If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long...

FromAlienating the Audience

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If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long...

FromAlienating the Audience

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Length:

92 minutes

Released:

Jul 18, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Are holograms on Star Trek NPC's, sentient, or in some hellish state of limerence in between? Star Trek aficionados Dickie and Stone Lynch return to discuss

Released:

Jul 18, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

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.

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P6 Regarding Batman's Political Affiliation: Is Batman a Libertarian (wealthy, gizmos, works outside the law) or something else? Which superheroes would be Democrats? Any Republicans afoot? Comedian and Marvel aficionado Megan Sass joins Heaton to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
37 min listen
Reptoid Aliens Shouldn't Have Nipples: Dr. Erin Macdonald is an astrophysicist and science fiction consultant who advises major Hollywood productions on what they're screwing up in scripts. She joins Heaton to discuss the physics pitfalls science fiction constantly blunders into, from... by Alienating the Audience
75 min listen
Let's Argue About "The Rise of Skywalker": Alright, it's been a month--let's discuss "The Rise of Skywalker"! Is it the franchise-busting wompa scat critics panned it as, or just a situation of haters gonna hate? Nick Sperdute joins to analyze the film. by Alienating the Audience
86 min listen
The Twilight Zone's Nostalgic Cold War Bunker: Tim Sandefur joins Heaton on the podcast's kickoff episode to dissect The Twilight Zone, and how Rod Serling's fascination with nostalgia, the Cold War, collectivism, and totalitarianism made the most iconic scifi/horror show in American history. by Alienating the Audience
68 min listen
P1 What Bladerunner Is Actually About: Ben Domenech joins Heaton to discuss "Bladerunner," "Bladerunner: 2049" and the book which inspired both, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K. Dick. by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
P4 The Politics of Star Wars: Stephen Kent is the host of "Beltway Banthas" and joins Heaton to discuss the politics of Star Wars. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
P7 Star Trek vs. The Orville: Former Congressman Dan Maffei joins Heaton to discuss: Is the "The Orville" more Star Trek than Star Trek, or just a knockoff? by Alienating the Audience
42 min listen
Turns Out, We're All Probably Martians: Robert Zubrin is the head of the Mars Society and author of "The Case for Mars." He joins Heaton along with special guest co-host Andrew Mayne to discuss how to get to the Red Planet using existing technology, and the implications of finding life once... by Alienating the Audience
104 min listen
How to Build a Giant Robot: Today we speak with physicist Stephen Granade about robots! How to build giant arm-swingin' robots, how we can automate them, and where we stand on Mind Machine Interface technology in case we want to pilot said robots ourselves. by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen
When Darwin Meets Star Trek: Dr. Mohamed Noor is the author of "Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds," and is the head of Biology at Duke University. He joins the show to talk about the origins of life, and why... by Alienating the Audience
67 min listen
The Future of Humanity Involves Gene Upgrades and Cyborgs: Lord Martin Rees is a cosmologist, mathematician, and the Astronomer Royal of the United Kingdom. When he's not busy running the Centre for The Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge University, he's authoring books on science and astrophysics. He... by Alienating the Audience
59 min listen
P3 Cold War Kirk vs. Picard the Moral Relativist: Tim Sandefur joins Heaton to discuss the philosophical differences between Star Trek TOS and Star Trek The Next Generation. Gene Rodenberry and his contemporaries lived through World War II and the Cold War, and believed in clear right and wrongs.... by Alienating the Audience
52 min listen
P5 Varys is the best Game of Thrones character: Grant Carlisle joins to discuss the power dynamics and political themes underlying Game of Thrones. by Alienating the Audience
44 min listen
The Meaning of Spock: Mr. Spock is the most captivating character in Star Trek lore, and the embodiment of logic in popular culture. John Champion, host of "Mission Log" Star Trek podcast, joins Heaton for a deep dive into the character and meaning of Spock. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
Isaac Asimov's Robots are Smarter than Whales: What do we learn about humanity when gazing through the optical sensors of a robot? Did Isaac Asimov write a novel where the end of humanity begins on a planet full of Libertarians? Ryan McGary joins for a full-throttle Isaac Asimov discussion, from... by Alienating the Audience
72 min listen
The Mythology of Star Wars: The foundational elements of Star Wars are deeply mythological, influenced by Joseph Campbell's book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." Professor Ryan Slesinger joins the show to explain the Hero's Journey, archetypes, and the deepest elements of the... by Alienating the Audience
95 min listen
Is Life Worth Living in a Perfect Utopia?: John Varley's novel "Steel Beach" portrays a future brimming with attractive immortals living in amusement parks on the Moon--yet the main character contemplates suicide. Absent strife, can humans find purpose? Tim Sandefur joins Heaton to discuss... by Alienating the Audience
65 min listen
Robert Heinlein: Individualism and Free Love on the Moon!: Robert Heinlein, author of "Stranger in a Strange Land," "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," "Starship Troopers," and dozens of other novels, is at the tippy top of science fiction's pantheon of writers. Andrew Mayne joins the show to discuss Heinlein and... by Alienating the Audience
78 min listen
The Ethics of Holodeck Sex Romps and AI in Star Trek: What's Star Trek's take on Artificial Intelligence, and how do Aristotle's virtue ethics govern Data? Also if the holodeck can summon AI's, and they are indeed sentient, is it ethical to sleep with them? John Krikorian of "Trek Profiles" and Alexandra... by Alienating the Audience
87 min listen
If We Met Aliens Could We Even Communicate?: What would first contact with an alien civilization look like? Could we handle it? If we could, would it even be possible to communicate with a vastly different (or superior) intelligence? Peter Boghossian, Professor of Philosophy at Portland State... by Alienating the Audience
78 min listen
Who To Kill or Not Kill if You've Got a Time Machine: Brian Dunning, host of the Skeptoid Podcast, joins Heaton to talk about all things time travel--the best films, TV shows and books, plus how to get around pesky time travel paradoxes, if we should try to go back and kill Hitler, and the most... by Alienating the Audience
79 min listen
P2 The Economics of "Dune": Spice is a metaphor for oil. Arrakis is the Middle East. Ben Brockshmidt joins Heaton to discuss all things dune--the economic, political, and historical influences which shaped Frank Herbert's scifi universe. by Alienating the Audience
63 min listen
How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse by Alienating the Audience
87 min listen
Battlestar Galactica & The War On Terror: Battlestar Galactica kicked off just three years after the 9/11 attacks, and tackles everything from theocratic warfare to stem cell research and waterboarding. Comedian Andrew Young joins Heaton to discuss the series, it's relentless tension and fear... by Alienating the Audience
74 min listen
The Tarkin Doctrine and Imperial Apologists: How would Emperor Palpatine's Press Secretary describe the Galactic Empire? How would Grand Moff Tarkin spin the destruction of Alderaan? Jonathan Last of "The Bulwark" joins Heaton to describe why he believes the Empire was a good thing--an imperfect... by Alienating the Audience
75 min listen
Stop What You're Doing and Watch "Picard": The long-awaited "Picard" series is out now, starring Patrick Stewart and following the exploits of Jean-Luc Picard two decades after we last saw him in "Nemesis." Nicholas Sperdute comes on to analyze the pilot, predict where the plot will take us,... by Alienating the Audience
53 min listen
Vagabonding: Nick and Heaton go to Narnia: When Nick and Heaton discovered an inter-dimensional doorway in the back of their refrigerator, they're able to step through and visit the winter world of Narnia. And meet one of its talking animal inhabitants. Cast: Andrew Heaton, Nick... by Alienating the Audience
17 min listen
Let's Fight About "The Undiscovered Country": If "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" is about the end of the Cold War, what's it's position on the Soviet Union? Tim Sandefur challenges Heaton on the underlying morality of the movie and whether or not it's a commie apologism, leading to a... by Alienating the Audience
65 min listen
How to Build a Colony Ship: If we had to send a spaceship to start a colony on another planet, how many humans would we need to get the party started? How do you avoid inbreeding, and what's a stable amount of people to maintain purpose on a multi-generational mission? Rob... by Alienating the Audience
86 min listen
Assemble Your Own Star Trek Series: If you could put together a new series, drawing on characters from across the Star Trek franchise, what would you make? Paul Mattingly and Nick Sperdute join Heaton for a round of Starfleet Draft Picks. by Alienating the Audience
67 min listen

