Alienating the Audience

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.

The Zen of Robots 01/04/2024

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: /episode/index/show/alienating/id/29319933

Much Ado About Garak 12/04/2023

Much Ado About Garak 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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28899158

Doublethinking George Orwell's 1984 11/16/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28648073

Why Picard's Last Season Is So Much Better Than The Others 11/09/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28537937

Super-Intelligent Spiders And A Sleeper Ship: Children of Time 11/02/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28467902

The Corporate Dystopia of Jennifer Government 10/27/2023

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 /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28414604

There Are Infinite You's in the Multiverse 10/19/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28360202

Escaping the Truman Show 10/12/2023

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: Support the show! Mightyheaton.com/alienating Interstellar Vagabonding Clips, with Nick Sperdute: /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28236704

Snowcrash Created the Metaverse 10/03/2023

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 dystopia, a libertarian utopia, or merely prophetic? Brian Brushwood joins to discuss. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28182770

Shrinkage! 09/26/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28134140

Meeting Celebrities at Sci-Fi Conventions 09/20/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/28048758

Soylent Green is People! 09/12/2023

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 discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27974226

The Hilarious Fantasy of Terry Pratchett 09/05/2023

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 Pratchett's worldview, and what motivated him to crack jokes about Death and wizards? Guest Marc Burrows wrote the first authorized biography of Pratchett, and just wrapped up a show about him at the Edinburgh Fringe. REFERENCED BOOKS AT: SUPPORT THE SHOW! /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27901593

Strange New Worlds is the Star Trek We Deserve! 08/29/2023

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 amount of fun. Scottish sci-fi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch return to discuss. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27834798

Trapped In John Malkovich 08/22/2023

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 /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27487758

Reproduction in the Final Frontier 08/15/2023

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 /episode/index/show/alienating/id/24499713

Intergalactic Politics in "The Expanse" 08/08/2023

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 /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27487578

Nixon Selling Pizza on the Moon 08/01/2023

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 Original. He joins, along with Brian Brushwood, to discuss his retro-scifi comedy, and the nature of humor writing. BOOK AT: Support the show! /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27487473

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 07/25/2023

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 SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27487422

If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long... 07/18/2023

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 /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27487284

Peacemaker is the Ultimate Loserhero 07/11/2023

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 “loserhero” Nick Sperdute and Justin Robert Young join to discuss. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27434697

Send in the Clones 07/06/2023

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 /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27381696

The Ineffable Planet of Sentient Goo 06/20/2023

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 understanding? How can we even confirm it's "intelligent"? John Krikorian returns to discuss. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27193614

Rick And Morty is Hilarious Nihilism 06/13/2023

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 was recorded before the fall of Justin Roiland) /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27130206

The Fifth Element Is Teenage Scifi 06/08/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/27068073

Irritating Vulcans in "Enterprise" 05/31/2023

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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/26995308

Lady Terror in "Don't Worry, Darling" 05/18/2023

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. Ashland Viscosi joins to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating /episode/index/show/alienating/id/26863308

Jesuits in Space! 05/12/2023

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 got themselves into. Richard Amiro joins to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: /episode/index/show/alienating/id/26808510

The Sith are Emo Fascists 05/04/2023

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 discuss /episode/index/show/alienating/id/26728866

“They Live” is fear of Reagonomics 04/13/2023

“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. /episode/index/show/alienating/id/26528013

Alienating the Audience

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