Much Ado About Garak

FromAlienating the Audience

Start listening View podcast show

Much Ado About Garak

FromAlienating the Audience

ratings:

Length:

61 minutes

Released:

Dec 4, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Star Trek Deep Space Nine's Elim Garak is a simple, unassuming character. But also a spymaster. Why is he so beguiling, and what's his character arc? Andrew Young joins to discuss.

Released:

Dec 4, 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.

Skip carousel

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

More Episodes from Alienating the Audience

Skip carousel

The Zen of Robots: Season Finale! In which we talk about how to use sci-fi robots for helpful psychological thought experiments. Support the show! ATA Survey: by Alienating the Audience
32 min listen
Doublethinking George Orwell's 1984: Is 1984 prophetic, or merely a terrifying dystopia? What makes this haunting book so engaging on a literary level? Josh Jennings returns to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
97 min listen
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
74 min listen
Super-Intelligent Spiders And A Sleeper Ship: Children of Time: Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Children of Time" tackles multi-generational sleeper ships, uplifiting species, AI, the nature of intelligence, teleforming and more. Richard Amiro rejoins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
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
77 min listen
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
46 min listen
Escaping the Truman Show: In “The Truman Show,” Jim Carey’s character is the unwitting star of a global reality television show–until he decides to escape. Director Henrique Cuoto joins to talk about the iconic film, and the evils of false reality. Henrique’s dog: ... by Alienating the Audience
67 min listen
Snowcrash Created the Metaverse: Neil Stephenson's "Snowcrash" looked at the embryonic Internet and projected a future of VR and avatar onto it. And a world in which nation states had been eclipsed by successor states of corporate "franchulates." Is "Snowcrash" a corporate... by Alienating the Audience
50 min listen
Shrinkage!: In this episode we talk about all the times people get tiny in science fiction, from "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" to "The Fantastic Voyage" to Jonathan Swift. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
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
58 min listen
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
48 min listen
Strange New Worlds is the Star Trek We Deserve!: Captain Pike commanded the USS Enterprise prior to Kirk, and the prequel series featuring him, Mr. Spock, Nurse Chapel, and their contemporaries goes back to the roots of Star Trek: exploring weird planets with weird things... but with just the right... by Alienating the Audience
50 min listen
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
Intergalactic Politics in "The Expanse": The Expanse explores the political and military tension between decadent Earth, militant Mars, and the Belters stuck in between. War correspondent Kristaps Andrejsons joins to discuss by Alienating the Audience
69 min listen
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
61 min listen
If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long...: 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 by Alienating the Audience
92 min listen
Peacemaker is the Ultimate Loserhero: James Gunn’s “Peacemaker” chronicles a toxic meathead character as he comes to terms with his past, his racist father, and an alien takeover of the planet. He is neither a hero nor antihero. He’s something new, and hilarious: a... by Alienating the Audience
53 min listen
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
77 min listen
The Ineffable Planet of Sentient Goo: "Solaris" by Stanislaw Lem follows a crew of scientists trying to understand an utterly alien intelligence--a planet covered by an ocean of (apparently?) conscious goop. How can we communicate with something truly, truly foreign to our evolution and... by Alienating the Audience
79 min listen
Rick And Morty is Hilarious Nihilism: "Rick and Morty" is the funniest science fiction to grace the world sense "Futurama"--if not the best comedy in general. What is it about, and what distinguishes it from other, lesser comedies? Jeff Maurer joins to discuss. (Note: this episode... by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
The Fifth Element Is Teenage Scifi: "The Fifth Element" starring Bruce Willis and Mila Jovovich is a cult classic. But... does it hold up? Did it ever? To answer that question, we turn to Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch. by Alienating the Audience
84 min listen
Irritating Vulcans in "Enterprise": "Enterprise" is the prequel of Star Trek, exploring the foundation of the Federation of Planets, and the bump, suspicious period when Vulcans and humans get to know one another. Scottish science fiction twins Dickie & Stone Lynch return to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
63 min listen
Lady Terror in "Don't Worry, Darling": There's a subgenre of science fiction we might call "femme fear," exemplified by writers like Margaret Atwood. Olivia Wilde's "Don't Worry Darling" is the latest example. And while it was mostly panned by critics, Heaton enjoyed it. ... by Alienating the Audience
76 min listen
Jesuits in Space!: In , life is discovered on an alien planet, and the first humans to arrive are... Jesuits. The book explores the terrifying consequences of missionaries on a new world, who are there for good reasons--with good intentions--but don't know what they've... by Alienating the Audience
64 min listen
The Sith are Emo Fascists: The Sith are the dark lords of Star Wars. But what do they want? Are they logically consistent antagonists, with clear rationales for their goals and methods, or just mustache-twirling villains with no depth? Stephen Kent and Mike TV join to... by Alienating the Audience
60 min listen
“They Live” is fear of Reagonomics: John Carpenter’s “They Live” is a cult classic about seeing through societal mirage to glimpse the strings of the puppet masters. It’s also a specific and intentional “primal scream” against Reagonomics. Ron Hayden joins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen
If Sociopaths Had Super Powers: The Boys: In "The Boys" super heroes superficially fight crime, but are really corporate pawns and predators, ranging from ladder-climbing reality show scumbags to full-blown Nietzschean demigods. What happens when super powers are not always entrusted in the... by Alienating the Audience
45 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

