Alienating the Audience

Jay Mutzafi rejoins the show to discuss the many elements of "Interstellar," from gravity to parenting to gut feelings. Jay's notes on the various forms of time travel here: https://jaymutzafi.com/time-travel-movies-tv-shows/

Dickie and Stone Lynch rejoin the show to discuss the entire panoply of androids in Star Trek, from Ruk, to Lore, to Automated Personnel Unit 3947. With special attention paid to "Requiem for Methuselah." Warning: slightly raunchy episode

The film "Moon," starring Sam Rockwell, follows the lonely exploits of a solo worker on a moon base, and the unfolding mystery and terror of what his life actually entails. Scottish scifi twins Stone and Dickie Lynch join to discuss SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.mightyheaton.com/ata

What ultimately brought down the Jedi Order, and was it actually worth saving? Kevin Delano and Mike TV join to discuss SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.mightyheaton.com/ata

"The Three Body Problem", by Chinese author Liu Cixin, explores Maoism, how mankind reacts to imminent alien invasion, and asks the big question: is humanity worth saving? Andrea Jones-Rooy jones to discuss. Support the show! www.mightyheaton.com/ata Books mentioned on the show at: www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi

From Kirk and Spock through Deep Space Nine, the world of Star Trek has a shadowy alternate universe where mankind is alternately evil or oppressed. Andrew Young joins to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.mightyheaton.com/ata

Spike Jonze's "Her", starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, follows the story of a lonely man who falls in love with a sentient operating system. The film explores AI and romance in the not-too-distant-future, isolation and alienation, and the emotional resolution of relationships ending. Henrique Couto joins to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.mightyheaton.com/ata

In "Severance" employees of the Lumen corporation undergo a surgery which separates their mind into two distinct personalities--one who works inside the company, and one on the outside oblivious to it. Brian Brushwood and Andrew Young join to discuss.

Dickie and Stone join to discuss the overwhelming camp and pulp of "Flash Gordon," a big costume budget and excellent soundtrack which also sorta has a plot.

When does science fiction get "too political"? What separates a film with a strong point of view from stale publum or Woke pulpitry? Josh Jennings joins to discuss how political messaging can derail or suffocate scifi.

Andor is one of the best Star Wars properties ever devised; a television program explicitly for adults! Beyond excellent storytelling, Andor highlights the problems which bedevil any organization: pettiness, career aspirations, incompetency, and zealotry. David Bizarro and Brian Brushwood join to discuss.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Stone and Dickie Lynch return to play Starfleet Draft Picks--which captains and officers do you recruit to build your own starship and crew?

Please enjoy "Simulucrum," one of the stories from my new book, "Inappropriately Human: 21 Short Stories"! Get a copy at: www.mightyheaton.com/books

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!

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

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

Earth is a Class 12 Deathworld--we just didn't know it! To the rest of the universe it is violent and uninhabitable, and our amazing species grew up on this badass planet, and thought it was perfectly normal. Such is the premise of the Deathworld series. Michael "Macca" Cameron joins to discuss Deathworld, anthropology, and whether religion is an accident or intrinsic to the human condition. Source text: "Humans Don't Make Good Pets" https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/2ftcpy/text_the_kevin_jenkins_experience_chapter_1_part_i/

Cardassians include some of Star Trek's best characters and plot, from Elim Garak (the best character ever) to Dukat (single greatest villain) to Orwellian illusions and Holocaust analogies. Scottish scifi aficionados Dickie and Stone Lynch return to discuss the Cardassian oeuvre.

"Waterworld" depicts a post-flood dystopia of psychos on jet skis and Kevin Costner with gills. John DeVore, celebrated writer for "Humungus" joins to discuss its deeper meaning, and how it's ultimately a Western--only wetter.

What qualities define a sidekick? What makes a good one or a cringey one? Tom Brennan and Jeremiah Johnson join to discuss.

What's the difference between a gaping plot hole, vs mere shoddy writing or poor character decisions? Scottish science fiction enthusiasts Stone and Dickie Lynch join the show to discuss.

Babylon 5 has a magnificent plot arch, solid writing, and vibrant characters. If it weren't for the low budget and 90s CGI, it would have been massive cultural sensation--bigger than Game of Thrones! John Krikorian and Cameron Riddles join to explain the sheer majesty of Babylon 5

What happens to society when everyone on Earth goes sterile, and there's no future generation to hand things off to or better the world for? Andrew Young and Josh Jennings join to discuss the film "Children of Men".

Dennis Taylor's "Bobiverse" comedically follows the exploits of an engineer whose mind is uploaded into a self-replicating probe, which becomes its own civilization of Bobs. Tom Merritt joins to discuss the implications of immortality, and when reproduction means copying yourself indefinitely.

Justin Robert Young comes on to discuss "Doctor Who," arguably the most successful science fiction program (along with Star Trek) in history, and the most popular scifi program in Britain.

Jordan Morris is the author of "Bubble" and the co-host of "Jordan, Jesse Go!" on Maximum Fun. He joins the show to discuss culture and economic satire... in space.

