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This Planet Needs a Name
Evan Tess Murray & Trace Callahan
Imagine a handful of scientists and engineers setting out to terraform a planet - a world - for the frozen people they've got in tow. Just a few people, carefully chosen, who will live out their lives building something they'll never see.
That's us. We're building a future.
A science fiction audio drama suitable for our times.
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Bonus: Meet James O'Dowd
This Planet Needs a Name
02/06/20 • 3 min
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.
This is written by Evan Tess Murray and Alexander Doddy, performed by Alexander Doddy, and engineered by Trace Callahan, and the transcript is available.
We did these interviews as character development exercises; they're partially scripted and partially improvised. In this case, mostly improvised! Anyone interested in learning more about our collaborative process is welcome to email us, get in touch on twitter, or join us on the friendliest corner of the internet to talk about it.

Bonus: Meet Mandry Cyr
This Planet Needs a Name
01/28/20 • 2 min
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.
This is written by Evan Tess Murray and Trevor Bean, performed by Trevor Bean, and engineered by Trace Callahan, and the transcript is available.
We did these interviews as character development exercises; they're partially scripted and partially improvised. Anyone interested in learning more about our collaborative process is welcome to email us, get in touch on twitter, or join us on the friendliest corner of the internet to talk about it.

Quick Announcement: The Nameless Songs
This Planet Needs a Name
01/19/20 • 1 min
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.
This includes the fully scored version of the lullaby Zahava sings in her prologue, Numi Numi. I know for sure a lot of you love that song. Now you can buy it for a dollar.
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
As always, thank you so much for your support!

1.01 When the Gravity is Real
This Planet Needs a Name
01/10/20 • 43 min
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.
Content Note: this episode is free from sensitive content other than some swearing.
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.
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 to get in touch with them or find more of their work.
Presenting the Nameless Crew
- Trevor Bean creates and voices Mandry
- Trace Callahan creates and voices Kolian
- Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz creates and voices Cyrus
- Alexander Doddy creates and voices James
- Sawyer Greene creates and voices Quill
- Anjali Kunapaneni creates and voices Devi
- Dominic Mendez creates and voices Ángel
- Caroline Mincks creates and voices Zahava
- Evan Tess Murray creates and voices Zei
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.
The promo at the end of this episode is for Seren, an upcoming show by our friend Nerys.
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.
Support the show
Bonus: Meet Zahava Silberberg
This Planet Needs a Name
01/05/20 • 2 min
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.
This is written by Evan Tess Murray and Caroline Mincks, perfomed by Caroline Mincks, and engineered by Trace Callahan, and the transcript is available.
We did these interviews as character development exercises; they're partially scripted and partially improvised. Anyone interested in learning more about our collaborative process is welcome to email us, get in touch on twitter, or join us on the friendliest corner of the internet to talk about it.

Bonus: Meet Cyrus Castillo Rodríguez
This Planet Needs a Name
12/18/19 • 1 min
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.
This is written by Evan Tess Murray and Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz, performed by Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz, and engineered by Trace Callahan, and the transcript is available.
We did these interviews as character development exercises; they're partially scripted and partially improvised. Anyone interested in learning more about our collaborative process is welcome to email us, get in touch on twitter, or join us on the friendliest corner of the internet to talk about it.

Bonus: Meet Izley Kolian
This Planet Needs a Name
12/12/19 • 2 min
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.
This is written by Evan Tess Murray and Trace Callahan, performed and engineered by Trace Callahan, and the transcript is available.
We did these interviews as character development exercises; they're partially scripted and partially improvised. Anyone interested in learning more about our collaborative process is welcome to email us, get in touch on twitter, or join us on the friendliest corner of the internet to talk about it.

Bonus: Meet Corenna Zeigen
This Planet Needs a Name
12/09/19 • 3 min
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.
This is written and performed by Evan Tess Murray, with audio engineering by Trace Callahan. The transcript is available as well. Sorry for the delay - unlike most of what we do, much of this was improvised rather than scripted, so preparing the transcript took a bit longer than usual!

1.03 A Many-Splendored Thing
This Planet Needs a Name
03/22/20 • 56 min
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.
The transcript is available here.
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:
- Trevor Bean creates and voices Mandry
- Trace Callahan creates and voices Kolian
- Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz creates and voices Cyrus
- Alexander Doddy creates and voices James
- Sawyer Greene creates and voices Quill
- Anjali Kunapaneni creates and voices Devi
- Dominic Mendez creates and voices Ángel
- Caroline Mincks creates and voices Zahava
- Evan Tess Murray creates and voices Zei
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.
Support the show
1.02 Access to the Biological Specimens
This Planet Needs a Name
02/18/20 • 45 min
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.
The transcript is available.
Content Note: this episode is free from sensitive content other than some mild swearing, still mainly but not entirely James.
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, sometimes with the assistance of others who remain Nameless. This episode guest starred the North Atlantic as the black ocean of the Nameless Planet.
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:
Presenting the Nameless Crew
- Trevor Bean creates and voices Mandry
- Trace Callahan creates and voices Kolian
- Alexander Endymion Hernández Díaz creates and voices Cyrus
- Alexander Doddy creates and voices James
- Sawyer Greene creates and voices Quill
- Anjali Kunapaneni creates and voices Devi
- Dominic Mendez creates and voices Ángel
- Caroline Mincks creates and voices Zahava
- Evan Tess Murray creates and voices Zei
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.
The promo at the end of this episode is for Diary of a Space Archivist, a delightful show about space, family, and chocolate by Becky Stirrup.
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.
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.
We tell a story about another world, but we're not giving up on this one.