Raven Dauda: Our Beloved Spiritual Alien

[00:00:00] y'all want some good medicine? Listen into the sci-fi sisters with Dr. Pollard.

[00:00:30] Hey everybody, welcome to the sci-fi sisters podcast where we give you our point of view.

[00:00:41] We're proud members of the Trek Geeks Podcast Network and we are really excited to be here with you today.

[00:00:47] I'm your host Tamiya Harper. I'm joined by my sisters, Evette Blackmonton. Hello.

[00:00:53] Fran T. What's happening?

[00:00:56] And Sabrina Wood.

[00:00:58] And we have another sister joining us today that makes us so happy. We got to meet her recently at Trek Long Island.

[00:01:09] And quickly she became a really dear part of our lives because we just love her. Her heart is big.

[00:01:18] She's amazingly talented. You've seen her in everything from the hearty boys to suit, to a designated

[00:01:27] survivor, to the hot zone, to Murdoch mysteries, to the umbrella academy. I mean you name it. This

[00:01:33] sister has done it but most importantly to us she plays one and only Dr. Pollard and Star Trek

[00:01:42] Discovery. We have with us today none other than Ms. Raven Douda. Hi Raven.

[00:01:52] Raven and Howl.

[00:01:55] It's a reunion.

[00:01:56] It's a reunion. It's a reunion.

[00:02:00] We're all in person at the Long Island Convention. Oh my goodness.

[00:02:07] It was like coming back home and it's amazing because this doesn't usually happen. You know where

[00:02:14] you meet some people and there's instantly that rapport. That's there's instantly that history

[00:02:21] and it was just because I was I was a bit anxious too. I was a bit nervous and excited about

[00:02:27] this being my first convention and I had I just didn't know what to expect you know but it was

[00:02:34] kismet it was just so wonderful seeing you all first like first morning. Yes amazing.

[00:02:43] So I'm really honored to be here with you all talk at the parents' space time. You know

[00:02:49] really thank you. Love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. Love it.

[00:02:52] I'm meeting the first thing in the morning. He battened and I was sitting there we were all

[00:02:58] in her daughter and the other lady was sitting there and I heard the two words the side by

[00:03:02] sister because I saw you all at the table and I'm like oh oh and I look at he's bad I said

[00:03:09] he said side by sister that's my cue. That's my way in. I'm going over there now.

[00:03:19] Oh did I know you say the side by sister.

[00:03:22] Oh but so here.

[00:03:26] I was so glad that that gentleman said what they said because if he didn't I would

[00:03:31] you know you just don't rush up on people while they're eating and you know you just don't make

[00:03:35] a nuisance of yourself you know but if you have a if you have a way in you take that way

[00:03:40] that's it. You have to take that opportunity that was that was the invitation and you took it

[00:03:45] that's it. That's it. Well thank you for being grateful to them. Yeah.

[00:03:50] Oh I appreciate that. Yeah I appreciate you.

[00:03:55] I mean it was it was really wonderful and like you said it did feel like Kismit because

[00:04:01] you know you know we get to meet people every once in a while but you don't have a heart

[00:04:05] connection all the time but I got to tell you this discovery cast.

[00:04:11] Y'all are y'all are heavy y'all are heavy on the heart and it seems like every single person

[00:04:17] from the cast that we've met we've had it's been more than it's been a meeting of human beings

[00:04:24] you know as opposed to a meeting of job titles or status you know like like fan to actor just

[00:04:32] right right. Y'all leave with your hearts first. Yeah yeah there's none of that hierarchy there

[00:04:39] it's definitely we are heart-centered people and you know just to give a special shout out to those

[00:04:46] at that convention that week and David you know David Agala and Pumbi I mean just in how we talk

[00:04:57] and how we interact it's we're always coming from our heart like we're just making to each other

[00:05:05] from places of love and joy and I mean I just learned so much from them in spending time and

[00:05:11] space with them like just whether we were talking about you know the craft and the industry or

