Space Nerds

Join the Space Nerds for discussions of both science fiction and science fact! Hosted by your constant cosmic companion Jesse Mercury, and featuring a rotating cast of nerds.<br /> <br /> WEEKLY SEGMENTS<br /> SPACE NEWS: We learn more about the universe and our place in it by examining the latest in scientific discoveries.<br /> <br /> MONTHLY SEGMENTS (rotating weekly)<br /> BLACK MIRROR: Our dystopian fiction nerd Alexandria leads us through discussions of each episode of Black Mirror, exploring the way we interact with science and social media.<br /> DOUG SPACE NINE: Doug and Jesse engage in lively live-streamed discussions of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, breaking down two episodes in each stream. Join a future stream or check out previous episodes at https://www.youtube.com/jessemercuryscifi<br /> FIREFLY: Joss Whedon aficionado and Firefly uberfan Jayne leads us through the Firefly 'verse, discussing and rating each episode of the seminal SciFi show.<br /> STAR WARS CLUB: Jenny, Be and Doug join Jesse for discussions of the galaxy far, far away, including news of upcoming projects, plus deep dives into the films and TV shows. <br /> <br /> Our back catalog features full coverage of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Jeff and Babylon 5 with Doug, plus tons of Star Wars, Doctor Who and much more! Previously titled SciFi with Jesse Mercury. <br />

177: Our Final Episode: Artemis Accords, Black Mirror, Star Trek Lower Decks, Firefly Finale

Today’s podcast will be the final episode of Space Nerds. We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who have listened to this show, so we put together this massive final episode to say goodbye to Andi, Alexandria, Doug, Jayne and Jesse. SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 17:31) NASA has […]

08-19
03:37:49

176: Moon Jelly Update, Black Mirror ‘Playtest,’ ‘Shut Up and Dance’ and ‘San Junipero’

Today on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 17:10) Scientists believe they have identified a strange substance recently discovered on the moon. Check out the original article from sciencealert.com: https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-know-what-that-gel-like-substance-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon-is BLACK MIRROR: Alexandria and Jesse are excited to return to Black Mirror with this trilogy of episodes. We […]

07-22
01:28:09

175: Comet NEOWISE, Firefly #13 ‘Heart of Gold’

Today on the Space Nerds podcast:SPACE NEWS (Starts at 7:24): Jesse and Jayne discuss our intergalactic visitor, the comet NEOWISE currently visible with the naked eye! We discuss how to see the comet this week, as detailed in this space.com article: https://www.space.com/comet-neowise-visibility-july-2020.html FIREFLY (Starts at 21:18): We chat about the […]

07-13
01:14:09

174: Filmmaking in Space, Star Trek Generations

Today on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 4:30) Recent reports have confirmed that Tom Cruise is working with Elon Musk and SpaceX to produce the first big budget Hollywood film in space onboard the International Space Station, but it turns out they won’t be the first filmmakers […]

07-05
02:23:43

173: 36 Alien Civilizations, Technosignatures, Firefly #12 ‘The Message’

Today on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 6:13) Jayne and Jesse discuss new developments in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, including a study claiming the most likely number of alien civilizations in our galaxy is 36, and a SETI grant focused on searching for alien technosignatures. Check […]

06-27
01:31:00

172: Doug Space Nine ‘The Forsaken’ (S01E16) // ‘Dramatis Personae’ (S01E17)

Today on Doug Space Nine we debut our synthtastic theme song, then deep dive through two episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, ‘The Forsaken’ and ‘Dramatis Personae.’ Debates erupt over whether Odo would be safer going gooey in a dress or a wig, and we marvel at THE CLOCK!

06-21
03:14:43

171: Particle Accelerator on the Moon, Arrowverse Year 6

Today on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 7:45) Would it make sense to build a particle accelerator on the moon? Doug and Jesse discuss the possibility as proposed in Popular Mechanics: https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a32814164/particle-accelerator-moon/ ARROWVERSE: (Starts at 26:03) Our massive TV watching side project continues with year 6 of […]

06-17
02:14:10

170: Black Lives Matter, SpaceX Launch, DS9 ‘Progress’ and ‘If Wishes Were Horses’

This week on the Space Nerds podcast: We start off by discussing the Black Lives Matter movement with Jayne, Alexandria, Andi and Jesse. We talk about the fight to end systemic oppression, and ways we can all get involved. Here are links to the foundations we discussed: Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/ […]

