Worlds in Progress - The Tranquility Press Podcast

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

This month, Andy and John are joined once again by Benjamin Neilsen, author of San Francisco 2161. We look back at the journey of that project now that it’s complete, dig into the feedback and responses it’s received, and then look ahead to Benjamin’s next big project: The Last Founder: The Presidency of Jonathan Archer.

We discuss:

• What “Archerism” really means, and how it shaped the early Federation
• How utopias actually govern—and why budgets matter
  Writing in Star Trek’s “lost century” between Enterprise and TOS
• Building a community where stories expand on each other

We also give a big state of the union update on what’s coming soon from Tranquility Press: Jayce’s Fighting Ships of Wolf 359, the USS Pershing, the Edge of Midnight Remaster, and much more.

It’s a packed episode, full of reflection, lore, and a little chaos.

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 September 1st 2025]

This month, Andy and John are joined by PJ Lusk to talk about their project In the Raptor’s Claws—a sweeping, World War I-inspired take on the Earth-Romulan War.

We dive into:
🪐 Why the Romulans’ grand plan was doomed from the start
⚔️ What early interstellar warfare really looked like (and why logistics mattered more than firepower)
📖 The challenges of writing “lost era” history in Star Trek
🤝 How In the Raptor’s Claws connects with other Tranquility Press projects like From the Ashes and San Francisco 2161

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about history, allegory, and the messy politics of the 22nd century. If you’ve ever wondered what the Romulan War might really have looked like, this is the episode for you.

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 August 1st 2025]

We're thrilled to share the latest episode of Worlds in Progress, where Andy and John sit down with Jawanaka – the brilliant mind behind From the Ashes: The Fall and Rise of the Romulan Empire (2315–2415).

• In this in-depth chat, we cover:
• How Voyager on Swedish TV led to a lifelong love of Star Tre
• The inspirations behind From the Ashes, from Diane Duane to French political history
• Why the Romulans aren’t just “space Romans” – and how warlords, archives, and supernovae all come into play
• The joy (and challenge) of writing into the blank spaces of canon
• And how Tranquility Press’ collaborative storytelling model brings it all together

It’s a rich, thoughtful, and fun conversation—and a great window into one of the most ambitious projects in our little corner of the galaxy.

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 July 1st 2025]

Hello fellow worldbuilders, writers, historians, and Federation bureaucrats-at-heart! This week, John is flying solo (Andy had a life to attend to), but he's joined by the brilliant Nathan Goldwag for a long, winding, and deeply enjoyable conversation about historical fiction in speculative universes, the perils of overdeveloping a world, and why it’s okay that the Organians just don’t care anymore.

We dive into:

• Writing fake academic papers for fake universes (and why it’s easier than the real thing)
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• The joyful absurdity of treating Star Trek like a historical archive

• How DS9 was both the best and most structurally damaging Star Trek series

• The tragedy of bloated worldbuilding (hello Star Wars EU)

• What happens when your Klingon economic advisors are all poets or military officers

• And why, yes, your story really does need an ending.

It’s a delightful ramble through archives that don’t exist, bureaucracies that definitely shouldn’t, and a galaxy that often makes more sense when you admit it doesn’t.

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 release on June 4th 2025]

This month, Andy and John are joined by special guest Benjamin Neilsen to talk about his new Tranquility Press project:
SAN FRANCISCO 2161: 47 DAYS THAT CHANGED THE GALAXY AND CREATED THE UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS

We dive into how Benjamin approached writing a fictional history from the perspective of a long-retired journalist, the challenges of building a believable political process in the early Federation, and why utopia doesn’t just happen—it’s something you build.

Also discussed:
– John’s birthday and mysterious ailments
– Tranquility Press canon chaos
– Federation politics, with a healthy dash of Max Hastings
– And some strong Life on Mars energy

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 May 1st 2025]

This month, John and Andy sit down to talk about our short story contest and upcoming anthology:
One Day in a Very Long Dominion War.

We dig into the ideas behind the project, the scale and scope of the Dominion War, and why this particular day—March 15th, 2375—offers such a powerful lens for storytelling.

If you're thinking about submitting, or just love war stories with heart, strategy, and tragedy, this one’s for you.

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 28th 2025]

We’re incredibly excited (and a little stunned) to share the first full episode of our podcast with you all!

In this episode, Andy and John dive into A New Starfleet—a history of the Galaxy-class starships, described as the bastard child of We Have Engaged the Borg and Edge of Midnight. We also discuss Jayce’s Fighting Ships of Wolf 359 and announce our short story contest: "One Day in a Very Long Dominion War."

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