Earth Eclipsed takes place far in the future. Humanity has spread to the stars and colonized the galaxy. This galactic community, known as the Human Concord, is a shining utopia. There is peace and prosperity across all the worlds of the Concord. Dr. Alexine Prometh is the head of the Abacus Project. The Abacus Project aims to find a way to extract and display memories. Dr. Prometh has become a bit of a celebrity because of her work. However, all is not well. Alex soon finds herself captured by an anti-Concord terrorist named Nico Dunn. Nico claims that the Concord is built on a foundation of lies, and its prosperity has come at a steep cost. Dr. Prometh is about to go on a wild ride that will challenge everything she thinks she knows.
I think it is important that I disclose a few facts before we go any further. Earth Eclipsed is created by The Lunar Company. It was founded by three Brazilian guys named Victor Lee, AJ Churchill, and Nicholas Prufer. Earth Eclipsed was their very first time making an audio drama, but they wanted to do more for the world of audio fiction. To that end, they founded Apollo. Apollo is an app designed exclusively for fiction podcasts. It is, I will concede, far from perfect. However, they are working round the clock to iron-out the flaws. They have some very big plans for the future, and I certainly look forward to seeing where they go in the future. And yes, the name Apollo is a reference to the Apollo missions from the Space Race. The characters of Earth Eclipsed often call each other lunar when someone is acting crazy or insane. So, it’s a fun little bit of consistency in branding.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, Apollo was in need of a social media manager and head of community. To be clear, both of those are one job. I saw The Strata quote tweet Apollo’s call for applications on Twitter. Apollo was looking for someone who lived, ate, and breathed audio fiction. So, I thought to myself “Okay, that sound like something I might be good at.” I sent in my resume, and the next thing I knew, I had scheduled an interview of Victor Lee. I aced the interview, and made it to round two. Making it to round two put me in the top ten percent of all applicants. So, next interview was with AJ. I didn’t do quite as well this time, but I tried my best. Ultimately, the role went to Wil Williams. For what it’s worth, Victor said that there were over 300 applicants, and I was among the most impressive.
I like what Wil has done in the role. I’m particularly fond of the “guess the audio drama from the emojis” game they’ve implemented on Twitter. They gave me good tips on quality, and affordable microphones. And I’m eternally grateful to them for helping promote Residents of Proserpina Park’s season three Indiegogo campaign. Quick side note, please donate if you are capable of doing so.
I have maintained good relations with Apollo, and they even commissioned me to created three curated lists of recommendations for the app’s homepage. I was paid fifty dollars per list. If you’re curious, the ones I made were the For Kids, Exceptional Anthologies, and Sci-Fi: Beyond Infinity lists. In fact, I’m told I might to commissioned again in the relatively near future. Now, obviously, I did find Earth Eclipsed via Apollo. I mean, it is kind of hard to miss on the homepage. And if I’m being honest, I was curious to see what it was like for myself.
I went on this spiel because I wanted to be upfront about my connections to Apollo. But having said that, I’m going to judge Earth Eclipsed just as I would any other audio drama. That which is praiseworthy shall receive praise. Anything that I feel is a bit lacking will shall also be noted as such.
Let’s start with the positives. This is The Lunar Company’s very first audio drama, and it certainly starts out of the gate strong. The soundscaping and music are incredibly cinematic. It is easily on-par with anything you might find from a big budget audio drama. AJ Churchill handled the music, and did the sound design along with Shane Rutherford-Jones. You can tell that both of them are no slouches when it comes to working with music and sound. It liked how the music helps paint a picture of the world of Earth Eclipsed. Scenes set within the Concord feature a lot of electronic and mechanical sounding music. Meanwhile, the Outer Worlds feature more acoustic sounding music. You get an emphasis that the Concord is full of many technological wonders, but is also a very regimented and controlled place. It also didn’t escape my notice that the anthem of the Concord sounds suspiciously similar to the national anthem of the Soviet Union. By contrast, the Outer Worlds feel more organic and pastoral.
