In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the novel Project Hail Mary (2021) by Andy Weir.

Premise:

Set in the near future, it centers on school-teacher-turned-astronaut Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma afflicted with amnesia. He gradually remembers that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to find a means of reversing a solar dimming event that could cause the extinction of humanity. The story follows two storylines, each told chronologically, starting with the story on board the spacecraft Hail Mary where Ryland Grace regains his memory in bursts. This story is frequently intercut with flashbacks revealing earlier events leading up to the launch of the Hail Mary

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Project Hail Mary Ratings:

• Relevance to Commission Recs: 4.5/5
• Scientific Accuracy: 4.5/5
• Scenario Development: 5/5
• Entertainment Value: 4.5/5
• Success of the Imagination or Creativity: 5/5
• Shock/Surprise Value: 4/5
• Government Policy: 3.5/5
• Portrayal by Actors: 4.5/5
• Direction: 4.5/5
• Production: 4/5
• Overall Average Score: 4.4/5

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss The West Wing S05E20: No Exit (2004).

Premise: After a black-tie dinner, the President and his staff are locked down inside the White House when a foreign substance is detected inside.

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The West Wing S05E20: No Exit Ratings:

• Relevance to Commission Recs: 4/5
• Scientific Accuracy: 3/5
• Scenario Development: 4.5/5
• Entertainment Value: 5/5
• Success of the Imagination or Creativity: 3.5/5
• Shock/Surprise Value: 2/5
• Government Policy: 4/5
• Portrayal by Actors: 5/5
• Direction: 5/5
• Production: 3.5/5
• Overall Average Score: 4.05/5

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss Alien: Romulus (2024).

Premise: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. Romulus takes place after the events of Alien (1979) and before the events of Aliens (1986). The film was written and directed by Fede Alvarez and produced by Ridley Scott.

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Alien: Romulus Ratings:

• Relevance to Commission Recs: 4/5
• Scientific Accuracy: 4/5
• Scenario Development: 5/5
• Entertainment Value: 5/5
• Success of the Imagination or Creativity: 4/5
• Shock/Surprise Value: 4/5
• Government Policy: 1/5
• Portrayal by Actors: 4/5
• Direction: 5/5
• Production: 5/5
• Overall Average Score: 4.1/5

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the Alien film franchise.

The Alien franchise depicts a series of deadly encounters, predominantly spanning the 21st and 24th centuries, between humanity and the Aliens. Humanity is depicted as a space-faring species with an interstellar dominion; space journeys typically last months, even years, and require the use of cryosleep. Throughout the series, characters are repeatedly manipulated and endangered by the unscrupulous megacorporation Weyland-Yutani Corp, which seeks to profit from the Aliens.

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Alien Franchise Ratings:

• Relevance to Commission Recs: 3/5
• Scientific Accuracy: 4/5
• Scenario Development: 5/5
• Entertainment Value: 4/5
• Success of the Imagination or Creativity: 5/5
• Shock/Surprise Value: 3/5
• Government Policy: 1/5
• Portrayal by Actors: 5/5
• Direction: 4/5
• Production: 4/5
• Overall Average Score: 3.8/5

In this inaugural episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the film Hidden (2015).

Hidden is a 2015 American psychological thriller film written and directed by the Duffer Brothers in their feature film debut. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, and Emily Alyn Lind. In this film, an unknown strange outbreak has devastated the United States. A family of three, Ray, Claire, and their daughter Zoe, have taken refuge in an abandoned fallout shelter shortly after the catastrophe to hide from the monsters outside.

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Hidden (2015) Ratings:

• Relevance to Commission Recs: 3/5
• Scientific Accuracy: 3/5
• Scenario Development: 5/5
• Entertainment Value: 5/5
• Success of the Imagination or Creativity: 5/5
• Shock/Surprise Value: 5/5
• Government Policy: 2/5
• Portrayal by Actors: 4/5
• Direction: 4/5
• Production: 4/5
• Overall Average Score: 3.8/5