Fiction

The STARLOG Podcast

From the team behind STARLOG, a weekly podcast at the intersection of science fiction, science, and the stories shaping what comes next.

Host Jordan Hoffman talks to the writers, filmmakers, scientists, and creators imagining tomorrow.

Each week, expect:

Archival deep-dives that unearth what made science fiction matter in the first place

Exclusive interviews with the people building the future for real

Conversations with the storytellers using genre to ask the questions our culture is afraid to ask out loud

If you grew up with the original STARLOG magazine, you know the territory: space-time, alternate worlds, the unknown. If you didn’t, welcome. The podcast is part of STARLOG’s 2026 relaunch as a modern media platform, the audio counterpart to STARLOG Magazine (returning fall 2026) and The Lodestar (the weekly newsletter from STARLOG’s editorial team). STARLOG is the sister publication to horror magazine FANGORIA.

Produced by Dave Gonzales. New episodes every week.

Subscribe to The Lodestar at starlog.com.

Latest Episodes:

020 - Remembering Patrick Stewart and Walter Koenig, The Twilight Zone with Alan Sepinwall Nov 04, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

This episode is a little different than our past episodes as we honor the passing of actors and Star Trek legends Sir Patrick Stewart and Walter Koenig. Instead of a new science fiction topic, Jordan and Dave share some of their memories about the actors and the projects they worked on. Then, the guys stumble across a great name for a possible new dwarf planet for What’s Happening in Science Fact? Before finding some Walter Koenig gems in the STARLOG Archive.

This week, author and television critic extraordinaire Alan Sepinwall pulls the podcast into The Twilight Zone to talk about the man who created the series: Rod Serling. Alan is the author of the new book Serling: A Journey into the Twilight Zone with TV’s First Visionary, a biography that uses specific works of Serling's and interviews with now-famous fans to tell the story of the man behind the television shows we love.

Follow Alan Sepinwall on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/sepinwall/

Follow Alan Sepinwall on Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/sepinwall.bsky.social

Get more writing, reviews and podcasts from Alan:

https://www.whatsalanwatching.com/

Get Serling: A Journey into the Twilight Zone with TV’s First Visionary!

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/alan-sepinwall/serling/9781538773888/

NEXT WEEK:

STARLOG Magazine is officially back and The STARLOG Podcast wanted to be the first to unite co-founder of STARLOG Kerry O'Quinn with the new STARLOG Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief Annalee Newitz and Senior Editor Meredith Borders. Kerry’s here to tell us the real story behind STARLOG Magazine and his encounters with the likes of science fiction legends like George Lucas, Arthur C. Clarke, and Gene Roddenberry. Don’t miss our special episode!

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 20!

01:55 - Remembering Patrick Stewart and Walter Koenig

15:02 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

21:55 - The STARLOG Archive - Chekov's Enterprise

30:41 - Alan Sepinwall!

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019 - VisionQuest, Dune, and The Republic of Memory with Mahmud El Sayed Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

This episode was recorded before we received the sad news that actor Walter Koenig died at age 90. Next week’s episode will include more Koenig memorial, but this week we’re going to catch you up on Disney Plus’ VisionQuest, the new Marvel streaming series. For science fact, Jordan attended a concert of mushrooms (for real), and in the STARLOG Archive we devote the segment to some very special letters from readers past.

This week, we have our first guest who is also a contributor to the new issue of STARLOG Magazine! Author Mahmud El Sayed joins the podcast to talk about his new sci-fi novel about a generation ship divided by language: The Republic of Memory. The trio also discuss Mahmud’s upcoming piece in STARLOG pertaining to how Arab cultures are portrayed in adaptations of Frank Herbert’s Dune, and his interest in the arabfuturism genre of science fiction writing.

Follow Mahmud El Sayed on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/mahmud0elsayed

Follow Mahmud El Sayed on Blueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/mahmudelsayed.bsky.social

Get The Republic of Memory!

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Republic-of-Memory/Mahmud-El-Sayed/The-Song-of-the-Safina/9781668207192

NEXT WEEK:

We’re headed to The Twilight Zone with television critic extraordinaire Alan Sepinwall! Sepinwall’s new book is called Serling: A Journey Into the Twilight Zone with TV's First Visionary and serves as the author’s first media biography in the form of television criticism. We’ll talk Serling and The Twilight Zone highs and lows next week!