[00:05:17] just talking about what we do as actors or as you know with our families whatever the topic was

[00:05:23] I really respect and admire them as people and friends you know yeah yeah yeah and that's how they

[00:05:32] are 24-7 and it's thing that starts from the top as well like I mean Sanico Martin Green is just

[00:05:41] exemplary in that way just such a beautiful human being and and is a great reminder as to

[00:05:49] you know who I often ask myself this question like who do I who who am I and who do I want to be right

[00:05:58] and I look to people in the world that emulate what it is that I wish to be and and Sanico is definitely

[00:06:05] one of those people who you know she shows you how you can be you know a leader or a top person

[00:06:17] in a company let's say right she's number one on the list but how you can be that and still be

[00:06:22] such a grounded human being like how you can make time for others like how you can help lift

[00:06:29] everyone up at the same time on the road on the journey whatever you're creating and you're creating

[00:06:34] it together she shows how you can do that oh wow just in a heart space place and yeah and it's great

[00:06:41] it's not always the case and a lot of right we've had jobs or been in spaces where that isn't

[00:06:47] usually right yeah oh yeah so having having these people um on this remarkable show just setting that

[00:06:59] tone yeah like once you've been that way you can't be any other way so I have

[00:07:04] been in the show now yeah yeah well you can and you can try to be another way but it doesn't feel

[00:07:12] it doesn't feel good anymore yeah you can't you can't fake it anymore and every person we've

[00:07:19] interviewed from this story has said exactly the same thing about Sanico Martin Green yeah everyone

[00:07:27] and we've we've interviewed some folks from this and everybody says the same thing about

[00:07:31] her and her leadership I mean we've we've had her on the show and oh yeah we have and and she

[00:07:39] you know she was everything we thought she would be and more and she made us cry oh yeah

[00:07:45] well we made her cry too we made her cry we were all crying

[00:07:51] five black people crying

[00:07:56] but just so good it is it was it was like therapy that's it we need to help each other and we

[00:08:03] help heal each other by sharing our story sharing our experiences you know and

[00:08:07] oh really right creating safe spaces to do that so we can go out into the world and also affect

[00:08:13] that change you know yeah and I think I think that's why you I've heard you say that before about safe

[00:08:19] spaces and I think that's what this we tried to make this podcast a safe space especially a safe

[00:08:25] space for us because we're we're nerds you know we're nerds we're black women nerds and that's

[00:08:33] we need a safe space so we made our home yeah and now and then we just bring people into this safe

[00:08:39] space so you can nerd out or talk about and we we want you to come in here and be loved on

[00:08:44] and you know as we don't ask like questions that we wouldn't want we wouldn't want your mother to

[00:08:50] know about it we just want to talk to you and make you feel good and let you know that you make

[00:08:57] us feel good when we watch you because you do and I think we've we've had that conversation

[00:09:04] when you get on screen as a black woman and you you emulate somebody in science or

[00:09:10] somebody in a leadership role somebody who's really smart that always makes a impact I don't care

[00:09:15] how big or small your your role is because you definitely make an impact on me because I believe in

[00:09:22] science have children that I have having science and just to see the doctor is always so important

[00:09:29] one star trek right you know and then when you came because I'm a big

[00:09:35] Beverly Crusher fan you know she's the woman doctor right but then when you came on

[00:09:40] I was like wait the block so that you know so that's why when I saw you I was like oh my god

[00:09:50] you know I just love Dr. Pollard Dr. Tracy Pollard is uh Lieutenant Commander

[00:09:57] yes Lieutenant Commander Pollard she is a fierce one and she's she's just like bones

[00:10:04] she's always got a sarcastic comment right now and I love that she just slips some slips

[00:10:11] that right on in like it's just it's just wonderful um I wish there was more of uh Dr. Pollard

[00:10:28] I really do because I think that's such a rich character um but you play it spot on

[00:10:38] the JCP has a deep dear place in my heart and I I do I love her sass I love her energy I love

[00:10:44] her gears I love her with this like I guess so many things about her that you know have made me

