The Sojourn

***The Sojourn*** is an original science-fiction web series created by Daniel Orrett. The series premiered on the 1st of August, 2020 with three episodes, collectively called Volume 1, with three more volumes following in Season 1. As of the 13th of August 2023, Season 1 has finished with 4 volumes, and 12 episodes.

## Premise

"*Adrift in the divide between galaxies and surrounded by the vast emptiness of the intergalactic void, the Tantalus Cluster is the only home humanity has ever known.*

*The Tantalus Cluster lies in the intergalactic void, four thousand light years from the perimeter of its parent galaxy, and after centuries of reckless colonisation and a violent interstellar war, the delicate ecosystem of the Cluster has begun to collapse, and humanity is gripped by poverty and famine.*

*Desperate and facing extinction, humanity’s only hope is a strange nebula that has suddenly appeared beyond the edge of the cluster. It’s shifting clouds may hide a source of salvation for the people of Tantalus, but time is running out.*

*Our story follows the men and women of the Avalon Exploratory Initiative, a daring mission launched across the void to find the vital resources and territory needed to save humanity. We’ll delve into the complex motivations and drives of those who volunteered for this dangerous voyage, and explore the many wonders and secrets they’ll uncover on their way."*

Featuring a full cast of veteran voice actors, backed up by high-quality sound effects and an epic original soundtrack, The Sojourn is a unique and striking audio experience.

Directed and produced with careful scientific consultation, *The Sojourn* captures every detail of life aboard ship, from the sounds of the smallest airlock seal to the largest space battle.

With each volume divided into three 30-45 minute episodes, *The Sojourn* is easily accessible to casual listeners, and perfect for fans of grounded science fiction.

## Cast and crew

### Main cast

* Larissa Thompson as Captain Cassandra Farren
* Emily Serdahl as Director Elizabeth Ancelet
* Ben Prendergast as Mathias Croft
* Laura Faye Smith as Tamara 'Meds' Melari
* Stephen Trafford as Inquisitor Castian Vadric

### Recurring

* Matthew Kaufman as Lieutenant Jasper Ravi
* Tim Parker as Lord Cardinal Hastus Arvannis
* Lelia Symington as Empress Valendra the Sixth
* Aaron Jones as Revion Jedrish Carradin
* Amy Kay as Cindra Tacira
* Marta Da Silva as High Cleric Darcelia Lantris
* Tarek Esaw as Midshipman Arin Bankole
* Matt Surges as Commander Lewis Harper
* Ryan Philbrook as Private Paul Dalcop

### Guests

* Tori Danner as Captain Tamika Jinn
* Jimmy Lockett as Vice Admiral Winston Redfield
* Pam Kearns as Bridget Volkova
* Kennedy Phillips as Foreman Richard Sedgewick
* Martin Roach as Captain Omar Maalsuwda

### Additional voice acting

* Hayden Emmett-Bird
* Austin Light
* Justin H.
* Kennedy Philips
* Jonah Scott
* Connor Louie
* Kenneth Tynan
* Trevor Roberts
* Larissa Thompson
* Marta Da Silva as Ensign Lydia Telfer
* Jill Raymond as Research Assistant
* Toby Ridehalgh as CSV *Republic* Captain
* Daniel Orrett

### Production team

* Daniel Orrett - Lead writer, Show runner, Executive producer, and Director
* Gabriel Fonseca - Scientific Advisor, Associate Producer
* Larissa Thompson - Associate Producer, Creative Consultant
* Kennedy Phillips - Sound Design and Audio Editing
* Sam Redfern - Composer
	+ Taylor Davis - Composer for Main Theme, "Wilderness"
* Kallum Weyman - Producer
* Alasdair McCabe - Creative Consultant

## Production

### Development

Originally conceived in 2014, *The Sojourn* was first announced by Daniel Orrett in late 2018 with a Kickstarter and Patreon campaign. *The Sojourn* was intended to have an animated motion comic component, with the concept shown in a pilot episode released on 31 December 2018. However, *as The Sojourn* is first and foremost an audio drama, production instead shifted focus entirely towards it's audio component later in development.

The show was originally funded through Kickstarter, reaching its funding goals by 30 January 2019. Production began at that date. After meeting its crowdfunding stretch goals, *The Sojourn* production team were able to produce and release further promotional materials, including lore videos on the science of *The Sojourn* and the nations of the Tantalus Cluster, and digital rewards such as *The Sojourn Visual Dictionary* and *The Science of Drift* reference documents.

### Volume 1 release

The first three episodes of *The Sojourn* were released as Volume One on 1 August 2020. Volume One is available for purchase from Google Books and Scribd. Patreon and Kickstarter donors received access to the complete Volume One at time of release. Audible.com was initially approached to host *The Sojourn*, however the production team chose to break contact with Audible in February 2021 owing to unacceptable delays in publishing the audio drama and to its exploitative business practices.

The release of Volume One was followed by the *Cast Adrift* podcast, which gave behind-the-scenes views of *The Sojourn's* production, as well as Anthology Shorts to Patreon backers, which expand the universe and character backstories.

As of 7 August 2020, *The Sojourn* Season One, Volume One Soundtrack is available on Spotify and iTunes.

### Volume 2 release

The episode titles of Volume 2 were announced on 20 March 2021. Volume 2 received a limited early release in the form of listening parties for Patreon supporters on *The Sojourn's* Discord channel, with episode four, *Dust and Shadow*, being released on 10 July 2021; episode five, *The Promised Land* on 17 July; and episode six, *Theirs Not to Make Reply* on 24 July. Volume 2 was generally released via audiobook retailers on 31 July 2021.

The Volume 2 Soundtrack was released via Distrokid on 28 July 2021.

### Volume 3 release

The episode titles of Volume 3 were announced on 6 August 2022. Like Volume 2, Volume 3 received a limited early release in the form of listening parties for Patreon supporters on *The Sojourn's* Discord channel. Volume 3 released on 17 September 2022, with the last episode of Volume releasing on 1 October 2022.

## Media

### Posters

Season 1, Volume 1 posterSeason 1, Volume 2 posterSeason 1, Volume 3 Poster
### Trailers

*Main article: Trailers*

The Sojourn Audio Drama Official Launch TrailerThe Sojourn Audio Drama - Volume Two Launch Trailer

## References

1. ↑ Production Update Post
2. ↑ Kickstarter: The Sojourn: Season One
3. ↑ The Sojourn: Drift and Drift Gates - Avalon Archives
4. ↑ The Sojourn: Worlds of Tantalus: The Centrum Assembly
5. ↑ *The Sojourn*  on ending contact with Audible