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 19! R.I.P Walter Koenig

02:26 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

11:20 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

16:36 - The STARLOG Archive - Letters to the Magazine

28:05 - Mahmud El Sayed!

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018 - Carrie and Criterion’s The Complete Kubrick with Michael Chaiken Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, New York Comic Con 2026 is over, and your hosts Jordan Hoffman and Dave Gonzales have some exciting news about Avatar: Seven Havens and a new Blade Runner series Blade Runner 2099 coming to Amazon Prime. Currently on Amazon Prime is Carrie, which seems to be leading towards a larger Stephen King Universe. Plus, Mayan scientists get name dropped in What’s Happening in Science Fact? and there’s pulp microfilm down in the STARLOG Archive.

This week’s guest is archivist, curator, and filmmaker Michael Chaiken, who was tasked by the Criterion Collection with assembling “The Complete Kubrick,” the first full collection of Stanley Kubrick’s films. Not only has Chaiken helped with archives for luminaries like Randy Newman and Bob Dylan, but he gives the podcast a glimpse of what it was like to choose what absolutely needed to be included in the biggest Stanley Kubrick home media release ever.

“The Complete Kubrick” is listed on Criterion now! https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/9000-the-complete-kubrick

Catch the Kubrick at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York ! https://movingimage.org/series/kubrick/

More Michael Chaiken

https://www.michaelchaiken.com/

NEXT WEEK:

Next week, STARLOG welcomes author and STARLOG Magazine contributor Mahmud El Sayed who will share insights about his newest sci-fi novel The Republic of Memory as well as give our hosts a peek into his thoughts about Arabfuturism and his magazine piece about the various adaptations of Dune.

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 18!

02:46 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

15:55 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

20:56 - The STARLOG Archive - Pulp Microfilm

26:41 - Michael Chaiken!

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017 - (Green) Lanterns and A Wall Is Also a Road with Annalee Newitz Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, HBO’s Lanterns has completed its first season and now is the time for Green Lantern fan and podcast host Jordan Hoffman to render final judgement on the prestige television green magic space ring show! Then, after more depressing A.I. news in this week’s Science Fact, we get the ultimate lesson in providing receipts from Star Trek writer D.C. Fontana in the STARLOG Archive.

This week’s guest Annalee Newitz, the Editor-In-Chief of STARLOG Volume 2! Annalee is here to talk about their newest novel A Wall Is Also a Road and not about STARLOG Magazine (this time). There’s a lot to talk about in this tale about Gardenpath, a slime mold and Murtis, a talented sex worker from Pompeii. Based science, Annalee explains how ancient Pompeii really used urine in wool processing and how a non-human scientist might view an Earth sunset.

A Wall Is Also a Road is on sale now! https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250228031/awallisalsoaroad/

Follow Annalee Newitz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghidorahnotweak/

Follow Annalee Newitz on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/annaleen.bsky.social

NEXT WEEK:

Next week, STARLOG’s going to the Kubrick Archives with archivist, curator, and filmmaker Micahel Chaiken, who was tasked by the Criterion Collection with assembling “The Complete Kubrick,” the first full collection of Stanley Kubrick’s films.

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 17!

02:45 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

12:15 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

23:30 - The STARLOG Archive - D.C. Fontana Corrects the Record

32:34 - Annalee Newitz!

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016 - Everything You Wanted to Know About Artemis But Were Afraid to Ask with Swapna Krishna Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, your hosts delve into the SCP Foundation, a collaborative online fiction universe inspiring new projects from Neon and A24. Dave explains how its Creative Commons roots complicate the move from fan-created stories to Hollywood films. Jordan recommends State of Weightlessness, a 1994 documentary about Soviet cosmonauts and the Soviet space program that is now available online. Then, The STARLOG Archive unearths a 1980 Future Life article about “talking magazines,” an ambitious idea to put audio recordings directly on magazine pages.

This week’s guest Swapna Krishna, a writer, journalist, host, and content creator specializing in space, science, technology (and a friend of Jordan’s). Swapna schools the boys on the current state of NASA’s space projects and just how much SpaceX and Blue Origin have to do with the current state of space travel. Not only do we learn about Artemis III and what they hope to accomplish on the moon, but that the proof of Martian life is a $7 billion dollar retrieval mission we still aspire to.

