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PODCAST

Ancient Geeks

Two old geeks talk about being young geeks, at a turning point in popular culture. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the threads of modern geek culture emerged and wove together. Science fiction, fantasy, comics, movies, TV shows, tabletop games, computer games, ad all their incarnations. The great SF&F writers, Star Trek, Star Wars, monster movies, D&D, Doctor Who, the Marvel and DC superheroes, 2001, Planet of the Apes, conventions, Zork, Ultima...What was it like to experience these for the first time

fiction science fiction

All Episodes

80:20

Ancient Geeks episode 47: David Lynch's Dune

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/12/29

Dune-A-Palooza continues! Big fans of the Dune novel were excited about the pending release of the film adaptation, directed by David Lynch. And then...we saw the movie. Tom attended the premiere. Steven just saw the movie.We give our unvarnished opinions on the film. We grade David Lynch's Dune as a motion picture, and then as an adaptation of the novel. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy sandworm ride! Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their

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70:14

Ancient Geeks episode 46: Frank Herbert's Dune, the...

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/12/22

Dune-A-Palooza begins! It's the first of our three part series covering Dune, on the page and on the screen. In this episode, we discuss the original 1965 novel. If you were a science fiction fan, you read this book. Even if you weren't a science fiction fan, there's a good chance someone recommended it to you.Both Steven and Tom devoured the book in our teens, when it became the touchstone for what truly great science fiction could achieve. Hear us talk about the origins of the novel, our early

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91:54

Ancient Geeks episode 45: Blade Runner

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/12/15

Calling Blade Runner "iconic" is a bit of understatement. There was nothing like it when it premiered: a future noir thriller, based on a science fiction novel, but also taking it in directions that changed filmmaking. We were impressed at the time, way back in 1982. How do we feel about it today? Do the warnings in this cautionary tale about the near-future apply today? And why does Hollywood love Philip K. Dick? And how does it compare to the other early Ridley Scott SF classic, Alien?A dystopian

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78:07

Ancient Geeks episode 44: The Twilight Zone

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/12/08

At the signpost up ahead, your next stop, the latest episode of Ancient Geeks! The Twilight Zone was a ubiquitous feature of television when we were growing up, and possibly the most generally popular bit of geek culture outside of geekdom until Star Wars. Rod Serling's anthology series used tales of the fantastic to tell meaningful stories, often allegories about contemporary America. Serling's life was just as interesting as his television shows, and he epitomized the screenwriter as

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66:17

Ancient Geeks episode 43: Aliens

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/12/01

We're on an express elevator to hell, going down! We've covered Alien earlier, which compels us to do an episode on the 1986 sequel, Aliens. It's a sequel, sure, but it's also a different kind of movie. With a different director. (Yeah, that James Cameron kid shows some promise.)Tom saw it when it was released. Steven just watched it for the first time. Hear our reactions to this film, on first watch and re-watch. Listen us debate how stupidly evil mega-corporations can behave, and what makes a

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61:42

Ancient Geeks episode 42: Roger Zelazny's Amber series

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/11/24

What if our reality isn't just one universe among many, but is just a shadowy reflection of the one true reality? And what if the ultimate reality is ruled by really terrible people? That was the premise of Roger Zelazny's Amber series. There was nothing like Amber when our younger selves discovered these books, and it's still distinct in the world of fantasy. Or fantasy where our world is also real. Or whatever you can call these books. Family intrigues! Multiversal wars! Plot twists! Unicorns

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103:31

Ancient Geeks episode 41: Dark superheroes

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/11/17

Dark heroes are a staple of popular culture across media and genres. In the 1980s and 1990s, they became prominent comic books, and arguably still are today. Characters like The Punisher, Ghost Rider, Venom, Judge Dredd, and Lobo epitomized this subgenre. Who are these dark superheroes, who are willing to use lethal force to clean the streets of punks and thugs? Are these harmless violent fantasies, or something else? What does it say that many of our entertainments are rooted in violence? And how

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79:32

Ancient Geeks episode 40: Star Trek VI The...

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/11/10

The last of the Star Trek movies with the entire original cast, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country saw the return of Nicholas Meyer in the director's seat. Not only were there high hopes for it to exceed the low bar set by the previous movie, but expectations were high for this finale. How did it succeed as the capstone on original Trek? As a Cold War metaphor? As an environmental metaphor? As an opportunity for Christopher Plummer to chew the scenery even more than William Shatner? Come with us

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65:27

Ancient Geeks episode 39: Star Trek V: The Final...

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/11/03

We continue our coverage on the TOS era of Star Trek movies with what nearly everyone agrees was the low point, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. But how low did it go? We didn't love it when we saw it, but how do we feel about it today, after a re-watch? Why didn't this movie work as well as the others, despite the fact that the general premise didn't ipso facto doom it to mediocrity?Future camping technology! Pop psychology in spaaaaace! A surprisingly easy trip to the center of the galaxy

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83:43

Ancient Geeks episode 38: Alien

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/10/27

It's an understatement to say that Alien is a classic, a genre-defining moment in science fiction and horror. Tom saw it when it was released, and was blown away. Steven just saw it, and...Well, you'll have to listen to find out! Join us for both our reactions to the movie, some behind-the-scenes facts, and much more.A truly alien alien! Frights galore! Confined spaces! Containment protocols everyone should follow! Fantastic filmmaking! They're all here. Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks

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63:32

Ancient Geeks episode 37: Adam Warlock

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/10/20

In the 1970s, Jim Starlin, a comic artist and writer, revamped a C-list Marvel character named Adam Warlock. Starlin's unique art, sharp writing, and unique vision for this "cosmic" superhero made us instant fans! Plus, Warlock's story became a foundational part of The Infinity Gauntlet, in which Thanos strives to destroy life across the universe! (You may have heard of this Thanos fellow.) Starlin went on later to write some of our favorite comics, both at Marvel and DC.Totalitarian theocrats

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52:54

Ancient Geeks episode 36: The Adventures of Buckaroo...

