4min
S2E201 YELLOWJACKETS
Ana and Dan won't be hungry much longer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 28, 2022 • 1h 16min
S2 E1: INDEPENDENCE DAY
Ana and Dan break open the cigars to celebrate having finished watching Roland Emmerich's Independence Day: The biggest and dumbest movie of a decade that brought us some really big and dumb movies. It holds up, to the degree you can keep your standards within the margins of big and dumb. What's the real reason NASA won't make Will Smith an astronaut? Why do the aliens need to use our satellites again? What exactly constitutes a "Mexican writing binge"? There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 24, 2022 • 1h 9min
E56: EXPANSE EXPANDED
Ana and Dan get in their crash couches and set a course for "maybe there will be a sequel"? Listen in for thoughts on loose threads and lessons and stay tuned through the end for the first annual SPACIES! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 14, 2022 • 58min
THE EXPANSE S6 E6: BABYLON'S ASHES
Ana and Dan head toward the Ring and...... argulellkjdsfjsklfjdsafdks jfd. sadfsd.... jk! We're here! Lots of loose threads to tie up here -- not all of them knitted in by the end of the episode. Does that mean they didn't stick the landing? Spoiler alert: They stuck the landing. There is IR in this episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 7, 2022 • 1h 4min
THE EXPANSE S6 E5: WHY WE FIGHT
Ana and Dan wipe off the glitter and dab some Neosporin on those scratches and get ready to decide if this war is worth it. This episode has some inconsistencies! It's all going to be over too soon! Relationships get mended: Naomi and Drummer, Amos and Holden, Cara and her dead (?) brother Xan. Not mending: Josep's arm. At some point, we'll be told why the ships disappearing in transit matters to the plot of the show. There is IR in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 31, 2021 • 49min
THE EXPANSE S6 E4: REDOUBT
Ana and Dan think that torpedo is still armed, omg don't touch it! Ha ha, gotcha! More man buns! Michio finds her inner steel and loses Josep's arm! Is Amos going to Amos-ize Holden? Seems like it might be justified! You should not feel bad about not killing someone, unless maybe that means lots more people get killed? There is IR in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 31, 2021 • 53min
E104: DON'T LOOK UP + MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
Ana and Dan have great chemistry! They saw some movies last week and decided you needed to hear their opinions on them! Spoiler alert: They're flawed in interesting ways and worth talking about as a pair! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 27, 2021 • 55min
THE EXPANSE S6 E3: FORCE PROJECTION
Ana and Dan disarm at the last minute, do you think that was a mistake? Holden makes a big decision without checking in with anyone else, Monica embeds with UNN troops, and we get lovely cameos from Expanse characters of Christmas past. Who is "belter enough"? Which union do the sex workers on Ceres belong? Is re-animating a loved one an idea that never goes horribly wrong? There is IR in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 18, 2021 • 1h 3min
EXPANSE S6 E2: THE AZURE DRAGON
When Ana and Dan worked in the Belt, they drank and had women but were *back on the line* every morning, not like Free Navy kids these days. So many questions raised in this episode, many about who pays for journalism in the middle-distant future (Substack? Spon-con? The UN? Time for a blogger ethics panel!*) and others relating to what exactly it means to be a mercenary -- versus, you know, a freedom fighter. Marco's man bun: the true big bad of the season? The show's sense of humor has returned! There is IR in this episode.*A blogger ethics panel joke? I haven't heard that punchline in years... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
