Ancient Geeks

Ancient Geeks
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Science Fiction
  • Updated Semiweekly

Two old geeks talk about being young geeks, at a turning point in popular culture. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the threads of modern geek culture emerged and wove together. Science fiction, fantasy, comics, movies, TV shows, tabletop games, computer games, ad all their incarnations. The great SF&F writers, Star Trek, Star Wars, monster movies, D&D, Doctor Who, the Marvel and DC superheroes, 2001, Planet of the Apes, conventions, Zork, Ultima...What was it like to experience these for the first time? Why did we love them? And how do we feel about them, decades later?

  1. 5d ago

    Ancient Geeks episode 86: Star Trek The Next Generation, season 2 part 1

    We return to the 24th century for the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. We start our discussion with an overview of this pivotal season. What did we expect, when we watched season two for the first time, after the few highs and frequent lows of season one? How well did it live up to our expectations? What were the critical improvements made this season? And what might have happened if this had been the last season of ST:TNG? In the next two episodes of this podcast, we'll review individual episodes of ST:TNG season two. We'll also discuss, once again, what makes a good or bad episode of Star Trek, and how season two made us ponder whether we needed to rethink our ratings scale. Iconic episodes! Pugnacious Pulaski! Relaxed acting! Improved characterization! Bottle episodes! Scientific conundrums! Fading Ferengi! Foregrounded Klingons! Major additions to canon! Higher stakes! A less annoying Wesley! Guileful Guinan! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

  2. Sep 21

    Ancient Geeks episode 85: The Farthest Shore

    We finish our discussion of the first three Earthsea novels by Ursula Le Guin with The Farthest Shore. We see Ged, the magician, as an older man, risen to Archmage. There's something terrible happening in the world, extinguishing magic and driving people insane. Looks like the makings of a classic quest! Except, as with the other two Earthsea books that preceded it, The Farthest Shore is anything but your typical fantasy, and this is more than just a quest to hunt down The Big Bad. As is the case with any good literature, it also has important lessons to impart, with surprising resonance for the challenges of the real world today. The world sliding into disaster! A young companion with a complex and changing view of his mentor! Dragons! Boats! Rafts! Demented dyers! Drug-addled mages! Cranky villagers! Ruminations on life and death! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

  3. Sep 14

    Ancient Geeks episode 84: The Tombs Of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin

    Continuing our coverage of Ursula K. Le Guin's first three Earthsea books, we turn to The Tombs Of Atuan. This time, the focus is on a female protagonist, Tenar, and her very dark coming-of-age story. She's the high priestess of one of the most depressing, oppressive religions in fantasy literature. Nevertheless, the adults in the temple keep telling her of how wonderful it is to be the spiritual leader of a faith centered on a lightless labyrinth and mute gods, all in the middle of a desert. Who wouldn't want that job! It's a big shift from the first book, though it continues the story of A Wizard Of Earthsea in some surprising ways. It also has many though-provoking moments. An eternally reincarnated priestess! The destructive power of labels! A God-King! People who seem helpful, but aren't! A deadly game of cat and mouse! A desperate plan of escape! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

  4. Sep 7

    Ancient Geeks episode 83: A Wizard Of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

    We begin our three-part coverage of Ursula K. Le Guin's classic fantasy series, starting with A Wizard Of Earthsea. It starts with a story arc that may sound familiar, a young magician finding his way in the world. But, as you'll hear, it's so much more than just another coming of age story with spells and dragons. Steven read the Earthsea Trilogy (it was only the three books then) when he was young. Tom just read them. Both of us have a lot of praise to heap on the first book in the series. It's the novel that wasn't supposed to be the start of a series, but it was. It's also the book that was conceived as "fantasy for teenagers," but is so much more grown up than that. (You'll hear a lot about how we feel about the YA label in this episode.) A world of islands! A world of magic! Dragons! Clashing pedagogic theories! Shady rock collectors! A dramatic chase across the world! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