12: Eugene Cordero: "Ensign Sam Rutherford" by All The Asians On Star Trek
60 min listen
Space Dock Jury Minisode 014 – The Forbidden Love of JJ Trek: Join Lee and Andy in a darkened corner of the Space Dock Jury studio out of ear shot from Peter as they furtively discuss their appreciation for the 2009 release of Star Trek directed by JJ Abrams. But its not all rosy as Star Trek Into Darkness still ri by The Great Derelict
115 min listen
Elim Garak (Star Trek: DS9) Part One: Not a lot of science fiction spies out there, but Elim Garak from the Deep Space Nine television series is one of the coolest… and definitely the smirkiest. How does he hold up as a spy character? Music and SFX used under CCA license https://www.spiesl... by Spies Like Us Podcast
55 min listen
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds “Among The Lotus Eaters” Review by Discussing Trek: Star Trek Podcast
45 min listen
The Galileo Seven (TOS): Spock in command. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory talk about Spock's near-disastrous first command, the unreasonable insubordination of his crew, and the very cool practical effects used to create the tension in the story. by Secrets of Star Trek
43 min listen
Ep 28 - Debts No Honest Man Can Pay by Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast
103 min listen
58: "The Elysian Kingdom" (SNW S1E8) by Vulcan Hello (Star Trek Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds)
35 min listen
Star Trek: The Next Generation “Yesterday's Enterprise” Review by Discussing Trek: Star Trek Podcast
40 min listen
TPT AP #6: Best Left Buried (Sunless Citadel): Tez Proudgale succumbs to professional curiosity—and greed—to explore a sealed-off section of the ruins. Where Tez wanders, calamity soon follows. This episode is part of TPT’s Actual Play series, playing the Dungeons & Dragons 5E adventure Sunless Cit... by Total Party Thrill: RPG Advice From Our Table to Yours
65 min listen
Star Trek Into Darkness: Director J.J. Abrams is back on the Enterprise. 2009’s Star Trek was a huge success and audiences everywhere loved the freshly re-booted Starfleet. The films sequel Star Trek Into Darkness is here and attempts to up the ante from the first... by Mad About Movies
60 min listen
Diva Wars: Cloak of Darkness by Dark Side Divas - A Star Wars Podcast
58 min listen
The Language of Beasts by By Kids, For Kids Story Time
12 min listen
EP 13 - Two Hearts by Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast
117 min listen
Ep 23 - A Reason to Believe by Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast
104 min listen
(Preview) Rewatchability 457- STARGATE with Sina Rahmani: (A preview of the latest episode of For the entire episode, subscribe to Rewatchability wherever you get your podcasts) Grab your space-ankh, this week we walk like an Egyptian-from-another-planet with STARGATE! Starring Snake Plissken, I mean... by The East is a Podcast
20 min listen
Star Trek- Was JJ Abrams Right for Trek and Star Wars? by Well Good Movies
83 min listen
Ep 111 - High Hopes by Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast
113 min listen
GI Joburg Episode 96: Operation Dragonfire, Day 3: APE WARRIORS OF COBRA, ATTACK! It's the third part of Operation Dragonfire and things are getting interesting! Thanks to hygene problems back at Cobra HQ, Scoop learns a dark secret and is forced into a crisis of conscience. It's the tipping point of... by GI Joburg
64 min listen
He-Man & The Masters of the Universe Primer: Brian V. Klein & special guest Dale Morris join J. Scotty to cover the original 1980s Filmation cartoon in preparation for Kevin Smith's new series Master of The Universe: Revelations releasing on Netflix TOP 10 Essential Filmation MOTU Episodes... by Animation Deliberation
74 min listen
Ep 43 - On to Oakenspire by Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast
99 min listen
RFR: January 18, 2019: "Space Opera" Defined / Nick Nolte in The Mandalorian / Star Wars Resistance Toy Run by Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast
117 min listen
Ep 77 - It's a Death Trap! by Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast
100 min listen
17: "Indiscretion" (DS9) with John Siracusa: "Indiscretion" by Random Trek
46 min listen
AirSpace Movie Club: Troop Zero: We're BACK!!! With a special movie mini series. Episode One - Troop Zero by AirSpace
11 min listen
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine “Hippocratic Oath” Review: In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, Hippocratic Oath, Julian Bashir weighs the strategic importance of helping a rogue group of JemHadar -- while Worf weighs the dedication of Deep Space Nines security chief. Join in on the fun as we unpack it al by Discussing Trek: Star Trek Podcast
51 min listen
EP 42 - Thou Craggy Ocean Pyramid by Venture Forth: A D&D Podcast
95 min listen
Episode 484 - Mr. Teel James Glenn: Mr. Teel James Glenn is a martial arts practitioner who specializes in sword fighting. He is a stuntman and fight choreographer. by whistlekick Martial Arts Radio
68 min listen
#6 Goldfinger, the OG LASER master by Reference Frames
33 min listen
136: "Power Play" (TNG) with Anne Zander: "Power Play" by Random Trek
42 min listen
Wedge Returns! And, George Lucas's Side of the Story: RFR: October 11, 2019 by Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast
143 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Much Ado About Garak

Much Ado About Garak

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Alienating the Audience

Related podcast episodes