¶ Intro
>> Jordan: Hi, I'm Jordan. >> Kit: And I'm Kit. >> Jordan: Welcome to Starry Time, where stars plus lines >> Kit: equal stories. >> Jordan: This is episode three on our monthly constellation, Andromeda the Chained Lady. Last week we reviewed and ret constellationed the myths of this constellation. >> Kit: In this episode we share our favorite and least favorite occurrences of this month's constellation in pop culture, broadly defined.
¶ Favorites
>> Jordan: I'm happy to start out with my favorite is a British television science fiction drama from 1961, which is titled A for for Andromeda. So in A for Andromeda, it's written by a cosmologist whose name is Fred Hoyle, who is actually the first astronomer scientist who came up with the term the Big Bang.
Anyway, so this movie or this miniseries, A for Andromeda involves, first scientists receive an unknown code that they have to figure out, and then they eventually realize that the signal is, of course, coming from the Andromeda Nebula and it's some sort of computer program They eventually build the computer program, AKA the machine, and it produces a cyborg clone of one of the astronomers named Christine.
And yeah, uh, and this creature gets loose and they have to decide whether or not they should be killing this alien/AI entity or whether or not, you know, this is something that they should, uh, just, you know, live and let live. Long story short, um, a lot of them die. And >> Kit: So, this is not a, this is not a, you know, peaceful, sentient, ah, cyborg robot, AI. >> Jordan: But yeah. No, mostly it reminded me just of the very Doctor Who, early 60s BBC
aesthetic. So that was my favorite. How about you? What was your favorite pop culture appearance of Andromeda? >> Kit: I want to, right off the gate, just say that I think we already talked about this, but for some reason you didn't listen to the myths and ret- constellations episode. There is a book called Andromeda's Chains: Gender and Interpretation in Victorian Literature and Art by Adrianne Munich. I'm
like, does this count as pop culture? It's clearly a academic book applying feminist theory to the depictions of Andromeda, but that I just sort of had to like, get out there as a reference in pop culture that was very influential in terms of our learning about this. But also, um, you know, in case you for some reason inexplicably skipped that episode, uh, and I wanted to mention
it before I got started. You know, like I said, I had a lot of choices for favorites, but I think where I ended up deciding to come down on was a book called the Shadow of Peresus by Claire Heywood. And I just want to. It's basically like a reimagining of the Peresus mythology. And it's told through the women in his story. So his Mother, Medusa, and Andromeda. And so this is from the book publisher, and this is just a small segment about what they mentioned about Andromeda. So
it reads "Andromeda. When a harsh sandstorm threatens to destroy her nomadic desert tribe's way of life, Andromeda knows that a sacrifice will be required to appease the gods and end the storm. But when a forceful young Peresus interferes, Andromeda's life is set on an entirely new path." I mean, uh, release date February 21, 2023 so, yeah, so I think that's going to be my favorite. So one of
my backups favorites. And this kind of intersects, uh, with our interest in theme parks, but only indirectly because there's an intersection we've learned through, you know, some of our other interests, between theme parks and professional wrestling, WWE. There's an overlap there. I'm not sure that I sit in that intersection, but I know it exists. And I found while I was looking that there is a A, professional wrestler and also Lucha Libre wrestler called
Cassandro. And Cassandro also used to go by the stage name Andromeda. And I thought that was cool. Cassandro is also an out gay, uh, person. And so, yeah, a gay wrestler who went by Andromeda. I thought that was kind of cool. >> Jordan: It's amazing. Yeah, I actually saw that they're making a biopic about this wrestler. This is in the 80s too, right, so being out as a gay man at that point in time is, yeah, incredible.
Cheers to you for being groundbreaking and choosing a pretty awesome, uh, stage name as far as wrestlers go. All right, Kit, so we've gone over our favorites and some of our second favorites.
¶ Least Favorites
Now let's discuss who our least favorite appearances of pop culture Andromeda may be. And I'm happy to start. >> Kit: Yeah, get us going. >> Jordan: So my least favorite appearance of Andromeda in pop culture is nothing else but the 1969 book The Andromeda Strain by Jurassic Park's own author, Michael Crichton. So this is a
novel. I don't know if you're familiar with it or the movie, um, about an extraterrestrial disease virus, bacteria that gets found, uh, on Earth, and they have to stop its spread before it, uh, uh, you know, infects and kills everybody. This book, what really I didn't like about it was, uh, it's a little bit too real. A little bit too really, really real, uh, extraterrestrial disease, uh, contagion that gets loose and kills everybody. Um, that seems highly plausible. Um, how about you?
What was your least favorite appearance of Andromeda? >> Kit: Well, I also. Andromeda Strain was on my list. I hadn't read it, but Michael Crichton, a person that, as they got older, just, ooh, yikesies, could have done without some of that commentary. >> Jordan: He doesn't believe in climate change, and he doesn't believe in global warming. >> Kit: So that was sort of on my list for that reason.
Um, what I ended up going with, I have, like, a secondary least favorite that, you know, I don't actually know if it's my least favorite, but my true least favorite is the Andromeda class attack cargo ships. >> Jordan: Yes, I was just reading about those. >> Kit: I mean, yeah, it's, um, it's designed to be in war. I don't like their use of Andromeda here. They've sullied the Andromeda name as far as I'm concerned.
