Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi

Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi

Where Imagination Meets What It Means To Be Human

Episodes

January 23, 2026 25 mins

Season One of The Orville wasn’t just the launch of a new sci‑fi series—it was the beginning of a heartfelt, funny, and surprisingly profound exploration of humanity through the lens of a starship crew just trying to figure things out. This Rewind episode takes you back to where it all began, revisiting the themes, characters, and creative spark that made the show stand out from day one.

This special edition features conversations ...

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This archival episode reaches all the way back to 1996 for a rare and insightful conversation with Anthony Daniels, the iconic performer behind C‑3PO. At the time, Daniels had just wrapped his work on the Return of the Jedi radio drama, once again lending his unmistakable voice and personality to the galaxy’s most anxious protocol droid.

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January 21, 2026 20 mins

In this episode, we sit down with legendary comic book artist Alitha Martinez to explore her latest work on OMNI, a graphic novel from Humanoids that blends science fiction, social commentary, and kinetic storytelling. With over two decades in the industry, Alitha brings a wealth of experience and insight to the conversation — from her early days as an assistant to Joe Quesada at Marvel Comics in the 1990s to her groundbreaking con...

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I explore Lab Rat, a taut near‑future sci‑fi thriller where a group of scientists find themselves locked in a room with a chilling revelation: one of them is an AI in disguise — and it has been lying to them. With no way out until they uncover the truth, paranoia rises, alliances fracture, and the line between human and machine blurs in unsettling ways.

Tony sits down with the filmmaker to unpack the film’s provocative concept, its...

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January 19, 2026 20 mins
🌀 Becoming a Cyclops, Surviving the Heat, and Stepping Into Legends

In this episode, Tony connects over Zoom with actor Aleks Paunovic, whose towering physicality and grounded emotional presence have made him a standout across genre television. Most recently, he brings the iconic Polyphemus to life in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, delivering a performance that’s equal parts monstrous, tragic, and unexpectedly human.

🔍 What We ...
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    January 18, 2026 7 mins
    ⚖️ When the Judge Is an Algorithm: Exploring Mercy

    In this episode of Byte, Tony dives into Mercy, the provocative new Amazon MGM Studios (who provided the audio) thriller that imagines a justice system run not by humans, but by an AI judge — a machine empowered to weigh evidence, determine guilt, and deliver sentences with cold precision.

    The film raises a question that feels less like science fiction and more like tomorrow’s head...

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    🌋 Returning to Pandora: Evolution, Legacy, and the Cost of Survival

    In this special episode of Byte,you'll hear from the cast and creative force behind Avatar: Fire and Ash, the next sweeping chapter in James Cameron’s epic saga. With interviews provided by 20th Century Fox, this conversation dives into the emotional stakes, the technological leaps, and the expanding mythology that define this new era of Pandora.

    Fire and Ash push...

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    January 16, 2026 22 mins
    🧠 Unearthing the Mythology Behind a Masterpiece

    In this episode of Exploring Humanity Through Sci‑Fi, Tony dives into the documentary Memory: The Origin of Alien, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe. More than a behind‑the‑scenes chronicle, the film excavates the artistic, cultural, and psychological roots of Alien — revealing how one of cinema’s most iconic creatures emerged from a collision of mythology, person...

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    January 15, 2026 32 mins
    🎙️ Finding Truth Beneath the Prosthetics: A Conversation with Peter Macon

    In this episode of Exploring Humanity Through Sci‑Fi, Tony chats with the incomparable Peter Macon — an actor whose commanding presence and emotional intelligence have made him one of the most compelling performers working in genre today.

    Macon is widely known for his role as Lt. Commander Bortus on The Orville, where he brings humor, gravitas, and cultural ...

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    January 14, 2026 12 mins
    🦇 Gotham Begins: Corruption, Courage, and the Birth of a Partnership

    In this episode of Exploring Humanity Through Sci-Fi, we examine Batman: Year One, the animated adaptation of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s seminal comic arc. Directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, the film reimagines Gotham not as a playground for capes and villains, but as a decaying city teetering on the edge — where two men, unaware of each other’...

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    🗂️ Designing the Divide: How Set Decoration Shapes the Severed Mind

    This episode steps into the unnervingly pristine halls of Lumon Industries with Andrew Baseman, the Emmy‑nominated set decorator behind the unforgettable visual language of Severance. His work transforms sterile corporate architecture into a psychological battleground — one cubicle, corridor, and curated object at a time.

    Baseman breaks down how set decoration bec...

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    Inside the Occupation, the Resistance, and the Cost of Survival

    Season Two of Colony deepens everything that made the series one of the most compelling dystopian dramas of the last decade. Set in a fractured, authoritarian Los Angeles under alien rule, the show sharpens its focus on loyalty, rebellion, and the impossible choices ordinary people face when their world is carved up by occupiers and collaborators.

    Interviews include:

    J...

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    In this episode of Byte,  Greenland 2 raises the stakes far beyond falling debris — exploring what happens after the world ends, and how humanity rebuilds in the shadow of catastrophe.

    Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, and director/producer Ric Roman Waugh  break down the fsequel thanks to Lionsgate. 

    🎧 Why This Episode Matters

    Greenland 2 isn’t just a continuation — it’s a reinvention. A look at how a sequel can deepen its world, s...

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    In this episode of Byte, a look into Primate, the gripping new sci‑fi thriller that blends creature‑feature intensity with a surprisingly emotional core. The film pushes beyond genre expectations, exploring what happens when human ambition collides with the unknown — and what it truly means to survive.

    You'll hear interviews thanks to Paramount Pictures with: 

    • Benjamin Cheng
    • Gia Hunter
    • Jessica Alexander 
    • Johnny Sequoyah
    • Migu...
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    On Rewind, Tony Zooms with Emmy‑nominated composer Michael A. Levine, a creator whose musical fingerprints are everywhere—from the instantly recognizable Kit Kat Bar jingle to the haunting, otherworldly soundscape of Freeform’s hit series Siren.

    In this conversation, Levine pulls back the curtain on his creative process, revealing how he blends experimentation, emotional intuition, and a deep respect for sonic storytelling. One of ...

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    January 8, 2026 10 mins
    Episode 1: A New Year of Stories, Surprises, and Sci‑Fi Sparks Welcome to the first Explore Monthly of the new year, where we kick off 2026 with a packed slate of genre news, casting shake‑ups, behind‑the‑scenes revelations, and a few unexpected delights from across film, TV, audio, and fandom. January wastes no time delivering big stories, and neither do we. 🎥 Spotlight Stories Variety Rings in the New Year With Horror ...
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    January 7, 2026 20 mins

    From SDCC, a look back at season one with Robert Carlyle, David Blue, Brian J Smith, Alaina Huffman and more.

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    January 6, 2026 20 mins

    I disccused this film with director Paul Nicoletos and his star Tedi Nicoletos as they tried to get financing. The film met it's goal and a short was produced.

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    January 5, 2026 27 mins

    In this episode, Tony sits down with award‑winning author, activist, and digital rights advocate Cory Doctorow to explore his acclaimed story collection Radicalized — four near‑future novellas that channel our deepest cultural anxieties into sharp, human‑centered speculative fiction.

    Doctorow’s work has always lived at the crossroads of technology, power, and personal agency, and Radicalized distills those themes into four unforget...

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    January 2, 2026 27 mins

    In the Long Walk, Director Mattie Do talks about her film that is difficult to put in one box alone. Is it science fiction, fantasy, are there horror elements ? Lots of layers to explore in this interesting film. Not the Stephen King adaptation.

    #thelongwalk

     

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