This Planet Needs a Name – Details, episodes & analysis

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This Planet Needs a Name

Evan Tess Murray & Trace Callahan

Fiction

Frequency: 1 episode/33d. Total Eps: 23

Imagine a handful of scientists and engineers setting out to terraform a planet - a world - for the frozen people they've got in tow. Just a few people, carefully chosen, who will live out their lives building something they'll never see.

That's us. We're building a future.

A science fiction audio drama suitable for our times.

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1.06: Until We've Discovered Joy

Season 1 · Episode 6

Sunday, November 28, 2021 • Duration 01:00:18

In Episode Six, “Until We’ve Discovered Joy,” we look in on each of the Nameless Crew now that they’ve settled into their lives planetside. Zei deals with the aftermath of her frightening encounter with the native lifeforms and James has a small personal revelation. Lunch is eaten. Some questions are finally answered.

Content Notes: As always, a few people swear. There are kissing sounds briefly (see the transcript for details).

The transcript is available at https://tinyurl.com/tpnan106. We’re using google docs for transcripts; if you run into any accessibility issues please let us know! You can always contact us at needsanamepod@gmail.com.

This is a collaborative, ensemble project. Many of the character decisions are made by the actors as part of the story and script development process. Please check out their work:

Caroline Mincks creates and voices Zahava
Evan Tess Murray creates all of them and voices Zei
Alexander Doddy creates and voices James
Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz creates and voices Cyrus
Anjali Kunapaneni creates and voices Devi
Dominic Mendez creates and voices Ángel
Robin Howell creates and voices Nessa
Sawyer Greene creates and voices Quill
Trace Callahan creates and voices Kolian
Trevor Bean creates and voices Mandry

This episode also introduced Brigitte Paulus, the final member of the Nameless Cast, who has been waiting in the wings until now. Brigitte is a dancer, choreographer, and all-around delightful person who has been stepping into voice acting. She's also a founding member of Vivid Motion, a dance company in Portland, Maine that opens dance performance to anyone. Check them out at vividmotion.org.

Our podcast art was created by Katy Schifferer. Check out her work!

You can learn more about Wabanaki sovereignty at https://www.lwvme.org/Wabanaki.

We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one.

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On Earth: Zahava

Season 1

Sunday, September 26, 2021 • Duration 22:45

In this prequel episode, “On Earth: Zahava,” we get a glimpse of Zahava's life long before she assembled the Nameless Crew.

Content Notes: none.

The transcript is available. If the transcript link is broken please email needsanamepod@gmail.com and we’ll get it to you as soon as we can. We’ve changed to google docs for our transcripts for accessibility - please let us know if anything isn’t working!

This episode, the first in its series, was written and directed by Evan Tess Murray. Original composition, sound design, and audio engineering were by Trace Callahan. We're also excited to welcome two guest voices into the crew for this episode! Check out the links for more of their work:

Caroline Mincks as Zahava
Khalila Roney as Akila
Darin Earl as Terence

Our podcast art was created by Katy Schifferer. Check out her work!

Please, if you can, donate to Wabanaki Reach at mainewabanakireach.org.

We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one.

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1.05 Recklessly and Perfectly Alive

Season 1 · Episode 5

Sunday, January 3, 2021 • Duration 01:00:22

In Episode Five, “Recklessly and Perfectly Alive,” we get to explore a forest at long, long last. The crew attempt to learn James’s favorite sport, with minimal success. Conflicts are resolved, new surprises are encountered, and quite a lot of hairs are cut. This one’s sweet!

Content Notes: very few this time! As usual a few people swear.
Alcohol consumption: [40:19 - 41:10] pours, takes a sip, sings about whiskey

The transcript is available. If the transcript link is broken please email needsanamepod@gmail.com and we’ll get it to you as soon as we can. We’ve changed to google docs for our transcripts for accessibility - please let us know if anything isn’t working!

This is a collaborative, ensemble project. Many of the character decisions are made by the actors as part of the story and script development process. Please check out the links below for more of their work:

Trevor Bean creates and voices Mandry
Evan Tess Murray creates all of them and voices Zei
Caroline Mincks creates and voices Zahava
Anjali Kunapaneni creates and voices Devi
Dominic Mendez creates and voices Ángel
Alexander Doddy creates and voices James
Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz creates and voices Cyrus
Trace Callahan creates and voices Kolian
Sawyer Greene creates and voices Quill

Bonus: James Explains Brewing

Season 1

Sunday, November 8, 2020 • Duration 01:16

We're deep in production of our next full episode - in the meantime, just so you know we're still here, James has given you his recipe for brewing a decent beer. Well, I say recipe. Really it's sketchy at best, as beer's all in the technique anyway.

Written and performed by Alexander Doddy. Music and engineering by Trace Callahan.

The transcript (and, theoretically, recipe) are available here.