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Why Picard's Last Season Is So Much Better Than The Others: Star Trek: Picard recently wrapped up its third and final season--and the first season Heaton or his guests have enjoyed of it. Scottish sci-fi twins Dickie and Stone rejoin to discuss Star Trek: Picard, and what made its ultimate season likeable. by Alienating the Audience
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The Corporate Dystopia of Jennifer Government: In this satirical novel by Max Barry, the United States is a corporate wasteland with ruthless businesses and toothless rump state unable to restrain them. John Krikorian of Trekprofiles joins to discuss. Book at: www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi... by Alienating the Audience
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There Are Infinite You's in the Multiverse: How does the multiverse shake out in science fiction? What are the tropes, and what are the implications? Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch join to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
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Meeting Celebrities at Sci-Fi Conventions: Comedian John Robertson is a regular performer, panelist, and celebrity at science fiction conventions. He joins to discuss the community element of conventions, how celebrities should comport themselves, and how fans can best interact with them. by Alienating the Audience
60 min listen
Soylent Green is People!: Charlton Heston stars in "Soylent Green," a film about the terror of overpopulation, urban ennui, and ultimately cannibalism. Based on the novel "Make Room! Make Room!" by Harry Harrison. Scottish scifi twins Stone and Dickie Lynch join to... by Alienating the Audience
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The Hilarious Fantasy of Terry Pratchett: At its height, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series accounted for fully 2% of all book sales in the United Kingdom. Over the course of his life he wrote 59 books, achieved knighthood, and created a beloved and hilarious franchise. What was... by Alienating the Audience
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Trapped In John Malkovich: In Charlie Kaufman's weirdest film (and that's saying something) John Cusack discovers a portal that delivers you into John Malkovich's head for a few minutes... so he charges admission. Henrique Couto and Matt Sienkiewicz join to discuss by Alienating the Audience
69 min listen
Reproduction in the Final Frontier: Vulcans, humans, Klingons, Romulans--everybody in the Star Trek universe can easily interbreed! Stone and Dickie Lynch rejoin the show to discuss reproduction in the final frontier by Alienating the Audience
66 min listen
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Nixon Selling Pizza on the Moon: What if JFK survived the assassination attempt, and instead of Vietnam, America invested in a moon base? Bill Oakley is a former writer and showrunner on The Simpsons, and award-winning comedy writer, and the author of “Space: 1969” an Audible... by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Characters can selectively wipe memories in Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," but in doing so they lose part of themselves. Chloe Effron and Nick Sperdute join to discuss this trippy... romcom? SUPPORT THE... by Alienating the Audience
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Send in the Clones: How do clones manifest in science fiction? When are they evil, good, or a portent of science gone too far? Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone rejoin to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating by Alienating the Audience
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If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long...

If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long...

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Alienating the Audience

Related podcast episodes