  5. Aug 31

    Ancient Geeks episode 82: Planet of the Apes TV, cartoons, comics, and wrap-up

    The popularity of the original series of five Planet of the Apes movies meant there would be more than just a chain of sequels. In this episode, we talk about the POTA spin-offs of the 70s, including a short-lived TV series, a cartoon series that was definitely not written for children, and a series of black and white magazines from Marvel Comics.  Plus, we talk about the enduring appeal of the original series of movies. Beyond nostalgia, what has made the POTA films a lasting part of popular culture? And, if we could rewind to the late Sixties and early Seventies, what might have been a better path for the sequels, after the first movie? Apes listening to country music! Bland 70s TV! Blond and brunette action duos! More marooned astronauts! A surprisingly good comics series! Other, very wacky comics! The inevitable merchandise! Missed opportunities! The omnipresent Roddy McDowall! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

  6. Aug 24

    Ancient Geeks episode 81: Battle for the Planet of the Apes

    The fifth and final movie of the original Planet of the Apes raised expectations. It's going to be the last movie...and the title says that there will be a battle for the entire planet...and there are apes and mutants fighting on the movie poster. Great Cornelius' ghost! Bring on the battle! What the movie delivered was a bit smaller.  Battle of the Planet of the Apes picked up just a few years after Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. In the interim, a lot has happened. And hasn't happened. But what will happen, in the infant ape/human civilization, riven by tensions within, and facing new threats from without? Fractious apes! Subjugated humans! Bored mutants! Radioactive ruins! A not-so-magic school bus! Songwriter and TV personality Paul Williams! Epic levels of incuriosity! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

  7. Aug 17

    Ancient Geeks episode 80: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

    Ever wonder how we went from the swinging Sixties and Seventies to the brutal oppression of apes over humans? Conquest of the Planet of the Apes tells that story. The child of Cornelius and Zira, whom we saw as a newborn in the last movie, is now all grown up now. He doesn't like what he sees, in a world where apes are enslaved, humans are decadent, the architecture is brutal, and turtlenecks are all the rage. As you might expect from the title, the status quo is about to endure a hammer blow! Plus, since this movie was filmed in part on the campus of our alma mater, we have a lot to say about the Southern California locations where this was filmed. Was this the first dystopia set in a suburb? If so, where are all the fast food restaurants? Heavy-handed allegory! Animal cruelty! Animals who get cruel right back at the humans! Ape disobedience statistics! Shopping malls! Hordes of apes in jumpsuits left over from a lousy TV show! Retcons of the history of the future! The third role for the producer's wife! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

  8. Aug 10

    Ancient Geeks episode 79: Escape From The Planet Of The Apes

    Of course there would be more sequels after Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, even though it was designed to be the last. In fact, the chief purpose of Escape From The Planet Of The Apes was to make more sequels possible. World ended? Just go back in time before it was ended! Come back with us to that time when Cornelius and Zira (plus unnamed baby) crash land on 1970s, and then get mistreated. And then turned into beloved celebrities. And then mistreated again. The calmest evil scientist you'll ever meet! Boring scientists! The lowest of low budgets! Fashion shows! Cocktail parties! Chimp makeup! Presidential commissions! An implausible gorilla suit! The most convenient space-time warp ever conceived! Plying a pregnant ape with alcohol! It's all here.   Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor

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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Two old geeks talk about being young geeks, at a turning point in popular culture. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the threads of modern geek culture emerged and wove together. Science fiction, fantasy, comics, movies, TV shows, tabletop games, computer games, ad all their incarnations. The great SF&F writers, Star Trek, Star Wars, monster movies, D&D, Doctor Who, the Marvel and DC superheroes, 2001, Planet of the Apes, conventions, Zork, Ultima...What was it like to experience these for the first time? Why did we love them? And how do we feel about them, decades later?

Information

  • Creator
    Ancient Geeks
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    88
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Ancient Geeks

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