Women. They can be kind, caring, beautiful, sexy. They can be damaged, ruined, dirty, tragic. But which is the hero?Director James Cameron claims that Wonder Woman is a step back in comparison to Sarah Conner, that a woman needs to be damaged to be strong. Is he right?How about William Golding's classic novel, Lord of the Flies which is going to have its third film adaptation....with girls.Yup, girls.Has Hollywood become so desperate for projects that they feel they need to take a book about male aggression and attempt to say girls are the same? Why did Golding write about boys and not girls? Can strong women be equal to strong men? And are girls equally savage as boys?What do the Chicks think? Well, you'll have to listen to find out.

Will the eclipse ruin your food? Does it make animals act weird? Can you see eclipses at the North and South poles?

Jackie Beucher of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City joins us for a chat about the upcoming solar eclipse on August 21. This will be her 12th eclipse. She answers these questions plus many others while teaching us about how to safely enjoy the show being called the Great American Eclipse, the first contiguous eclipse the U.S. has seen since 1979.

Plus, for our listeners in the Kansas City region under the center line, Jackie has information for the local shin-dig being held north of us and what we can expect.

So sit back and enjoy her stories and passion as we countdown to our two minutes and some seconds of total daytime darkness.

Find out more at GreatAmericanEclipse.com and askc.org.

They're called "gateway drugs" â€” those first little things that get us thinking, "It's not so bad..." which lead to bigger things. And before we know it, we're hooked. Can't get enough. And we want to share it with our kids.

No, not the special brownies... we're talking about science fiction, fantasy â€” and yes, even horror â€” and how in our enthusiasm, we go about sharing our madness for Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Firefly, Superman, Wolverine, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Space: 1999, comic books, video games, and Ray Harryhausen.

Do you have a favorite way of introducing the next generation to The Next Generation? Share it with us in an e-mail. [email protected]

The panel: Mindy Inlow, Jennifer Wise, Sonya Rodriguez, Ann Laabs, James Hunt

The Walt Disney Company is known for their ground-breaking classic animated films: SNOW WHITE, CINDERELLA, SLEEPING BEAUTY, plus more recent classics like THE LION KING, THE LITTLE MERMAID, MULAN, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. In recent years, though, they've been dipping back into that same well to take those classic animated stories and rework them into live-action pieces such as MALEFICENT, 101 DALMATIANS, and CINDERELLA. The latest release, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, gives us a chance to compare and contrast this version and the classic animated feature.

Along the way, we discuss the other projects in the pipeline: MULAN, a sequel to THE JUNGLE BOOK, THE LION KING, DUMBO, and more. Should Disney be re-making all of these classic films? Or should they work to deliver new classics?

The panel: Mindy Inlow, Jennifer Wise, Teresa Wickersham, Sonya Rodriguez, Ann Laabs, Lauren Garrison

The Oscar-nominated movie HIDDEN FIGURES highlighted previously unknown contributions of African-American women to America's space program and spurred discussion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers for women today. SciFi4Chicks digs into both on our March podcast.

Our discussion ranges from the multiple challenges faced and overcome by the pioneering African-American women of NASA to the work done today to inspire young women to pursue STEM careers. Mindy and Ann also reflect on their own histories with STEM subjects.

Listen in and tell us your stories and experiences in the worlds of STEM!

Fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Which of these three has more appeal for you? How are these different from each other and why do we like them (or not like them)?

Even though you may have a preference, our discussion finds that the crossover elements can enhance the experience with favorite pieces of work. However, why do people tend to steer away from one particular category? Is it too broad or too technical and realistic? Listen and find out if you agree!

The panel: Jen Wise, Mindy Inlow, Ann Laabs, and Kayce Taylor

This month, the ladies of SciFi4Chicks discuss the recent fates of two iconic women: Wonder Woman and Carrie Fisher.

Nearly two months after being "hired" by the United Nations to help raise awareness of Goal 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, she is fired for "objectifying women" in her scantily clothing, basically being a pin-up girl. But let's ignore why she is a good role model for women.

And speaking of role models for women, as the world mourns the loss of Carrie Fisher, what is the fate of the Star Wars films? Lucasfilms has made an official statement on the use of CGI, so how will they handle her death? We have theories and of course, many opinions.

The panel: Jen Wise, Mindy Inlow, Sonya Rodriguez, Ann Laabs

In this episode, the Chicks -- and Jeff! -- turn their attention to that most confusingly reviled summer remake, Ghostbusters. Spanning from analysis of how "cosplay-ish" the trailer felt to what downright just worked in this film, every angle is dissected. Did it live up to our fond memories of the original 80's classic? Or are our childhoods legitimately ruined and our psyches irrevocably damaged? How did the media's treatment of every tiny reveal, from the original announcement to the opening weekend, help or hinder? Everything is on the table and nothing is safe -- except Mike Hat, the anxiety dog.

Listen in on our round-table ramblings, and comment to let us know your thoughts!

The panel: Jen Wise, Carolyn Wise, Mindy Inlow, Angie Fiedler Sutton, Heather French, Sonya Rodriguez, Kathryn Sanders, Jeff Hackworth

Forget Game of Thrones, this year it was more like Game of Queens. The sixth season not only brought back recurring characters, but it brought out the strongest female characters we have seen yet, and what better way to celebrate the women of Game of Thrones, than to have the Chicks dish out on their favorite females?

This episode, we delve into the world created by George R. R. Martin and relive our favorite moments, as well as the more unsavory ones. The Chicks talk about what gives a strong character her strength, what depths she’ll have to go, some fan theories, and much much more. So pour yourself a glass of wine, breath in the last of the Summer air, for Winter has arrived.

The panel: Allison Isberg, Jen Wise, Kiri Evins

In this episode, the Chicks discuss Black Widow and the possibility that she might finally get her own solo movie from Marvel. What would that mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? But more importantly, what would it mean for fans? Especially women and girls who would like to have some role models of their own? What would it mean to have a female lead character who's not defined by her relationships to the men in the group? And what went wrong with Black Widow's presentation in Avengers: Age of Ultron that might have set her back a bit?

The discussion ranges from when (or if?) the solo movie would happen, and whether it might or might not be a better fit for Netflix. What about recasting younger for a prequel series? We also discuss the action figures, the toys — or lack thereof — and if the industry is ever going to really understand that the audience is 51% female...

The panel: Allison Isberg, Ann Laabs, Sonya Rodriguez, Jennifer Wise, Lauren Garrison, Kiri Evins