Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres. Host Eric Molinsky talks with novelists, screenwriters, comic book artists, filmmakers, and game designers about their craft of creating fictional worlds. The show also looks at the fan experience, exploring what makes us suspend our disbelief, and what happens when that spell is broken. Fantasy worlds may be set in distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth and on some level relate to our daily lives. Employing his years of experience in public radio, Eric brings a sophisticated, thoughtfully produced voice to the far-out and fantastical.
https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/
recommended podcasts
Retcon-apalooza
We look at how rewriting the history of our favorite fantasy worlds can revitalize them, or ruin them.
Making The Good Places Better
Why are so many TV shows about the afterlife depicting it as far from paradise?
Truth, Justice and The American Way
Long before Black Panther or Hooded Justice on HBO’s Watchmen, marginalized people were fighting for justice with masks and capes – not just in fiction but in real life.
2001: A Filmmaking Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey was a game changer for science fiction, but the movie had a tumultuous origin story.
Queen of Tarot
The Rider-Waite deck of tarot cards is the most popular deck of all time, but few people know the story behind the cards.
Fear of The Borg
The Borg are coming back in the new TV series Picard. Why were they the perfect villains to subvert the Star Trek ethos?
In Defense of The Star Wars Holiday Special
It will never be a holiday classic – far, far from it. But can we redeem the greatest villain in the Star Wars universe, the 1978 made-for-TV Star Wars Holiday Special?
Can Villains Be Good?
They took over the world. They crushed our heroes. Now they feel bad. What does it take for a villain to be redeemed -- and what does it take for us to forgive them?
My So Called Evil Plan
Taking over the world is so passé. The most popular villains want to save the world – at a cost. What does the rise of the woke villain say about our frustrations IRL?
Under a Red Moon
Ron Moore's new show For All Mankind imagines what if the Soviet Union landed a man on the moon first -- and what if that nightmare scenario forced NASA to be more inclusive than it was in real history?