This Planet Needs a Name (Evan Tess Murray & Trace Callahan)
Explore every episode of This Planet Needs a Name
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Dec 2019 | Bonus: Meet Corenna Zeigen | 00:03:15 | |
While we work on our full-length episodes, we've pulled together a few things you might enjoy! Here, Zei answers a questionnaire as part of her job interview to head toward the nameless planet. | |||
| 12 Dec 2019 | Bonus: Meet Izley Kolian | 00:02:08 | |
While we work on our full-length episodes, we've pulled together a few things you might enjoy! Here, Kolian answers a questionnaire as part of their job interview to head toward the nameless planet. | |||
| 08 Dec 2019 | 1.00 Prologue: The Nameless Crew | 00:35:31 | |
New listeners, start here! We've cut together all four prologue mini-episodes; this is a chance for you to get to know the landing crew before they touch down in Episode One. This episode's script is available for those who find a transcript helpful. | |||
| 18 Dec 2019 | Bonus: Meet Cyrus Castillo Rodríguez | 00:01:30 | |
While we work on our full-length episodes, we've pulled together a few things you might enjoy! Here, Cyrus answers a questionnaire as part of his job interview to head toward the nameless planet. | |||
| 05 Jan 2020 | Bonus: Meet Zahava Silberberg | 00:02:28 | |
Our first full-length episode is so close to done we can just about taste it, and in the meantime we've pulled together a few things you might enjoy! Here, Zahava answers a questionnaire as part of her job interview to head toward the nameless planet. | |||
| 10 Jan 2020 | 1.01 When the Gravity is Real | 00:43:53 | |
In Episode One, "When the Gravity is Real," Quill and Zei touch down on the ground, joining Zahava, Cyrus, and James on the planet. Kolian and Mandry watch from above while we discover whether or not anyone is allergic to the air (were we worried about that?). Plants may be planted; power generated; and as always, there will be cheese. But the planet still has secrets for our brave terraformers to discover. The transcript is available. The showrunner and lead writer for this project is Evan Tess Murray. The sound designer, audio engineer, and composer is Trace Callahan. Sounds and music are her original creations. Presenting the Nameless Crew
They're also just a ton of fun to hang out with. Our corner of the internet is very friendly, and you're welcome to come say hello. We'd also love you to join the Ground Crew by supporting us on Patreon, if you can. This story is being told by people in various parts of the world. Every episode, we'll give a bit of space in the shownotes to an effort by indigenous people that could use some support. Our creator is from the Dawnlands, the ancestral and current home of the peoples of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Please check out - and support - Nibezun. A great deal of this episode was written and edited at Candy’s, an LGBTQ+ community space in Portland, Maine. Check them out at http://candyslovesyou.space. And finally, our hearts go out to our Australian friends and family. Please help if you can - one suggestion is to donate to the Australian Red Cross. In addition, a member of our podfamily has family that have lost their home to the fires - you can help them out here. Keep breathing, Australia. We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one. | |||
| 19 Jan 2020 | Quick Announcement: The Nameless Songs | 00:01:04 | |
Hi everyone! This is Evan, here to make a quick announcement. We know a lot of you love the music Trace creates for our episodes. Well, as of today, you can own that music! She’s made several parts of the score for everything we’ve released so far into full pieces, and they’re available as the first installment of The Nameless Songs collection. The Nameless Songs: Landing is available to all our patrons at the $3 tier or higher, or you can buy it for a few dollars on Trace’s bandcamp page. To get this and all our future releases, and generally support the show, join the Ground Crew at patreon.com/needsaname. To check out the songs, go to tracecallahan.bandcamp.com. That’s Trace as in with a pencil, Callahan as in the pretty common Irish last name, at bandcamp.com | |||
| 28 Jan 2020 | Bonus: Meet Mandry Cyr | 00:02:51 | |
Now that our first episode is live, we're working on the second one - and the third! And in the meantime, we have a few more of these bonuses for you. Here, Mandry answers a questionnaire as part of his job interview to head toward the nameless planet. | |||
| 06 Feb 2020 | Bonus: Meet James O'Dowd | 00:03:14 | |
Now that our first episode is live, we're working on the second one - and the third! And in the meantime, we have a few more of these bonuses for you. Here, James answers a questionnaire as part of his job interview to head toward the nameless planet. Warning: James is fond of some words sometimes considered taboo. If you don't want to hear a bit of gentle cursing, give this one a miss. | |||
| 18 Feb 2020 | 1.02 Access to the Biological Specimens | 00:45:24 | |
In Episode Two, “Access to the Biological Specimens,” Zahava and Zei head out for a day at the beach, and James investigates the local wildlife. Mandry comes downstairs for a visit; we find out who can bake, who can braid, and what those black seas look like up close. Calendars are invented; wildlife encountered; Saccharomyces Cerevisiae rehydrated. Content Note: this episode is free from sensitive content other than some mild swearing, still mainly but not entirely James. This is a collaborative ensemble project. Many of the character decisions are made by the actors as part of the story and script development process. Please check out the links below for more of their work:
They're also just a ton of fun to hang out with. Our corner of the internet is very friendly, and you're welcome to come say hello. We'd also love you to join the Ground Crew by supporting us on Patreon, if you can. This story is being told by people in various parts of the world. Every episode, we'll give a bit of space in the shownotes to an effort by indigenous people that could use some support. Inspired by Endymion's connection to the Guanches, we decided to ask you to support Native Land, a community mapping project to help us all understand the people who have gone before us. A great deal of this episode was written and edited at Candy’s, an LGBTQ+ community space in Portland, Maine. Check them out at http://candyslovesyou.space. | |||
