The latest episode of The Science Faction spirals from Star Wars spoilers and obsolete gaming hardware to AI-powered paper interfaces, billionaire airline schemes, and a surprisingly heartfelt sci-fi short story discussion. Also: Devon’s mom makes a guest appearance.
Real Life
Steven kicks things off with the finale of Maul: Shadow Lord, which somehow managed to exceed expectations and leave him wanting even more animated Star Wars content. That naturally led into random Star Wars news, toy leaks, and the growing suspicion that The Mandalorian and Grogu may already be accidentally spoiling itself through merchandise. Nothing says “carefully guarded cinematic surprise” like a plastic action figure showing up six months early.
Ben dives deep into the glory of the New Steam Controller — the strange, awkward, beloved device whose first version maybe arrived too early for the world to appreciate. Thumbpads, gyroscopes, weird ergonomics, customization rabbit holes… the gang discusses why the controller still has devoted fans years later, and why scalpers continue to treat new tech like buried treasure.
That somehow mutates into a discussion about AI infrastructure and whether we’re entering a full-blown “Rampocalypse.” Is AI consuming all available RAM on Earth? Why do hardware prices keep fluctuating like cursed crypto charts? Nobody has all the answers, but everyone agrees the future smells faintly of overheated GPUs.
Ben also brings up the world of HFY (“Humans Eff Yeah”) sci-fi stories — tales where humanity survives, thrives, or weaponizes sheer stubbornness against impossible odds. If you’ve ever wanted science fiction powered by caffeine, duct tape, and irrational confidence, HFY may be your genre.
Meanwhile, Devon’s mom came to visit. Hi mom!
Steven also revisits Cyberpunk: Combat Zone from Monster Fight Club:
https://monsterfightclub.com/collections/cyberpunk-red-combat-zone
The crew talks miniatures, skirmish combat, and the appeal of tactical cyberpunk warfare. This naturally evolves into a completely different question: how does Hackers still have such a low Rotten Tomatoes score? Some crimes cannot be forgiven.
Future or Now
Steven and Devon discover the incredible website:
The dream? Take ownership away from billionaires and let the people run an airline. The concerns? Literally everything else. Devon immediately begins asking practical questions like: “What happens if people pledge money and then don’t pay?” This turns into an unexpectedly entertaining conversation about collective ownership, internet chaos, and the terrifying logistics of buying an airline like it’s a Kickstarter for a board game.
Ben brings in a fascinating essay by James Somers:
Somers proposes the idea of a “paper computer,” where AI bridges the gap between tactile physical objects and digital systems. Instead of staring at glowing rectangles all day, users could interact with notebooks, index cards, sketches, and handwritten notes while AI quietly handles transcription, synchronization, and organization in the background.
The discussion drifts into concepts similar to Dynamicland — a future where computing becomes ambient, physical, and less psychologically exhausting. Less clicking. More touching grass. Possibly literally.
Book Club (~20 min)
This Week:
Saint Zero of the Hollows and the Eagle Knight by V. M. Ayala
“The only sound Zero heard in their helmet was their own hyperventilating and the gentle pings from their pegasus.”
The crew unanimously loved this one.
The story blends sci-fi, mysticism, military imagery, and desperate emotional momentum into something that strongly reminded everyone of Red Rising. Giant-scale emotional stakes, rigid systems, brutal conflict, and characters struggling under impossible expectations — it hit a lot of the same notes in the best way.
That comparison leads naturally into discussion of The Will of the Many, which Devon recently listened to during a road trip. The gang talks about recurring themes in modern science fiction: empire, hierarchy, sacrifice, rebellion, and the terrifying pressure of being “special” in worlds designed to consume people.
This week’s story earned a rare unanimous recommendation from the hosts.
Next Week:
Update on Rules for the Spatiotemporal Use of Campus Spaces by Andrea Kriz
“Dear Members of the Community,
As we begin yet another fall semester in the throes of the rogue timestream unleashed on our campus…”
Time distortions. Academic bureaucracy. Campus memos. Reality collapsing under administrative language.
This already feels extremely promising.
Whether it’s crowdfunded airlines, AI-powered paper notebooks, ancient Sith conspiracies, or sci-fi knights hyperventilating on robotic pegasi, this episode somehow manages to connect all of it into one giant conversation about technology, humanity, and the weird systems we build around ourselves. It’s one of those episodes where the tangents get dangerously powerful, the recommendations stack up fast, and everyone leaves wanting to immediately consume more science fiction.
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Thanks for listening, and remember: if the internet successfully crowdfunds an airline before affordable housing, we may already be living in cyberpunk.
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