[00:10:52] a better person I feel as well and you're playing that you know so yeah she's just she's

[00:10:57] awesome and I've enjoyed every minute uh love that uh that's the pimples align you said

[00:11:03] that time I need to biobay it don't need to get the hell out of here

[00:11:10] give me the biobay okay y'all in here talking so y'all is that because that was a sister

[00:11:16] no sister that was a sister that was a sister straight into the point like

[00:11:22] right you don't have to take this conversation right okay i'll say you love good

[00:11:29] nebbi i love it i have a question question like did you when you got that part like were you

[00:11:38] reading for um Dr. Pollard I mean like did you know that that's the part that you were going for

[00:11:44] yes yes actually I did know that was the part I was going for um and they sent like you know

[00:11:51] audition sides and I memorized the information and and um thought a lot about who she was where she

[00:11:57] came from who she was working with in the scenes and you know everything is quite private as well so

[00:12:03] I don't know exactly they redact things so you don't know exactly and and the names aren't the real

[00:12:08] names so you know there's a lot about the situation that's that secretive going in and and I felt

[00:12:15] like I just had to make some strong choices and and lead from my heart um and that's one of the things

[00:12:23] that I I was really proud of actually in auditioning for them um was that I thought about who were

[00:12:32] the people in the scene and who were who were they more importantly to Tracy who were they to

[00:12:39] Pollard you know we're friends well where did we meet how far back do we go you know there

[00:12:46] are in a crisis situation oh my goodness what's going on right like this how how much does it

[00:12:53] tug on on my heart and okay so how does she show up professionally even when her heart is as

[00:13:00] well as it's okay it's all right it was one of the rare auditions that you'd get where

[00:13:07] the the material is so rich yeah and then once I freaked out you know got over my nerves

[00:13:17] oh my god it's Star Trek you got to kind of put that to the side so you can just speak

[00:13:27] I owe bed gave it away oh my goodness yeah once I was able to breathe again um it was a great

[00:13:37] audition and so much fun just reading that's cool oh that was so cool yeah now did you watch Star

[00:13:45] Trek before you got the part I did okay watch it with my mom oh yeah we all watch we all watched

[00:13:53] it with a parrot on grand pal okay I just remember being curled up on the couch with mom and we

[00:14:01] just watch it the original oh yeah it's it's it was just so surreal actually auditioning for it

[00:14:13] and thinking back to when and and how like just so many great moments that are associated with

[00:14:23] Star Trek for myself and in my family and just and then also I fell in love with the next

[00:14:30] generation that was really much yeah right I got into deep space nine later but yeah um it's

[00:14:41] just been so surreal I can't imagine I know right because I thought of like in playing as

[00:14:49] doctor I was like oh my goodness this is in the lineage of bones and crush like it's just like

[00:14:57] you're a doctor I'm starched with water you know that's it that's it that's it that's it's so so

[00:15:05] honoring so honoring oh my goodness well we're we're so excited that you're in our family you know

[00:15:11] because um you know there's some characters and like I don't you don't see them as often but

[00:15:19] every like you make every time we see Dr. Pollard Dr. Pollard is not milk toast right like Dr.

[00:15:27] Pollard is always giving you something interesting that makes you like because you think like oh

[00:15:31] okay here comes another doctor on the screen right you are especially for those of us they get like

[00:15:36] don't really care but to hear all the technobabble all the time we're like blah blah blah blah blah

[00:15:40] technobabble gets a block you know and like and my like my eyes will just start your zone right on out for

[00:15:47] a second but you but you can't do that with Dr. Pollard but you can't do that you command that presence

[00:15:55] there on the screen it's like I'm watching like all you could just be saying hello

[00:16:00] you see how she said hello you see what else you got to say hello

[00:16:12] you know she's so she's so interesting I'd love it I love it um you know I think back to

[00:16:19] you know we were talking before a little bit right before it became on and we were all sitting

[00:16:24] around here talking about the things that we've seen you in and I think that's one of the

