Worlds in Progress - The Tranquility Press Podcast

This month on Worlds in Progress, we’re joined by Jessie Earl, better known to many of you as Jesse Gender, for a wide-ranging conversation about Star Trek, fandom, worldbuilding and what it means for a franchise to reach sixty years.

It seemed particularly appropriate to have Jessie on for this episode. As a video essayist, filmmaker, writer and podcaster, she has spent years thinking about Star Trek not simply as entertainment, but as a cultural work and that gives us plenty to talk about.

We get into what makes good worldbuilding within an established franchise, and particularly the importance of understanding the history and context behind the things you're drawing upon. We talk about how Star Trek has historically used the Klingons, Ferengi and other elements to reflect the political and social world in which it was created, and whether modern Trek sometimes risks reducing those ideas to references and nostalgia.

We also wander into the differences between Star Trek and Doctor Who, the influence of streaming on the way stories are told, Strange New Worlds, Starfleet Academy, Andor, and whether the modern franchise has lost some of the critical edge that made earlier Trek so compelling.

It’s a particularly appropriate conversation for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary, and one we hope you’ll enjoy.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

This month’s episode is finally here, and first of all, we want to apologise for the delay.

The past few weeks have been particularly difficult due to personal cirumstances, and unfortunately that meant that the podcast — along with a few other things — had to take a back seat for a little while.

We’re incredibly grateful for your patience and understanding while we took some time to deal with things. We know many of you look forward to these episodes each month, so thank you for sticking with us.

With that said, we’re very pleased to finally be able to share this month’s Worlds in Progress with you.

With that said, we're delighted to welcome Hye back to the podcast.

Since Hye's last appearance, Tranquility Press has released Jayce's Fighting Ships, One Day in a Very Long Dominion War, Edge of Midnight Book 2, and Pershing Book One—which means this episode naturally became a look behind the curtain at how those projects came together and what it takes to transform a collection of ideas into a finished publication.

A large part of the conversation focuses on Jayce's Fighting Ships, from the project's notorious scope creep to the challenges of bringing together a large number of contributors, artists, and design elements into a single cohesive volume. Hye shares insights from both professional publishing and fandom projects, discussing the realities of editing, design, project management, and the occasional necessity of "cat herding" contributors.

We also discuss:

• The process of balancing design, artwork, and editorial vision.

• Working with multiple artists across a single project.

• The challenge of preserving a coherent design vision as projects evolve.

• The realities of modern publishing and book production.

• Future plans, including more worldbuilding, artwork, and upcoming Tranquility Press projects.

As always, the conversation quickly veers from publishing into Star Trek, fictional reference books, original characters, worldbuilding, and the strange joys of creating things that probably seemed like good ideas at the time.

Finally, thank you all for your continued support.

Whether it's helping us commission artwork, publish books, produce podcasts, or simply giving us the encouragement to keep tackling increasingly ambitious projects, none of this would be possible without you.

Your patience over the last few weeks has meant a great deal, and we're grateful to have such a supportive community around these projects.

We hope you enjoy the episode.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

This month on Worlds in Progress, we’re joined by legendary Star Trek model builder and designer Bill Krause for a fascinating conversation about starships, storytelling, and the art of making the Federation feel real.

From his incredible physical models to the now-beloved worldbuilding surrounding Tycho Yard, Bill’s work has helped shape how many fans imagine the industrial heart of Starfleet itself — not just the ships, but the people, infrastructure, and history behind them.

In this episode we discuss:
The craft of physical model building
Designing ships that feel authentically “Star Trek”
The evolution and lore of Tycho Yard
Naval influence on Starfleet design philosophy
How worldbuilding gives starships history and identity
The balance between nostalgia and creating something new

It’s a wonderfully thoughtful conversation about creativity, design language, and why fans connect so deeply with the idea of Starfleet as a lived-in institution rather than just a backdrop for adventure.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

This month on Worlds in Progress, Andy is joined by Seán Ferrick for a wide-ranging (and occasionally gloriously tangential) conversation about Star Trek, criticism, and the evolving relationship between fandom and the people who make the shows we love.

With John temporarily “elsewhere,” this episode gets even more off topic than usual — covering everything from the realities of reviewing modern Trek at speed, to the challenges of navigating online discourse, to how we engage with Star Trek as both fans and creators.

We get into:

• The process behind TrekCulture’s reviews and “Ups & Downs”

• The balance between critique, fandom, and good-faith discussion

• The realities of interviewing cast and creatives in modern Trek

• The shifting tone of Star Trek and how audiences respond to it

• And, inevitably, the state of online discourse around the franchise

It’s an honest, thoughtful, and at times very candid conversation about what it means to care about Star Trek in 2026 — not just as viewers, but as participants in a wider creative community.

As always, your support here on Patreon is what makes all of this possible.

From the podcast, to commissioning artwork, to bringing large-scale community projects like One Day in a Very Long Dominion War to life — it all exists because of you.

Thank you for being part of this.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

[This Episode was originally released on April 1st 2025]

John couldn’t join us this month… because he went to IKEA. We believe he has gone into the West, and we shall not see his like again.

Never fear however because Andy is joined by the ever-brilliant Hye, who talks us through their prepress process—how they turn a humble Google Doc into the beautiful, publication-ready pages you’ve all been seeing. We also dive into their work on the Ohniaka III Project and the deep world-building behind it.

