We're running both silent and deep this week as we play cat-and-mouse with "Balance of Terror"!

New York Times best-selling author and John W. Campbell Award winner Andy Weir joins the show to discuss the best submarine movie in space! The Enterprise is tracking a mysterious foe, but their prey proves far from helpless, leading to a deadly game of chess between two skilled commanders and their brave crews!

Join us as we break down the Original Series episode that gave us the Romulans, cloaking devices, the Neutral Zone, the fabulous Mark Lenard, and more Cold War parallels than you can shake a sickle at! We talk the claustrophobic feel of ship-to-ship combat, the deftness of Trek's many retcons, the byzantine process of the Enterprise's workflow, choosing who you'll save by the act's thematic resonance, the makings of a good "villain", and the dogged persistence of the "we have met the enemy and he is us" trope!

Plus, we discuss the Pentateuch Cinematic Universe, the Wrath of Wah Chang, Farmer Hoggett's invention of warp drive, sexist Tellarites, lunching with Joss Whedon, slow talkin' Klingons, and why Starfleet self-destructs should make you use a special character.

All that and a space wedding, too! Dive in today!

Follow Andy on Facebook and Twitter and check out his webpage!
https://www.facebook.com/AndyWeirAuthor/?ref=br_rs
https://twitter.com/andyweirauthor
http://www.andyweirauthor.com

Pick up Andy's new novel, Artemis!
https://amzn.to/2tTAEd4

Read Andy's article on Moon city economics!
http://www.businessinsider.com/andy-weir-artemis-moon-city-economics-the-martian-2017-11

Enterprising Individuals will be LIVE at CONvergence 2018! Here's more info!
http://schedule.convergence-con.org/event/F0w3/enterprising-individuals-live-the-measure-of-a-man
http://www.convergence-con.org

There's still time to share your Harlan Ellison stories for our upcoming tribute episode; call 612-234-5232 or email the show at eistpod@gmail.com and share your recollections of Harlan!

Escape the Neutral Zone with us on Facebook and Twitter!
http://www.facebook.com/eistpod
http://www.twitter.com/eistpod

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http://www.patreon.com/eistpod

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/enterprising-individuals/id1113165661?mt=2