Episode 5 | 9/12 | Full Episode

Post-9/11, the U.S. government secretly recruited Hollywood screenwriters and directors to brainstorm potential terrorist scenarios, effectively treating national security as a speculative fiction project. Driven by the 9/11 Commission’s identified "failure of imagination," this brain trust used creative expertise to anticipate threats and bypass security protocols. Participants like screenwriter Jerome Gary recount applying narrative structures and personality systems to analyze Osama bin Laden’s motives, challenging the official "monster" narrative by examining his psychology and status as a "legend." This investigation highlights the tension between the "condemnation imperative"—the urge to view terrorists solely as evil—and the strategic necessity of understanding their humanity. By comparing bin Laden’s role as an "idea" to fictional archetypes like Batman, the discussion questions whether the U.S. response was fundamentally hindered by an inability to view the enemy through a nuanced, human lens.