> 2025–2030: How We Use the Waiting Years Over the next six years we’ll build the studio **before** the first big data drops arrive. Think of it as a calm, methodical countdown: a standing writers’ room paired with a small science council, clear tools, and a shared style—so when Europa Clipper starts returning results in **2030**, we can turn science into story within weeks, not years.
**Year 1 (now–2026): Foundations.** Form small, mixed teams (writers, artists, scientists, producers). Set the canon and visual language. Build an open asset library and an AI-assisted pipeline for research, storyboarding, and previz. Practice on archival data (Galileo, Cassini, Hubble) to learn the terrain.
**Year 2 (2026–2027): Prototypes.** Produce short proofs-of-concept: 60–120 s clips and a few “mini-episodes.” Run table reads with scientists; iterate fast. Publish sizzle reels to attract partners and classroom pilots.
**Year 3–4 (2027–2028): Scale-up.** Lock a production playbook: version-controlled scripts, AI animatics, and color scripts that can be updated the day new findings drop. Build audience channels and educator kits. Line up financing (see below).
**Year 5 (2029): Data-ready stories.** Write branching scripts with **if/then** beats tied to likely measurements (ice thickness, plume chemistry, magnetosphere passes). Pre-render flexible scenes and narration so we can swap in real numbers on release day.
**Year 6 (2030): Go live.** As **Europa Clipper** arrives, switch to monthly sprints: ingest data, validate with the science council, update scripts, and release “Data Drop Episodes.” In **2031** JUICE adds Ganymede/Callisto arcs; in **2034** Dragonfly opens Titan “Season 3.”
# Augmented Collaboration in the Age of AI - **Two rooms, one bridge:** a planetary “lab” (methods, uncertainties) and a writers’ room (characters, stakes) connected by **bridge editors** who translate science into scenes. - **AI as power tools:** citation-aware research, Beat Sheet drafting, storyboard generation, voice table-reads, and rapid previz of terrains—always reviewed and signed off by humans. - **Red teams for realism:** engineers and bioscience reviewers poke holes in shiny ideas; only what survives becomes canon.
# Financing Like a Modern Film (But Open) - **Development slate:** micro-budgets for scripts, art bibles, and sizzle reels. - **Pre-sales & partners:** museums, planetariums, educators, and science media labs commit to themed packs aligned with mission milestones. - **Grants & sponsorship:** science communication funds, cultural foundations, and mission-adjacent sponsors support seasons focused on public understanding. - **Community patronage:** members back specific shorts; contributors get credit and early cuts. - **Open assets, clear rights:** wherever possible, publish under permissive licenses so study groups and classrooms can remix while preserving attribution. **Result:** when real measurements arrive, we’re not starting from scratch—we’re slotting confirmed facts into ready-made scenes and releasing polished, funny, and **hard** science stories at the pace of discovery.