I have a new book out! Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City. Arguably the funniest book ever written about the horribleness which is LA. Here are two quick readings from what is about to become your new favorite coffee table book. You can find "Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City" at www.LAisUgly.com

In a world where you can download memories directly into your brain, how can you determine what's reality and what's artifice? Jay Mutzafi returns to discuss implanted memories in science fiction, from "Total Recall" to "Rick and Morty."

"Logan's Run" (1976) explores a society where everyone dies aged 30. In the most campy, over-the-top 70s scifi romp imaginable, it explores fear of ageing, fear of death, fear of infantalization... and fear of Baby Boomers.

M. R. Carey is the author of "The Girl with All the Gifts" (previously discussed on this program) as well as the Koli Trilogy. He joins the show, along with Ashland Viscosi, to talk about his approach to science fiction. To see Carey's books and more, go to www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi

"Gattaca" (1997) explores a dystopian future where inequality is staggering--and genetic. Andrew Mayne joins the show to discuss the implications of genetic engineering and to what extent it should be avoided morally or prohibited legally.

Andy Weir, author of "The Martian," joins the program to talk about science fiction, technology, and his new book "Project Hail Mary" You can find his book, as well as others discussed on the program, by going to mightyheaton.com/goodscifi

Dr. H. A. Hellyer gained international attention (and flak) when he compared Jedi monks to Sufi Islamic warriors in an article for CNN. He joins the show to discuss parallels between the Force and Islamic mysticism, why Star Wars is a cross-cultural touchstone, and the interaction between science fiction and Islam. Dr. H. A. Hellyer is a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in DC, as well as a senior associate fellow at at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

The science fiction of Kurt Vonnegut was permeated by ethics and politics, not the least of which included socialism, opposition to war, secularism, and being nice to people in general. Royce Sharp joins to discuss.

"Galaxy Quest" is the greatest parody of Star Trek imaginable… without technically being Star Trek. Nick Sperdute and Erin Macdonald join the show to discuss what makes the show so memorable--and hilarious. Links to the film and the referenced documentary at www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi

"Hyperion" by Dan Simmons projects Chaucer's Canterbury Tales onto a distant scifi future. Katherine Mangu-Ward joins to discuss the multiple characters who make their away on a deadly pilgrimage to meet the Shrike—a robot monster who moves backwards in time, and what it all means for humanity, mortality, and literature

Michael Weiss, editor-at-large at The Daily Beast, joins the show to discuss Darth Vader: why he's such a compelling malefactor, the deep inner conflict and tumult which motivates him, and the mythological figures the dark lord of the Sith represents.

"Watchmen" kicks off with the Tulsa Race Massacre, which defines the central theme of the rest of the series: race. Hannibal Johnson is the author of "Black Wall Street 100–An American City Grapples With Its Historical Racial Trauma," as well as the host of "Black Wall Street Remembered." He joins Heaton to discuss the Greenwood Massacre, racial animus, and reparations.

Brian Brushwood joins the show to discuss "Watchmen," the televised sequel to the film and book, "The Watchmen." Topics include: underlying tensions in the show, is Dr. Manhattan a stupid character, and was Ozymandias right? This is Part One of a two-part episode; episode two will go deep on the Tulsa Race Massacre which kicks off the series, and its unresolved racial tensions.

"Demolition Man" is a cult classic, wherein Sylvester Stallone gets thawed out in the near future to stop Wesley Snipes from destroying Los Angeles. Society is bifurcated into infantilized virginal technocrats up top, and rat-eating, free-thinking punks beneath. Economist Steve Horwitz joins to discuss.

In "Clans of the Alphane Moon" by Philip K. Dick, a planet is colonized as an insane asylum, then abandoned, so that its inmates develop their own society and cultures. Tom Merritt, host of "Sword and Laser" joins to answer: what happens when pathologies become the basis of civilization, rather than its aberrations? You can check out "Clans of the Alphane Moon" as well as the other books and films discussed on the show by going to Mightyheaton.com/goodscifi

"Mad Max: Fury Road" is the height of post-apocalyptic wasteland glam--everyone is really getting into skulls, cars, and neo-Viking lore. Not to mention it may be the greatest feminist film in science fiction. Scott Johnson of Frogpants Studios joins to discuss!

Why is "The Mandalorian" so popular with Star Wars fans, yet the latest films are so divisive? Where does it veer from the traditional beats and themes of Star Wars, and where does it embrace that unique George Lucas flavor? Jack Helmuth and Nick Sperdute join to unpack everyone's favorite bounty hunter.

"The Stepford Wives" (1975) is a satirical horror film about spunky urban wives getting replaced by their husbands with submissive, ornamental robots. Chris and Cristi Moody come on to talk about the unease captured by the movie in a time of gender roles tumult, 1950s conformity, Second Wave Feminism, and parallels to "Get Out."

Nick and Heaton visit Kashyyyk to work as mall santas for Life Day on the Wooki homeworld. "Silent Night" care of "How it Should have Ended" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd79mpzBnJ4