| 14 Mar 2020 | A Message of Hope | 00:02:51 | |
Hey everyone. This isn't a bonus episode, not really. It's a note from the Nameless Crew to everyone out there listening, because we're thinking of you, and there are a few things we want to say. People are frightened right now. We're facing uncertainty at best. People in some parts of the world are dealing with grief and loss. Many of us are afraid and alone. And we, here, happen to be telling a story of hope in a hard world - it's what we very deliberately do. And now we're hearing that some of you are finding solace in these people we've created and their stories. We want to give you a little more than fiction. All we have are words, so we're going to try to find some good ones. But we aren't going to offer you empty promises that everything will be all right. You'd know they were meaningless. We don't know any more than you do. Instead, what we have to offer is this: please, in this uncertain time, when things are hard, look out for each other. Look after yourself. Let yourself be afraid, and know that even in hard times, moments of joy matter. We, every one of us, contain multitudes - we can find beauty in between our fears. We can look hard at the things we cannot control, and still create art that connects us to each other and the world. We can struggle to trust that the future has meaning, but choose to act as though our choices matter. We can let ourselves be human and fallible, and also the best of what humanity is - a clever, creative, social ape that has invented stories. We are the animal that makes meaning. We do it urgently; we need our stories the way we need air to breathe, the way the touch of a gentle hand reminds us we're alive, the way we let ourselves sleep at night, trusting that the morning will come. We can be fierce in our defiance of despair. We can let ourselves cry when we need to cry, and we can still choose, again and again, to hope. That's what we have to give you, right now. From the Nameless Crew to all of you: please, if you can, choose kindness, love, art, beauty, joy, wonder. Please, if you can, choose hope. -with much love, from Alex, Caro, Endy, Evan, Nerys, Sawyer, Trace, and Trevor | |||
| 14 Mar 2020 | Bonus: Meet Quill Clements | 00:03:25 | |
Our third episode is deep in production, the fourth is being written... in the meantime, here's the final crew interview, and we think it's been well worth waiting for. Quill, everyone's favorite soft flower boi, answers questions as part of his interview for this job. Ever wonder what would send our agricultural specialist on a one-way mission to the stars? | |||
| 18 Mar 2020 | Bonus: Unimaginable Animals | 00:02:43 | |
You asked, and she delivered! Trace Callahan, as Kolian, singing the full version of their song from the prologue. This was entirely Trace's work - lyrics, music, sound design, performance, engineering, all of it. Lyrics below! | |||
| 22 Mar 2020 | 1.03 A Many-Splendored Thing | 00:56:42 | |
In Episode Three, “A Many-Splendored Thing,” we meet the Design Team, who are finally awake and learning what they’ve gotten themselves into; Cyrus requires James’s assistance with a science project; and Quill heads upstairs to check on the algae vats and for, obviously, absolutely no other reason involving Mandry at all. We learn more about Mandry, the relationship between Kolian and Zei, and what Zahava really feels about all of them. Content Note: this episode includes a discussion of an emotionally abusive relationship from the perspective of a survivor [40:35 - 42:19]. It also mentions a pandemic in the context of in-universe fiction [33:20 - 34:15]. And, as always, there is some swearing. A lot of it really. This is a collaborative, ensemble project. Many of the character decisions are made by the actors as part of the story and script development process. Please check out the links below for more of their work:
And introducing Nerys Howell, currently voicing Nessa the Doctor Detective. The promo at the end of this episode is for With Caulk and Candles, a delightful show we hope you’ll check out. Our podcast art was created by Katy Schifferer. Check out her work! A great deal of this episode was written and edited at Candy’s, an LGBTQ+ community space in Portland, Maine. Check them out at http://candyslovesyou.space. Candy’s is closed due to the state of emergency and may struggle to re-open; they could use help right now. We found a delightful new book by a queer and trans author - check out FINNA by Nino Cipri! They also have a short story collection out. You can buy their work through bookshop.org, which benefits local bookshops! It's a bit tricky to just go pick it up in person right now, after all. Or, if you want the ebook, check out this page from the publisher. Please also support Indigenous Climate Action, if you can. http://indigenousclimateaction.org We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one. | |||
| 25 Apr 2020 | Bonus: Creator Chat! Presenting "Awake," a new original song by Trace Callahan | 00:25:58 | |
Sometimes our conversations about our art turn into different kinds of art. To skip ahead to the song, go to [21:42]. Otherwise, tune in to hear Trace and Evan talk about the process that led to this piece of music. Ever wonder what this creative partnership looks like? We're here to show you. | |||
| 01 May 2020 | Bonus: Kolian Stories - 1 - The Earth Sighed | 00:04:09 | |
One of our favorite things about the Nameless Crew is that all of us contribute to this project in many ways - beyond what you hear when you listen to an episode. This ranges from people having input into character decisions to the wholesale creation of spinoff content. | |||
| 06 Jul 2020 | 1.04 Nature's Social Union | 01:00:33 | |
In Episode Four, “Nature’s Social Union,” we finally have the meeting Zahava’s been talking about, to determine the fate of the unnamed planet. James and his slitherfluff friend watch Clinical Trials, many people go for walks in the rain, and we learn a whole lot about the mission. You know. The mission. Saving humanity. Content Notes: this is a heavy one. As always, none of this is gratuitous or described in detail. (There’s more swearing than usual as well.)
