Science Faction Podcast

This week’s episode covers everything from Metallica rumors to vehicular combat nostalgia, with some Star Trek overload and a short story about ants the size of Buicks. Real Life First off: is Metallica doing a farewell tour? Nope. Despite the headlines , it’s not the end. Devon’s floating the idea of a Metallica Vegas residency though—because nothing says “hard rock” like the Strip buffet scene. Speaking of trips, Devon cruised back to Cozumel and reported in with the most lukewarm Superman review ever: “It was okay.” Much more enthusiasm went to Twisted Metal, which Devon swears is actually good TV. Ben’s week was a mash-up of retro and weird: revisiting the vehicular combat classic Vigilante 8 (alternate 1975, naturally) and driving headlong into Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom—a game best described as Super Mario 64 colliding with Crazy Taxi in an alleyway. Steven had a great run in Shatterpoint, squaring off against Greg. Steven fielded Lord Maul and Count Dooku, Greg ran the entire Rogue One crew, and fun was h

This week’s episode was a ride through everything from neighborhood drama to yogurt overlords, with plenty of science and sci-fi sprinkled along the way.   Real Life  Ben kicked things off with Five Nights at Freddy’s—because apparently, jump scares are just how he likes to unwind. From there, he veered into a wild story involving a crossing guard, a flag man, and threats from a community member that had us questioning if this was real life or the start of a low-budget thriller. Devon had politics on his mind (as he often does), and let’s just say it was… cathartic. Steven closed his section with a review of Mickey 17 (yes, the Bong Joon-ho movie starring Robert Pattinson), finally finishing Rick & Morty, and then going deep into the concept of an Alien Earth. Meanwhile, Ben reminded everyone to get your COVID booster while you still can. His advice? If you need to, just say you have asthma. “Who’s gonna check?” he asked. (Don’t tempt fate, Ben.)   Future or Now  Ben brought us back to his favorite corner

Real Life This week’s episode is stacked—like a plate at Boar & Barley (Ben barely survived, oh God). Speaking of Milwaukee, Devon had some things to say, and Steven dove into Rick and Morty season 8 on HBO—has the quality shifted? Plus, Marvel’s Thunderbolts snuck its way into the convo. Future or Now  Devon brought us back to the Bob-verse world with Dennis E. Taylor’s Flybot. He called it “enjoyable” (which is Devon for a glowing review). Near-future tech, asteroid mining, eco-terrorists, and a scrappy AI robot pieced together from spare parts—this one’s a cozy puzzle-box of sci-fi. We also asked: is this “Casual Sci-Fi”? “Cozy Sci-Fi”? Someone trademark that. Ben, meanwhile, shouted “Star Trek? Hell yeah, brother” and broke down Noah Hawley’s almost-made Star Trek film that would’ve tied directly into The Next Generation. Read more here. Steven brought his A-game with Alien: Earth episode 5—he swears it’s the best Alien movie in a long time. High praise. Book Club  Patron Renee joined us! She told us

This week’s episode had a slightly different vibe—Ben was buried under a mountain of work, so he wasn’t able to make it. But don’t worry, Steven and Devon had plenty to talk about. Real Life Devon’s mom was visiting, and he took a trip out to Milwaukee for baseball. Turns out the city is super clean… but also a little seedy after dark. Naturally, breweries came up (because it’s Milwaukee), and he hit up Broken Bat Brewery—complete with darts, wiffle ball, and the echo of a chant we kept repeating: Miller Miller! Meanwhile, Steven went full hobby mode. He finished painting Anakin, played Shatterpoint with Greg, and even reconnected with an old friend. On top of that, we dove into Alien: Earth with a quick mini recap and review. What Devon’s Watching & Reading Devon’s keeping up with Foundation season 3, which is still going strong with some big, interesting ideas. He also talked about The Battle for the Big Bang—sadly not available on audio—and continued his personal project of reading through the Bible. H

California, what are you doing? Rain in the summer? Hail in Tahoe? Absolute chaos. At least Steven’s chickens are thriving in this strange new climate—they’ve started laying eggs. A LOT of eggs. So many, in fact, that we’re considering a new Patreon tier: Egg Delivery from Steven. Fresh, farm-to-door… assuming you live close enough for him to walk them over. Gaming Corner: From Voyager to Vaults Ben dove deep into nostalgia this week with a first look at the Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown game. It’s got exploration, it’s got starships, it’s got Janeway energy. Check it out for yourself: ▶ Trailer