>> Jordan: I mean, to be fair, it did introduce us to the phrase attack cargo ship, which will probably haunt us for. For a while now, but. Yeah, besides that, I can see why that one struck, uh, a chord with you as a least favorite. Do you have. >> Kit: Listen, if they call this the Ares class attack cargo ship, I'd be like, >> Jordan: makes sense. >> Kit: Okay. Okay. >> Jordan: Well, I did see they have an Artemis class attack
cargo ship. How did that make you feel? Better than Andromeda. >> Kit: I would prefer Athena, but I'd prefer Athena. >> Jordan: That's why we do the pod. >> Kit: I have notes. >> Jordan: Yeah, you have a lot of notes. I think that's a great one. I mean, do you have any other Andromeda things that you found hit the least favorite nerve? >> Kit: We did actually talk about this one already. We couldn't
contain ourselves when we discovered this. So it is the Andromeda TV series based on material written by Gene Roddenberry. It aired from 2000 to 2005. It started stars Kevin Sorbo, another person who, as they've aged, hmmm, and... >> Jordan: Yeah, well, he. He certainly thinks he's smarter than everyone else, so I gotta give him credit for that level of confidence. >> Kit: So it's a space opera, so I'm, like, kind of interested. And we're gonna watch it and do, uh, a report back.
>> Jordan: I think we'll be able to offer some critical feedback. We'll see how it has aged. Will it be, uh, lauding praise? Will it be shaking head disappointment? We don't know yet. >> Kit: So that one's on my like eh? But did you have any other least favorites before we, uh, take over this brand? >> Jordan: I did one was a, uh, painting, actually. Again, uh, broad pop culture. I sent it to you. It's, uh, Andromeda Chained to the Rocks by Rembrandt. >> Kit: Oh, yeah.
Wow. Rembrandt really... Oh, uh. >> Jordan: I'm glad you didn't forget. Yeah, uh, >> Kit: How could-- I don't anyone could forget that. >> Jordan: I sent it about a month ago. Uh, >> Kit: It haunts my dreams >> Jordan: I've been saving it ever since then. For this segment. Yes. You know, this picture alone required me to, like, reinvestigate his entire catalog because >> Kit: It's a lot >> Jordan: this picture. This picture is.
>> Kit: I'm opening it again so I can look at it. >> Jordan: To me, it's like some 17th century like. Like horror film. His depiction of Andromeda, her face, it looks like she's been transformed into a potato and then, like, just subjected to decades of torture. But this is one of the works of fine art that involve Andromeda. Seek out yourself, if that description seemed like something that you're excited
about. If you have, uh, any other descriptions of, uh, this work, I'd love to hear them, Kit. >> Kit: Most of the painting is fine. And then once you look at the face and then you zoom in on the face, you're like >> Jordan: Agony. >> Kit: What? Yeah. Like, what happened here? >> Jordan: Like, for some reason, she looks a million years. >> Kit: She looks. She has the body of, like, a, uh, 25 year old and a face of,
like, a 95 year old. It's. And then I can't tell what's happening with her hair. Like, I'm like, what is the hair behind you? I'm not sure. I think it is supposed to be behind her, but the way that it's painted is just a little bit weird. There's something weird going on around her shoulders because, like, her arms are above her head. She's chained, obviously, to the rock. And there's something that just does not. It's. Maybe this is just not his best work.
¶ Wish Upon a Star
>> Jordan: All right, Kit. We've traveled 500 years and back of Andromeda references. Now let's talk about what we wish we could add to the Andromeda canon. I think it's time for you to start. Would you like to tell me what you wish existed with the Andromeda brand? >> Kit: Yeah. So I tried this one out with BoP, and he did not instantly get it, but I still think it's really good. So I'm going to, uh, try again. I'm going to stick with it and propose, um, it
here. I'd like to propose Andromeda in Chains, >> Jordan: Okay. >> Kit: Which is a Alice in Chains cover band. >> Jordan: Wow. I love it so far. This is really, really good. >> Kit: And, um, you know, uh, some popular songs. Instead of, um, Man in a Box, it's now going to be about Zeus in a Box. Instead of Down in a Hole, it's Hera in a Hole. >> Jordan: Mhm. >> Kit: And Rotten Apple is. It can stay Rotten Apple. But now it's about the golden apple.
>> Jordan: Perfect. >> Kit: And I want to caveat this by saying I I don't know anything really about Alice in Chains, so. >> Jordan: Well, I mean, they're a grunge band from the 90s. Um, in your re envisioning of, uh, Andromeda in Chains is there, uh, is it all female, >> Kit: Yeah. >> Jordan: band members? Okay great. >> Kit: Totally.
>> Jordan: Because I have seen, like, Femme Zeppelin where they do things like that, and, uh, always a nice way to sort of reappropriate this, like, hyper masculine rrrrr genre. >> Kit: So what did you come up with for your wish for Jordan? >> Jordan: It's called Andromeda on the Rock. Oh, it is a mixed drink. Yeah. >> Kit: Yes. >> Jordan: Andromeda on the Rocks. Of course, you got the rocks. And then you have gin, ginger ale, and that's it.
>> Kit: I believe that's actually called a gin gin. >> Jordan: Oh, well, for now it's called Andromeda on the rocks. >> Kit: Andromeda on the rocks seems like something that should be served at Mythos, the restaurant in Islands of Adventure. It sounds delicious. Except if it's gin, I probably won't like it, but it's a perfect name. >> Jordan: Well, Kit, it's only a matter of time before one of our wishes comes true.
¶ Outro
>> Kit: This has been Kit >> Jordan: And Jordan. >> Kit: Sisters. Lovers of stars and stories. >> Jordan: And we'll see you next week >> Kit: on Starry Time.