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
Nov 4, 2024 • 1h 7min
S4E45: BATTLESTAR GALATICA
Ana and Dan can't number their episodes correctly. Okay, that's totally on me, Ana, who writes these episode descriptions. I also originally gave him the wrong episode numbers to talk about; luckily, he understood what I was interested in (the occupation of New Caprica) and so the numbering didn't matter. Something to think about.This show is about the occupation of New Caprica by the cylons which has no parallels to anything that has ever happened on Earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 21, 2024 • 1h 18min
S4E42: DR. STRANGELOVE
Ana and Dan are in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing's over with! There is some IR in this movie. (This is part of our October Surprise series on sci-fi adjacent political thrillers!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 14, 2024 • 1h 8min
S4 E41: UPGRADE
Ana and Dan become human Swiss Army knives, but without the nail files, because does anyone use that one? Welcome to a movie that we both liked! Logan Marshall-Green transcends being "not Tom Hardy" and the asshole boyfriend in Prometheus in this tightly-wound little body-horror thriller. There is IR as well as tech mogul named ERON. Eron. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 6, 2024 • 1h 21min
ENCORE: CIVIL WAR
First of all, Civil War is now streaming! Also, Civil War is even more terrifying than it was in April. Sorry for the lack of a new episode, things have been ::gestures at US election:: If you are a US citizen, please check your registration and vote as soon as you are able. Find out more here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 29, 2024 • 13min
SPECULATIVE NON-FICTION 03: VP DEBATE PREDICTIONS
I forced Dan to make predictions about the upcoming Vice Presidential debate (that's Oct. 1, for those in the future). This is a special treat for not having an original episode this week. If you're hearing this in the podcast feed, know it's also available at Patreon as a video! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 24, 2024 • 1h 1min
S4E38: UGLIES
Dan and Ana were Thoreau-pilled at a young age, that's why they never even thought about becoming Pretties. What's really funny about taking this long to drop this episode is that it includes our discussion of current politics! Enjoy the time-traveling aspect, because the movie we're discussing isn't very enjoyable at all. Oh, and our audio is weird! Uglies episode, indeed. IR abounds! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 16, 2024 • 46min
S4E37: DS9 “PAST TENSE”
Ana and Dan don't like to study 20th-century history -- too depressing. In celebration of the Bell Riots, we take a trip backward-forward to 2024 as imagined in the mid-90s. There's a critique of capitalism in this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 9, 2024 • 56min
S4E36: DOOM
Dan made Ana watch this as retribution for Pandorum and he's just about as successful explaining his love for it as she was explaining why Pandorum captivates her. They are both silly films but aren't we all at least a little silly? There's neither much IR nor much criticism of capitalism in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 4, 2024 • 1h 2min
S4E35: PANDORUM
Ana and Dan get separated at the beginning of the movie and... one of them is lying about something, but who???? This is ultimately a silly movie, a copy of a copy of a copy of Event Horizon that's also been printed on toilet issue. Not so bad it's good, just not good. Ana cannot explain why she likes it, but Dan very thoroughly explains why he doesn't. There's not much of anything in this film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 28, 2024 • 44min
90 DAYS WITH ANA MARIE COX (AND DAN)
Do you enjoy Ana and Dan talking about science fiction and political science? Then you might enjoy Ana and Dan talking about political science -- and politics in general! This is a special peek into Ana's new show, available as a podcast or as a YouTube channel. (It's a few days late but still fascinating.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
