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Okay, this episode, intended as a respite from all-issues-all-the-time for the holiday week, also doubles as pure James Lileks bait. Back when Ken Green and I were resident scholars at the American Enterprise Institute, lunchtime conversation often turned to science fiction, and especially our favorite hobby horse—how much we both hated "Star Trek: The Next Generation." TOS is the only Trek worthy of honor! And William Shatner's voyage into space this year proves that, as Ken puts it, "Shatner wins!"
But we also branch out beyond the Trek world to talk of other science fiction adaptations, including whether Dune is filmable at all, whether Fox TV might have actually done us a favor by canceling the great Firefly before Joss Whedon could screw it up with his political correctness, why Babylon 5 and Eureka are the best sci-fi shows most people missed, why Steve thinks The Expanse will not age well, along with the two big questions: DC versus Marvel, and why do libertarians tend to be such huge sci-fi fans in the first place.
We do take a few minutes to look at some recent developments in the world of climate change (speaking of science fiction), as Ken was once an official reviewer for the IPCC on its climate science reports. Plus, you'll also learn a quick hack for instantly identifying a TV show or movie that has been filmed in Canada. News you can use! And happy holidays.
Steve Hayward
Ken Green
Discussion (10)
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Before listening to the episode, I'll state my idea of whats wrong with Science Fiction...
Star Trek, and the Science Fiction of the 60's absorbed the cultural zeitgeist of radiant optimism. (look at 2001:Space Odyssey if you're feeling down) Combine that optimism with the gun boat diplomacy of Kennedy Liberalism and you get Star Trek... Combine the cultural quagmire of a society in decline with the witless woke-ism of Obama's Cultural Marxism - you get Star Trek Discovery.
Mark Twain once said "You can't depend on your eyes if your imagination is out of focus" ... Thats what we see with modern fiction, it doesnt function because the ideas we (or rather the far left Marxist maniacs who Hollywood hires to) imagine the future - can't imagine a functional fiction, because they're entire world view is non functional.
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Wrong! Wrong! NO! Streets in Canada are not laid out in metric measurements...
IF you notice streets in canada are wider - its because they're designed to have wider shoulders to compensate for snow banks.
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The real problem with Tasha Yar's death - is that she wasn't in a Red uniform.
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You do a great Londo!
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Great fun, making Christmas cookies and listening to a couple of aficionados analyzing sci-fi, about which I know almost nothing. I have no skin in the game!
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