CHAIKA is a multi award-winning dystopian sci-fi drama of loss, isolation and hope, about a woman navigating a post-apocalyptic future.
The idea for the story came from a series of questions: Who will be the first woman on the moon? Why do practically all AI speak with native English accents? And what would it be like if you were alone on the moon and all of earth was silent?
Season 1 is complete and available now. Season 2 releases fortnightly October 2023 – January 2024.
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How the story starts
2089
Earth is silent. Chaika leaves the moonbase where she was born in search of… someone… anyone. Is she the only human left?
They say in space no-one can hear you scream, but we weren’t screaming. At least not on the outside. We were quiet little mice up on our moonbase, just waiting. Waiting for… someone… But no-one came.
Chaika, Episode 2
2069
Twenty years earlier, Valen is the first woman on the moon. No fanfare though, just an engineer doing her job. She likes her work, and her posting, but sometimes it gets lonely.
I was the first woman on the moon. I took my first step here on August 27, 2069. And I never left.
Valen, Prologue
2063
Six years before that a Danish engineer – Lone Møller – decides to create AIs based on all extant languages that year. She completes 55 before suffering from exhaustion and quitting. However these AIs are so well-made that they quickly become widely used. By 2069 when Valen leaves for the moon, they are standard, although the AI personality is not always enabled.
What others say about Chaika
It really smartly captures the isolation that the characters are feeling
“There’s a lot to love in this podcast […] it really smartly captures the isolation that the characters are feeling and how lonely it is to be stuck up there and be able to see earth through your window and to just feel so out of touch with everything.”
– Chris Pearson
“There are a couple of different things that grabbed me […] One of them that I think is really cool is the direct addressing of gender in science fiction. […] I think it’s worth considering that Chaika comes immediately post-pandemic and that when Karin and her team are writing and producing this drama they’re thinking a lot about isolation and separation and feeling like the whole world is going dark but not beeing able to connect […] Chaika captures that feeling without making it feel too painful. […] I think it’s a lovely drama.”
– Ella Watts
Podcast Radio Hour: Science Fiction Audio Drama, BBC Radio 4 Extra
The emotions in Chaika’s journey are raw and honest
“Chaika begins as the purest scientific proposal. One storyline shows a woman coping with grief at life’s end. The other shows a woman dealing with life’s responsibilities at its beginning.
Chaika’s magic is in the perfect environment for recovery. The AI systems, Hygge, Lequ, and Trost, are all endearing, challenging, and determined. They make up a support system as perfect as fairy godmothers, showing how rocky the grieving process is, even in a perfectly stable situation.
Then, when you think Chaika’s found a soft landing, everything changes. The emotions in Chaika’s journey are raw and honest. Karin Heimdahl‘s saga isn’t an easy listen. However, it’s worthwhile listening for what it can do for your coping skills.“
Best Audio Drama and Fiction Podcasts for 2023, The Podcast Host
It’s the first time I’ve ever felt the real urge to jump in my space ship and go and save a character
“Chaika is a refreshingly honest and raw study of how one person would cope with such overwhelming isolation and grief, without any of the usual smart talking ‘sassy’ dialogue. Instead we are drawn right into her grief and feel her pain as she heads towards an unknown future with only her two AI companions for company. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt the real urge to jump in my space ship and go and save a character, or at least give her a hug. Wonderful podcast.”
Reddit user idlebones
“Coming on the back of a pandemic, of lockdowns and the mental health challenges those lockdowns delivered, Chaika isn’t just about one woman’s experiences in deep space but about millions of people’s experiences of isolation here on the third rock.”
Chaika’s variation on the “woman alone in space” theme delves deeper into the search for humanity
“One woman is alone in space after the lights have gone out on Earth. Chaika’s variation on the “woman alone in space” theme delves deeper into the search for humanity. This story is particularly resonant for lockdown survivors, especially with the coping mechanisms of the word & poem of the day. The charming artificial-intelligence characters direct her to self-examination and offer a smoke screen over the bigger mystery. Why stay alive? What happened to all the humans? Chaika educates the robots to understand how and why humans can survive. The moment where Chaika and the AI, Hygge, silently observe Venus together is (to paraphrase Michael Chabon) “as poetic as rain on a daisy.” When an uncomplicated plot explores a complicated premise, a compelling and poignant experience unfolds.”
5 New Fiction Podcasts for Summer Adventure, The Podcast Host
Accolades
Y2K Productions 