Space the Nation

ENCORE: PLANET OF THE APES (1968)

05 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 Pla...

THE MARTIAN (2015)

04 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 inform...

LILO & STITCH (2004)

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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.c...

ANIMAL FARM

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 p...

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 1

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 whol...

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

THE RUNNING MAN (2025)

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

PLURIBUS

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 pande...

THE RUNNING MAN (BOOK)

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

THE RUNNING MAN (1987)

04 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana are introduced by the Space the Nation dancers! This adaptation of Stephen King/Richard Bachman's dark satire strips away a lot of the dar...

WE EXIST!

04 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The show goes on. Dan and I have both hit life-based turbulence in the five years of doing this podcast (five years!), but December 2025 saw us both b...

SPACEGIVING 2025

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan set the table for some fine genre dining: Pluribus, Welcome to Derry, a book called "The Ministry of" something that's good, not bad! And ...

WARGAMES

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan would like to play a game. There is some IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ALIEN: EARTH (Part 2)

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan sort of forgot we recorded this episode about the last four episodes of the series.We did have a few more thoughts on what is definitely i...

HOUSE OF DYNAMITE

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan also have loved ones in Chicago, why do you ask? Kathryn Bigelow's return to cinema gifts us a meticulously shot and expertly acted m...

TRON: ARES

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan de-res, but not before reviewing this latest and undoubtedly last entry into the Tronverse. It isn't very good and the ideas it raises are...

TRON: LEGACY

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan get the high scores on Galactic Narcissists and check out the middle entry in this middling franchise. There's some interesting stuff abou...

EXTRA: THE ANDOR MOMENT

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"I have friends everywhere." How does a quote from a Star Wars prequel wind up the unofficial slogan for a national movement? Indivisible's Ezra Levin...

TRON

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan challenge each other to a round of Space Paranoids, the hit video game kids are into these days! It's the summer of Tron: Ares and so we'r...

SNEAKERS

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan look great in light-wash Levis and a varsity jacket. This well-loved movie is both an instructive artifact of a different era and a timele...

ALIEN: COVENANT

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan land on an Earth-like planet and don't think it's suspicious at all. Touch things! Don't wear masks! What could go wrong? Part of our comp...

ALIEN 3

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan prefer the prison planet, thank you. Ana coaxed Dan into watching the Alien franchise entry once praised by Vox as "far from the worst Ali...

ALIEN: EARTH

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana tear the slicer off a paper-cutter (which are still necessary in the year 2120) and enter into battle with a newly speedy xenomorph. There...

WE KNOW WHAT WE DID LAST SUMMER (2025)

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana take you on a trip through their summer media consumption, including The Last of Us second season, Blindsight, Murderbot, Foundation, Stra...

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025)

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan settle into their computer screens for this time capsule of 2020 cinema, a "screenlife" take on H.G. Wells' public-domain IP. Gen X viewer...

FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana are back! Perhaps you've heard a little something about the (latest) movie intended to relaunch the Marvel brand. It's worked out so well ...

ENCORE ENCORE: EVENT HORIZON

16 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We've released this a couple of times; it's one of our favorite episodes about one of our favorite movies. It is now not just old enough to drink, but...

FANTASTIC FOUR

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan are into Peak Mid-Aughts: Spoon, the early seasons of the Office, books that are histories of a single consumer product, political blogs, ...

SUPERMAN (2025)

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan are the real punk rock. We talk Space Lex mugs, corporate hero squads, the carceral logic of pocket universes, and why showing people evac...

SUPERMAN (1978)

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan will never ask you to guess what color underwear they have on. We talk about Marlon Brando’s floating green bagel, the moral clarity of ...

28 YEARS LATER

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan will not rescue you if you're not back by high tide. This is not the economical, revolutionary filmmaking of 28 Days Later; it is also not...

ENCORE: 28 DAYS LATER

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this re-release of a patron episode for all listeners, Ana and Dan introduce their infamous 28 Days Later recording with a surprisingly lighthearte...

28 WEEKS LATER

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An arthouse hit gets a safer sequel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THUNDERBOLTS*

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan and Bob find their shame rooms and do the podcast from there. We liked this movie! All superhero movies are about trauma, but this one is ...

SINNERS

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan will have the pickled garlic, thank you. A wildly inventive and expertly made popcorn movie, with sympathies for a few devils and more lor...

ENCORE: ROGUE ONE

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the heady days of May 2022: Dan and Ana would have the pilot give the plans directly to the rebels, but decide to watch the movie anyway. Can you...

ANDOR S2 E10-12

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan hope you’re enjoying the leisurely pace of these episode drops, letting you linger in the all-too-brief glory that was Andor Season 2 ev...

ANDOR S2 E7-9

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan aren’t too green to podcast in this volatile environment—they’ll be fine.NOTE: Dan repeatedly refers to the "KX" droids as "KY" droi...

ANDOR S2 E4-6

10 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan brush off the bourgeoisie’s cosplay rebellion to get to the real heart of revolutionary struggle: ignoring signs of drug abuse in loved ...