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/10/13

Kind of an homage to pulp heroes, kind of deliberate camp, and definitely one of the most 80s-ish movies you'll ever see. It's The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! It has been about 40 years since we saw this movie for the first time, and we're still trying to figure out what it was supposed to be, and how we feel about it. OK, so the title character is a brain surgeon, a physicist, a rock star, a test pilot, and a comic book hero....? OK, cool.Join us as we re-visit this

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84:46

Ancient Geeks episode 35: Planet Of The Apes

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/10/06

It's a madhouse! A maaaaaadhouse! One of the critical Big Ideas science fiction movies of our youth was Planet Of The Apes. Not only was it filled with jaw-dropping revelations, but it became popular enough to inspire four sequels in rapid succession. The world went ape, and so did we!One of the biggest plot twists in movie history! Satire! Misanthropy! Incredible makeup effects! The original Rod Serling script! It's all here. Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age

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77:48

Ancient Geeks episode 34: Star Trek IV: The Journey Home

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/09/29

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock answered some questions about the fate of the Enterprise crew, and left others very unresolved. Where would they go next? Why, on a trek to find humpback whales, of course! Star Trek IV: The Journey Home was a very light-hearted adventure to the 20th century to save the future of Earth, and became one of the most beloved Star Trek productions ever! Come with us back to the 80s, an era of colorful metaphors and peak Trek. A mysterious alien probe! San Francisco! A

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79:05

Ancient Geeks episode 33: Star Trek III: The Search...

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/09/22

After Star Trek II, it wasn't completely clear where Star Trek would go, but given the success of The Wrath Of Khan, it was clear it was going somewhere. We only had a couple of years to wait until the release of the third movie, The Search For Spock. Journey back with us to the early 80s, when Star Trek movies became a popular event, Leonard Nimoy started his directorial career, and the fate of the Enterprise crew, and the Enterprise, was still uncertain.Klingons! The Genesis planet! Scrambled

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73:23

Ancient Geeks episode 32: Elric of Melniboné

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/09/15

"Stormbringer, come to me!" Michael Moorock's Elric of Melniboné is the classic sword and sorcery...Protagonist? Anti-hero? Definitely his own person. The albino ex-emperor of a decadent empire, wielding a soul-stealing sword, destined to play a pivotal role in the climactic clash between Law and Chaos, an incarnation of the Enternal Champion, traveler in the multiverse...He's definitely all that. In this episode, Tom discusses why he has been an Elric fan since his teens, and Steven talks about

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80:45

Ancient Geeks episode 31: Crisis On Infinite Earths

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/09/08

In the early 1980s, the editors at DC Comics decided that the DC Universe(s) had become unmanageable. Heroes and villains from different eras of comic continuity, often living in different realities, crossing over to have a friendly chat with their peers -- it was all too much. They hired Marv Wolfman and George Perez to blow it all up, and then re-build. Crisis On Infinite Earths, a 12-issue mega-series, was the result.Journey back with us to 1983, when the Crisis first started. We talk about the

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103:01

Ancient Geeks episode 30: Fan service

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/09/01

We've mentioned fan service in past episodes. Now, we take it head on. Tom and Steven have a lot to say about fan service, because it's a big part of geek culture today. But was it also a major part of our earlier geek lives? How much more of geek culture, especially on the screen, is dominated by it today? Is it always a bad thing, the death of creativity and quality? Or, in the right hands, can it be used for good. Sequels! Remakes! In-jokes! Deep cuts! Updates! Transmedia! Spirited debate between

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01:11:19

Ancient Geeks episode 29: Blake's 7

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/08/25

Blake's 7 was definitely ahead of its time. A BBC science fiction series chock full of political intrigue, interesting characters with unexpected arcs, crazy ideas, and plot twists, all wrapped up in a neat space opera package. It ran at the same time as classic Doctor Who, but it doesn't have the same recognition as the good Doctor's adventures. But it's definitely worth tracking down this somewhat lost (or temporarily misplaced) series, and we'll tell you why.Totalitarian regimes! Feisty rebels

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01:09:43

Ancient Geeks episode 28: Flash Gordon

Ancient Geeks ·

2025/08/18

Flash! Aaah-aah!Steven and Tom journey back to 1980, when the big budget Flash Gordon movie premiered. Was it a camp classic? A post-Star Wars cash grab? A sincere homage to the comic strip? A weird amalgam of British, Italian, and American science fiction motifs? Something else? All of the above? Listen and find out. Thrill to retro rocketships blazing across the screen! Cringe at the acting! Marvel at the incredibly colorful costuming and production design! Cover your ears when Brian Blessed

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