SNOWDON: THE SHACKLETON EXPANSE
A Star Trek Fan Production · A Thin Air Production

The ship that went looking for the one that vanished.

It’s 2381. Two years after Nemesis and four years after the Dominion War, Starfleet is stretched thin, rebuilding, and quietly afraid of the next war.

The USS Snowdon, an Akira-class warship hastily refitted for science, is sent to chart the Shackleton Expanse: an unmapped, lawless region of struggling colonies, Orion traders and ancient ruins no one has catalogued. Eight months ago her sister ship, the USS Ben Nevis, went into the Expanse on the same mission and sent back one garbled final message. Starfleet lists her as lost with all hands.

The Snowdon’s crew is about to find out why, and what Starfleet is willing to compromise to stay safe.

Think Deep Space Nine: morally grey choices, a crew you’ll want to spend time with, plenty of humour, and real action and stakes. There’s also an experimental weapon that has never once worked properly.

THE PRODUCTION

Season 1 has ten episodes of 45–60 minutes each, with full sound design, original music, narration and captain’s logs. All ten scripts are written and complete. Episode 1, “Base Camp”, premieres in early 2027 on Apple Podcasts and other podcast apps. The show is written, produced and directed by Oliver Ward of Thin Air Productions in Sydney, Australia. Season 2 is already in development.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We’re casting seven leads, the season’s main antagonist, and a supporting ensemble. The leads are:

• Captain Ishara sh’Varen (F), an Andorian

• Commander Daniel Achebe (M), human

• Lt Cmdr Ranna Tey (F), a Bajoran

• Dr Seren Lavik (F), a Trill

• Lt Grell (M), a Tellarite

• Lt (jg) Priya Nandakumar (F), human

• Lt Cmdr Savak (M), a Vulcan

The antagonist is Oren Castellan (M), human, 60s. Supporting roles include Dr Ilani Merek, Chief Engineer Bexa Rhin, CPO Hollis Kane, Admiral Okafor-Hill, Kel the bartender and more. Smaller roles will be doubled, so you may be offered more than one part.

Each role has its own listing with a character profile and sides. We cast for distinct, contrasting voices as much as for performance, so please audition for anyone you connect with. Accents are welcome. CPO Kane is Welsh, and a genuine Welsh voice would be a real bonus there.

REQUIREMENTS

• You must be 18 or over.

• You’ll need a USB or XLR microphone (not a laptop, headset or earbud mic), headphones, and a quiet room. A wardrobe full of clothes makes a great booth.

• Record at 48 kHz, 24-bit WAV.

• Please include at least one raw, unedited take in your audition, with no noise reduction or effects, so we can hear your actual recording setup.

• All recording is remote. We’ll use online sessions where possible, and you’ll upload your own local recordings as backup.

• We’re looking for reliability for around 6–9 months of recording across the season. Please mention any availability gaps you know about.

TIMELINE

Auditions are open now and close on 14 December 2026. Everyone who auditions will get a reply by 31 December 2026 at the latest, whether or not they’re cast. Recording begins once casting is complete.

CONTACT

You can audition here on Casting Call Club. For questions, email [redacted] or visit uss-snowdon.com.

Content note: the series includes death and sci-fi violence.

Ymlaen at y copa — onward to the summit.