G20

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After seeing trailers for this action-amid-the-white-papers flick, Ana and Dan brainstormed the next wave of thrillers based on foreign policy gatheri...

ANDOR S2 E1-3

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan dance like no one is watching. Andor Season 2 is finally here—was it worth the wait? The first arc brings us sexpest fascists, sad droid...

MICHAEL CLAYTON

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan pause to commune with the horses just as dawn breaks. How is 2007's "Michael Clayton" related to science fiction? 1) Only alien technology...

SEVERANCE S2 E6-10

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan reintegrate to unpack the second half of Severance Season 2, from haunting standalone episodes to an action-packed finale. They explore th...

THE ELECTRIC STATE

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan would not volunteer for a road trip across a ruined America, even if it involved Gen-X micro-targeted mid-90s nostalgia. We break down The...

MICKEY17

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan would not volunteer to die over and over again, even to be a working-class counterpoint to an obvious Trump parody. We explore the existen...

SEVERANCE S2 E1-5

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan's outies prefer two scoops of ice cream in a serving, but they (the ice cream scoops) must be the same flavor. Our return to Lumon coincid...

THE POSTMAN

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan didn't realize their "palate cleansing" entry into Nuclear Winter would be about the heroism of civil servants and fighting against a raci...

THREADS

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan hang onto their shopping bags for this slog through one of the most downbeat takes on the apocalypse that is not actively promoting a cult...

THE DAY AFTER

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan would never leave Rusty outside the fallout shelter. We discuss the movie that made Gen X the nihilist losers we are—and find more human...

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan wish you a happy Valentine's Day, this podcast will erase itself as it plays. Revisiting this scifi art-house classic after 20 years revea...

THE PROPHECY

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the last day of Fishmas, my true love gave to me an extremely well-produced piece of sh*t—and a partridge in a pear tree! Dan and I dive in...

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER TWO

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana stop fighting long enough to have a civilized drink. We're wrapping up Fishmas, the most wonderful time of the year, with what might be th...

PREDATORS

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana are in a blood feud with the Super-Podcasters; don't get in their way. This may be one of the most less-than-the-sum-of-its-parts movies w...

WE'RE FINE, HOW ARE YOU?

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just been a little bit since we saw you and thought we'd check in.We had some behind-the-scenes stuff get more bumpy than usual! We're good now but we...

MATRIX RELOADED (FISHMAS FUTURE)

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Christmas comes but once a year, but Fishmas lasts all year long--at least as Dan and I practice it. We've had some personal and professional chaos ov...

THE COLONY (FISHMAS PAST)

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I'm dreaming of a terrible movie / Just like the ones Dan nominates / Where the plot is leaden / And acting deadens / But Laurence Fishburne's charism...

EVENT HORIZON (FISHMAS PAST)

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Neill baby / slipped a time-space fold under the tree / for meI'm an awful good captain / Sam Neill, baby / so let's get the f*ck out this is much...

THE MATRIX (FISHMAS PAST)

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have yourself a merry little Fishmas / Let your pill be red / From now on this movie's themes / will be misread...Happy holidays! Please enjoy our oth...

CONTAGION (FISHMAS PRESENT)

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Merry Fishmas! We celebrate all things somber and authoritative with a selection of Laurence Fishburne masterpieces. In addition to Contagion, we're r...

SPACEGIVING 2024

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the annual tradition of Spacegiving, where Dan and Ana discuss the science fiction and genre creations they're grateful for or haven't had ...

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE “IN A MIRROR, DARKLY”

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan put on their midriff-baring uniforms for this visit to the Mirror Universe, in Star Trek: Enterprises spin on the familiar Trek plot devic...

S4E45: BATTLESTAR GALATICA

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan can't number their episodes correctly. Okay, that's totally on me, Ana, who writes these episode descriptions. I also originally gave him ...

S4E42: DR. STRANGELOVE

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan are in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing's over with! There is some IR in this movie. (This is par...

S4 E41: UPGRADE

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan become human Swiss Army knives, but without the nail files, because does anyone use that one? Welcome to a movie that we both liked! Logan...

ENCORE: CIVIL WAR

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

First of all, Civil War is now streaming! Also, Civil War is even more terrifying than it was in April. Sorry for the lack of a new episode, things ha...

SPECULATIVE NON-FICTION 03: VP DEBATE PREDICTIONS

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I forced Dan to make predictions about the upcoming Vice Presidential debate (that's Oct. 1, for those in the future). This is a special treat for not...

S4E38: UGLIES

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana were Thoreau-pilled at a young age, that's why they never even thought about becoming Pretties. What's really funny about taking this long...

S4E37: DS9 “PAST TENSE”

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan don't like to study 20th-century history -- too depressing. In celebration of the Bell Riots, we take a trip backward-forward to 2024 as i...

S4E36: DOOM

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dan made Ana watch this as retribution for Pandorum and he's just about as successful explaining his love for it as she was explaining why Pandorum ca...

