Nerds of the Old Republic: The Drinking Person’s #Scifi Club

Nerds TV Recommendations: 90’s Nerdgasm!

Here there fellow nerds! We're at it again, this time looking at the golden age of nerdy television: the 1990's. Join us as we reminisce about days of old. We each bring three TV series to the cast to discuss. Did we miss one you loved? Was Stargate Atlantis an abomination or a missed opportunity for a Netflix reboot? Find us on the socials to join the conversation, we are @nerdsofoldrepublic everywhere.
 
And not to be outdone, we're back with a nerdy read next: Cory Doctorow's Walkaway. I'd describe it in my own words, but really, I'll let the blurb on the back speak for itself (mainly because it's Neal Stephenson and I cannot imagine anything more absurd but accurate):
"“The Bhagavad Gita of hacker/maker/burner/open source/git/gnu/wiki/99%/adjunctfaculty/Anonymous/shareware/thingiverse/cypherpunk/LGTBQIA*/squatter/upcycling culture...zipped it down into a pretty damned tight techno-thriller with a lot of sex in it.”―Neal Stephenson
 
So there's that. Go pick yourself up a copy and get ready for all of the things! And if you don't quite have time for 430 pages of whatever Stephenson said, go check out the seminal film Akira. It's what were talking about after Walkaway.

Nerds of the Old Republic Awards: Star Trek The Next Generation

Welcome back fellow nerds! If you joined us for the last conversation, you know we're talking about Star Trek: The Next Generation. In this installment, we're doing something new -- we're handing out the first ever Nerds of the Old Republic Awards for a TV Series. But of course, we've got a twist!
Listen in to find out who wins our first ever Nerds of the Old Republic Awards!
If you're down for more Nerdom, check out our back catalogue, like:
Neal Stephenson's Termination Shock
Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem
If you're looking to read along with us, we're reading Cory Doctorow's Walkaway and after that, discussing Akira. 

Nerds TV Recommendation: Star Trek The Next Generation

Hello, fellow nerds! And thanks for listening in to our re-watch of a sci-fi classic, Star Trek: The Next Generation. We've picked some of the biggest episodes from this iconic series to talk about, so fire up Paramount Plus, and check out the following episodes: 
The Best of Both Worlds, Pt 1 and 2 (s3e26, s4e1)
The Measure of a Man (s2e9)
Yesterday's Enterprise (s3e15)
Chain of Command (s6e10,11)
Inner Light (s5, e25)  Deja Q (s3e13)
And if you're a fan of our cocktail conversations, we're drinking the beverage Data makes in the episode titled, “Conundrum” where he thinks he’s a bartender. It’s a Samarian Sunset, a la liquor.com

Nerds TV Review: Amazon’s Rings of Power

Hail and well met fellow Tolkienites! Tolkeinists? Either way, we're here and ready to vivisect Amazon's huge investment in the TV series: The Rings of Power. If you haven't gone back and read the (loosely related) source material, we'll save you the time. Listen in to our previous cast where we talk about The Silmarillion. 
 
If high fantasy isn't your thing, then click through some of our sci-fi back catalogue, like The Three Body Problem or an all time favorite from our early days, Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.
 
Then, come back next time when we dive into the 90's golden age of space TV with Star Trek: The Next Generation. Specifically, we're watching:
The Best of Both Worlds, Pt 1 and 2 (s3e26, s4e1)
The Measure of a Man (s2e9)
Chain of Command (s6e10,11)
Inner Light (s5, e25) 
Deja Q (s3e13)
Yesterday's Enterprise (s3e15)

Nerds Book Review: The Silmarillion

Hi there nerds! We’re getting into the high holy of nerd-dom : JRR Tolkien’s fantasy world from the Lord of the Rings. Specifically, we’re looking at the original world building book The Silmarillion. 
To go with it, we’re drinking mulled wine. If you’d rather watch your nerdy goodness, we’re talking about the Amazon original The Rings of Power

Nerds TV Recommendation: Netflix’s The Sandman

Hi there! I know it's been a while, but we're back. Back again. Nerds are back. Tell a friend. Ok, enough of that! We're watching the Netflix TV series of the fabulous Neil Gaiman's The Sandman graphic novel series. How'd they do translating this beautiful, lush work onto the screen? Which one of us will shout the f-bomb?
 
