Season 3: The Renaissance

Ben Proclaims a Golden Age
№ 101-215

Year

2013

Episodes

117

Essential

9

Listen

35

Skip

73

Time Loops

7

Total Time

116:45:04

Average Episode Length

59:52

Ben proclaims the start of The Sci-Fi Christian Golden Age. He returns to full-time hosting, while Daniel and Koby move to their own podcasts. Daniel appears mostly through voicemail as he calls in with news and commentary. Ben pretends to forget Koby's name and calls him everything but "Koby".

The year starts with a bunch of interviews and long-promised guest hosts. Output, measured by both episode count and minutes, increases. Some of the show's most iconic episodes landed this season: The Fandom Menace, The Lost World of Genesis 1, What's In the Batcave?, Heroes Rants, and Excavating the X-Files. Ben introduces long-running segments Last News of the Day, Sci-Fi Christian Story Time, Ben is Right, and What the Frodo? Matt starts the first spinoff, The Bible Trivia Podcast. When the show goes on hiatus, the hosts record their first Top 50 countdown to fill the gap.

On the personal side, Matt gets married, moving out of Ryan Strelau Studios and into BAM Studios. Ben enters the Catholic church and takes his family on the infamous Disney vacation, leading to the ultimate Story Time series.

End of the Year Awards

Category Winner Archivist's Choice
Episode № 124 The Lost World of Genesis № 124 The Lost World of Genesis
Episode Title № 116 The Fandom Menace
Countdown № 170 Top 5 Things I’m Nostalgic For № 196 Top Five Episodes of Breaking Bad
Movie Review № 163 Star Trek Roundtable Discussion № 207 Revisiting the Rocketeer
Book Review № 124 The Lost World of Genesis
TV Show Review № 192 Heroes Season Two Rant
Time Loop № 178 The SFC Timeloop – Bigfoot, Dinos, and Dragons № 193 The SFC Time Loop – It’s the End of the World As We Know It
Guest Brad Jorde and Eric Klein Brad Jorde and Eric Klein
Funniest Episode or Moment № 204 The LOST-Off: A LOST Trivia Challenge № 155 What’s In the Batcave?
Surprising Sci-Fi News Ben Affleck is Batman WB is developing Afterlife with Archie, a zombie movie starring the Archie comics characters.
Exciting Sci-Fi News Netflix and Marvel are developing a Daredevil TV show
Disappointing Sci-Fi News Christopher Eccleston will not appear in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode
Lack of Follow-Through Matt finishing Flight of the Angels, Alan Moore episode
Uncovered Topic Top 5 Non-Stereotypical Female Sci-Fi Characters Video Games
Video Dark Knight Returns review
Sci-Fi Movie Star Trek Into Darkness Coherence
Sci-Fi TV Show Doctor Who Breaking Bad (not sci-fi but Matt and Ben allowed the nomination)
Sci-Fi Book The Ocean at the End of the Lane The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Worst Episode № 128 Sci-Fi Feedback
Sci-Fi Video Game BioShock Infinite, The Last of Us
Biggest Sci-Fi Disappointment Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Story Time Ben's Disney Trip Ben's Disney Trip