On the Starbase Indy Podcast we talk to and about people who are inspired by Star Trek and science fiction to work towards a hopeful future in the real world. Many of our guests have been or will be presenters at the live Starbase Indy convention, which takes place in Indianapolis every year over Thanksgiving weekend. We talk to actors, scientists, musicians, writers, creators, fans, engineers, and geeks. Learn more about the live event and the mission at www.starbaseindy.org
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Commanding Starfleet with Fleet Admiral Anthony Scott
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Anthony Scott has been a part of fandom for many years, and is currently Fleet Admiral of Starfleet Command. We talk about how fandom has enriched his life.Door Starbase Indy
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Entering the Star Trek Universe
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Derek Tyler Attico has won the Star Trek short fiction contest more than once, and recently published The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko. We talk with him about how his writing practice, the universes he's written in, and how his writing connects to his passion for justice.Door Starbase Indy
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The Science of Science Fiction
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What does our favorite science fiction get right about the universe as we know it, and what does it get wrong? Listen to Rufus Cochran, Dr. Mohamed Noor, and Dr. Paul Kwiat as they talk about artificial intelligence, quantum computing, the nature of evolution, and other places science intersects with our favorite science fiction.…
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Writing Diverse Worlds
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All of fiction, and especially science fiction, revolves around balancing the need to make characters believable. Science fiction adds in an additional challenge - creating characters who are different from what the readers expect, sometimes in surprising ways. Listen to Dr. Mohamed Noor, Maurice Broaddus, John Scalzi, and Dr. James McGrath discuss…
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When we talk about a hopeful future, Utopia is often the word that comes to mind. Is that the vision we should be striving for, though? Is it even possible to create a state in which everything is perfect? Importantly, is it possible to make things perfect for everyone? Or are utopias for some inevitably created out of suffering for others? The wor…
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Afrofuturism: Building a Hopeful Future in Indianapolis
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Afrofuturism is about not only critiquing the present, but working towards a future that we all want to experience. While some of the live session recording was lost, this episode captures the second half of the conversation, and includes information about the history of Indianapolis, how the Khprew Institute is working towards shaping the future, …
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AI and the Nature of Truth
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AI is often depicted as a way to find answers to questions. Is this the same as finding truth? Are our current AI technologies structured to find truth? Or are they designed to do something different, and how does that affect their functionality and how they are (and how they should be) used? This episode was recorded during our live event in Novem…
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AI, Sentience, and the Rights of Robots
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AI isn't sentient -at least not yet. But what would it mean to our systems if that changed? When would (and when should) our legal system begin to recognize the rights of non-human intelligence? What would that change for humans, and for other intelligent beings? This episode was recorded during our live event in November of 2023, and is a part of …
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The Ethics of Machine Learning
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Machine learning holds great potential - but also comes with some significant ethical challenges. Listen to experts discuss the technology, and the ethical concerns it creates. This episode was recorded during our live event in November of 2023, and is a part of our series on the Humanities of Artificial Intelligence. This series was awarded an Act…
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AI has been the subject of literature since William Grove’s novel The Wreck of the World in 1889, and in cinema since 1927’s Metropolis. Everyone alive has grown up with the idea of artificial intelligence - with those ideas having varying degrees of similarity to actual technology. Star Trek has contributed significantly to these fictional depicti…
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What are the first things we think about when someone says Artificial Intelligence? Many of us think of general AIs, like Data, Marvin, or the Cylons. Maybe we think about ChatGPT, Dall-E, or Midjourney. Do you think about Google Maps? How your characters move in a video game? What about the ranking algorithms of Netflix and YouTube? Chances are yo…
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Xenocosmetology and the Meaning of Life
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This interview is a two-fer, with both the FABULOUS Cosmetologist (and Starbase Indy regular) Moxie Ann Magnus, and the brilliance behind her, Brantley Moate. The conversation ranges from the Kobyashi Hairdo challenge Moxie passed to graduate from Starfleet Academy, to the nature of Captain Kirk's coiffure, to the purpose of joy and kindness in the…
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Dan McGlaun is an expert on eclipses, and he's working to get the state of Indiana ready for the total eclipse that will cross the state in 2024. We talk to Dan about the experience of viewing a total eclipse, the science behind eclipses, and why all eclipses are not created equal.Door Starbase Indy
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Envisioning Star Trek
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We have a special treat for our 50th episode - an interview with Emmy Award Winner Doug Drexler. Doug has been involved in Star Trek since TNG, in roles including makeup, visual effects, conceptual design, and more - having a major effect on the look and feel of the Star Trek many of us grew up with. Hear him talk about his career and about the spe…
