"Exoplanetary" . . . life, work, and time travel in the 26th century and beyond

Perhaps the most ongoing fun I’ve had the past two years has been doing character voices for a science-fiction podcast called Exoplanetary.

The brainchild of writer-director C. Christopher Hart (who’s also producing and editing the show, as well as voicing some of the characters), Exoplanetary is set in the 26th century (partly), when pretty much everything -- including the surviving religions -- is owned by a handful of mega-corporations.

Exoplanetary, popularly known as “Exo,” is one of them. The company owns retail outlets, transportation systems (which is to say, rockets), mining operations on asteroids and moons, recreational theme parks, and other facilities throughout the solar system. Earth has been a blasted ecological wasteland for several millennia, though primitive life forms have been rumored to be thriving there once again.

Exo is preparing to send probes outside our local planetary orbits in search of new worlds to settle and exploit, as well as an exploratory team to Earth so it can see whether the planet is habitable again. 

The series follows the adventures of the Wolvertons: four siblings who all work for the corporation in very different capacities.

·     Alice, the oldest, has never been able to settle on a career, so she’s agreed to have her brain (memories, personality, and character) downloaded into a silver ball that will be shot out of the solar system to explore other parts of the galaxy for colonization (and plunder).

·     Ben, an android HR specialist, has a particular affinity for AIs and robots.

·     Calvert, a socially-maladjusted genius has (finally) invented time travel, though he has a hard time controlling the coordinates, so he winds up going to 21st and 19th century Lincoln County (the Oregon coast region where Hart grew up), as well as the future and other planet systems.

·     Dustin, a sweet, gentle monk gets sent to Earth by Exo to investigate the planet’s current condition and life forms, although the company hasn’t told him about its plans to make Earth a gated community for its wealthiest clients . . . assuming the current life forms can be subdued.

I play the oldest brother, Ben. Hart has given each of the four primary characters an episode to introduce them, so Alice is featured in number one, I’m in number two, Calvert debuts in number three, and Dustin is the focus of part four. The story rotates through each of us again in episodes 5 through 8, although I also did the voices of several minor characters in Alice’s second episode, part 5, and others later.

Each show plays like a science-fiction radio drama that lasts roughly 20 to 30 minutes, but the style also varies according to the tale it has to tell. Episode 1 with Alice is admittedly talky, since it has to provide a lot of expository information that will set the stage not just for her future story arc, but the series as a whole.

Episode 2, Ben’s (that is, my) first appearance, sounds more like a 1960s TV domestic sitcom. Given the time-travel aspect, Calvert’s initial outing (Episode 3) resembles a traditional science fiction story. And Dustin? Well, Dustin’s Episode 4 is sort of a classic science-fiction adventure that morphs into a … sort of … Amazon-women-and-prehistoric-paradise tale. (That’s Chris and me in the studio above).

For a while these seem like four separate story arcs, and it may be best for the listener to treat them that way. But as the series unfolds, you will find the Wolvertons’ trails crossing and becoming entangled in a broader canvas.

The more astute listener will notice subtle cultural references throughout the dialogue and episode titles, from classic sci-fi movies and TV shows to musicals and pop tunes. And yes, Hart named his protagonist-family as a tribute to Basil Wolverton, the native Oregon cartoonist who later drew for Mad Magazine and Marvel Comics, but whose early strips in the 1930s and 1940s tended to center on science-fiction scenarios.

Firiel Elliott voices “Alice” . . . I’m “Ben,” as I said . . . Hart plays “Calvert” . . . and Bobby Eversmann is the voice of “Brother Dustin.” Fourteen episodes have been released, and roughly 20 other actors have brought supporting and guest characters to life in them.

I say “roughly 20” because I haven’t met everyone that’s recorded other episodes than the ones I’ve been in, and in some cases, talent have adopted noms de plumes -- er, noms de voix -- because they do multiple characters . . . ranging from talking household appliances to inhabitants of a planet peopled by giant spiders and a guest appearance by Count Dracula (spoiler alert: he’s an android at a theme park). Above, the Wolverton siblings, from left: Ben, Calvert, Alice, and Dustin.

You can stream or download the series here. Make sure you scroll to the bottom in order to start with Episode 1.

Analytics show Exoplanetary has listeners in the Netherlands and Tasmania(!), as well as across the U.S., and fans have started to submit their own ideas about what the principle characters look like. This portrait of Alice (at least, the android version of her that ends up on Planet Dancer) is the work of a listener/fan/artist in Texas, Desdymona Howard. 

If you like the show and want to help it continue and prosper, you may support Hart’s efforts by making a one-time contribution through PayPal, or becoming a Patreon subscriber. Depending on the level at which you choose to donate, there are premiums such as surprise monthly gift from one of the actors who voice the characters on the show. I don’t have a Twitter account or an Instagram page, but Exoplanetary does, and you’ll find photos of me and other cast members there as well as pick up breaking news developments about the show.

But the shows are free for the listening. Three more episodes will roll out to complete the first season, and Hart is busy writing shows for Season Two . . . .