Science Fiction University

A dive into propaganda in science fiction, particularly those instances where aliens take over the world to the advantage of the privileged.  What? Links for this episode: Ray Nelson, "Eight O'Clock In the Morning" available via the Internet Archive (free registration required) https://archive.org/details/sciencefictioncl0000unse_z5i2 Images of Arthur C. Clarke's "I Rememb...

Diving into Apple TV's new series "Dark Matter," based on Blake Crouch's bestselling novel. We'll explore how the show tackles concepts of both parallel realities, and the nature of identity across multiple timelines. But the multiverse madness doesn't stop there! We'll expand our discussion to other sci-fi shows that have expertly played with alternate realities...

On this episode of Science Fiction University, we dive into the works of Andy Weir, the author behind the hit novels The Martian and Project Hail Mary. Project Hail Mary, Weir's latest novel takes readers on an epic journey across the cosmos. Like his earlier work, The Martian, PHM showcases Weir's talent for fusing cutting-edge science with an extremely human story of perseverance and h...

We talk about "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and the 1940 short story that inspired it, sort of.  More at https://www.sciencefictionuniversity.com . Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon |   https://patreon.com/ proleftpod  Support the show

We talk about the new Apple TV series "3 Body Problem," which we highly recommend.  We also relate it to lots of other science fiction works. Looking for political content?  We were on The Brad Cast on Monday https://bradblog.com/?p=14989 More at sciencefictionuniversity.com . Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show: PayPal |  https://payp...

What the title says!   Support the show at proleftpod.com and thanks!  Support the show

We take a short break from Science Fiction to dive into the 1941 film noir masterpiece The Maltese Falcon, comparing and contrasting that Humphrey Bogart classic with two earlier versions, one made in 1931, and a Bette Davis comedy (?) version,  "Satan Met a Lady," made in 1936. More at ScienceFictionUniversity.com Support the show

Driftglass and Blue Gal share their stories of falling in love with SF.  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.  Support the show

We discuss the very political "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" by Frederick Pohl, and also why science fiction stories often don't stand the test of time.  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.   Support the show

The Netflix series "Bodies" brings up all kinds of connections to time travel in science fiction.  We watched the 8 part series in three days -- it's good!    Support the show

We discuss tragic heroes and utopias in science fiction, then we turn to the possiblity of future Dune movies.  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.   Support the show

Alternate title:  'Mother Nature, USMC'.  A subgenre of science fiction in which humans try to bend nature to their will, sometimes with disastrous results.   Also, an ocean creature theme.  Movies discussed include  1973's 'The Day of the Dolphin' Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and  The Incredible Mr. Limpet (Yes, The Incredible Mr. Limpet).   More at sciencefictionunivers...

Driftglass took Blue Gal to see Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 for her birthday.  During the movie, Driftglass noticed many plot points that connect this blockbuster to William Gibson's 1984 novel, "Neuromancer."  So we did a podcast about it.  (No Fair Remembering Stuff returns next week.)  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com .  Support the show.  Patreon   or Paypal  S...

Multiversal success and failure.  Success?   Star Trek TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror," and the 2017 Starz series, "Counterpart."  Failure?  It pains Driftglass to say it, but Robert Heinlein's "The Number of the Beast" is well-known as a massive fail in the multiverse and just plain science fiction novel genre.  And you can hear Patton Oswalt's magnificent Par...

Science Fiction "versus"  Fantasy – When Genres Collide Robert Heinlein’s “Glory Road” Babylon 5: The Technomages. Star Wars John Varley’s Wizard/Demon Trilogy The Dragonriders of Pern  Arthur Clarke’s Third Law More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.  Support the show

We look at a 1970's pilot, "The Questor Tapes," which was a scratchpad for the invention of the TNG character known as Data.  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.  Support the show

The 1970 film, "Colossus: The Forbin Project" and the "uh oh, we shouldn't have done that" genre of science fiction.   More at sciencefictionuniversity.com . Support the show

We discuss our re-watching of Patrick McGoohan in "The Prisoner," perhaps the most influential science fiction single-season show ever.   More at sciencefictionuniversity.com  Support the show

We discuss what can go wrong, and right,  when adapting a much-loved science fiction story to the big or big-ish screen.  Examples include Foundation, Dune, and the more recent Kindred.  More at ScienceFictionUniversity.com.  Support the show at patreon.com/scifiu .  Support the show

We discuss Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, "2001:  A Space Odyssey,"  Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 film, “Solaris,”  and Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 film, “Arrival.”    More at ScienceFictionUniversity.com.  Support our ad-free show at our Patreon!  Patreon.com/scifiu Support the show

We discuss three modern productions with roots in the 1960's:  Apple TV's Foundation , Denis Villeneuve's Dune , and For All Mankind (also Apple TV).  More at Sciencefictionuniversity.com .  And you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/scifiu   Support the show

We discuss timelines using examples from Loki, Travelers, Star Trek TOS "The City on the Edge of Forever," and 11.22.63  (Honorable mention to “All You Zombies”/”By His Bootstraps”, The End of Eternity) Support the show at sciencefictionuniversity.com or go straight to our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/scifiu .  Support the show

Looking at time travel stories generated by a main character waking from sleep.  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.  (Episode contains spoilers and occasional swear words.)  Support the show

HBO's 2020 series "The Outsider" meets the cult classics the 1972 made-for-TV movie/pilot for "The Night Stalker" and the 1958 Steve McQueen debut "The Blob."  These science fiction stories are connected by a truth-knower untrusted by the authorities.  Those authorities are the "system" designed to protect society from danger and crime.  And there is a...

(Spoiler Alert, and we swear a little in this episode.)  We've watched the first two episodes of Season 3 of HBO's Westworld and are ready to call it a #fail as narrative science fiction.   But it provides a perfect example of WHY stories need a hero, a villain, a writer, and a story.  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.   Support the show