Science Fiction University returns at long last, with an extended deep dive into one of the oldest and most unsettling questions in the genre — who can you trust when the threat is wearing a human face? The episode traces the theme of trust through three very different versions of the same story: John W. Campbell's 1938 novella "Who Goes There?", Howard Hawks' 1951 Cold War-era adaptation "The Thing from Another World", and John Carpenter's 1982 masterpiece "The Thing" — showing how the same basic plot was transformed by the very different Americas that produced each version. Along the way there are detours through the nature of storytelling itself, the difference between trust and faith, the rise of the "mad scientist" trope, and why Carpenter's bleak, exhausted ending hits so differently than Campbell's optimistic one. If you've ever wondered why the 1982 version of The Thing feels so much more modern and unsettling than its predecessors, this episode will explain exactly why — and the answer has everything to do with Vietnam, Watergate, and the slow collapse of American institutional trust.

Links for this episode:

John W. Campbell’s book/novella "Who Goes There?" (1938) is available from major ebook retailers. Also, many libraries offer a physical or digital borrowing option.

"The Thing from Another World" (1951) is currently streaming on Criterion Channel, Tubi, The Roku Channel, YouTube, Amazon, and Apple TV.

"The Thing" (1982) is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.

Answers to our QUIZ!

Terminator 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ8nofcN1gI

Dr. Who: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQvn5sWNVtk

Star Trek – Picard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsDg01EuniQ

Batman Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a71VqHpza58

The Thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmqVrB1TTGo

Stay in Touch!

Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com

Website: proleftpod.com

Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod

or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpod

Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Support the show