Liam Begley : Broken Interstellar: Unions, Space, and Imagining Different Ways of Being

What would interstellar governance look like if labor unions—not empires—ruled the stars?Liam Begley, author of the one-dollar sci-fi adventure Broken Interstellar: A Union Worker's Space Opera, joins us to discuss his debut novel, the realities of self-publishing, and how science fiction helps us imagine different ways of being.Liam Begley wrote Broken Interstellar as a fun, light adventure novel—but the story pulled through his lens as a longtime member of the highly unionized, yet deeply hierarchical, Vancouver film industry. The result is a space opera about labor unions of spacers, interstellar governance, and the challenge of telling the difference between being dominated and being supported.In this conversation, Liam shares his journey from film crewmember to self-published author, why he believes we wouldn't regress to 19th-century empire-building in space, and why he chose to release his book without DRM for just one dollar. We also explore his thoughts on military sci-fi, the assumptions authors bring to their work, and what it means to imagine different ways of organizing society.If you're a sci-fi fan, a self-publishing author, or someone curious about political economy, management styles, and the future of work—this episode with Liam Begley will take you on a thought-provoking ride.In this episode, we explore:· What inspired Broken Interstellar and what Liam hopes readers take away· Why he believes labor unions would be the closest thing to interstellar governance· The challenges and advantages of self-publishing today· Why he dislikes military sci-fi—and what he prefers instead· How much of themselves authors leave in their work· Why he chose not to put DRM on his book· The intersection of political economy, philosophy, and science fiction· Who the sci-fi author he most admires isGet the Book:Broken Interstellar: A Union Worker's Space Opera — available for just $1https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1867423Connect with Liam Begley:· Website: https://www.liambegley.ca/· Substack: https://ldbegley.substack.com/