06-10
03:11:04

Addressing the George Floyd Protests

We are pausing our regular content in solidarity with the protests happening nationwide, in response to the continued brutality of police against the Black community including the murder of George Floyd. Instead, Jesse has recorded this message about the importance of standing up to support the Black Lives Matter movement […]

06-04
16:35

169: Antimatter Universe, Firefly #11 ‘Trash’

Today on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 8:22) A new theory claims there may be an antimatter universe extending backwards in time from the big bang, mirroring our own universe in reverse. Read more from physicsworld.com: https://physicsworld.com/a/our-universe-has-antimatter-partner-on-the-other-side-of-the-big-bang-say-physicists/ FIREFLY: (Starts at 20:14) Jayne returns to continue our journey […]

05-30
01:21:50

168: Star Trek Discovery (S01E05) Choose Your Pain

Star Trek Club discusses episode 5 of Discovery, ‘Choose Your Pain.’ We spend time with Harry Mudd in a Klingon prison, and worry about the space bear’s health.

05-27
53:49

167: SpaceX Launch, Black Mirror ‘Nosedive’

Today on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 31:40) NASA astronauts are heading to space, but not in a NASA spacecraft! Elon Musk’s SpaceX is sending their first crewed mission into orbit in a test of their Crew Dragon spacecraft. Check out the original article from spacenews.com: https://spacenews.com/nasa-sets-may-27-launch-date-for-spacex-commercial-crew-test-flight/ […]

05-23
01:58:21

166: Star Trek Discovery (S01E04) The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry

Star Trek Club reassembles to discuss episode 4 of Discovery’s first season, ‘The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry.’ We chat about Landry’s unfortunate encounter, Lorca’s war conducting and spores, spores, spores.

05-20
01:13:29

165: Telescope on the Moon, Andi’s Rise of Skywalker Review, Star Wars Club

Today on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 2:01) Andi and Jesse discuss a proposed telescope that would permanently live on the dark side of the moon, positioned with an unobstructed view of the cosmos. Read the original article from livescience.com: https://www.livescience.com/nasa-telescope-far-side-of-moon.html RISE OF SKYWALKER: (Starts at 7:22) […]

05-16
02:24:13

164: Star Trek Discovery (S01E03) Context is for Kings

Star Trek Club discusses episode 3 of Discovery, ‘Context is for Kings,’ featuring the debut of the Discovery herself, crewed by a bunch of meanies.

05-10
01:04:38

163: Stargazing Events, DS9 ‘Battle Lines’ and ‘The Storyteller’

This week on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 1:36) Alexandria and Jesse discuss several recent celestial events that can be seen from Earth. DOUG SPACE NINE: (Starts at 16:27) Doug and Jesse deep dive through two episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ‘Battle Lines’ and ‘The […]

05-05
02:28:00

162: Star Trek Discovery (S01E02) Battle at the Binary Stars

Star Trek Club discusses episode 2 of Discovery, ‘Battle at the Binary Stars.’ We talk Klingon culture, Vulcan mind wifi, Georgiou’s fate, and trying to out-logic the ship’s computer before rating the episode.

04-30
01:01:45

161: The Sound of Planets, Firefly #10 ‘War Stories’

This week on the Space Nerds podcast: SPACE NEWS: Jesse and Jayne listen to planet sounds created by NASA, made by recording electromagnetic variations from nearby celestial bodies. We discuss how there is no sound in the vacuum of space that the human ear can hear, and wade into the […]

04-27
01:29:24

160: Star Trek Discovery (S01E01) The Vulcan Hello

Star Trek Club embarks on a new journey with the pilot episode of Discovery, ‘The Vulcan Hello.’ We discuss the Klingon redesign, Michael’s mutiny, and how much we love Captain Georgiou. Check out our Picard season 1 wrap-up on the Space Nerds Patroncast! https://www.patreon.com/posts/36325947

04-23
51:05

159: Earth-like World, Andi’s TNG Review, Star Wars Club

This week on the Space Nerds podcast:SPACE NEWS: (Starts at 12:24) Andi and Jesse discuss a newly discovered exoplanet with remarkable similarities to Earth. Check out the article from NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/earth-size-habitable-zone-planet-found-hidden-in-early-nasa-kepler-dataSTAR TREK TNG: (Starts at 27:07) Andi just finished her first full viewing of Star Trek The Next Generation! Jesse […]

04-18
02:11:50

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