[00:16:29] reasons like when when we when I saw you on the screen in stature I was like I felt comfort

[00:16:35] like a sense of comfort I was like oh I'm in good hands I know this sister because you have been

[00:16:41] in everything you are a working system I'm working you know got the got the mortgage to take care of

[00:16:52] the hey right right that's right nothing of that motivation of needing to live so

[00:17:01] I'm very thankful and I'm very blessed I mean um living in Canada is wonderful because we have such

[00:17:08] a such a vibrant um community the film and television community is so strong um and so from time

[00:17:18] I mean we've had just American productions come up and come up and work and I am going to take

[00:17:24] this moment just to give a special shout out to our writers and our actors everyone down in the

[00:17:30] states right now the writer's strike go and I'm all lost what a send out a lot of love to them

[00:17:37] and I'm just so proud and honored for them standing up for what they need but they can

[00:17:43] and holding that line like just stay strong I know it takes time um but you're doing the right

[00:17:49] thing and we're all with you and we love you and admire you so just want to say that yeah

[00:17:55] all right here here definitely we definitely have strong supporters of the writers guild so

[00:18:01] writers definitely definitely and sad because you guys are next right

[00:18:05] well that's all that everybody voted it was like yeah Nana miss vote were yeah just ready to go

[00:18:11] but the directors got what they wanted quick I was like wow that was great

[00:18:16] it was like okay hopefully I don't mean something to everybody else but wow that was quick yeah

[00:18:22] but yeah we definitely stand strong with the WGA definitely I'm sorry go ahead

[00:18:29] yeah no no so that's it I'm just gonna say I'm just so blessed because we have so many productions

[00:18:33] that come up here like about I'd say 80 70 80 percent of my work is American work I could just

[00:18:41] up and it's I'm so thankful for it so that's why you see all these shows that I'm a part of

[00:18:47] that's why we know assist is face

[00:18:52] like hello

[00:18:56] I love you um yeah I'm like uh I'm looking for the quote because it's so dope okay your quote

[00:19:05] that you say that in your bio about yourself um that you are a spiritual alien masking as a human

[00:19:13] being who's learning how to love act right design teach and listen in order to take over the world

[00:19:20] I love it

[00:19:24] haha yeah man that's how I feel I do feel like a spiritual alien you know I love that never felt

[00:19:36] like I belonged from day one you know love my family love my friends love the community but

[00:19:42] I'm just always felt like an outsider I just know that the other right right thought

[00:19:51] differently I've seen the world differently I don't understand a lot of the things going on in

[00:19:57] this world like I really don't understand why why we have these struggles and these fights and

[00:20:05] like I it just boggles my mind and and also just I think I've just been a creative kid

[00:20:15] as a kid I'm also in my head imagining things doing make believe you know doing shows for the

[00:20:22] parents when they pick us up you know after school or when when we're at the babysitters you know

[00:20:27] we feel like a little magic show or something for them I've always been imagining things and

[00:20:34] in office my own world and I I'm still trying to figure out and I guess this is a lifelong

[00:20:40] is my lifelong mission you know to seek new ways of being to try and understand

[00:20:51] the plights of others and to understand how I can be an authentic person

[00:20:59] and and stand for what I believe in and that's okay just as it is change your compromise or

[00:21:06] to feel less than or what have you so yeah so I'm trying to I'm just trying to figure it out and

[00:21:14] hopefully help others as well help others to see how their uniqueness is there is there super power

[00:21:22] right yeah yeah yeah yeah like oh I don't belong no we're not all meant we're not all meant to be

[00:21:28] the same we're not we can't so that's boring right in your individuality you have a message you

[00:21:36] have a reason why you're here just be able to give comfort to somewhere now sort to you know

[00:21:43] we're we're a lifelong journey yeah finding out who you are yeah and it changes

[00:21:51] it's actually yeah because after a while you like well I don't really care right

[00:21:59] so yeah whatever

[00:22:00] okay

[00:22:02] okay and when you get to be my age all they care about what people think in all