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Bonus: James Makes Yorkshire Puddings

Saturday, August 1, 2020 • Duration 01:41

James puts his personal spin on explaining the delightful little things that are Yorkshire puddings.

Written and performed by Alexander Doddy.
Composition and audio engineering by Trace Callahan.

The transcript and ingredient list are available here.

Enjoy!

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Bonus: Zahava's Matzah Balls

Season 1

Sunday, July 19, 2020 • Duration 01:30

You asked for it! The first in what may well be a series of recipes from the Nameless Crew.

Written and performed by Caroline Mincks.
Music and audio engineering by Trace Callahan.

The transcript and ingredient list are available here. Enjoy!

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1.04 Nature's Social Union

Season 1 · Episode 4

Monday, July 6, 2020 • Duration 01:00:33

In Episode Four, “Nature’s Social Union,” we finally have the meeting Zahava’s been talking about, to determine the fate of the unnamed planet. James and his slitherfluff friend watch Clinical Trials, many people go for walks in the rain, and we learn a whole lot about the mission. You know. The mission. Saving humanity.

Content Notes: this is a heavy one. As always, none of this is gratuitous or described in detail. (There’s more swearing than usual as well.)

Interpersonal conflict: [10:55 - 16:22]
Mention of genocide: [15:37 - 15:45]
Panic attack, hyperventilation: [15:10 - 16:22]
Mention of violence, murder, torture: [42:00 - 43:10]

The transcript is available. If the transcript link is broken please email needsanamepod@gmail.com and we’ll get it to you as soon as we can.

Trevor Bean creates and voices Mandry
Trace Callahan creates and voices Kolian
Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz creates and voices Cyrus
Alexander Doddy creates and voices James
Sawyer Greene creates and voices Quill
Anjali Kunapaneni creates and voices Devi
Dominic Mendez creates and voices Ángel
Caroline Mincks creates and voices Zahava

Bonus: Kolian Stories - 1 - The Earth Sighed

Season 1

Friday, May 1, 2020 • Duration 04:09

One of our favorite things about the Nameless Crew is that all of us contribute to this project in many ways - beyond what you hear when you listen to an episode. This ranges from people having input into character decisions to the wholesale creation of spinoff content.

Izley Kolian sings songs and tells stories to make sense of the world. We already have one of their songs; here we find them explaining how we came to where we are, and seeking truth in mythology. Like any good storyteller, our blind bard dreams up pictures for us, finds meaning in the spaces between the facts.

This is written, performed, and engineered by Trace Callahan.
The text of the story is available as a transcript.

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Bonus: Creator Chat! Presenting "Awake," a new original song by Trace Callahan

Season 1

Saturday, April 25, 2020 • Duration 25:58

Sometimes our conversations about our art turn into different kinds of art. To skip ahead to the song, go to [21:42]. Otherwise, tune in to hear Trace and Evan talk about the process that led to this piece of music. Ever wonder what this creative partnership looks like? We're here to show you.

(The chirping is Caesar. He's a 21-year-old cockatiel who lives with Evan and wanted very badly to be included. We gave up and let him in on the conversation.)

Along the way we reveal many deeply-held This Planet Needs a Name secrets. Don't worry, no spoilers, just the soft underbelly of our creative process. We say this thing is a labor of love, and it is. In this case, we decided to capture a little bit of the love and share it with you. Also, we are painfully sincere, ridiculously dorky, and you might just decide you love us back.

Here's the transcript! My apologies, I failed to transcribe every single laugh. I did my best. I think we just like each other too much.

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1.03 A Many-Splendored Thing

Season 1 · Episode 3

Sunday, March 22, 2020 • Duration 56:42

In Episode Three, “A Many-Splendored Thing,” we meet the Design Team, who are finally awake and learning what they’ve gotten themselves into; Cyrus requires James’s assistance with a science project; and Quill heads upstairs to check on the algae vats and for, obviously, absolutely no other reason involving Mandry at all. We learn more about Mandry, the relationship between Kolian and Zei, and what Zahava really feels about all of them.

The transcript is available here.

Content Note: this episode includes a discussion of an emotionally abusive relationship from the perspective of a survivor [40:35 - 42:19]. It also mentions a pandemic in the context of in-universe fiction [33:20 - 34:15]. And, as always, there is some swearing. A lot of it really.

Trevor Bean creates and voices Mandry
Trace Callahan creates and voices Kolian
Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz creates and voices Cyrus
Alexander Doddy creates and voices James
Sawyer Greene creates and voices Quill
Anjali Kunapaneni creates and voices Devi
Dominic Mendez creates and voices Ángel
Caroline Mincks creates and voices Zahava
Evan Tess Murray creates and voices Zei

This Planet Needs a Name – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

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This Planet Needs a Name – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

X15

Other23

Patreon2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

X15

Other23

Patreon2