The transcript is available. If the transcript link is broken please email needsanamepod@gmail.com and we’ll get it to you as soon as we can. This is a collaborative, ensemble project. Many of the character decisions are made by the actors as part of the story and script development process. Please check out the links below for more of their work:
The poem at the end of this episode is “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. It seemed extremely fitting. Alexander Doddy gave us his best Scots when he read it. You can find many excellent renditions, including translations, on youtube. Our podcast art was created by Katy Schifferer. Check out her work! Please, if you can, donate to the Lakota People’s Law Project at http://lakotalaw.org. And please also continue to support Black Lives Matter in whatever way you can. We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one. | |||
| 19 Jul 2020 | Bonus: Zahava's Matzah Balls | 00:01:30 | |
You asked for it! The first in what may well be a series of recipes from the Nameless Crew. | |||
| 01 Aug 2020 | Bonus: James Makes Yorkshire Puddings | 00:01:41 | |
James puts his personal spin on explaining the delightful little things that are Yorkshire puddings. | |||
| 08 Nov 2020 | Bonus: James Explains Brewing | 00:01:16 | |
We're deep in production of our next full episode - in the meantime, just so you know we're still here, James has given you his recipe for brewing a decent beer. Well, I say recipe. Really it's sketchy at best, as beer's all in the technique anyway. | |||
| 03 Jan 2021 | 1.05 Recklessly and Perfectly Alive | 01:00:22 | |
In Episode Five, “Recklessly and Perfectly Alive,” we get to explore a forest at long, long last. The crew attempt to learn James’s favorite sport, with minimal success. Conflicts are resolved, new surprises are encountered, and quite a lot of hairs are cut. This one’s sweet! Content Notes: very few this time! As usual a few people swear. This is a collaborative, ensemble project. Many of the character decisions are made by the actors as part of the story and script development process. Please check out the links below for more of their work:
Our guest voice this episode was provided by Mythical Rose. They’re a talented cosplayer - check out their tiktok - and a delight to work with. Our podcast art was created by Katy Schifferer. Check out her work! Please, if you can, donate to First Nations covid relief at firstnations.org. And please also continue to support Black Lives Matter in whatever way you can. We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one. | |||
| 26 Sep 2021 | On Earth: Zahava | 00:22:45 | |
In this prequel episode, “On Earth: Zahava,” we get a glimpse of Zahava's life long before she assembled the Nameless Crew. Content Notes: none. This episode, the first in its series, was written and directed by Evan Tess Murray. Original composition, sound design, and audio engineering were by Trace Callahan. We're also excited to welcome two guest voices into the crew for this episode! Check out the links for more of their work:
Our podcast art was created by Katy Schifferer. Check out her work! Please, if you can, donate to Wabanaki Reach at mainewabanakireach.org. We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one. | |||
| 28 Nov 2021 | 1.06: Until We've Discovered Joy | 01:00:18 | |
In Episode Six, “Until We’ve Discovered Joy,” we look in on each of the Nameless Crew now that they’ve settled into their lives planetside. Zei deals with the aftermath of her frightening encounter with the native lifeforms and James has a small personal revelation. Lunch is eaten. Some questions are finally answered. Content Notes: As always, a few people swear. There are kissing sounds briefly (see the transcript for details). This is a collaborative, ensemble project. Many of the character decisions are made by the actors as part of the story and script development process. Please check out their work:
This episode also introduced Brigitte Paulus, the final member of the Nameless Cast, who has been waiting in the wings until now. Brigitte is a dancer, choreographer, and all-around delightful person who has been stepping into voice acting. She's also a founding member of Vivid Motion, a dance company in Portland, Maine that opens dance performance to anyone. Check them out at vividmotion.org. You can learn more about Wabanaki sovereignty at https://www.lwvme.org/Wabanaki. We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one. | |||