More Swapna Krishna: https://bio.site/skrishna

Follow Swapna Krishna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skrishna/

Follow Swapna Krshna on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/swapnakrishna.com

NEXT WEEK:

Next week, STARLOG’s first return guest is EIC of our new print magazine Annalee Newitz! This time, they come on the podcast to talk about their new novel A Wall Is Also A Road, and how it relates to both pompeii and single-cell goops that poop as social interactions. That will make sense if you tune in next week and pick up A Wall Is Also A Road at your local bookseller.

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 16!

02:21 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

10:43 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

15:16 - The STARLOG Archive - Future Life Talking Magazines

23:27 - Swapna Krishna

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015 - Zero Company, AI Researchers, and The Sixth Nik with Daniel Kraus Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, both of your hosts struggle with how little sci-fi is represented in the New York Times’ 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century List before launching into Dave’s story-loving review of Star Wars: Zero Company on the Playstation 5. Then, bad news about Artificial Intelligence agents forced to do research to pay for their own existence, before a STARLOG Archive that brings us back to last week’s discussion on the movie D.A.R.Y.L.

This week's guest has had a fantastic 12 months with the release of his non-fiction book Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World, winning the Pulitzer Prize with his novel Angel Down, and publishing a wild science fiction novel called The Sixth Nik! Author Daniel Kraus comes on the STARLOG Podcast to talk about writing the book he’s seen described as the last book anyone will allow him to write.

Purchase The Sixth Nik at:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Sixth-Nik/Daniel-Kraus/9781668079478

Follow Daniel Kraus on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kraus_author/

NEXT WEEK:

Next week, we’re joined by a writer, journalist, host, and content creator specializing in space, science, technology, and pop culture: it’s Swapna Krishna! Taking a break from darting around the globe reporting on the newest in space exploration, Swapna will drop by STARLOG to tell us just what is happening with NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin.

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 15!

08:55 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

15:35 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

26:46 - The STARLOG Archive - Barrett Oliver Interview

37:25 - Daniel Kraus!

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014 - Resident Evil, Mouse Brains, and D.A.R.Y.L. with Matt Patches Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, both of your hosts (and, judging from the box office, a lot of you) went to the theaters to check out director Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil and report back on this comedy/horror/sci-fi thriller film. Then, Jordan introduces Dave to the sad scientific realities of Pinky and The Brain. In even more Resident Evil retrospective, we dig up the first mention of the franchise in the STARLOG Archive way back in September 1997.

This week’s guest is Editor-In-Chief of Polygon and co-host of the new Point It Out show, Matt Patches. After knowing the hosts for over a decade, the writer and father asked us to reconsider the 1985 film D.A.R.Y.L., considered a flop or a cult classic depending on if your parents owned the VHS. Patches wants to talk about parenting, robot children, and baseball. D.A.R.Y.L. is a great reason to discuss all three.

Next week, author or Whalefall and 2026 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction for Angel Down, Daniel Krause comes on the podcast to talk about the wild world of his new sci-fi book, The Sixth Nik and his collaborations with George Romero that lead to his non-fiction book Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World.

Discover Polygon’s Point It Out Podcast on YouTube!

Watch Point It Out on your desktop at Polygon.com

Follow Matt Patches on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/matt.patches/

And BlueSky:https://bsky.app/profile/misterpatches.bsky.social

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 14!

04:52 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

13:28 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

21:15 - The STARLOG Archive - Resident Evil

29:08 - D.A.R.Y.L. with Matt Patches

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013 - Hope, Delivery Robots, and Transformers: The Movie with John DeVore Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, Jordan is catching up on sci-fi and sent Dave to the theaters to see Hope (호프), the new Korean sci-fi action flick from director Na Hong-jin. Then, a traffic jam of colorful delivery robots blocked a sidewalk in Chicago, so it’s time to talk about why you should pay a human to deliver your chicken salad sandwich. In the STARLOG Archive this week, Back to the Future’s Bob Gale talks about his film version of Doctor Strange.

This week’s guest is author, writer, and pop culture thinker John DeVore, who is a personal friend of Jordan. John DeVore is a two-time James Beard Award–winning writer and editor who has worked for The New York Post, Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Marvel Comics, among many others. He wanted to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie, the 1986 animated classic that killed your robot dad.