S4E35: PANDORUM

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan get separated at the beginning of the movie and... one of them is lying about something, but who???? This is ultimately a silly movie, a c...

90 DAYS WITH ANA MARIE COX (AND DAN)

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you enjoy Ana and Dan talking about science fiction and political science? Then you might enjoy Ana and Dan talking about political science -- and ...

S4E34: ALIEN: ROMULUS

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan will keep trying to turn those xenomorphs into some kind of profitable venture. This time, there will be no unexpected consequences. But.....

S4E33: PROMETHEUS

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan lean down to pet the cute little snake thing! So adorable, the ghostly white-translucent little sucking cobra! Was Ana forcing Dan to watc...

S4E32: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

And and Dan talk about that really old movie, Captain America: Civil War? Ever see it? Last week, we took a look at Deadpool & Wolverine as a poss...

S4E31: DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dan and Ana go deep (huh-huh) on this genre-savvy bromance, the little indie movie that could. It's now Marvel's fourth-most successful opening weeken...

S4E30: A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan begin the cycle of progress and destruction that is humanity's lot. This is an episode of canon fodder, about the problem of cannon fodder...

SPECULATIVE NON-FICTION 01: Biden Drops Out

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: This is a couple of days old (obviously). We posted the video the day-of but this is provided for folks who are, like, washing the dishes. We pl...

S4E29: A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan shhhhhhh... and use the thunderstorm to cover their conversation about the most recent entry in John Krasinski's silent apocalypse. Surpri...

S4E28: A QUIET PLACE

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan turn on the red lights and delve into a trad-horror* classic. It's beautiful, well-acted, and has gender roles more hardened than the cara...

S4E27: X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan don't think too hard about it, because the movie is just better that way. Another over-stuffed cast wrangles some nonsense as best they ca...

S4E26: STAR TREK GENERATIONS

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan collect rocks and talk about the least memorable meeting of the two most memorable actors ever to grace the small screen. The plot is just...

S4E25: ATLAS

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan need some coffee to get through this inert mech-suit porn. It has Jennifer Lopez in it! Listen to the episode to hear how it was a last-di...

S4E24: FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan don't turn their eyes away from the violence. They watch, stony-faced, just to prove that you can't break them. This is not as good as Fur...

S4E23: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our names are Ana and Dan and our world is fire and blood. And IR, and capitalism. This is a damn-near-perfect movie, not a scene or word wasted, thou...

S4E22: KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan had to leap so many hurdles to record this, they don't even remember the movie so much? It's like a copy of a copy of some ape that died m...

S4E21: DID YOU MISS US?

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan deliver some brand-new content! They catch up on Three-Body Problem, Dark Matter, and Fallout before checking in on the ongoing proceeding...

S4E20: CONGO

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan travel the world, doing good. This is a pretty good bad movie, almost entirely due to Tim Curry's completely gonzo performance as the utte...

S4E19: WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

11 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan together strong! We had a touch of technical trouble with this episode so you'll be getting a Kong-sized drop of Ape-ril/May-p content thi...

S4E18: ALIEN+

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Due to a technical error, the War of the Planet of the Apes episode is delayed but Ana and Dan couldn't get away without posting something new th...

S4E17: PLANET OF THE APES

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan fire up the vintage camera to take pictures with this, their latest quarry. Opening this baby up, did they find schlock or awe? Dan liked ...

S4E15: AQUAMAN

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan digitally manipulate every single strand of their hair in post in order to talk about this strangely un-compelling movie. It has Willem De...

S4E16: CIVIL WAR

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan have never felt scared like that -- and they've never felt more alive. Our third Alex Garland or Garland-adjacent movie (after Ex Machina ...

S4E14: KLARA AND THE SUN

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan get off their oblongs long enough to debate this Very Serious Book about a kind of dim Artificial Friend (ironically, a sun-worshipper!). ...

S4E13: MURDERBOT: ALL SYSTEMS RED

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan hack their governor modules and put down their visors to enjoy some Sanctuary Moon without dealing with humans and their annoying real-wor...

S4E12: DUNE UNE (ENCORE)

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dan was in Serbia this week! Enjoy this refresher course in donning your stillsuit slip-fashion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

S4E11: DUNE 2 (LIVE)

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan drank the water of life... at Cosmic Coffee in Austin, TX, for our first-ever tiny desk live show. This show has a lot of ambiance (backgr...

We're back!

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It was as if thousands of podcast listeners suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. We disappeared from Apple Podcasts, because AI. ...

S4E10: BLADE RUNNER

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan will take those noodles to go while they ponder what they'll do about that turtle on its back. The great grand-daddy of scifi noir, Blade ...

S4E09: EX MACHINA

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan open up some Keikaku beers and ask this movie if it knows it's a movie. This gorgeous exploration of power, identity, gender, and self-awa...

S4E08: STARTER VILLAIN

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ana and Dan accede to the superior analysis and portfolio acquisition of cats. We've been meaning to do a Scalzi book for some time -- but which one? ...