Sci-fi Talk

The Make-Up Designer for Tron Ares teased me about the movie during a break from filming last year.  Start Your Free One Year Trial On Sci-Fi Talk Plus Today.

Episode 413 brings together creators and performers who challenge what it means to be human, to belong, and to imagine beyond the stars.

This week on Explore Weekly, we dive deep into the genre multiverse with the biggest headlines from sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and comics. From Middle-earth to the Mojave Wasteland, Emmy buzz to alien invasions—here’s what’s lighting up the internet:

In this episode, we dive into the layered performances behind Murderbot, the sci-fi adaptation that’s redefining what it means to be human, augmented, and emotionally resilient. Joining us are Noma Dumezweni, who brings a quiet ferocity to Dr. Mensah, and David Dastmalchian, whose portrayal of Gurathin pulses with tension between cybernetic precision and raw humanity. We explore how Noma crafts Mensah’s leadership—equal parts empathy and steel—and how David finds the soul within Gurathin’s augmented shell. The conversation also touches on the almost utopian, hippie-like existence of the colonists. Plus, David reflects on his chilling role in Late Night With The Devil, and how playing Gurathin offered a very different kind of psychological terrain. Mensah’s Moral Compass: Noma shares how she approached the character’s deep compassion without compromising her authority, revealing the emotional intelligence behind Mensah’s decisions. Gurathin’s Duality: David discusses the tension between Gurathin’s cybernet

This week on Trek Tuesday, we’re joined by one of the most intellectually and artistically gifted directors in the Star Trek universe—Valerie Weiss. With a PhD from Harvard Medical School in biological chemistry and a passion for cinematic storytelling, Valerie brings a rare fusion of scientific insight and emotional depth to her work behind the camera.  

In this episode, I chat with writer and director Peter Cilella to explore his haunting and intimate debut feature, Descendent—a fresh and emotionally charged take on the UFO abduction narrative. The film follows Sean Bruner (played by Ross Marquand) and his wife Andrea (Sarah Bulger) as they prepare for the arrival of their first child. But when Sean blacks out after witnessing a mysterious light during a late-night security shift, he awakens aboard an alien craft—and reality begins to fracture. Peter shares how Descendent uses science fiction not just to thrill, but to probe the psychological toll of trauma and the resilience of love. We discuss:

Writer of the Steampunk themed, Odd Man Out talks about his love of the genre. Start Your Free One Year Trial On Sci-Fi Talk Plus Today  

Dr. Val Baker is a Scientific Research Associate at the Resonance Science Foundation. She earned an MSci in Astrophysics from University College London and a PhD in Astrophysics from Open University under Dr. Andrew Norton. Her research spans binaries, neutron stars, black holes, gamma-ray bursts, AGN and exoplanets. Forward Time Travel via Relativity Einstein’s special theory of relativity tells us that the faster you move, the more slowly you experience time relative to someone at rest. Precision experiments—like synchronizing atomic clocks on jets versus on the ground—confirm that high-speed travel causes measurable time dilation. Did The Avengers Get Time Travel Right in Endgame? The MCU’s Quantum Approach In Endgame, the Avengers use Pym Particles to shrink into the Quantum Realm and slip through time. This nods to real ideas about spacetime shortcuts—akin to wormholes—but the film glosses over the astronomical energy and stability challenges such a method would entail in actual physics.   Start Your

Welcome back to Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi, where we dive into the stories, creators, and cultural tremors shaping speculative fiction. This week’s Sci-Fi Talk Weekly is packed with genre-defining headlines, character-driven profiles, and a fresh ranking that might just spark a rewatch.

Step into the TARDIS and journey back to the summer of 2013, when the energy at San Diego Comic-Con was electric with anticipation for Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary. In this special episode of Rewind, we revisit rountable that brought actors and showrunners to celebrate half a century of time-traveling adventures.

In this episode of Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi, we dive into the eerie brilliance of two modern horror auteurs: Robert Eggers and Zach Cregger. Though their paths to filmmaking couldn’t be more different—Eggers from the brooding world of theater, Cregger from the irreverent heights of sketch comedy—they’ve each carved out unforgettable spaces in the genre. We trace Eggers’ evolution from designing stage productions to crafting atmospheric nightmares like The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman, culminating in his upcoming reimagining of Nosferatu. Meanwhile, Cregger’s pivot from Whitest Kids U Know to the twisted psychological terrain of Barbarian reveals a filmmaker unafraid to weaponize the familiar—turning domestic rituals into sites of dread.

