In this episode, we investigated a distress beacon to find our new artificially intelligent WMD friend in the Star Trek Voyager episode “Warhead” (s5 e25 – 1999) where the crew picks up smart bomb hitchhiker hellbent on finishing his military mission. Why don’t all nuclear armed missiles have a self-destruct feature? How do you deter against a nuclear strike from a planet 80 light years away? How does the USS Voyager convince a nuclear bomb to stop loving itself and not explode? Tim Westmyer (@NuclearPodcast), co-host Gabe, and special guest James Sheehan (@jsheehandc) — consultant working on trans-Atlantic cooperation and public diplomacy — answer these questions and more.
Before we check out of sick bay, we recommend:
–Russian Roulette, PBS, February 23, 1999
–Dark Star (1974 movie by John Carpenter)
-“One,” Metallica, …And Justice for All (1989)
-Meilan Solly, “The Japanese WWII Soldier Who Refused to Surrender for 27 Years,” Smithsonian Magazine
–The Delta Flyers, Voyager Podcast
–Jetrel, Star Trek Voyager (s1 e15, May 1995)
–Sunshine (2007 movie)
–Star Trek: First Contact (1996 movie)
–Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons (2022), Wizards of the Coast
Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at least one new episode every month. Let us know what you think about the podcast and any ideas you may have about future episodes and guests by reaching out at on Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay, Spotify, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, Facebook, SuperCriticalPodcast@gmail.com, and YouTube.
Enjoy!
Super Critical Podcast 