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Inspiring the Future by Preserving the Past
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Max Kaiserman is the founder of Luna Replicas and a managing Member of the AstroVette Endeavour organization. Listen to him talk about the decisions required when dealing with a historic automobile (owned by an astronaut), creating accurate replicas of apparel and flight gear from America's early space program, and how his love of Star Trek fits in…
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Listen as the cast of the Starship Tempest talks about their show, and the Star Trek universe in which it exists.Door Starbase Indy
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Star Trek Science Advisor Dr. Erin Macdonald talks about how Star Trek has influenced her career, and how that that career is continuing to evolve.Door Starbase Indy
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AI and the Search for Truth
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Dr. JamesMcGrath joins us to talk about the real AI that's been in the news so much lately, and how it compares to the fictional AI we see in Star Trek and other Science Fiction.Door Starbase Indy
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The Realities of Human Space Flight
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Thomas Rathjen claims to like this planet just fine - even though he's spent his whole career working to get us off of it and into space. In this interview we talk about how long we've had humans in space, what they do there, and what we can hope for from the Artemis program and other programs working on getting us to the stars.…
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Episode 43: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
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In this episode, made possible by the Indiana Gig Grant funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Mary Chieffo, Madi Goff, and Brantley Moate talk about the impact of their identities on their careers in creative fields. This episode was recorded live at Starbase Indy 2023.Door Starbase Indy
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"Spirited debate is the love language of the Star Trek fan." - Aaron Waltke Aaron and Demetrius Witherspoon talk about the process of writing for animated and comic book worlds. This episode was recorded live at Starbase Indy 2022.Door Starbase Indy
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Bringing Klingon to the Small Screen
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Recorded Live at Starbase Indy 2022, Mary Chieffo (L'Rell) and Jen Usellis (jenBom) talk about their experiences bringing Klingon to the small screen (and the music stage).Door Starbase Indy
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The Future of Human Space Flight
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Dr. Barrett Caldwell and Thomas Rathjen, both multi-decade veterans of the effort to get somebody off the planet awhile, talk about the challenges and state of human space flight today. They talk about the why, the how, and the perhaps surprising value proposition of space travel in this episode, recorded live at Starbase Indy 2022.…
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In this episode of the podcast, recorded LIVE at Starbase Indy 2022, longtime volunteer Todd Wiley joins with Marianne Halbert, JD, from NAMI to talk about common mental illnesses and how to manage them at and away from conventions.Door Starbase Indy
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Recorded live at Starbase Indy 2022, this episode speaks on how we can make the world a better place.Door Starbase Indy
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Creating Aliens on Screen
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This is the first episode recorded LIVE at Starbase Indy 2022. Bill Blair and Sandy Gimpel talk about their careers creating aliens and stunts on the screen.Door Starbase Indy
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Local game designer John Kennedy talks about the process of bringing the world of Star Trek into tabletop gaming.Door Starbase Indy
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Father of Klingons part 2
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In this continuation of the conversation with Marc Okrand, we talk about the difference between linguistics and fluency, and what has made Klingon one of the most successful constructed languages on the planet.Door Starbase Indy
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Father of Klingons part 1
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In this episode, we talk about how closed captioning for the Oscars was related to the creation of the Klingon language. Listen to Marc Okrand talk about the way he became involved, and some of the decisions he made in designing the language.Door Starbase Indy
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Rue Sparks is a writer, artist, and poet. She's also a queer, disabled widow. We talk about how these aspects of her identity affect her work and her creativity.Door Starbase Indy
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Shannon Fauver's interest in Star Trek had drawn her to work that helps people - first in the Peace Corps and later law school and practice. She filed one of four cases that, lumped in with Obergefell, went to the Supreme Court to codify marriage rights regardless of sexual orientation. She's spoken at Starbase Indy and other conventions about whet…
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Rufus Cochran is the cofounder of Indiana Sciences, a long-time speaker at Starbase Indy, and was recently recognized as Volunteer of the Year by Central Indiana United Way. We talk about the realities of data science and AI, and about the joy of a good Twitter beef. Join us for this fun conversation.…
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Gavin Smith makes funny books - though I'm not sure how funny the Mirror Universe of Star Trek is supposed to be? But that's neither here nor there. Gavin has been creating comic books for years, and talks to us about his process and how to create dynamic stories in a static medium.Door Starbase Indy
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Experiencing the Experiential Gamer