Listen in to find out! If you're enjoying our audio, why not check out our blog, More than Just Books.
Lastly, if you're looking to get ahead of our next read so you can join in with us, check out the OG, the man with the plan, JRR Tolkien and his book, The Silmarillion and Amazon's The Rings of Power TV series after that.
As always, stay nerdy!

Nerds Book Review: Cixin Liu’s Three Body Problem

Hey fellow Nerds! This month we're reading Chinese sensation Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem, the first book in a hard sci-fi trilogy. There are aliens, Chinese Communists and nanomaterials: Oh My! Listen in here before Netflix makes a terrible rendition of it by making this a thriller, somehow.
If you're new to our 'cast, we have a witty conversation about a text while enjoying a beverage or two; but don't worry! If you haven't yet picked up a copy of the book, we don't include too many spoilers. Also, we're big on trying new cocktails or beers. Today's beverage happens to be Buffalo New York's Resurgence Brewing Company and their Peanut Butter Porter. The gents of the cast definitely have some tasting notes for you, and it might not be what you think. 
If you enjoy what you heard here, join us over on GoodPods, a social podcast player with benefits. We'd love to follow you and keep the conversation going over there.
Lastly, we're on a mission, dear Nerds. In an upcoming episode, we will be talking about JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion, and we think friend of the 'cast Stephen Colbert would be a perfect addition to the group. We know he's an immense fan (of Tolkien) and we're immense fans of his, so it seems like a natural fit. So hit him up on the socials, and let's see if we can make that cast a party of four!

Nerds Movie Review: Blade Runner 2049

In a world where androids hunt androids...that's right, we're talking Blade Runner 2049, directed by friend of the cast, Denis Villeneuve and staring none else than Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. Join us -- outside again, sorry about the lawnmower man (*gasp -- future cast, maybe?) as we drink the fantastic...beer as Shaun called it. No, seriously, its Labatt's Max Ice. If you can get it, you should try it at least once. It's a biere forte, which is to say cheap, and 8%. But an experience nonetheless.
If you even remotely laugh at us, please consider leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
And if you can't just get enough nerds, check out our blog where we talk about more than just books!
Lastly, next up for us is Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem and Neil Gaiman's Sandman series on netflix. Check them out, and leave us a message on the socials so we can work your thoughts into the 'cast.

Nerds Book Review: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick

Quick Disclaimer: This episode was recorded outside, at a friend of the cast’s house, so there more background noise than usual.
Is that a real sheep you have there? No? Oh well. This month we're reading Phillip K. Dick's sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? If you haven't gotten a copy and read it yet, go back to some of our other casts while you catch up. And while you're away, go get some Johnny Walker Black, the drink of choice for this episode thanks to Deckard's enjoyment of it. 
If the book isn't quite your thing, listen in to our next cast when we talk about the movie it inspired, Bladerunner. Be sure to find yourself a nice bowl of ramen when you do -- no not that $.25 stuff, but some homemade like we eat. If you don't enjoy it, you're probably an android.
Lastly, if you haven't had enough nerdy goodness yet, head over to our blog, More than Just Books where Mike catches some nerd-adjacent material that may have slipped by you.

Nerds TV Review: Obi-Wan

In true nerds fashion, we're looking at some Star Wars media -- Ewan McGregor's triumphant (?!) return to the old master! Since Obi-Wan is a staid, old man, we're drinking an older beverage. Nothing fancy, but it'll get ya job done: Pabst Blue Ribbon. Better known as PBR in the hipster circles. No recipe needed here.
Didn't finish The Star Wars Saga, Obi-Wan Kenobi? Finish it up and listen in.
Ready for more nerdy goodness? Pick up a copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep and get ready to talk about it's movie spin offs, Bladerunner and Bladerunner 2049. 
And if that's not enough, check out our blog, More Than Just Books  blog where Mike talks about The Mazalan Book of the Fallen and much more.