Earth Eclipsed also has a great justification for being in an audio-only medium. Dr. Prometh gouges out her eyes are part of her work on the Abacus Project. She theorized that pervious memory retrieval attempts failed because the test subjects were overwhelmed by visions of the memories. So, she got rid of the problem by getting rid of her eyes. Concord biotech can easily regenerate lost body parts, including eyes, so this is only a minor inconvenience. Of course, there is the minor snag of getting kidnapped by Nico. So, in a way, we are experiencing the story through Dr. Prometh’s point-of-view, or lack there of.
Speaking of Nico, his ship is call the Gungnir, which is the spear of Odin in Norse Mythology. That’s interesting, because Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to drink from the well of Mimir, and gain knowledge. Rather like how Dr. Prometh sacrificed her eyes in the name of the Abacus Project. Dr. Prometh’s name is an obvious nod to Prometheus; the titan who stole fire from the gods, and gave it to humanity, in Greek Mythology. I can’t really think how that relates to Earth Eclipsed. I’m also not entirely sure what the series title means. It is mentioned that nobody remembers where Earth is. In fact, some people believe that Earth is just a myth. Perhaps it is a reference to how Earth has become eclipsed in importance by the Concord?
The voice actors are all really great. I feel like I’ve heard Nico and Dr. Prometh‘s voice actors somewhere before, but I can’t think where that would have been. I also really love how the Earth Eclipsed website is designed. The episodes all have transcripts, which is very important, as I emphasized in my reviews of Seen and Not Heard and Main Street Mythology. However, each episode’s section also includes a glossary of term. Just click on a term, and a helpful pop-up explains what it means. That was a really nice touch, and quite helpful for a show with a lot of in-universe jargon.
Okay, now for a few things I thought could use improvement. I felt that the first half or so of the series could have done a better job establishing in characters and their world. I felt that it didn’t properly explain why I should care about the characters. I will say that this does improve as the series goes on. I’d say that episode six was where Earth Eclipsed finally found its footing. That part where the Gungnir is trying to escape the gravitational pull of a star had me hooked. Now, I was willing to ride the first season out, and my patients was eventually rewards, especially with regards to the final two episodes. However, not all listeners may be so forgiving. It is always important to try to get your audience hooked within the first few episodes, or they might not stick around.
I feel that the first few episodes don’t really introduce you to the world and characters of Earth Eclipsed, so much as throw you at them. I felt like I got thrown in the deep end without swimming lessons. I would compare this to The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. Consider Phlebas is the first novel in the series, but The Player of Games is generally considered a much better introduction to the world of The Culture, despite being the second novel. It helps that the novels can be read in whatever order you please. I started with The Player of Games, and I can safely say that was the right decision. Consider Phlebas doesn’t really establish who The Culture are, and why you should care. Probably doesn’t help that The Culture are actually the antagonists for most of that book. I don’t know if anyone on the Earth Eclipsed crew have ever read any of The Culture novels, but I think they would like them quite a bit.
Now, granted, I do understand why Earth Eclipsed was a bit coy with its worldbuilding and characters. It relates to the central mystery of the season. The series takes its time slowly pealing back the layers. But, with that, we now need to get into the spoilers.
So, if you don’t want any spoilers, turn back now.
Last chance, you sure you want to continue?
Okay, if everyone who wants out is gone, let’s get into it.
So, we finally get to Nico’s home planet of Sogen. It used to be an idyllic pastoral world. We learn that they had a big debate about whether or not to accept genetic engineering technology from the Concord. After much debate, Sogen rejected the genetic tech, preferring to keep their kids just the way they were born. However, the Concord considered this an unacceptable answer, and attacked Sogen.
