Space the Nation
- Episódios
- 296
- Publicação
- semanal
- Último episódio
- 2 nov 2026
Sobre o podcast
On Space the Nation, we take our love of science fiction (and fantasy and horror) and smash it together with our professional passions: international relations (as brought to the table by Tufts University professor and Washington Post columnist Dan Drezner) and cultural criticism (as brought to the table by political columnist Ana Marie Cox). It's a highly informed but hilarious conversation that starts with an examination of a particular text (everything from Ursula K. LeGuin to the MCU, Star Trek to Colson Whitehead) and veers into current events, mental health practices and imagined conversations between Ted Cruz and the Predator. For people who like white papers and graphic novels, Chapo Trap House and what Political Science Twitter used to be.
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Episódios 296
ENCORE: THE SHINING
It's encore time! This week we're revisiting The Shining, because we're getting to that time of year when you need to think carefully about who you're willing to get snowed in with.Hope everyone's doing well …
Notas do episódio
It's encore time! This week we're revisiting The Shining, because we're getting to that time of year when you need to think carefully about who you're willing to get snowed in with.
Hope everyone's doing well out there. And don't forget to vote on Tuesday!
Ana and Dan decided to check out room 237, even though that wonderful cook told them not to. What could possibly go wrong? One of the most influential and well-made horror films ever made, it also... leaves something to be desired. There is some IR in this movie.
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THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (ENCORE)
We celebrate the coming of chill weather with a re-issue of this curiously chipper disaster flick. Hope you don't like books.Ana and Dan break some cane-backed chairs to use as snowshoes and try to avoid …
Notas do episódio
We celebrate the coming of chill weather with a re-issue of this curiously chipper disaster flick. Hope you don't like books.
Ana and Dan break some cane-backed chairs to use as snowshoes and try to avoid Chekov's wolves as they ponder the appeal of this preposterous movie. Can anti-climate-change skepticism propaganda be helpful if it engages in the exact kind of ludicrousness that skeptics accuse scientists of? Did Frank have to die? Did he have to die shouting, "Jack!"? And how old was Jake Gyllenhaal? There is IR in this movie.
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SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY
Ana and Dan don't have a lot of time for self-care. Instead, they're busy churning out this backlog of episodes! August was a long time ago but I'm pretty sure I talked a lot about my barely age-appropriate …
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Ana and Dan don't have a lot of time for self-care. Instead, they're busy churning out this backlog of episodes! August was a long time ago but I'm pretty sure I talked a lot about my barely age-appropriate crush on Tom Holland and how this was example #2 in what was 2024's Hot Incel Summer. Dan also enjoyed the movie. There is IR in this movie.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
No Science, No Fiction: Midterms Talk with Ana and Dan
We stopped recording our Backrooms episode to talk Talarico/Paxton, El-Sayed and more! Video version is at the Patreon!Here's Dan's pieces on the midterms:Exposure Therapy for Democrats, Part OneExposure …
Notas do episódio
We stopped recording our Backrooms episode to talk Talarico/Paxton, El-Sayed and more! Video version is at the Patreon!
Here's Dan's pieces on the midterms:
Here's my pieces on Talarico and Paxton specifically:
- A Path to a Texas Breakthrough
- James Talarico’s Absence Handed Republicans a Gift — But Ken Paxton Fumbled it Away
- Media Leans on Tired Tropes to Undermine James Talarico’s Support With Black Voters
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OBSESSION (2026)
Dan and And would really like to take that back. Obsession was the one of the movies that made gave us Incel Summer; it's an exploration of consent, abuse, and the curdling of desire. Is it scifi? Not so much? …
Notas do episódio
Dan and And would really like to take that back. Obsession was the one of the movies that made gave us Incel Summer; it's an exploration of consent, abuse, and the curdling of desire. Is it scifi? Not so much? Does it have lessons about international relations? You bet!
Ana's Patreon and website: anamariecox.com
Dan's article about the movie Threads
Ana's other podcast, Past Due.
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THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU
Dan and Ana are played by stunt actors and only offer their voice acting for the entirety of this episode except for one special scene where they take off their helmets. There's some IR in this movie and IP is …
Notas do episódio
Dan and Ana are played by stunt actors and only offer their voice acting for the entirety of this episode except for one special scene where they take off their helmets. There's some IR in this movie and IP is flat circle. We're very sorry for how long this took and appreciate your patience.
I was raised in an alcoholic home and over-apologizing is my entire personality.