[00:22:07] that because I've always been weird on my life I don't give a fluke

[00:22:11] about no more flutes to give no more they are all gone

[00:22:22] that's gonna be my new thing friend it's always friend

[00:22:27] a fluke no more glutes to give I love it

[00:22:35] um can I I wanted to ask a question no no no no I was just I was just you made me think of a quote

[00:22:45] from BB King who said a lot of people do what I do and a lot of people do it better but nobody

[00:22:52] else does it like me

[00:22:54] right

[00:22:55] you know

[00:22:57] you mean me

[00:23:00] that's perfect

[00:23:02] that's absolutely perfect um so I wanted to ask about the play you did um I

[00:23:08] did that said it correctly yes I just I just want to know some more about that

[00:23:13] because you wrote and directed it right I wrote it and and acted it

[00:23:19] oh okay okay um so the play addicted came out of this incredible program so there's a

[00:23:27] there's a theater called water water theater um created by the incomparable there's a woman named

[00:23:36] the bee young um bee young Anita Africa de apostrophe bi okay you and you you got to check her out

[00:23:44] definitely already yeah so website yeah the decolonial arts this woman is so phenomenal I'm like

[00:23:56] how come she isn't running the world yet we all could just be taking a page from her um she came

[00:24:04] up with this beautiful program um so it's called the Anita Africa method it's it's gone through

[00:24:11] different iterations but now it's the Anita Africa method and it's basically like this

[00:24:19] transformative program it's a way to help you to gain deeper access into who you are

[00:24:26] and to help tell your story in whatever facet way that may be so yes it was a theater program however

[00:24:34] we had you know maybe your photographer maybe your writer maybe your dancer didn't matter what

[00:24:40] what talent you had or where you're coming from this was a program to just help get you

[00:24:47] to help give you deeper insights into just what your thoughts are what's your what's your core

[00:24:52] woundings are how can we move through these spaces how can we show up and so it looks at different

[00:24:59] aspects of our lives whether it's our thoughts our rhythms our sleeping patterns our dietary like

[00:25:06] every little thing that goes into wow wow it does yeah it speaks to it speaks to

[00:25:15] it just speaks to everything so literally from this program and it was a beautiful program still going on

[00:25:23] I we would meet you know we'd meet weekly type of thing and uh would go would would share um

[00:25:32] whatever we had created based on part of her program so let's say the first one was

[00:25:40] orality we looked at the stories that we are told we look at stories that we tell ourselves

[00:25:47] we look at the stories that we say that we don't necessarily believe or the ones that we did

[00:25:52] and we would share them and I ended up putting together um uh one woman show um because

[00:26:01] it grew increments by increment um and at the time and it's all you know it's it's also a life

[00:26:09] going process um I was really dealing with my own addictions my own alcoholism in particular

[00:26:16] and this program gave me a really strong focus and it gave me the gift of

[00:26:28] being able to look within myself from a from a conscious place though

[00:26:35] oh no oh no oh no just this is where I'm at uh-huh and what does what has what what do I have

[00:26:48] to say about it what how is this informed my life how am I going to move forward now

[00:26:53] um so yeah so addicted came out of that it was a really powerful program and I just

[00:26:59] I just have to give a shout out and say if anybody is ever thinking of

[00:27:03] what doesn't necessarily have to be writing it could be just you're at a place in your life where

[00:27:06] you where you wish to clear heal some old wounds clear and just come into yourself in a different

[00:27:13] way just check it out just check wow check out my sister because she will set you straight

[00:27:19] you know it sounds amazing it's really amazing transformative I mean in everyone that's been through

[00:27:26] a program first of all there were other plays that were created from this all vastly different

[00:27:32] because we're so unique so we all had our stories to tell but also all deeply engaging and all

[00:27:39] relatable and all you know relevant and necessary like it's just I was like when it happens maybe

[00:27:46] once you go okay that's a you know every single person's work that came from this was just

