Mickey 17

In episode 34 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha discuss the 2024 Bong Joon Ho film, Mickey 17. Building on our conversation about Pantheon in episode 33, we discuss the science and ethics of cloning, and the nature of personhood and consciousness. We look at the film's depiction of colonialism, late-stage capitalism, and mission-leader Marshall as a composite of populist leaders, evangelical preachers, and tech bros.  We consider the nature of intelligence in the form of the so-called Creepers, anthropocentrism, and principles of first contact in science fiction. If you enjoy this episode, please do rate and review it wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Instagram and Bluesky, or check out our website. We reference a couple of our recent Substack posts in this episode, too, and you can find them here and sign up to receive our fortnightly newsletter.