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DISAPPOINTMENTS DAY
In which our heroes discuss recent non-great things in the realm of science fiction, including Disclosure Day as well as M3GAN and Greenland 2s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
STILL HERE, STILL
We're still dedicated to producing the podcast, we're still here, we still appreciate your support! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
WORLD WAR Z (2013)
We delve into Dan's backyard (the next edition of Theories of International Relations and Zombies ain't gonna research itself!) with the least-faithful-to-the-source-material movie of all time. A cursed …
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We delve into Dan's backyard (the next edition of Theories of International Relations and Zombies ain't gonna research itself!) with the least-faithful-to-the-source-material movie of all time. A cursed production that wouldn't stay dead, this movie wound up going viral—it's still the highest-grossing zombie movie of all time.
There is just a bit of IR, and the capitalism won't stay dead, either.
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ROBOCOP (1987)
Well, is there a critique of capitalism in this movie? I'll buy that for a dollar!Commentary on, among other things: Corporate malfeasance, the carceral state, the market's encroachment on bodily autonomy …
Notas do episódio
Well, is there a critique of capitalism in this movie? I'll buy that for a dollar!
Commentary on, among other things: Corporate malfeasance, the carceral state, the market's encroachment on bodily autonomy, disability justice, and parody of ultraviolence done in service of capital? ACAB except Robocop, that's what I say. There is also IR in this movie.
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ENCORE: KINDRED (1979)
What better way to end our celebration of mothers with this meditation on generational trauma—as well as the grit and grace it takes to survive. This is not Octavia Butler's novel with the most transparent …
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What better way to end our celebration of mothers with this meditation on generational trauma—as well as the grit and grace it takes to survive. This is not Octavia Butler's novel with the most transparent commentary on the Current Troubles, it goes deeper than that: It raises questions about repair from trauma, what it is possible to heal, and when wounds have to be honored rather than salved. A perfect accompaniment to preparations for our country's 250th birthday!Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
GRAVITY (2013)
The George Clooney Rule of competence porn ("If the movie contains Clooney, it contains competence.") overwhelms the argument that Gravity may not, at its core, really be competence porn so much as …
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The George Clooney Rule of competence porn ("If the movie contains Clooney, it contains competence.") overwhelms the argument that Gravity may not, at its core, really be competence porn so much as "barely-made-it-out-and-needed-a-male-presence-to-survive porn." Your space mileage may vary!Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ENCORE: ARRIVAL (2016)
More moms in space for May! Arrival may be the movie that split your hosts the most deeply: Dan loves it, Ana can't forgive the movie for confusing linguists with translators, among other things. This movie has …
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More moms in space for May! Arrival may be the movie that split your hosts the most deeply: Dan loves it, Ana can't forgive the movie for confusing linguists with translators, among other things. This movie has a gorgeous soundtrack, a luminous performance from Amy Adams, and a lot of international relations.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ENCORE: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022)
We continue with encore presentations of mothers in space for May. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert use slapstick, sci-fi, and hotdog fingers in this hallucinatory exploration of agency and commitment and the …
Notas do episódio
We continue with encore presentations of mothers in space for May. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert use slapstick, sci-fi, and hotdog fingers in this hallucinatory exploration of agency and commitment and the everything bagel. There's IR and a critique of capitalism in this movie.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
THE MERCY OF THE GODS (2024)
The minds behind The Expanse are back with a novel about academic infighting and enormous space bugs. Dan identifies with one of the characters! It's a brutal look at how humanity does and doesn't survive …
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The minds behind The Expanse are back with a novel about academic infighting and enormous space bugs. Dan identifies with one of the characters! It's a brutal look at how humanity does and doesn't survive contact with utter cruelty. There is lots of IR (and academic intrigue!) in this book.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ENCORE: ALIENS (1986)
Mothers: Can't live with them, can't have existed without them. Science fiction is dominated my male voices, some of them have mommy issues. Here are some of our mommy issues. (Octavia Butler, author of one of …
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Mothers: Can't live with them, can't have existed without them. Science fiction is dominated my male voices, some of them have mommy issues. Here are some of our mommy issues. (Octavia Butler, author of one of encores, is the only creator to be exploring the issue from the inside.)
First up is Aliens, the ultimate not-without-my-daughter text.
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ENCORE: WATERWORLD (1995)
Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patrons get episodes ad-free.Fourth wave: Urine for a treat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more …
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Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patrons get episodes ad-free.
Fourth wave: Urine for a treat.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001)
We are forced, once again, to ponder the power of charisma in creating the illusion of perfection. Of course things never go wrong for George Clooney. Unless he portraying a small-time legal fixer (see: Michael …
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We are forced, once again, to ponder the power of charisma in creating the illusion of perfection. Of course things never go wrong for George Clooney. Unless he portraying a small-time legal fixer (see: Michael Clayton), in which case we just know we're watching a fantasy.
Steven Soderberg, also at the top of his game, makes this a movie that's about criminal enterprise but goes down like a spa day at a luxury Vegas hotel.
