There’s an old saying that everyone wants to live long, but no one wants to get old. The same can be applied to our favorite sci-fi fantasy franchises. As familiar faces return to Star Wars, Star Trek, and other movies and shows, some franchises have embraced stories about aging and mortality, while others have used digital technology to erase those issues with mixed results. In a roundtable discussion, I talk with Christina Valeo of Eastern Washington University, Shawn Taylor of San Francisco State University and podcaster and pastor JR Forasteros about who is aging well, or de-aging poorly. Spoiler alert, we discuss the Picard series and older Star Trek movies, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Mirror, and Upload.This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile, Podboard and Squarespace. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you’re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s an old saying that everyone wants to live long, but no one wants to get old. The same can be applied to our favorite sci-fi fantasy franchises. As familiar faces return to Star Wars, Star Trek, and other movies and shows, some franchises have embraced stories about aging and mortality, while others have used digital technology to erase those issues with mixed results. In a roundtable discussion, I talk with <a href="https://www.ewu.edu/experts/christina-a-valeo/">Christina Valeo</a> of Eastern Washington University, <a href="https://humanitiesliberalstudies.sfsu.edu/shawn-taylor">Shawn Taylor</a> of San Francisco State University and podcaster and pastor <a href="https://jrforasteros.com/">JR Forasteros</a> about who is aging well, or de-aging poorly. Spoiler alert, we discuss the Picard series and older Star Trek movies, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Mirror, and Upload.This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile, Podboard and Squarespace. Our ad partner is <a href="https://multitude.productions/">Multitude</a>. If you’re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them <a href="https://multitude.productions/ads">here</a>.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

Imaginary Worlds

De-Aging Well

Yeah. The Black Widow sidetrack was interesting. I don't think it applies in that example they brought up though but it would if the new Picard show was actually a Beverly Crusher show with her, Gates McFadden as the lead. 

Thank you for sharing because this was an amazing discussion. 

I love the idea of an old grandma being the chosen one. I also agree with the hosts that older sci-fi is the best place to discuss the philosophy of aging. 

On a side note, I’m glad they brought up how gendered aging representation is. I didn’t notice how we’re more likely to get a badass older man than a badass older woman.

Interesting discussion of the philosophical meaning of aging inside not just star trek buyother franchises where they bring back old characters and actors. 

I like the phrase 'manufactured nostalgia' when discussing the films we try to bring back. 

Excited to see what the next episode will be about 😁

One of the most common requests I've gotten over the years has been to do an episode about why so many autistic people are drawn towards science fiction, and these suggestions have come from listeners who are autistic or have autistic children. Fiction writer Ada Hoffmann, writer and professor Dora Raymaker, YouTube presenter Quinn Dexter, and author and professor Nick Walker, who co-runs the publishing company Autonomous Press, have each given this subject a lot of thought. Their experiences and perspectives as autistic sci-fi fans and creators overlapped in many ways, from the joy of complex worldbuilding, to identifying with fictional characters like Data or Spock, to wanting to imagine a future where aliens, humans and A.I. can coexist without a hierarchy of neurotypical perspectives. Featuring actress Shannon Tyo reading passages from Ada and Dora’s novels.Dora Raymaker’s new novel Resonance has just been published through Autonomous Press. Dora and Ada have also contributed short stories to Autonomous’ anthology series Spoon Knife. Quinn Dexter’s YouTube channel is Autistamtic.This episode is sponsored by Backblaze, Echoes of History: Ragnarök and Squarespace. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you’re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most common requests I've gotten over the years has been to do an episode about why so many autistic people are drawn towards science fiction, and these suggestions have come from listeners who are autistic or have autistic children. Fiction writer <a href="https://www.ada-hoffmann.com/">Ada Hoffmann</a>, writer and professor <a href="https://doraraymaker.com/">Dora Raymaker</a>, YouTube presenter Quinn Dexter, and author and professor <a href="https://neuroqueer.com/">Nick Walker</a>, who co-runs the publishing company <a href="http://autpress.com/">Autonomous Press</a>, have each given this subject a lot of thought. Their experiences and perspectives as autistic sci-fi fans and creators overlapped in many ways, from the joy of complex worldbuilding, to identifying with fictional characters like Data or Spock, to wanting to imagine a future where aliens, humans and A.I. can coexist without a hierarchy of neurotypical perspectives. Featuring actress <a href="http://www.shannon-tyo.com/%20">Shannon Tyo</a> reading passages from Ada and Dora’s novels.Dora Raymaker’s new novel <a href="https://autonomous-press.myshopify.com/products/resonance">Resonance</a> has just been published through Autonomous Press. Dora and Ada have also contributed short stories to Autonomous’ anthology series <a href="https://autonomous-press.myshopify.com/%20">Spoon Knife</a>. Quinn Dexter’s YouTube channel is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Autistamatic%20">Autistamtic</a>.This episode is sponsored by Backblaze, Echoes of History: Ragnarök and Squarespace. Our ad partner is <a href="https://multitude.productions/">Multitude</a>. If you’re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them <a href="https://multitude.productions/ads">here</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

Neurodivergent Futures

Imaginary Worlds sounds like what would happen if NPR went to ComicCon and decided that’s all they ever wanted to cover. Host Eric Molinsky spent over a decade working as a public radio reporter and producer, and he uses those skills to create thoughtful, sound-rich episodes about science fiction, fantasy, and other genres of speculative fiction. Every other week, he talks with comic book artists, game designers, novelists, screenwriters, filmmakers, and fans about how they craft their worlds, why we suspend our disbelief, and what happens if the spell is broken. Imaginary worlds may be set on distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth, and they’re always about us and our lived experiences.

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