TBD - To Be Determined

Theme : This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on. Episode Connections Authors, stories . “The Cold Equations.” Films . The Towering Inferno. The Poseidon Adventure. Sharknado. The Island at the Top of the World. The Black Hole. Alien. Pitch Black. Aliens. Castaway. Passengers. The Martian. Ad Astra. TV episodes, series . Battlestar Galactica . Survivorman . Music . The Beach Boys, “The Sloop John...

Theme : Does this RFID tag make me look inferior? Episode Connections Authors, stories . R.A. Lafferty, “Encased in Ancient Rind.” Arthur C. Clarke, “The Sentinel.” Murray Leinster. “First Contact.” TV episodes, series . Star Trek . Star Trek: Next Generation . Babylon 5 . Ideas . Soviet-era science fiction. Political philosophy. World building. Queries about similarities and differences among spe...

Theme : It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. Episode Connections Authors, stories . Murray Leinster, The Lonely Planet . Ursula K. LeGuin, “Vaster Than Empires and More Slow.” Stanislaw Lem, Solaris . Tom Godwin, “The Cold Equations.” Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game . Jack McDevitt. Robert Heinlein, “They.” Films . The Happening .  TV episodes, series . That margarine commercial from the 70s. The O...

Theme : Paying your debt to Capitalism Episode Connections Authors, stories . Ann Warren Griffith, “Zeritsky’s Law.” Henry Cuttner, “Nothing But Ginger Bread Left.” Arthur C. Clarke, “The Ultimate Melody.” Fritz Leiber, “The Girl With the Hungry Eyes.” Frederic Pohl, The Space Merchants . Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash . George Orwell, 1984 . Films . Blade Runner . Music . Rush, “Subdivisions.” TV ep...

Theme : Justice, fast-food style Episode Connections Authors, stories . Alexander Malac, Extrapolosis . Harry Harrison, The Stainless Steel Rat series. Daniel H. Wilson, Where’s My Jetpack ? Alice Glaser, “The Tunnel Ahead.” Films . Star Wars . Running Man . J udge Dread . RoboCop . Blade Runner . TV episodes, series . Firefly . Judge Judy . The People’s Court , Judge Mathis . The Hot Bench . Idea...

Theme : If I had a million robots ... Episode Connections Authors, stories . Dean Koontz. Monteleone, The Time Swept City . Fritz Lieber, “A Pail of Air.” Roger Zelazny, “For a Breath I Tarry.” Tom Godwin, “The Cold Equations.” Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains.” Cyril Kornbluth, “Marching Morons.” Harlan Ellison, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.” Jack Williamson, “With Folded Hands.” F...

Theme : What does it mean to be human? Episode Connections Authors, stories . Roger Zelanzny, Chronicles of Amber . Neil Gaiman, Sandman . The Bible . Isaac Asimov, Bicentennial Man . Jack Williamson, “With Folded Hands.” Films . Bicentennial Man. AI. Blade Runner. I, Robot. Finch . TV episodes, series . Star Trek: The Next Generation . Ideas . Literary sci fi. Mythological connections. Logic is o...

Theme : Our house … is a very, very, very smart house Episode Connections Authors, stories . Sara Teasdale, “There Will Come Soft Rains.”  Dean Koontz, The Demon Seed . Alan Weisman, The World Without Us . James Tiptree Jr., “The Last Flight of Dr. Ain.” McSweeney’s.com. Fritz Lieber, “A Pale of Air.” Larry Niven, “Inconstant Moon.” Films . The Demon Seed . I, Robot . Back to the Future . Mad Max...

Theme : A plague of humans. Episode Connections Authors, stories . Lynn Margulis, the Gaia Hypothesis. Stephen King, The Stand . Richard Matheson, I Am Legend . Richard Preston, The Hot Zone . Albert Robina, The War in the Twentieth Century . Aldo’s Huxley, Brave New World . H.G. Wells, “The Stolen Bacillus.” Nicholas Christakis, Apollo’s Arrow .  Films . The Matrix . Resident Evil films. The Omeg...

Theme : It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel … angst. Episode Connections Authors, stories . Larry Niven, Ringworld series. Fritz Lieber, “A Pail of Air.” Arthur C. Clarke, “Rescue Party,” and “The Star.” Jerry Pournelle. Ursula K. LeGuin. Films . Finch. Castaway. Solar Flare. Sunshine. Sharknado. The World’s End. Knowing. Apollo 19. TV episodes, series . The Land of the Lost. Star...

Theme : I can see my breath. I can scoop mine with a bucket. Now that’s COLD! Episode Connections Authors, stories . Fritz Lieber, Newhon series. James M. Ward & Rob Kuntz, Deities & Demigods (TSR, AD&D). Stephen King, “The Jaunt.” Jerome Bixby, The Holes Around Mars . Hal Clement, Mission of Gravity . Tom Godwin, “The Cold Equations.” Films . Snowpiercer . The Day After Tomorrow . The...