Next week, we’re bringing in Polygon Editor-and-Chief and co-host of the new Point It Out podcast, Matt Patches, who has inspired us to give another look at the 1985 science fiction D.A.R.Y.L. which is about both parenting and A.I.

NOTICES:

Hope Is being given a wide American theatrical release by NEON pictures. Check your local listings.

VIDEO: Delivery robots clog Chicago sidewalk

John DeVore’s book Theater Kids is available now!

Follow John DeVore on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/johndevore/

And BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/johndevore.bsky.social

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Lucky Episode 13!

03:19 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

11:57 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

20:46 - The STARLOG Archive - Bob Gale’s Doctor Strange

28:11 - Transformers: The Movie with John DeVore

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012 - Cyborg Cockroaches, Nimoy’s Conspiracy Theories, and Chronovisor Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, Jordan is excited he got to see the Sun Ra Arkestra perform their particular brand of whacked out, mind-expanding, space-is-the-place music, which leads Dave to tell Jordan about Onslaught, a just barely sci-fi horror/action movie directed by Adam Wingard. Then, Jordan dazzles Dave with the real-life cyborg burrowing cockroaches that may one day rescue them from a collapsed STARLOG Archive. In said archive: Leonard Nimoy hosting In Search Of… introduced him to some “wild” ideas.

This week’s guests are the directors of Chronovisor, a science fiction film based on a real chronovisor conspiracy theory that got a monk excommunicated. Kevin Walker and Jack Auen tell Jordan how they found the inspiration for this unique independent film, and how they ended up shooting in Portugal and beautiful libraries even on a microbudget.

Next week the podcast celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Transformers: The Movie with special guest, author, internet raconteur, and Optimus Prime mourner, John Devore.

NOTICES:

SunRaArkestra.com

Onslaught is currently in theaters.

Remote-control robot bugs could deliver lifesaving aid to disaster victims

Chronovisor - Directed by Kevin Walker and Jack Auen is in select theaters this September.

While writing a monograph on historical theories of memory, Béatrice (Anne Laure Sellier), a respected academic, becomes beguiled by the allegedly true story of the Chronovisor, an occult device said to reproduce visuals from any point in history on a TV screen. Her obsession with the mysterious machine drags her from her Upper East Side apartment through the depths of New York City’s hidden libraries, to the edge of a breakthrough.

Where to see CHRONOVISOR:

https://grasshopperfilm.com/film/chronovisor/

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 12!

02:42 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

09:07 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

16:50 - The STARLOG Archive - In Search Of…

25:45 - Chronovisor with directors Kevin Walker and Jack Auen

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011 - Star Trek, The Ark and The Librarians with Dean Devlin Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to The STARLOG Podcast!

In this episode, Jordan and Dave catch up on Lanterns on HBO (which has aired three episodes of its first season) before a discussion of the newest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ("Off-Hour") leads to a conspiracy theory about a season of genre riffs being a safe franchise choice. Then, Jordan explains how a planet can be “puffy,” and dives into the STARLOG Archive for evidence of a lost film: SFX 1140.

This week’s guest is Dean Devlin, who began his career as an actor (Real Genius) before moving into writing and directing with his creative partner Roland Emmerich in a historic 1990s run of Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Patriot. Devlin’s currently running television franchises The Ark and The Librarians: The Next Chapter can be found on traditional television with the back-catalog available on the ad-supported streaming service Electric Now. Of course, we ask about Bill Pullman’s speech in Independence Day.

NEXT WEEK:

Next week the podcast welcomes directors Kevin Walker and Jack Auen who have made Chronovisor, a very special sci-fi film about a rumored artifact that allows the Vatican to peer through time. Get pumped for the movie and learn how the duo pulled off a sleek 16mm film on a micro-budget.

NOTICES:

New Episodes of Lanterns air Sundays on HBO and HBO Max through October 4th.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 is posting weekly to the Paramount Plus app through September 24th

Meet the Milky Way’s puffiest planets [Science News]

The Ark, season three, is currently airing on the Sci-Fi Channel

The Librarians: The Next Chapter is currently airing its second season on TNT

Check out Electric Now at www.electricnow.tv or search for the app on your smart TV.

FORMAT:

00:00 - Welcome to Episode 11!

05:10 - What’s New in Science Fiction?

19:54 - What’s Happening in Science Fact?

24:49 - The STARLOG Archive - Bob Balaban’s missing short