Episode 23: Sex, lies, and science fiction

VR sex in 1990s classic Demolition Man.

Let's talk about sex! In this episode we explore sci-fi tropes about where sex is going in the future, where it seems that we're doomed to become aromantic hedonists or asexual drones. We also talk about the greatest hits of scifi and fantasy sex. Special guest Lux Alptraum talks about her new book, Faking It, about the lies women tell about sex in real life, and where we see those lies popping up in science fiction too.

References, links, etc.:

Sleeper, dir. Woody Allen

Demolition Man, dir.

George Orwell, 1984

THX-1138, dir. George Lucas

Lawnmower Man, dir. Brett Leonard

Jaron Lanier was an early developer and popularizer of VR, and he writes about that in his memoir Dawn of the New Everything

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Logan’s Run, dir. Michael Anderson

Hell Comes to Frogtown, dir. Donald G. Jackson

A Boy and His Dog, dir. L.Q. Jones

Weird Tales sexy covers

Zardoz, dir. John Boorman

The Shape of Water, dir. Guillermo Del Toro

Rudy Rucker, The Sex Sphere

Galaxy Quest, dir. Dean Parisot

Kira and Odo ship from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Octavia Butler, Xenogenesis Trilogy

Yoss, Condomnauts

Twilight series

True Blood series

Lux Alptraum website and Twitter

Lux Alptraum, Faking It: The Lies Women Tell About Sex—and the Truths They Reveal

The Fifth Element, dir. Luc Besson (and the Born Sexy Yesterday trope)

Species, dir. Roger Donaldson

Splice, dir. Vincenzo Natali

Ex Machina, dir. Alex Garland

Westworld series created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan

Consentacle board game

Research Hole:

Charlie Jane Anders: Sequels and spinoffs from Get Smart.

Annalee Newitz: The “first bakers” from Archaeology’s 10 most important discoveries of the year