Let's Argue About the Prime Directive

Science fiction tackles the end of the world again and again, sometimes hopefully and sometimes utterly devoid of it. Josh Jennings joins in this expensive episode to discuss the many, many fates of mankind which come to a close across the worlds of science fiction. Space Tractor: And Other Science Fiction Short Stories https://www.amazon.com/SPACE-TRACTOR-Science-Fiction-Stories-ebook/dp/B0FJPDYMH8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15MARPN6Y4DM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cFEATJSsQLnfuO9Y2RkgnmYoIvRwTMvIuk0R6Z6ZAp8NsR2mn5D9ml79QeygyBBR4c8Fxvw2jBUe8IGSYGo9x4iQnr3qkIF2HGcmvBRt5p4.HqB3rkgkSY53a9bxfAiHB24WIjWObnR9Rz0eWsJDaCo&dib_tag=se&keywords=josh+jennings+books&qid=1762223518&sprefix=josh+jennings%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1

In the film "Cabin in the Woods" the grizzly deaths of several archetypical characters are stage-managed by office workers in order to quench the bloodlust of ancient, pagan gods. The film is simultaneously a comedy and a horror, and an excellent romp. Henrique Couto, host of the Weekly Spooky podcast, joins to discuss the film, as well as the appeal of horror, and why that genre in particular excels at meta narratives.

The Prime Directive orders Starfleet officers to refrain from interfering in pre-warprdrive civilizations. It is a doctrine of cultural non-interference... But is it actually a good idea? Scottish Scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch return to argue with Heaton about it. Support the show! www.patreon.com/alienating

In "The Last Starfighter" (1984) a young man has his sword-in-the-stone moment playing an arcade game which propels him into heroic intergalactic adventure. Brett Weaver joins to discuss the movie, the Hero's Journey, and to talk about what a sequel or remake would look like. LINKS:  Heaton's Otamatone Odyssey  https://youtu.be/3BMGPv5RnOQ  

In Naomi Alderman's "The Power" women all over the planet suddenly develop the ability to shoot electrical shocks, to the point of lethality. The natural order is entirely inverted, with men easily overpowered by women, and resulting societal tumult. Katherine Mangu-Ward joins to discuss.

Getting thrown back to the same place in time, repeatedly, with little you can do about it has become an awesome sub genre in scifi. From Groundhog Day, to The Endless, we discuss time loops and their appeal in science fiction. Brian Brushwood joins to discuss.

Star Trek's Feringi are intergalactic traders, merchants, entrepreneurs, and feckless shysters. How did they get to be space capitalists when the Federation outgrew the concept of money altogether? Sean Finnerty joins to discuss Feringinar, the Rules of Acquisition, and the economy of the 24th century.  

In "Subservience" Megan Fox plays a robot servant who goes off the rails, seduces her owner, and tries to kill his wife. Henrique Couto joins to discuss the ethical implications of cheating on your spouse with a robot, how we ought to treat robots even if they don't really have consciousness, and whether or not we'd buy robot servants in general.

Fresh after seeing "Alien: Romulus," Dickie Lynch and Heaton discuss Ripley Scott's "Alien" franchise: the creepy aesthetics of H. R. Geiger, the deepest fears of the movie, the alien seeding of "Prometheus," and the most recent installment as a best-of.  

It's three centuries after the apocalypse, and a small Catholic monastery in the desert is collecting and safeguarding whatever pre-calamite artifacts it can, to preserve knowledge until civilization gets going again. Brian Brushwood joins to discuss this post-apocalyptic "Jesuits in space" novel.