In this episode of Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi, we dive into the haunting and intimate journey of Sean Bruner, played by Ross Marquand — a security guard grappling with buried trauma as he and his wife Andrea prepare for their first child. After a mysterious encounter with a beam of light, Sean awakens in a hospital with an uncanny ability to draw vivid extraterrestrial landscapes and beings. But this isn’t your typical alien abduction story — it’s a psychological descent into memory, identity, and the thin veil between reality and the unknown. We explore how the film uses Sean’s anxiety as a compass, mapping his emotional unraveling alongside the emergence of cryptic clues. Therapist Sara Bulger enters the story as both skeptic and seeker, helping Sean unlock suppressed memories that point to a desert site with ties to his past — and possibly to something far larger. Start Your Free One Year Trial For Sci-Fi Talk Plus

The two actors talk playing superhero father and son in the adaptation of the Robert Kirkman comic. Start Your Free One Year Trial On Sci-Fi Talk Plus

In this special press conference edition, we dive into the heart of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, the highly anticipated prequel to the beloved Outlander series. Recorded live with the cast, this episode captures the energy, camaraderie, and creative vision behind the show’s exploration of ancestry, identity, and the enduring pull of legacy. Actors Tony Curran, Rory Alexander, Sam Retford, Conor MacNeill, and Seamus McLean Ross share candid reflections on stepping into historical roles that echo through time. From the emotional weight of portraying real lineage to the thrill of expanding the Outlander universe, this conversation reveals how sci-fi and historical drama intersect to illuminate the human experience. What You Will Hear  Is the leadership vacuum a positive or negative A candid discussion on whether the series further complicates the MacKenzie family dynamics—and how those tensions ripple across generations Speculation on Rory Alexander’s portrayal of Murtagh: do his feelings for Ellen MacKenzi

This week’s roundup is a pulse-check on genre storytelling, has Tony dives into this week's headlines. Including:  

In this episode of Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi, I sat down with the magnetic Kat Cunning—actor, musician, and boundary-breaking performer—whose journey from Broadway to Hollywood has been anything but ordinary. Kat first caught the spotlight in HBO’s The Deuce, a breakout role that opened doors to collaborations with icons like Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. On Broadway she was in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, alongside Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber. Now, Kat takes on one of their most layered roles yet in Adam Finberg’s Star People, portraying Claire—a character haunted by a childhood vision of a UFO during the infamous Phoenix Lights Incident. As Claire searches for answers across time and memory, Kat brings a raw vulnerability and cosmic curiosity to the screen, challenging the boundaries of identity, belief, and connection.

I beam aboard Mike McMahan—creator and showrunner of Star Trek: Lower Decks. From his early days writing for South Park to co-creating Rick and Morty, McMahan has carved out a unique space in genre storytelling, blending irreverent humor with deep reverence for sci-fi lore.

On this week’s edition of Explore Weekly, I  venture into the multiverse of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and comics with some fresh headlines.

On this Trek Tuesday episode, Alan Ruck to explores his return to the Star Trek universe in Star Trek: Of Gods and Men. We talked about how the 2008 fan film allowed him to revisit and expand the character of Captain John Harriman, originally introduced in Star Trek: Generations. Alan shared his excitement about giving Harriman more depth and agency, noting how fans and professionals came together to create a meaningful tribute to the franchise. ✨ Highlights from our conversation: Ruck reflected on Harriman's early depiction as inexperienced and unsure in Generations, and how Of Gods and Men offered a chance to redeem that image. The unique atmosphere on set: a true labor of love fueled by fan dedication and professional passion. Start A Free One Year Trial With Sci-Fi Talk Plus, Today Take A Test Drive With Free Episodes And Videos

Star People, a hauntingly powerful sci-fi film that blurs the line between survival and obsession. Director Adam Finberg walks us through the mysterious allure of extraterrestrial discovery, while actors Eddie Martinez and Adriana Aluna Martinez bring raw insight into portraying immigrants chasing hope across the blistering Arizona desert. Together, we unpack themes of addiction recovery, isolation, and the desperate human drive toward meaning—whether through chasing distant stars or simply seeking shelter. The conversation dives deep into the metaphors layered within the film, and how sci-fi serves as a mirror for our most visceral human experiences. Start Your Free One Year Trial With Sci-Fi Talk Plus Take A Free Test Drive With Sample Episodes And Videos