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David Welch is the founder of the Experiential Gamer and PopUp Escape Rooms. He brings his events to conventions (He'll be running the Secret Aboard Starship Astraeus at Starbase Indy in November). We talk about his philosophy of game design, and how an experience room is different than an escape room.…
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Carl Taliaferro talks about his career as a makeup artist. Hear him discuss the biggest misconceptions about prosthetics makeup, the disadvantages of late night shoots, and what it takes to make a good makeup artist.Door Starbase Indy
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Shannon Eichorn is a scientist and a science fiction writer who has been writing about body snatching aliens since 8th grade. She talks about her work on Project Black Book, and about the engineers who have inspired her work and her lifeDoor Starbase Indy
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Larry Nemecek is the biggest Star Trek fan in the universe - having written books like the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion and Star Trek: Stellar Cartography. He got his start decades ago, and has interviewed more than 500 people about their involvement in Star Trek. Along the way, he's worked on fan films and his own documentary, as well …
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Paul Allor was just announced as the winner of the 2022 Indiana Author Award in the Genre category for Hollow Heart, his independent comic. His history with comics includes highly recognizable universes like Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI Joe, Samurai Jack and many others. We talk about his writing process, what people get wrong in the…
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Award-winning filmmaker Demetrius Witherspoon created the Submerge Universe, which includes not only live action movies, animated movies, comic books, novels, and a wide variety of merchandise. We talk about what he likes about creating across such a wide spectrum of possibilities, and how he got his start in filmmaking.…
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Learning about Alternative Realities
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Travis Faas teaches interactive media experience design. His interests include not only a variety of alternative realities (Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality), but also in how people learn to create and design in those spaces.Door Starbase Indy
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Vendor Spotlight: Author ES Fein
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Author ES Fein is making his first appearance in the Starbase Indy vendor room this year. He's lived and worked around the world, using those experiences to inform his science and speculative fiction.Door Starbase Indy
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Our guest Austin Owens describes maker spaces as "community gardens for your mind." He should know, he's been involved with local maker space Cyberia for 12 years, and leading it as its president for the past half decade. Austin is studying engineering at IUPUI, and we talk a bit about his research project on the strongest infill for 3D printing (i…
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Liz Bolger loves her job, teaching science to kids. She talks about how she got started, how she engages her audience, and gives advice for parents on how they can get their kids engaged in exploring the worlds around them.Door Starbase Indy
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Humanities and Aeronautics
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Dr. Barrett Caldwell is a professor of Industrial Engineering with a courtesy appointment in Aeronautics at Purdue University (which has graduated more astronauts than any other public university in the country). He directs the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, and has worked on human factors engineering with NASA. We talk about how the humanities af…
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Matthew Barron has been a speaker and attendee at Starbase Indy for years. He's also an author of books, creator of graphic novels, playwright, and moviemaker. In addition to all of this, he works in the sciences. We talk about the joys of conventions, the practical realities of a career in the sciences, and the dreams of the human digestive tract.…
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Vendor Spotlight - Baby Boomer Rebellion
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This week’s podcast features one of our returning vendors, Baby Boomer Rebellion. Jeff Bruce has been working conventions for decades, and so in addition to talking about what he brings to our vendor room, we’ll also chat some on his experience with conventions and the changes he’s seen over the years.…
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This week on the Starbase Indy Podcast we talk with longtime Starbase Indy speaker Dr. Colin McKinney. Dr. McKinney is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Wabash College. The conversation ranges from how math is a language (with mild spoilers for Discover Season 4) to how the movies get math and robotics right and (and wro…
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The Philosophy of Star Trek
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For many years, Starbase saturday morning at 10am meant the Philosophy of Star Trek panel was going on with Dr. Jason Eberle. This week we get Dr. Eberle back to Starbase Indy through the podcast. We talk about medical ethics, the nature of humanity and the philosophy of transhumanism, and what makes Star Trek unique, philosophically. Be warned - t…
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Actor Bill Blair, holds the Guiness Book of world record for most special effects makeup characters portrayed in the career. Hear him talk about how he puts together an alien performance to bring the worlds we love to life, and hear some of his behind scenes stories. Bill also wrote a book on how to achieve success in show business, and we talk abo…
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More than 200 people came to hear Thomas Rathjen when he talked about human space flight at Mission Chicago. Come hear about what it’s like to work for NASA, and about what he sees in the future of human space flight. His 30 years included everything from designing the galley of the space shuttle to his current work on programmatic and strategic in…
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