Real Life  Devon has been knee-deep in yard work, prepping and installing artificial grass and fixing up fences. But the real highlight was his trip to Milwaukee for some baseball—and of course, some Alice Cooper trivia because apparently Milwaukee and Alice Cooper are forever linked thanks to Wayne’s World. Ben gave us an update on Orion. He’s starting to lose his appetite, which is always tough. What do you do when your dog doesn’t want to eat? It’s something a lot of pet owners face, and Ben’s in the thick of it. On a lighter note, he’s been living in a world of Clue. Playing the board game, rewatching Clue: The Movie, and even checking out Cal Poly’s recent stage production where the ending changes each night depending on which solution the cast performs. (Yes, that’s as fun as it sounds)—here’s a behind-the-scenes look Steven has been getting some gaming in. He had a Shatterpoint rematch with Christina’s husband—this time Steven lost, but it was extremely close. He also got to dive into This Is Not A Tes

Real Life  Ben’s having a bit of an “old man yells at cloud” week. Everything is changing, young people adapt, old people stretch (sometimes), and Orion—our good doggo—is in late-stage kidney failure. Can the universe just… not for five minutes? Steven is counting the days until school starts again. When does he get his elusive “me time”? Devon? Out in the yard, living the Yard Work Man life, which means he’s off the show this week. The Domingues household is fully embracing lazy summer mode. Ben’s been watching K-Pop Demon Hunters—thanks to field-adjacent reporter Matt. It’s PG, but is it okay for kids who are spooky-sensitive? Think “My Little Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Speaking of Buffy—she’s coming back, baby. The new Slayer? She was in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Ben wonders: how old was she when they filmed this? Because slayers start at 18, right? Just because it dropped this year doesn’t mean it wasn’t filmed in the Before Times™. Steven’s deep in Star Wars: ShatterPoint. Played Christina’s husband agai

Real Life Devon Gone again, off doing what families do. Probably eating responsibly and not playing Magic with middle schoolers. We’ll get a full download when he returns from the wilds of familial bonding. Steven Steven melted in Palm Springs last weekend. Like, cartoon puddle of clothes and glasses melted. It hit 112°F, and not in the fun "desert dry heat" way—it was more like a hairdryer set to regret. But he survived the heat and a surprise 65th birthday party for his mother-in-law. (Note: surprise party for a 65-year-old in 112-degree weather? Bold.) To escape the heat and socializing, Steven brought along Timeline by Michael Crichton, tore through the whole thing, and now he won’t stop recommending it. According to him, it’s “a pleasant, rollicking adventure of death and destruction in the Middle Ages.” Classic beach read, if your beach has trebuchets. Ben Ben relived his childhood glory this week by annihilating two 12-year-olds at Magic: The Gathering. Old deck, newer rules, zero mercy. He’s still bas

Real Life Ben spent the week playing nurse, but at least it was a summer cold—infinitely easier than juggling tissues and PTO requests during the school year. The only upside to a sick kid when the sun’s out? More cartoons, fewer emails. Hearing Ben wiping noses and handing out popsicles, Steven got nostalgic about Scrubs. Remember Scrubs? Wholesome chaos. Heartfelt weirdness. Probably due for a chaotic Gen Z reboot starring TikTok doctors and JD’s ghost AI. Devon was out of town. No details, just gone. Like a Vulcan on shore leave or a cowboy riding off into a logical sunset. We assume he’s fine. Or at least reading a very dense novel. Steven went full social butterfly with a jam-packed weekend featuring a wedding and a birthday party. Somehow in between the formal wear and paper plates, he managed to catch Fantastic Four: First Steps. And? He says it’s the best Fantastic Four movie he’s ever seen. Not necessarily the best Marvel movie, but undeniably its own thing: scientists-turned-superheroes faced with a

Real Life Ben showed up with a box of magic and a handful of links, and we spiraled from there. We started off with Piecepack, the infinitely expandable system of tile-based board games. If you haven’t seen it, The Infinite Board Game is a great intro — it comes with a full Piecepack set and over 50 games:

