When Mission to Zyxx debuted in 2017, the podcasting area was very completely different. There have been fewer reveals, and more cash was being spent as firms rushed to determine methods to capitalize on the rising medium. At a time when many large podcasts had been centered on information and investigative reporting, Zyxx — an improvised comedy a few group of alien diplomats journeying across the galaxy in search of adventure — felt like an oddity that was channeling the spirit of basic radio dramas.
The present was a loving sendup of Star Wars and Star Trek’s most iconic (and ridiculous) narrative beats. And whereas nostalgia was an enormous a part of Zyxx’s enchantment, meticulous sound design and impressed, on-the-spot performances made every episode sound like one thing from podcasting’s future.
When Mission to Zyxx got here to an finish in 2022, the present’s creators — Alden Ford, Jeremy Bent, Allie Kokesh, Seth Lind, Winston Noel, and Moujan Zolfaghari — wanted a break and time to determine what they needed to do subsequent. Finally they landed on The Young Old Derf Chronicles; it’s set in the identical universe as Mission to Zyxx and options many voices from the unique, but it surely’s a really completely different sort of (mini)sequence, one which’s lampooning one thing way more trendy about sci-fi.
After I not too long ago sat down with Ford and Lind forward of The Younger Outdated Derf Chronicles’ debut at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, they advised me that their new podcast is, partly, a response to the way in which that studios have change into obsessive about increasing their established franchises with prequels. However The Younger Outdated Derf Chronicles can be the inventive staff’s method of exhibiting followers how essential their continued help has been.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
Wanting again, how has the Zyxx fandom advanced, would you say, and the way has fan engagement impacted the present?
Alden Ford: Once we began in season 2, we began a Patreon to assist fund among the extra bold points of the present and pay [sound designer] Shane [O’Connell] for the work that he was more and more placing into each episode to make them larger and crazier. That basically linked us to our listeners in a method that I don’t assume we actually would have anticipated in season 1 when it was only a present that was on the market and folks preferred it.
Seth Lind: One thing that shocked us was simply how deeply so most of the followers care concerning the present. Once we got down to make it, we needed it to be humorous, we needed folks to love it, and we needed it to be fashionable. However we didn’t actually dare to hope that it could change into so essential and significant to folks. We heard from folks saying, “I used to be within the deepest despair of my life and this was the factor I might sit up for,” or “My accomplice handed away and that is the very first thing that made me snort.”
Proper across the time the present was ending, a gaggle of followers made us this thick ebook they known as Mission to Zine that was a group of artwork and letters saying what the present had meant to them. Issues like that made us really feel a accountability to our followers. The present is violent and it could actually get very blue, however we at all times labored to guard its coronary heart and make it really feel prefer it was coming from a very good place. If there was one thing that appeared prefer it was punching down, we’d reduce it out, and whereas characters could possibly be imply as people, however just like the present as an entire couldn’t. I believe these instincts led to us cultivating a fandom that actually cares for one another. And having that neighborhood made it a lot extra significant to make the present.
AF: As followers of sci-fi, everyone knows very, very intimately how disappointing it may be if you’re a fan of one thing that doesn’t land the aircraft or will get canceled too quickly. And so for us, as soon as we bought just a few seasons in we bought invested in making it nearly as good as potential. Particularly within the again half of season 5, we had been like, “What are the methods to wrap up this present so that everybody who listens and cares about it will be glad by it?” After all, that’s an unimaginable activity since you’re by no means going to do one thing that makes all people completely satisfied. However I believe we ended it on our personal phrases, which is greater than a number of reveals can say.
AF: There’s a pair completely different causes. The enjoyable cause is that everyone knows how a lot Star Wars there may be now. I’m not complaining, however I do assume it has change into its personal sort of cliché that no character, irrespective of how foolish or tertiary, deserves their very own totally fledged miniseries the place you clarify each potential facet of their backstory.
You’re not hype for a Glup Shitto sequence?
AF: [Laughs] I imply, sure, I’m wanting ahead to the Salacious B. Crumb trilogy and the present chronicling Max Rebo’s rise to stardom. However yeah, we thought that if we had been going to do one thing else within the Zyxx universe, it’d be enjoyable to do precisely the issues Star Wars would do — one thing like an Obi-Wan, or a Mandalorian, or a Boba Fett sequence. Parodying the style and the tropes round it felt very true to us usually. However the different cause is that Justin [Tyler] is a man all of us love and he’s a fan favourite.
SL: Derf is the closest factor to being the Obi-Wan of this universe, and simply having the ability to name him “Younger Outdated Derf” utterly offered me on the concept of doing a present about him. As a result of, like, that’s so silly, and “the story of Derf when he was barely much less outdated” is a derivative nobody requested for. However I additionally keep in mind Justin very early on within the first couple episodes, he gave Alden some suggestions concerning the present, saying that, like, “Pleck needs to be essential.”
Particularly within the early seasons, Pleck — who’s the viewers surrogate — was sort of a punching bag, and it was sort of a joke that he was essential. However Justin was like, “As foolish as this all is, this man really needs to be somebody who finally ends up being important and he has to have an arc to comply with.” I believe that actually helped the present discover its voice, and is an enormous a part of what helped us final so many seasons.
Did Andor inform your method to crafting The Younger Outdated Derf Chronicles?
AF: One of many challenges we gave ourselves is making a brand new sort of present. Not that we needed to reinvent the wheel or something, however we needed to make Derf distinctly completely different in substance and construction from the unique present. With the brand new present, it’s basically a first-person narrative the place just about all the things is fairly being advised from Derf’s perspective. And from an improv standpoint, we approached it method much less from the everyday Zyxx format the place we begin on the ship, we get a mission, after which we’re on the planet of the week.
With Derf, we thought, what if we handled it extra identical to a “fuck round” the place we’re simply having enjoyable with Derf in these new settings with much more walk-ons, digressions, and longer scenes the place weirder stuff occurs and we’re not as fearful concerning the propulsion of the plot or a strict three-act construction? It’s been method tougher to make and method tougher to edit and produce, but it surely’s actually fulfilling for us particularly as a result of we’re not simply palette-swapping Mission to Zyxx. I don’t know if Andor was attempting to try this by mixing up the construction and the fashion, however I do assume that’s been the important thing for getting us creatively enthusiastic about making this factor.
Would you be open to extra Zyxx past The Younger Outdated Derf Chronicles?
AF: Completely. I believe doing this present as a restricted sequence has actually felt like a very good and sustainable strategy to maintain issues going. We’ve all talked about doing this new present, you realize, seeing how listeners reply, after which reassessing our workload to see if doing extra sooner or later is smart with our lives now. If we proceed to make reveals within the Zyxx world, it can most likely be in methods like this the place we’ll give you one thing, we will produce 10 episodes, work for a yr to really make the factor, after which regroup to see what the following factor is.
The Younger Outdated Derf Chronicles doesn’t but have a agency launch date. However if you happen to’re fascinated about seeing the Mission to Zyxx crew carry out and produce an episode reside, tickets are nonetheless accessible for their upcoming live show at Caveat in New York City, which may also be livestreamed.