Let's Make A Sci-Fi boldly goes where no podcast has gone before

Let's Make A Sci-Fi is your hilarious and intimate look inside a comedy writers' room — except they're not writing comedy. They're writing an earnest sci-fi pilot, getting help from industry pros and Hollywood stars along the way. Can they pull it off?

Comedian Ryan Beil is a serious sci-fi nerd, and he's set his sights on creating an original sci-fi series "as good as Star Trek." With the help of his comedy writing buddies Maddy Kelly and Mark Chavez, Beil takes listeners on a genre-bending journey to write a legit science fiction pilot script — while cracking a few good jokes along the way.

In each episode, the trio will tackle a new step in the creation process: character development, world building, plot twists, science, dialogue. From the general to the very specific, they want to get this thing right, so they'll be consulting experts across the entertainment industry to get their advice. Special guests include:  District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Mika McKinnon, Emily VanDerWerff and Rainn Wilson (who helps them figure out if their dialogue is too funny). 

Part personal journey, part how-to guide, part riff show, Let's Make A Sci-Fi aims to make listeners laugh, teach them something about the creative process, and have them relate to someone who is foolishly chasing a lifelong dream. The three hosts spoke with CBC Podcasts to share more about the making of the podcast and what it taught them. Here is part of their conversation.

This is a unique approach to podcasting. How did this experience compare to other comedy projects you've worked on? 

Ryan Beil:  I suppose the vulnerability of recording the entire process. So much of what we hear in the podcast is the unvarnished beginnings of ideas instead of just the polished end results. 

Maddy Kelly: So many things were new about this process for me. I had never interviewed anyone before, or been a part of any "fly on the wall" recording. Luckily I felt really comfortable being myself around Mark and Ryan so I learned on that through the whole process. 

Mark Chavez: It was my first time being part of a docuseries. Pitching ideas and collaborating with other writers can be a pretty vulnerable and exposing experience. Adding the fact that most of our writing sessions were recorded to potentially be included in the podcast turned the pressure up a few notches. It took some getting used to. It's for sure very different from the "having a light chat with a couple of people in a studio" model of podcast that I had grown accustomed to.

Who was your most memorable guest to speak to on the podcast and why? 

RB:  Jose Molina, because of his proximity to the Star Trek franchise (and his wealth of screen-writing knowledge).

MK: Rainn Wilson was so special to talk to. He was the nicest guy and gave us terrific advice. Meet your heroes kids, it works out great! 

MC: I loved all of our guests exactly equally and the same without any favourite or least-favourite in the bunch. But because I am being pressed, I will say it was very exciting talking to Neill Blomkamp (District 9). A person who has had great success in the field that we are trying to crack listened to us and gave us advice — and even seemed to enjoy some of our ideas. That was huge.

What was the most powerful piece of advice you were given? Can it be applied to life outside of sci-fi writing? 

RB:  The "Show Don't Tell" principle. It's better to have the story move forward through action as opposed to a lot of exposition-heavy dialogue. 

MK: Mika McKinnon, one of the science consultants, told me that people who know their neighbors' names are more likely to survive an earthquake. So now I know all my neighbors' names. 

MC: We were told a couple times that we need to focus on the people in our story. I think that can for sure be applied to life.

How has making this podcast affected your relationship with sci-fi content? 

RB:  I would definitely say I have a newfound appreciation for the genre. It's kind of all encompassing. Along the way we asked many of our guests if they had a personal definition of sci-fi and the variety of answers was very interesting to me. 

MK: I have WAY more appreciation for good sci-fi. I watch shows now and I'm like "how did they do that?"

MC: I want to do more of it. I love the genre so much, and I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to try writing in that space (pun intended). Now I want to try it again, knowing what we've learned.

What's the most crucial lesson you learned about the sci-fi genre throughout this process? 

RB: Robots are useful for both plot and character development.

MK: Even though it's tempting to get caught up in world-building, great stories are about people we care about battling issues we identify with. 

MC: A cool science-y concept is not nearly enough.

If you had to pick a character from any sci-fi universe who you most identify with, who would it be and why? 

RB: I would choose Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation due to my preoccupation with honour. 

MK: Amy in Futurama because if I was in space I would also want to wear a hot little tracksuit.

MC: Lobot from The Empire Strikes Back. He's Lando Calrisian's helper guy who works in Cloud City. I don't so much identify with him as love the way he looks. He has male pattern baldness but instead of hair he has robot circuits on his head.