[00:27:54] revolutionary so it came from truth exactly came from and came from telling our stories and so

[00:28:02] addicted allowed me to I was at a time when I was very anxious because I mean for me

[00:28:09] my drinking and my addictions I I really kept on the dl like I would just everything

[00:28:17] this is very functioning I said it's still able to function but I just you know from the time when

[00:28:22] I came home type of thing I just either be drinking it or smoking or whatever yeah I get that right

[00:28:31] and you hide things and I know how to hide things I walk with my mouth wash and I do my stuff

[00:28:35] you know like I just you know how to mask and cover yeah but it wasn't it wasn't sustainable it

[00:28:42] wasn't I I felt that I needed something in order to be present in order to deal with the world

[00:28:54] I felt like it's something as a barrier because once again this world I felt like I didn't

[00:28:59] fit in and I didn't know how to I couldn't function it it was just too painful

[00:29:04] yeah absolutely that's so interesting yeah right so this process allowed me to actually look at

[00:29:12] that and look at it from a space where um I could allow my creativity in I could allow my sense of

[00:29:21] play in and I could give voice I ended up doing creating 11 characters 12 originally but it ended

[00:29:28] up being 11 characters within the play they each had a chance to speak on something that I

[00:29:34] might not have necessarily been able to speak to

[00:29:37] oh okay okay in mouth pieces yes oh wow it was very therapeutic as well yeah

[00:29:45] yeah that's so wonderful I was just what you said about you know being able to

[00:29:51] um you know needing something to deal with the this world and I'm like I just said that the

[00:29:59] the other day is somebody was talking to me about you know my own my own alcoholism and

[00:30:06] you know and it was you know and I was and I said almost those exact same words and I was like

[00:30:11] but right now like I said they were asking me about being sober right and um for me and I was

[00:30:19] just explaining to them that I don't use any mind altering substances in order to deal with life

[00:30:27] anymore like this is how my life has changed right you know and you know and I just have to learn

[00:30:33] and she was the lady was asking me she's like what do you do how do you do I'm like maybe you learned

[00:30:37] to rock through it yeah yeah like I got a lot of tools that I use but you just got to rock sometimes

[00:30:42] you just got to rock through it you know um but it took a long time to get to that point because I

[00:30:48] realized once I started looking back into my own story that from a young child I was trying to

[00:30:55] distance myself from the pain of reality you know I mean as soon as I learned how to read

[00:31:02] I lived in a book and I would not look up around me you know especially in certain situations

[00:31:08] I had a book with me like Linus in his blanket you know like you know that my book was my Linus

[00:31:15] blanket and you know and I just had to read I read addictively you know when I was a kid like

[00:31:22] I really needed cushion from from all the crap that was around me I was just not that's just how

[00:31:29] I came into this onto this earth it's just the person that I am you know you know so I love how

[00:31:36] you were talking about like being able to look at the situation just accept you know there's a lot of

[00:31:41] like it not like I'm not trying to fix I'm just trying to assess and look and then figure out

[00:31:49] how to move how to use it and move forward and grow into something else because our pain is

[00:31:55] in is informing us that's where the healing is right that's what it's as well it's it's informing

[00:32:01] us as to what what do we need and whether and what I found for myself was it was it was really

[00:32:10] forgiveness you know just for myself and and and it also then extended to my family let's say

[00:32:21] my parents you know to just understand people we were doing the best yes and we're doing the best

[00:32:28] that we can in that there's just this chain of wounding so the play addicted also looks at ancestral

[00:32:36] and ancestral things what we're passed down yeah and I even toy with epigenetics a little bit

[00:32:45] that that thought of which I firmly I do I do believe in that idea of

[00:32:52] um you know my father was an alcoholic was he suffered he was uh he had a struggle to move through

[00:33:01] and unfortunately we felt that right and I didn't get to know him very well because he passed he left

[00:33:12] us when we were when I was really young and then he passed um but what I could gather was that he too

[00:33:19] had a real wounded life uh-huh uh-huh usually yeah it's usually how it is and so I became curious as to

