86: The Best Is Yet to Come

Primitive Culture: A Star Trek History and Culture Podcast

Ocean’s 11 (1960) and “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang.”

Long before George Clooney assembled his star-studded gang of high-rolling thieves, the original Danny Ocean—Frank Sinatra—successfully knocked off five casinos in a single night in the original 1960 Ocean’s 11. With help from Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and the rest of the Rat Pack, Sinatra brought his own brand of cool to the caper genre in a film that, arguably, proved more iconic than creatively successful. Three decades later, when the producers of Deep Space Nine began plotting their own casino heist in “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang,” it was to Sinatra’s job that they turned for inspiration, even renting particular period-specific costumes because they matched those featured in the movie.

In this episode of Primitive Culture, host Duncan Barrett is joined by Justin Oser to look at the links between Ocean’s 11 and “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang,” two stories in which a crack team of decorated war veterans must pull off the most audacious mission of their careers. We consider what the DS9 writers added to the mix (not least a bit of nifty shapeshifting), as well as ponder how high the stakes can be in a film about rich people getting richer—not to mention a robbery committed by those who barely understand the concept of money.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Hanging with the Rat Pack (00:03:55) The Lie (00:15:25) The Eyes Have It (00:40:35) Monopoly Money (00:54:25)

Host Duncan Barrett Guest Justin Oser

Production Tony Black (Editor) Duncan Barrett (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Tony Black (Associate Producer) Clara Cook (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Amy Nelson (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)