The Sci-Fi Griot

Nicolas R Cunningham

A sci-fi podcast exploring the worlds of Star Trek, movies, and futuristic storytelling through the lens of an African American man. Each episode breaks down themes of identity, leadership, war, race, faith, and humanity — inspired by the shows that dared to imagine a better tomorrow. Hosted by Nicolas Cunningham, father, a school principal, educator, and lifelong Star Trek fan, sharing grounded lessons from distant galaxies.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    What Do We Believe In - Episode 19

    After survival… after sacrifice… after the warnings and the aftermath… humanity always returns to one thing: Belief. In this episode of The Sci-Fi Griot, we explore how science fiction wrestles with faith, hope, and meaning—not as certainty or doctrine, but as the forces that guide people when the future is unclear . Through stories like Contact, Interstellar, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, and Deep Space Nine, this episode examines what people cling to when evidence fails, when suffering reshapes identity, and when survival alone is no longer enough. Because science fiction is not really asking what the future will be. It’s asking who we will become when we arrive there. What do we trust when answers disappear? What gives hope its endurance? And how do our beliefs quietly shape the systems, futures, and societies we build? This episode marks a turning point for The Sci-Fi Griot—from warning… to wonder. From survival… to meaning. Because the future is never neutral. It is always built on belief.

    12 min

  2. 5 MAY

    Who Gets to Be Saved? - Episode 18

    Survival is not the finish line. It’s the beginning of a harder question. In this final episode of the film arc, The Sci-Fi Griot moves beyond sacrifice, compromise, and selection to ask what science fiction has been building toward all along: what actually makes a future worth living in? Through films like Blade Runner 2049, Gattaca, and Interstellar, we explore futures that endure—but still feel incomplete. Worlds where systems function, technology advances, and humanity survives… yet something essential is at risk of being lost . Because survival only answers one question: Did we make it? It does not answer: Who did we become? What did we lose? What still matters? This episode reflects on the elements science fiction insists we cannot afford to abandon—dignity, memory, choice, and connection—and why a future without them, no matter how advanced, is ultimately empty. Because the goal was never just to survive. It was to build something worth waking up to.

    12 min

  3. 28 APR

    Who Gets to Be Saved? - Episode 17

    Not every future ends in extinction. Some survive by choosing… who doesn’t. In this episode of The Sci-Fi Griot, we confront one of science fiction’s most unsettling questions: when resources run thin and systems strain, who gets to be saved—and who is left behind? Through films like Children of Men, Elysium, and Snowpiercer, we explore how survival is rarely neutral. It is shaped by access, power, and proximity—by decisions made both openly and quietly, often far from those who bear the consequences . Some systems deny access. Others justify necessity. But the outcome is the same: Some people live… because others don’t. This episode examines how scarcity reshapes morality, how suffering is justified or ignored, and how entire systems are built around the idea that not everyone can—or should—be saved. Because the real danger isn’t just inequality. It’s the stories we tell ourselves to make it acceptable.

    12 min

  4. 21 APR

    When Love and Hope Become the Risk- Episode 16

    Not all sacrifices are forced. Some are chosen. In this episode of The Sci-Fi Griot, we shift from survival at any cost to something more fragile—and more dangerous: the decision to love, to hope, and to remain open in futures that no longer reward it. Through films like Her, Arrival, and After Yang, we explore stories where the greatest risk isn’t death… but emotional vulnerability . What does it mean to love when connection is easy—but not lasting? What does it mean to choose a future you know will end in loss? And what happens when systems become so efficient that they quietly discourage feeling altogether? Because science fiction keeps returning to a truth we often avoid: Survival can be imposed. But love is always a choice. And sometimes, choosing to feel—without guarantees—is the most courageous act a person can make.

    12 min

  5. 14 APR

    What Does Survival Cost One Person? - Episode 15

    Sometimes the future doesn’t demand sacrifice from everyone. Just one person. In this episode of The Sci-Fi Griot, we narrow the lens to examine science fiction stories where survival is secured quietly—by placing the full weight of the cost on a single life. Through films like Moon, Ex Machina, and Upgrade, we explore what happens when systems don’t collapse… but instead continue by making individuals disposable . These aren’t stories of war or массове destruction. They are stories of isolation. Of quiet exploitation. Of survival negotiated under unequal terms. What does consent mean when there are no real alternatives? What does survival mean if your identity is erased in the process? And at what point does staying alive stop being the same as truly living? Because science fiction keeps reminding us of something uncomfortable: A system doesn’t have to destroy everyone to succeed. It only needs someone willing—or forced—to carry the cost alone.

    11 min

  6. 7 APR

    When There is No Captain- Episode 14

    Not every future has someone in charge. In this episode of The Sci-Fi Griot, we step away from command structures and explore science-fiction stories where leadership doesn’t come from a bridge, a title, or a chain of command. Instead, the future turns on individual choices made in moments of uncertainty . From Children of Men and Arrival to Gattaca, Moon, and Her, these films ask a different question than traditional sci-fi: what happens when there is no captain to give the order? In these stories, responsibility becomes personal. Protection replaces power. And leadership emerges not from authority—but from the quiet decision to act when no one tells you to. Because sometimes the most important futures are shaped not by the people in command… …but by the people who choose to care anyway.

    11 min

  7. 31 MAR

    The Ones Who Stay At Their Posts- Episode 13

    Not every future is shaped by captains. In this episode of The Sci-Fi Griot, we shift the camera away from the leaders giving orders and toward the people who quietly keep the system running. The ones who translate vision into reality, absorb the consequences of decisions they didn’t make, and carry the weight of the mission long after the speeches end . From Kira Nerys and Worf to Spock, Data, Chakotay, Susan Ivanova, G’Kar, and Dr. Julian Bashir, science fiction is full of characters who rarely sit in the captain’s chair—but whose presence holds the future together. These are the stabilizers. The conscience of the system. The people who stay at their posts when the crisis arrives. Because futures don’t survive on ideals alone. They survive because someone keeps doing the work.

    13 min

  8. 24 MAR

    What Must Be Reclaimed- Episode 12

    Survival is not the same as healing. In this final episode of the arc, The Sci-Fi Griot moves beyond sacrifice and compromise to ask a deeper question: what must be intentionally restored if the future is going to be worth living in? Across science fiction—from Battlestar Galactica and Babylon 5 to The Expanse, Arrival, and Children of Men—stories of survival often reveal something unsettling. The system may endure, but something essential is lost along the way . This episode explores what societies must reclaim after crisis: moral language, accountability, memory, empathy, and the belief that the future can still be chosen. Because the real work of the future isn’t just innovation. It’s restoration. Science fiction doesn’t promise a better tomorrow. It asks whether we’re willing to do the work required to deserve one.

    12 min
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About

A sci-fi podcast exploring the worlds of Star Trek, movies, and futuristic storytelling through the lens of an African American man. Each episode breaks down themes of identity, leadership, war, race, faith, and humanity — inspired by the shows that dared to imagine a better tomorrow. Hosted by Nicolas Cunningham, father, a school principal, educator, and lifelong Star Trek fan, sharing grounded lessons from distant galaxies.

Information

  • Creator
    Nicolas R Cunningham
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Sci-Fi Griot
  • Provider