Real Life This week, Steven finally found a superhero movie that didn’t make him want to throw his popcorn at the screen. Superman (2025) has arrived, and according to him, it’s the best take we’ve had on the character in years. No origin story nonsense, just straight into Supes doing good and being good. James Gunn gets it—Superman is an immigrant, a boy scout, and a damn firefighter (not a cop). The moral core is there, the cape looks good, and apparently, if you hate it, it’s because it’s “woke”? Whatever. Steven liked it. You probably will too. Meanwhile, Devon has been dodging storms, not floods. He lives far from the Texas chaos but has had his fair share of wet weekends. That hasn’t stopped him from grinding away at backyard renovations. Fake grass is coming soon. In the process, he’s tearing out ivy and ground brush—bad news for copperhead snakes, which are venomous, and good news for anyone walking around barefoot. Speaking of venom: Ben brings us the delightful fact that some birds are venomous. No,

Real Life Ben took a family trip down to San Diego just in time for the other fireworks night—turns out, there are often more fireworks on the 3rd of July than the 4th. Devon also caught a local 3rd-of-July fireworks show, which has started to feel like the real deal instead of just a warm-up. Ben: “More fireworks on the 3rd than the 4th, easily.” The trend continues. While Ben and Devon were oohing and aahing at sky explosions, Steven stayed home and got some solid mini painting in while the family was off in LA. No notes, just vibes. He and Ben also snuck in a round of Walkabout Minigolf on the Raptor Cliffs course—it's like someone built a coastal campground-theme park hybrid, then casually added actual dinosaurs. Possibly the greatest putt-putt theme of all time. Meanwhile, Ben’s been hooked on Watch Duty, an incredibly useful app that tracks wildfires and public safety alerts—especially important during peak summer heat. And no, Devon is nowhere near the Texas flooding that made national headlines on the

Real Life Ben Ben’s been quietly communing with the universe—and possibly with time travelers—through a book of accidental poetry called Adieu, Plane Snake. These are poems born from Wordle guesses, wrangled into a strangely beautiful collection. The result feels like overhearing wisdom whispered from another dimension... or from your roommate’s weird dreams. Ben recommends reading it with an open mind and maybe a cup of tea. Or a flux capacitor. Devon Devon had to Dad some emails this week—calmly but firmly correcting errors from people who apparently do not know how email works. He also saw Elio, Pixar’s newest mid-tier offering. While it didn’t break any new ground for him, the cloning subplot raised a few existential eyebrows, and might be intense for younger kids. It’s fine. Just... Pixar-fine. Steven Steven survived another summer birthday party. For those keeping score at home, that’s a fairy-themed, girls-only pizza party in the park, followed by public swim chaos. Summer birthdays always mean competi

Real Life This week, real life got weird, itchy, nostalgic, and just slightly chaotic. Ben celebrated a birthday by dragging his family through a hike in tick-infested grass. Friendly reminder: Don’t go into the long grass. We’ve seen Jurassic Park, we know how this ends. Devon may or may not be living in Foreverware straight out of Eerie, Indiana. Start checking those Tupperware lids, folks. Steven escaped a house overrun with cousins the only way he knows how: board game store therapy. Here’s what we’re playing: Burnout Paradise Remastered is only $5 on Steam right now and it still rules. Devon showed us how to pull off some in-game stunts. Sadly, not applicable to real life. Steven got cozy with Harmonies, a gorgeous little nature-builder where you balance habitats and critters. Ben brought in Infinite Board Game (Piecepack)—a modular system that spawned classics like Worm Derby and 9 Ball. Steven also shouted out Tak (playable with Piecepack!) and unboxed his shiny new copy of Slugblaster. Futur

Real Life Ben had a pretty heartfelt Father’s Day. The kind that makes you wonder what to do with all those sentimental cards—save them? Repurpose them? Wallpaper a studio? He’s thinking bigger: moleskin notebooks and sketchbooks as repositories for meaningful letters, doodles, and moments. He also caught You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at SLOREP, which delivered all the nostalgia and Peanuts poignancy one could hope for. Devon saw Annie live and reports back that yes, the sun did come out. Meanwhile, he was also boots-on-the-ground at the No Kings march in Tyler, TX, where roughly 1,000 freedom fans turned out to peacefully protest monarchy (fictional or otherwise). Steven joined a parallel No Kings march in Atascadero and followed it up with some Father’s Day chaos and a Mutant Crawl Classics game (ask him about severing arms for cybernetics). Also: he watched Predator: Killer of Killers on Hulu and is delighted to report that the 800 A.D. Vikings segment delivers exactly what the title promises—Vikings ve