There is IR, kinda, in this movie.
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ENCORE: DEMOLITION MAN (1993)
Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patrons get episodes ad-free.Third in the roster: three shells. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for …
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Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patrons get episodes ad-free.
Third in the roster: three shells.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026)
What's the connection between Competence Porn and hotness? Is it a comment on the currency of conventional attractiveness, that we simply perceive the very hot as very competent? In any case, the Goslingness of …
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What's the connection between Competence Porn and hotness? Is it a comment on the currency of conventional attractiveness, that we simply perceive the very hot as very competent? In any case, the Goslingness of it all papers over the movie's more casual approach to scientific accuracy. We did not mind.
There is some IR in this movie!
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ENCORE: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978)
Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patrons get episodes ad-free.Specimen two: The toasters that defined a generation, in the original Battlestar …
Notas do episódio
Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patrons get episodes ad-free.
Specimen two: The toasters that defined a generation, in the original Battlestar Galactica.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ENCORE: PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patreons get episodes ad-free.First up: 1968's Planet of the Apes. There's a twist! Hosted on Acast. See …
Notas do episódio
Presenting the Schlock or Awe collection, encore presentations of the best worst movies we've seen. Patreons get episodes ad-free.
First up: 1968's Planet of the Apes. There's a twist!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
THE MARTIAN (2015)
For our Competence Porn series: Mark Watney, Space Pirate, sciences the shit out of that thing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
LILO & STITCH (2004)
All of Ana and Dan's dogs are adoptable, except that one.Ana liked this movie, even though it has children in it. And IR! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ANIMAL FARM
Ana and Dan must work harder. If you haven't read this short novel or it's been awhile, this is your sign to spend an afternoon with Orwell's lively parable. The writing is crisp, even if fans have scrambled …
Notas do episódio
Ana and Dan must work harder. If you haven't read this short novel or it's been awhile, this is your sign to spend an afternoon with Orwell's lively parable. The writing is crisp, even if fans have scrambled what Orwell actually meant.
There is a bit of IR. Some critiques of capitalism, too.
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GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 1
Our first entry in Talking Animals Month! It's peak Pratt, everyone! Pre Pratt fall, if you will. He's charming and the ensemble that carries the whole franchise comes together with an ease you may have …
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Our first entry in Talking Animals Month! It's peak Pratt, everyone! Pre Pratt fall, if you will. He's charming and the ensemble that carries the whole franchise comes together with an ease you may have forgotten. Topics include: Fact-checking Blank Check's Bautista backstory and whether the movie is a statement on the prison industrial complex. There is IR in this movie.
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28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE
Meet Gen X's most metal bachelor in this largely infected-free (well, it has one large infected) entry into the 28-year-verse. There are some pretty big questions about God and evil and What is to be human …
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Meet Gen X's most metal bachelor in this largely infected-free (well, it has one large infected) entry into the 28-year-verse. There are some pretty big questions about God and evil and What is to be human, anyway? And, importantly: Are bad dads bad?
There's horrific violence against and by children and a lot of Duran Duran in addition to IR.
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THE RUNNING MAN (2025)
A movie can always be improved by Glen Powell appearing nude, but can it be saved? This is the hypothetical that Edgar Wright's remake of The Running Man attempts to answer.This movie has Arnoldbucks, futurist …
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A movie can always be improved by Glen Powell appearing nude, but can it be saved? This is the hypothetical that Edgar Wright's remake of The Running Man attempts to answer.
This movie has Arnoldbucks, futurist telenovelas, a podcast that might save the world (if not America), a delusional ending (or is it?), hot dogs (not Glen Powell's!) and, yes, some IR.
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PLURIBUS
Ana and Dan will skip the milk, thanks.Is Pluribus about AI? Is it about the white savior complex, or loneliness in post-capitalist society? The pandemic? Ethical altruism? Maybe... art? It's gorgeous and …
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Ana and Dan will skip the milk, thanks.
Is Pluribus about AI? Is it about the white savior complex, or loneliness in post-capitalist society? The pandemic? Ethical altruism? Maybe... art? It's gorgeous and inscrutable, much like your long-absent hosts.
Glad to be back.
(This was supposed to come out before the streak of Running Man episodes we did, lol.)
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THE RUNNING MAN (BOOK)
Ana and Dan turn off the FreeVee and settle into this incredibly grim source material. If you've just seen one of the The Running Man movies, you might be unprepared for just how unsparing and violent the book …
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Ana and Dan turn off the FreeVee and settle into this incredibly grim source material. If you've just seen one of the The Running Man movies, you might be unprepared for just how unsparing and violent the book is. It is not satire, it's indictment. It takes place in 2025! There is IR in this book.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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