Episode 161: Nationalism & Star Trek

Guest: Desun Oka Historian Desun Oka beams aboard to talk about the intersection of nationalism and Star Trek. The United Federation of Planets is often likened to the United States of America, but in space. In what ways is the Federation like a modern nation state? In what ways is it not? And how might Star Trek reflect, examine, and critique what nationalism is all about? "Imagined Communities" by Benedict Anderson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagined_Communities "Ancient Earth" from PBS NOVA—featuring Mike! https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/ancient-earth-birth-of-the-sky/ Follow us on Twitter! Strange New Worlds: https://twitter.com/scienceoftrek Mike: https://twitter.com/miquai