This week, Steven, Ben, and Devon record remotely to avoid the usual chaos (rat wrestling included). From blacksmithing birthday gifts to questioning the ethics of breakfast, it's a classic episode full of heart, guilt, and sci-fi coziness. Real Life Devon’s work trip was mostly pointless, thanks to the other party being wildly unprepared. Meanwhile, Steven got new windows installed and watched Captain America: Brave New World in the middle of it all — his verdict: “fine,” which seems to be Marvel’s current default. He and Ben discuss Harrison Ford stepping in as Thunderbolt Ross, the return of The Leader and Red Hulk, and whether Marvel’s third-act fight addiction is dragging it all down. On the home front, Steven had an “intense Thursday” filled with gymnastics class, BBQs, and blacksmithing five custom hooks for his mom’s birthday. Ben went to the beach and made a solid case for awe — like ocean waves — as a cure for modern burnout. Oh, and Yellowcard is releasing a new album with Travis Barker o

Real Life Things kicked off with stories from Friday night’s bonfire, where the nature of reality was hotly debated between toasted marshmallows. That conversation somehow spiraled into a serious (and slightly absurd) discussion about Noodles and Soba—Ben’s son’s pet rats—and the potential benefits of getting female rats fixed. Apparently, doing so can add about a year to their lifespan by preventing reproductive cancers, but the surgery’s cost is a tough sell when you’re in what Ben called “debt paydown mode.” Devon floated the idea of unscrupulous “rat hustlers” faking the procedure, which—frankly—feels like a dark Netflix documentary waiting to happen. From there, it was a short hop to a conversation about whether rats lay eggs (they don’t), Jurassic Park’s “life finds a way,” and then straight into tearing apart Gremlins logic. What even is “midnight,” anyway? Local time? Greenwich Mean? Galactic zenith? And why are we trusting a kid instead of the old shopkeeper? Gremlins may now officially live in the “

Real Life Roundup  Let’s address the elephant not in the room: Devon is dead. Well, not dead-dead. Just birthday-visit-family-IRL-dead. We pour one out for our absent co-host, and prepare for his resurrection next week. Meanwhile, Steven has been watching robots get wild. The Wild Robot, that is. The new animated flick has dropped (IMDB link), and Steven's verdict is in: heartwarming vibes, metal clanking emotions, and just enough kid-friendly existentialism to make you question whether your Roomba has feelings. Also, did you know Black Adam shows up in DC League of Super Pets? Steven does. And he’s not okay about it. Then came Doom. And then came… more Doom. One minute Steven’s a casual fan, next he’s elbows-deep in lore breakdowns and watching two-hour YouTube essays on timeline chaos. Marines killing demons across dimensions? Say less. Just hand him the BFG and back away slowly. Oh—and he’s forging now. He didn’t elaborate. Just forging. Like, swords? Friendships? The future? Who knows. Steven contains mul

Real Life Devon [Redacted silence.] Possibly building up for a season finale of his own. Or meditating on NASA budget cuts. Either way—stoic. Steven We wrapped Andor, and while it stuck the landing, there’s still one huge question: Where are Hera, Chopper, and the Ghost crew?! Justice for space moms and droid chaos: #ReleaseAndorTheRebelsCut Also, Steven took us on a wild detour into Monopoly studies with college students—spoiler alert: inherited wealth makes people awful. Shocking, we know. Ben Fresh from science camp and rocking a healthy dose of jet lag, Ben managed to be late to his own poetry reading. But hey—archery, mountain biking, and night hikes do things to a man. Possibly became a druid out there. Future or Now Steven “Hand hand fingers thumb…” No, we didn’t start a toddler book club—Steven shared research that suggests chimpanzees drum with distinct rhythmic patterns depending on their subspecies. Which means your drummer friend? Maybe not that unique. The longest drum solo in history begins now

Real Life Devon went full medieval this week with a trip to a Renaissance Fair—this one featuring permanent structures that actually looked “authentic” instead of slapped together by ye olde hot glue. There were swinging rides, wooden horses, and some legit jousting. Unfortunately, the real fantasy was thinking the kids would have fun. Big downer energy. Steven is gearing up for an Arizona trip but had to make a sudden detour into Best Buy territory after his TV gave up the ghost. On the plus side, Andor continues to be amazing and makes up for any consumer electronics woes. (It really is still that good.) Ben has seen Labyrinth (have you?), and he's here for the dream logic and David Bowie’s entire vibe. Also thrown into the cinematic blender: The Island and Cliffhanger. We’re now seeking out more films where geological or man-made features are basically the co-stars. Let us know if you have one. Oh, and Ben also saw the Slate all-electric pickup truck, which looked like something out of Black Mirror. Meanwh