[00:33:30] how that can be traced down through the family lines how you can hear it how can you actually

[00:33:37] inherit that trauma and that wounding and an aspect of the play for myself was also like okay how can I

[00:33:45] then now help heal that family yeah yeah right yeah because it's gotta end it has to yeah

[00:33:53] right it has to yeah and it's coming into my consciousness so I'm like okay well I guess I've been

[00:33:58] voted the one I'm the different one so I'm gonna do something when I came there realization you

[00:34:08] know I'm the different one so I have to do something different yeah I have to do I can't keep going

[00:34:14] on with the generational stuff that keeps coming down so I'm gonna do my best to stop it since

[00:34:19] I am the different one anyway so because I the pain well for me the pain because I have to look

[00:34:31] at my diction too I'm not just addicted to alcohol I'm I'm an addict so um I had to look at

[00:34:39] look at things and realize that you know as they say you were just a symptom it's not the chemicals

[00:34:46] spending money and all that stuff and blah blah blah it's just a it's just a indication

[00:34:52] of what's going on outside you so you know I got on that road and it's been interesting

[00:35:07] but it was the hardest thing and the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life

[00:35:13] so absolutely yeah I love that yeah as we hear the total story that's it that's it that's

[00:35:22] I wish I would have seen the play I really really interested in seeing that yeah I'm working on

[00:35:27] that I'm working on how I get make it accessible first off I am touring it up here in Canada and

[00:35:33] taking it to Costa Rica in February of 2024 um like a road trip

[00:35:42] sci-fi sisters road trip yeah I love me some kind of Costa Rica you want to cook the sunny

[00:35:49] Costa Rica it looks like it's gonna be a bit of a party now because I've had some other people say

[00:35:53] yes I would love to take a show you better remember you know remember where to send the invite

[00:36:03] oh I would think what what what what what what's that you were ready for 24 20

[00:36:09] oh wait I think we're on the cruise we're going to have you very I don't right um I can't remember

[00:36:17] the dates but I'm thinking it's like around the 17th 18th type of you know like mid-February and

[00:36:25] is that when the cruise is I think so let's at the end I want to say the end that's the 29

[00:36:30] 29 you think the cruise is not coming by there yeah he could stop but I keep us keep us up

[00:36:42] like it'll hold ship for people he's updated on that he's updated on that yeah I want to have

[00:36:49] yeah yeah that would be be careful for what you wish

[00:37:02] like she would like the kind of sci-fi sisters again

[00:37:06] yeah

[00:37:10] yeah that would be fabulous I took for the mario

[00:37:16] yeah because this this play is a ride it is a ride I do look at all all kinds of addictions not

[00:37:22] as you're saying not just drugs and alcohol but everything shopping

[00:37:27] absolutely that's like it's not it's not the addiction itself it's what's underneath that right

[00:37:32] exactly yeah yeah yeah and to help break the stigmas around it so yeah so I'm really looking

[00:37:39] forward to that and if I could see my sisters there oh oh boy oh yeah I mean come on

[00:37:50] get a fest in that yeah I love it there oh definitely

[00:37:55] okay wait a minute uh the auger I used to know my dear I was where it's called

[00:38:04] cerica is it on south america or is it in this hemisphere yes like it's Smith yeah the

[00:38:13] ismoth oh well you know like the little bridge going between oh messed with all the

[00:38:18] balees coast of rica Honduras yeah okay okay god I thought so thank you you welcome

[00:38:30] I guess I could have just looked up at the map yeah no that's awesome

[00:38:37] so you were you were talking earlier about like doing some like voice work and stuff do you enjoy

[00:38:42] the voice work I do I do a lot um I love it because it's very freeing like fun fact whenever

[00:38:52] I'm in the booth in the studio first thing I do is I take off my shoes sometimes my socks

[00:39:02] let's get real comfy it's there's something freeing about freeing and yet intimate because it's

[00:39:09] just you and in this microphone you know I'm using everything um but I've just loved it because it's