Theme : Does more life bring greater wisdom? Episode Connections Authors, stories . Neil Gaiman, Sandman series. Phillip K. Dick. Samuel R. Delaney & Marilyn Hacker, Quark series. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings . Stephen R. Donaldson, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant . Jerome Bixby, “Old Testament.” Clifford Simak, “Desertion.” J.G. Ballard, “Voices of Time.” Jason Key. R.A. Lafferty,...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5 . Paul Ehrlich, Population Bomb, Population Explosion . Stephen Emmott, Ten Billion . Dr. Danny Dorling, Population 10 Billion . Harry Harrison, Make Room, Make Room . John Brunner, Stand On Zanzibar . Isaac Asimov, Caves of Steel . Films . The Tunnel. 2BR02B. What Happened to Monday? Soylent Green. Avengers: Infi...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination . Clive Barker, “Hellraiser.” Dan Simmons, Hyperion . Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time series. Fred T. Jane, To Venus in Five Seconds . Films . The Langoliers . Back to the Future . Galaxy Quest . Stargate . Contact . The Fly (both versions). TV episodes, series . Star Trek . Ideas . Teleportation v. matter transportati...

Episode Connections Authors, storie s. Dean Koontz, Star Quest, Odd Thomas series. Harlan Ellison. Dean Koontz, Midnight . Harry Harrison, Soylent Green . Aldous Huxley, Brave New World . John W. Campbell, “Who Goes There?” Films . Odd Thomas. Logan’s Run. Star Wars . TV episodes, series . Quantum Leap. Stargate. Star Trek. Dr. Who .  Ideas . Government by consensus. The soul as the driver for ide...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Frederic Brown, “Arena.” Flash Gordon series. Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter/ Barsoom series. Cyril Kornbluth, “The Marching Morons.” Films . Independence Day. Battlefield Earth. Signs. War of the Worlds . TV episodes, series . Star Trek . Ideas . Cultural accomplishment & envy. Militant v. peaceful values - which is greater? Barbarism in sci fi. Boxin...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . The Bible , and other spiritual texts. Olaf Stapledon, Star Maker . Erich von Daniken, Chariots of the Gods . Robin Hood stories. King Arthur stories. Jack Williamson. Robert Heinlein, “They.” Arthur C. Clarke, “The Sentinel.” Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . Films . The Last Man on Earth . Stargate . Galaxy Quest . Lost in Space. Men in...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Isaac Asimov, Foundation series. Upton Sinclair, “I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked.” Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy series. Lewis Padgett, “Mimsy Were the Borogoves.” Films . Star Trek: The Motion Picture .  TV episodes, series . Foundation .  Ideas . Grand narratives. Cultural identity. The politics of archeology. The venerat...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Cyril Kornbluth, “Little Black Bag.” William Gibson, “Johnny Mnemonic.” Paul Erlich, The Population Bomb and The Population Explosion . Douglas Adams Hitchiker’s Guide series. Films . Idiocracy. Water World. Mad Max . Ideas . Social stratification based on intellect and education. Suspended animation. Temporal and cultural displacement. Overpopulation. Evolut...

Episode Connections Films . Raiders of the Lost Ark. No Way Out. Enemy of the State. Minority Report. Running Man. Gattaca. TV episodes, series . X-Files . Music . Johnny Cash, “Sam Hall.”  Ideas . Authoritarian societies. Data-driven society. Control of data, control of information. Mythology of the centralized information state and the technical priesthood. Whoa - Hmmm - WTF . Bill says hmmm + w...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . William Gibson, “Johnny Mnemonic.” Arnold J. Toynbee, A Study of History . Oswald Spengler, The Decline of the West . Murray Leinster, “First Contact.” Sigmund Freud. Carl Jung. Erich von Daniken. Films . Sphere . Inner Space . Godzilla series. Gamera series. The Creature From the Black Lagoon . TV episodes, series . na. Ideas . New Wave sci fi. Silent gene p...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Buck Rogers stories. Terry Bisson, “They’re Made Out of Meat.” Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker’s Guide series. Films . Star Wars films. Stargate . Contact . Star Trek: First Contact . TV episodes, series . Star Trek . Star Trek: Enterprise . George Carlin, “Seven Dirty Words.” Ideas . First contact with an alien race. Protocols for diplomacy & war. Male bonding...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Astounding Science Fiction . Kenneth Robeson, Doc Savage series. Clarke, “The Sentinel.” H.P. Lovecraft, “At the Mountains of Madness.” William Golding, Lord of the Flies . Films . The Thing from Another World . The Thing (1982). The Thing (2011). MovieTone news reels. Alien series. Invasion of the Body Snatchers . Alien v. Predator . Rare Exports . Horror Ex...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Philip K. Dick “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” Asimov, “The Dead Past.” Films . Blade Runner. Impostor. Minority Report. The Rocketeer. Starship Trooper . TV episodes, series . The Man in the High Castle . Ideas . Classic sci fi visions of Mars and Venus. Billionaires who meddle in politics. Time travel. Interracial prejudice. War, tribalism, nationali...

Episode Connections Authors, stories . Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers . Philip K. Dick, “Time Out of Joint.” Films . Them. Sunshine. The Matrix. The Truman Show. Memento. Shutter Island. 12 Monkeys. Fight Club. Contact. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. Darkstar . TV episodes, series . Lost. Firefly. Game of Thrones. Daredevil. Ve...