Alienating the Audience
Andrew Heaton
Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what's science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying themes of Star Trek? What is the worldview of Star Wars? Also sometimes Heaton performs comedy on other planets.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 14, 2022 • 1h 21min
Moriarty on a Starship
James Moriarty is the best villain in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Or is he a villain at all? In "Elementary, My Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle" the holographic character gains sentience--and wants freedom. Josh Jennings and Andrew Young rejoin the show to discuss the character.
Mar 24, 2022 • 1h
"The Prisoner" is Deliciously Campy
Patrick McGoohan's 1967 series "The Prisoner" is an avante-garde science fiction series about a secret agent abducted by nefarious forces and subject to psychological torment in an atavistic village. Jim Swift and Ron Hayden join to discuss the deeper meaning of the series.
Mar 3, 2022 • 1h 16min
How to Write Kickass Science Fiction
Josh Jennings temporarily hosts the show in order to interview Andrew Heaton about what all goes into writing science fiction, a la his new book, "Inappropriately Human: 21 Short Stories." Get your copy at: https://www.amazon.com/Inappropriately-Human-21-Short-Stories/dp/B09S3WYDSJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5UO16ZY0DADV&keywords=andrew+heaton+inappropriately+human&qid=1646195709&sprefix=men%27s+modal+shirt%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1
Mar 2, 2022 • 46min
"The Whistler"
From "Inappropriately Human: 21 Short Stories" by Andrew Heaton. Now available as an audio book! Get your copy at https://www.amazon.com/Inappropriately-Human-21-Short-Stories/dp/B09S3WYDSJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5UO16ZY0DADV&keywords=andrew+heaton+inappropriately+human&qid=1646195709&sprefix=men%27s+modal+shirt%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1
Feb 24, 2022 • 1h 33min
Of Goblins and Autism
In "Vivarium," starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots, a young couple find themselves trapped in some kind of suburban pocket universe. Their captors leave an alien infant on with the instructions "Raise the child and you will be released." Josh Jennings joins to discuss the various concepts the film plays with, including: autism, millennial adulting terror, fey folk, and suburban ennui. Find this film and others discussed on the show at www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi
Feb 17, 2022 • 1h 28min
Scottish Starfleet Draft Picks
Stone and Dickie Lynch return to play Starfleet Draft Picks--which captains and officers do you recruit to build your own starship and crew?
Jan 28, 2022 • 54min
Animatronic Humans of the Apocalypse
Please enjoy "Simulucrum," one of the stories from my new book, "Inappropriately Human: 21 Short Stories"! Get a copy at: www.mightyheaton.com/books
Jan 12, 2022 • 11min
"The Singularity Comes For Home Office Equipment"
Enjoy this scifi piece from my new book "Inappropriately Human: 21 Short Stories." Like it? Trust me to provide some solid scifi content? Then check it out! Go to: www.mightyheaton.com/books Or look for "Inappropriately Human" or "Andrew Heaton" on Amazon. Thanks!
Dec 9, 2021 • 56min
Franchise Fatigue
When does a science fiction go on too long, add too many new characters and odd plots, or just exhaust it's fans in general? Scottish scifi enthusiasts Stone and Dickie Lynch return to discuss
Dec 2, 2021 • 55min
The Forever War
Joe Haldeman's novel "The Forever War" is great science fiction in and of itself, involving aliens, time dilation, and how conflicts stretch out for centuries thanks to relativity. It's also a great exploration of the nature and hopelessness of war, a la Vietnam. Tom Merritt joins to discuss Get the book at: https://mightyheaton.com/goodscifi