It is clear to me that Earth Eclipsed has something it wants to say, but I’m not sure what that something is. We don’t really get any solid arguments for why genetic engineering is bad. Sure, we get some hints that unmodified people are looked down upon, and subject to prejudice. However, the primary argument seems to be that genetic engineering is unnatural. Okay, but under that logic, open-heart surgery, vaccines, dentistry, and two dozen other routine medical procedures are also “unnatural.” Meanwhile, infectious disease, crude oil, and wild fires are all, technically speaking, perfectly natural. Point is, natural is not inherently good, and unnatural is not inherently bad. Personally, I think natural is a word that is overused and poorly understood.
Now, there are certainly arguments both for and against genetically engineering humans. Some people argue that eliminating conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety might deprive us of geniuses. After all, many geniuses and innovators suffered from mental illness. But answer me this: are they geniuses because they suffer, or in spite of the fact that they suffer? I would argue to the later. But I also concede this isn’t an entirely black and white question. What about eliminating disorders such as autism or dyslexia? These conditions can be a burden, especially for lower functioning individuals. However, these conditions often grant unique insights and ways of thinking to those who process them. And moreover, should society put emphasis on “normalizing” neurodivergent people? Or should it emphasize accommodating them, and treating them with kindness and compassion?
From my own experience, I can very much remember my school days, where I was constantly pressured to be more “normal.” But as the years went on, and after I left grade school, I saw attitudes shift towards society becoming more accommodating to those who fall outside the norm. Personally, I would not want to take any procedure that would render me neurotypical. Autism is all about how the brain is structure, and a change that radical would totally rewrite everything about me. In essence, it would be as though I had died, as I would be a completely different individual.
As you can see, there’s a lot of fertile ground to debate the merits of genetic engineering. However, you won’t find any of them in Earth Eclipsed. Though, this is slightly mitigated by the implication that the Concord is using genetic engineering to make its citizens more obedient and docile. Dr. Prometh’s faith in the Concord boarders on religious fanaticism at times. Interestingly, traditional religion seems to have largely died out in the future of Earth Eclipsed. The closest thing is how citizens of the Concord seem to view the government with reverence and devotions. They even swear in the name of the Concord. It almost reminds me of North Korea’s Juche ideology. Some people claim Juche isn’t a religion, but I’d argue it ticks off most of the major boxes.
Also, on a side note, where are the aliens? All lifeforms seems to come from Earth. Humans are the only intelligent species, and even the animals and plants are all imports from Earth. Were all of the planets originally lifeless rocks that had to be terraformed? Or did there used to be aliens, but the Concord killed them, and then covered up their existence?
The creators of Earth Eclipsed have said that they created the series to explore various ideas. Amongst other things, that it is our imperfections are what make us human, the importance of individuality, and fighting back against totalitarianism. Well, I did get that last one, but I feel that the other two themes weren’t articulated as well as they could be. I felt that the first half of the season struggled to find its footing. However, the second half are where things really kick into gear. Episodes six, seven, and eight are where the series really hits its stride.
It felt like season one was a bit of an extended prologue. Okay, so we’ve got everything set up now. Let’s see where Earth Eclipsed goes in future seasons. The keyword with Earth Eclipsed is potential. It is clear to me that everyone involved with the show is very talented, and there world they have created has a lot of promise. Season one was a pretty good prologue, but let’s see what you can do now that you have all of the pieces on the board.
Of course, it might be a while before we get season two of Earth Eclipsed. Obviously, ironing out the Apollo app’s kinks take top priority for the moment. Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If the Apollo team can get the app stabilized, and expand upon its features, I think they could have a potentially hot property on their hands. Potential is also the keyword when it comes to Apollo. There’s some very bright things on the horizons at Apollo, and I can’t wait to see them all.
Okay, so what’s my final verdict on season one of Earth Eclipsed? Well, it starts off a bit rough and disjointed, but it managed to stick the landing in the end. I would remind regular readers of this blog that The Program Audio Series also started out a bit rough, but it managed to soar higher and higher once it found its footing. So, I’m going to give a tentative thumbs up to Earth Eclipsed, provided that season two keeps up the momentum.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
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