Episodes

It’s the FINAL episode of The Starlost! And . . . what a note to go out on. In other words: it’s bad. Ben is joined by Alexandra Gilchrist, author of Song of the Stars and Baptism by Fire to talk about the series finale and how it ends not on a note of finality, but more like the scene was cut off in the middle by the editor. LOOKS FOR JS EARLS’ WORK HERE: Alexandra Gilchrist on Substack Alexandra Gilchrist’s Website Continuing our counters . . . (not how many times we mention them, just IF t...

It’s another episode of The Starlost, and this time we are joined by comic book writer, musician, and podcaster J.S. Earls! “The Beehive” earned an apology from Ben to J.S. Earls because he felt bad about subjecting a friend to this atrocity of televisual terribleness. . . This episode is, possibly, one of the worst hours of television ever put to film or video or whatever they shot it on. In other words: it’s bad. In this episode we talk about: * Bees (no surprise) * Other insects (because ...

It’s another episode of The Starlost, and this time we are joined by SyFy tv movie writer and novelist Greg Mitchell! “Farthing’s Comet” is full of drama! (Difused drama, but still drama!) It’s full of action! (Poorly paced, but still action!) It’s full of music! (Inapropriately toned, but still music!) It’s full of outer space special effects! ( In this episode we talk about: * Land of the Lost * The Littlest Hobo (does Ben need to start a Littlest Hobo podcast?) * Of course, Star Trek and Do...

It’s the return of Walter Koenig! It’s the return of Oro! AND . . . it’s the return of Parker J. Cole!!! Our favorite historical romance writer is back to talk about the one true recurring character, Oro, AND the one character who wasn’t even needed in this episode and had us scratching our heads, Williams. In this episode we talk about: * Columbo * Shatner * Babylon 5 * Beachcombers * Robbie the Robot * The most unneeded, inconsequential supporting character ever!!! * “I want in!” . . . “Now,...

Join Ben Avery and guest host Rob Southgate as they explore an episode of The Starlost that starts out feeling par for The Starlost, takes a turn toward interesting, and then fumbles the ending in spectacular fashion! In this episode we talk about: * Lord of the Rings * Metropolis * Babylon 5 * J. Michael Straczynski * Harlon Ellison’s connection to JMS . . . and JMS’s connection to The Starlost? * The fascinating ending . . . Please support our guest by checking out his websites: * Instagram ...

Join Ben Avery and guest host Allan Reini as they talk about a terrible hour of television. Just awful. In this episode we talk about: * Ringo Starr * How Astro-Medics COULD be a better show * How this episode is the worst we’ve seen so far * It is. It really, really is . . . Please support our guest by going to their website: http://flightoftheangels.com https://www.facebook.com/FlightOfTheAngels Continuing our counters . . . (not how many times we mention them, just if they get mentioned in ...

Join Ben Avery and guest host John Harju as they talk about an hour of television that’s . . . actually not bad??? Social commentary and pathos and character development are actually present??? What’s this? In this episode we talk about: * Envoronmentalism * The Cold War * The Vietnam War * The benefits of a Ben Bova * Monty Python and the Holy Grail * And the littlest hobo . . . Please check out our guest host’s podcasts! You can find John Harju here: The Bottom Shelf: https://www.facebook.co...

Join Ben Avery and guest host Kerry Nietz, author of AMISH VAMPIRES IN SPACE, as they talk about a rogue computer that wants to use our trio of heroes to become a “real boy”. This unusual episode of THE STARLOST has some interesting ideas and some poor execution . . . which perhaps means it’s not all that unusual. In this episode we talk about: * The Littlest Hobo (of course) * Star Trek (of course) * Space 1999 * The Forbin Project * AI and AI run amuck * Harlan Ellison (but actually a differe...

Join Ben Avery and gust host Dave Goulet, a screenwriter friend of Ben’s from Toronto, as they talk about psychic shrinking and telekinesis so our heroes can fix a computer. Because that’s truly the only way to fix a computer. Right? Right??? They also take some tiem to chat about Canadian children’s television . . . but not Mr. Dressup. In this episode we talk about: * The Littlest Hobo * Other Canadian kids TV * Star Trek (of course) * Star Trek * A directing career that began with The Starlo...