We apologise for the audio quality—turns out, the acoustics down in the Prepress Mines (where we keep Hye) aren’t exactly studio grade.

Hopefully John will return next month, ideally with flat-pack furniture and the secrets of immortality from the elves.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠ 

[This Episode was originally released on February 1st 2026]~

In the latest episode of Worlds in Progress, we sit down with the man, the myth, the accidental founding father of Tranquility Press… Thomas Marrone.

You’ll know Thomas as the art director behind Star Trek Online, and the designer of ships that have made the jump from game screens to on-screen canon. But long before any of that, he played a quiet (and now infamous) role in the origin story of Tranquility Press - and yes, we absolutely blame him.

In this episode we dive into:

✨ How Star Trek Online builds its version of the 25th century🛠️ The challenge of worldbuilding inside an ongoing franchise📚 How fan creativity feeds back into “official” Trek🚀 The strange, wonderful journey from passion project to semi-canon starships💫 And why Star Trek storytelling, at its best, is still rooted in optimism and humanism

It’s a wide-ranging, thoughtful, and often very funny chat about creativity, collaboration, and the weird space where fandom and professional Trek overlap.

As always, thank you for your support here on Patreon — it’s what makes conversations like this possible, and helps us keep building this strange and wonderful little corner of the galaxy together.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠⁠⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠⁠⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠⁠⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠⁠⁠ 

[This Episode was originally released on March 1st 2026]

In this month’s podcast, we sit down with the indomitable Steve Johnson — the artist whose work has helped define the visual identity of so many Tranquility Press projects, from We Have Engaged the Borg to Jayce’s Fighting Ships and beyond.

This episode is a real behind-the-scenes conversation about creativity, collaboration, and what it actually means to turn words on a page into something tangible and emotionally resonant. We talk about:

• The evolution of the artwork behind Wolf 359

• The collaborative process between writer and artist

• Visual storytelling and composition in fictional non-fiction

• LCARS design, in-universe authenticity, and aesthetic continuity

• The “what if” spirit that sits at the heart of Tranquility Press

It’s also a lovely reflection on how art and writing push each other — how a sketch becomes a scene, how a scene becomes a moment, and how those moments help make this universe feel lived-in and real.

As always, one of the core missions of Tranquility Press (and this Patreon) is to support creators directly — connecting writers and artists, and helping fund the artwork, layouts, and production work that bring these projects to life.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠⁠ 

[This Episode was originally released on January 1st 2026]

In this episode, Andy and John look back on a huge year for Tranquility Press — from One Day in a Very Long Dominion War and the incredible response from the community, to the release of Jayce’s Fighting Ships of Wolf 359, and the growing constellation of projects orbiting the Press.

We talk about:

• What surprised us most in 2025

• How community-led projects have changed the way we work

• What’s coming next (Pershing, Edge of Midnight, Project Galaxy and more)

• And why 2026 — Star Trek’s 60th anniversary — feels like a big one

It’s a relaxed, reflective conversation about building worlds together, trusting collaborators, and letting stories grow in directions you didn’t expect.

As always, thank you for listening — and for being part of this journey with us. 🖖

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠⁠ 

[This Episode was originally released on December 1st 2025]

This month we finally do something we've wanted to do for a while: we sit down with Eric Muirhead — co-author of We Have Engaged the Borg, and progenitor of the USS Pershing saga — for a deep dive into the origins, themes, and future of Star Trek: Pershing.

It’s an episode full of energy, history, and gloriously spicy Klingon-politics discourse. John was, predictably, delighted.

In this conversation we cover:

The long road to Pershing — how Eric’s military service, personal history, and love of Deep Space Nine shaped a series about rebuilding after the Dominion War.
Revisiting Pershing a decade later — what changed, what didn’t, and why the story still matters.
The Big Three Aftermath — Federation introspection, Klingon social tension, and a Romulan Star Empire quietly sharpening its blades.
Why Pershing is “cinematic” — episodic structure, character-led storytelling, and the “Winds of War”–style historical lens.
The Tranquility Press ethos — building worlds, challenging canon, and encouraging fans to create boldly and fearlessly.
Plus: several truly unhinged jokes about Klingon historiography, mystical editing rituals, and John in a wig.

It’s a fantastic conversation — thoughtful, funny, and one of our most in-depth explorations of what Tranquility Press is for: taking the unexplored corners of Star Trek and building something meaningful from them.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠ 

[This Episode was originally released on November 2nd 2025]

This month, Andy and John are joined by James Amey, author of Pathfinder: No Longer Alone — the ongoing oral history of how Voyager was found, contacted, and ultimately brought home.

We talk about:

• Why Voyager’s story is as much about the Alpha Quadrant as the Delta Quadrant
• The political, logistical, and emotional cost of a rescue mission across 70,000 light years
• Designing the Pathfinder Project as a continuation of DS9’s post-war world
• The joy (and horror) of writing oral history with contradictory perspectives
• And yes — we do address salamanders. Eventually.

James also shares how the project has grown, where the narrative is heading next, and the challenge of balancing “what we saw on-screen” with the stories that were never told — but always implied.

It’s a thoughtful, funny, and occasionally chaotic conversation — exactly what Worlds in Progress is for.

Find out more about Tranquility Press and read our current works at ⁠https://tranquility.press/ ⁠

Follow us for updates on Bluesky ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/tranquilitypress.bsky.social ⁠

Want early access to the podcast as well as to other content, while supporting our work? Join our Patreon here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TranquiltyPress⁠