Join Ben Avery and returning guest host Nathan Marchand for a conversation about the seventh episode of THE STARLOST, in which our heroes meet Checkov! Or is it Spock? It’s Walter Koenig, anyway, Harlan Ellison’s first choice to play Devon! He’s the alien. The alien Oro. In this episode we talk about: * Casablanca * The only The Starlost cast member Ben and Nathan have both met! * Walter Koenig . . . it’s Walter Koenig . . . * How bad this episode was for Ben * Aliens that look like humans * Fl...

On October 12, 1973, THE STARLOST’s 5th episode hit the airwaves. In it, our intripid heroes come across a group of centuries-old children who seem to be piloting the ark? Can they pilot he ark to safety? It’s only the 5th episode, so probably not. But can they learn about life from Devon, Garth, and Rachel? Of course they can. This week, Ben is joined by sco-fi publisher Winston Crutchfield to talk about: * Secret tests of humanity * Non-sustainable premises . . . and domes . . . * The garden ...

On October 12, 1973, THE STARLOST’s 5th episode hit the airwaves. In it, our intripid heroes come across a group of centuries-old children who seem to be piloting the ark? Can they pilot he ark to safety? It’s only the 5th episode, so probably not. But can they learn about life from Devon, Garth, and Rachel? Of course they can. This week, Ben is joined by fellow writer Mike Poteet to talk about: * Sci-fi trials * Pantomime jail cell doors * Stanley Kubrick * Creepy and powerful children * The L...

On October 5, 1973, THE STARLOST’s 4th episode hit the airwaves. In it, our intripid heroes witness the return of a lost shuttle, The Pisces. But does the Pisces bring help? Or does it bring a trio of space-sick people who think they’ve been gone for ten years only to find they’ve been gone for a few centuries? (Spoiler, they don’t help much.) This week, Ben is joined by Alex Bates, a writer, reviewer, and roleplaying miniature designer/modeler to talk about: * Space diseases * Time dilation * ...

This week, Ben is joined by Parker J. Cole ( http://parkerjcole.com ), a prolific historical romance fiction writer who has also dabbled in science fiction on occasion, to talk about “The Goddess Calabra”. As our trio of heroes continue their exploration of the Earthship Ark, they come across a dome of people who have experienced a disastor that destroyed all the women and the genetic ability to produce female children. They see Rachel and decide she is the goddess they worship, in the flesh. F...

Join Ben Avery and special guest host Nathan Marchand for a conversation about the second episode of THE STARLOST, in which our heroes wake up someone from a 500-year-long sleep. He’s from the days when they built the ship, but can he help? And why do they need to put him back? In this episode we talk about: * Cryogenics * Cramped sets * Cockeyed logic * Crossbow malfunctions We also talk about OTHER books, comics, movies, and TV shows that use cryogenics or other sci-fi/fantasy ways of moving...

Ben is joined by sci-fi novelist and podcaster Adam David Collings to talk about the pilot episode of THE STARLOST, “Voyage of Discovery” by Cordwainer Bird (which was intended to be called “Pheonix Without Ashes” by Harlan Ellison). Along the way, they chat about Robert Heinlein’s book UNIVERSE, Red Dwarf, some Star Trek, and a little Doctor Who. This episode’s primary Big Idea is generation ships, but they also get into the differences between Ellison’s original script and the rewritten scri...

UP FROM THE ASHES is a podcast about . . . * THE STARLOST, a TV show from fifty years ago, and we’re talking about it exactly fifty years after its episodes aired… * SCI-FI IDEAS from THE STARLOST that engage the imagination, even if the budget and the abilities of the people behind the show couldn’t quite produce what they were imagining… * BAD SCI-FI TV, BIG SCI-FI IDEAS… This episode explains and explores what THE STARLOST was, what it was meant to be, and how we’re going to have some fun t...

What is Up from the Ashes? It’s a new podcast from Ben Avery and Onward and Upward Media! It’s a podcast that’s a TV after show . . . FIFTY YEARS after! It’s a podcast about THE STARLOST, a show some call the worst sci-fi show of all time! It’s a podcast about a BAD sci-fi TV show that tackled BIG sci-fi ideas with plucky enthusiasm . . . and very little budget. It’s a podcast exploring sci-fi tropes and concepts and ideas, along with talking about OTHER sci-fi books and movies and TV shows...