[00:39:17] it's you can really it's storytelling it's about original just storytelling um actually one of my

[00:39:27] first first jobs um was a radio drama um book uh called the famished road by bannockry um and

[00:39:42] yeah it was one of those stories where like you have all the the foley artists so you they have oh wow

[00:39:48] yeah yeah it was just I remember enjoying it so much this magical way of storytelling where it's all

[00:39:59] just coming from your voice um painting those pictures and and bringing the reader in the reader

[00:40:09] the listener in um for the ride so um the voice work that I do these days um I've done some cartoons

[00:40:18] like Clifford the Big Red Dog and there's some other cartoons like Wayside is one that's been done up

[00:40:30] here I mean just was years ago um and what I'm working on uh tomorrow is um the dino dino ranchers um

[00:40:40] which is like those those shows for the young audience yes there's um so I love those shows because it's

[00:40:49] like nothing really bad happens in those words right all the sharing the worst thing is like oh I don't

[00:40:58] want to share my toy how do I get along valuable valuable lessons but I do know he's gonna

[00:41:06] stay right nobody's dying nobody's dying it's the pulling of out of the hair and the gnashing

[00:41:13] the teeth and the end of the wood this is good family family fun so that's good for the heart

[00:41:20] and the soul too yeah yeah I like that oh I love that yes because people know when they hear your voice

[00:41:30] they're like that's a black woman's voice I know that voice and that's comfort

[00:41:36] there's something about that because I do that too whenever I hear this voice I'm like oh I know

[00:41:41] yeah I did um oh goodness I'm drawing a blank it's like um maple leaf um like hot dogs and

[00:41:51] bacon and sausages so there's a product up here in Canada and um don't you know I'm like I know

[00:41:58] with some Star Trek fans online they're like who does the voice for those commercials totally

[00:42:05] Star Trek fans and then such a buzz started happening that the the maple leaf people got in touch

[00:42:12] with me they're like um that's what it is this the Snyder's people oh okay yeah they're like

[00:42:19] we've gotten a lot of interest in this campaign like coming in and doing some more

[00:42:27] hey it's the job that can give it I know that was some star Trek

[00:42:36] but it's good because we didn't watch the we didn't watch them episodes 20,000 times so

[00:42:42] we know we know your rights yeah yeah exactly because I look at this especially

[00:42:48] sorrow part one and part two for a year and a half right I looked at it for a year and a half

[00:42:53] before it came back on because I knew I mean I could just like do a verbatim of

[00:43:00] the thing I look at it for a year and a half it's always on it's

[00:43:06] about to be a year it was on live today yeah last night last night yeah last night it was it

[00:43:13] I looked better than again you weren't alone you weren't alone

[00:43:19] I'm sorry and my youngest daughter goes again yeah she said we because she was watching it too

[00:43:39] so is there um is there anything that you're working on now that uh that's coming out soon that

[00:43:44] you want to brag about oh boy what do I want to brag about oh that you can brag about I should say

[00:43:54] okay well this is actually a fun show and I don't know if I you know heck I'm gonna talk about it

[00:43:59] anyways I don't know if I can or can't but I'm gonna um it's a it's a show for young audiences um

[00:44:07] called spellbound okay and so spellbound for me it's almost like a Sabrina the teenage which

[00:44:18] I'm like you're so one so it's kind it's really campy like it's got that funny kind of campy

[00:44:23] humor um and it's about this beautiful little black girl little black girl she's she's you know

[00:44:30] entertains but I always think of as little babies right you want to be a ballerina you know she

[00:44:37] got this ballet school in Paris and you know those are one of the spaces as well that

[00:44:43] has been predominantly white and Anglo for such a long time right that we don't have some black

[00:44:50] ballerinas but you know we look at her wanting to discover this life and she learns that she

[00:44:59] happens to be a witch okay I like that they have stuff that goes on and it's sweet like it's sweet

[00:45:09] it's written by some great women and the cast is just um I've had a blast working with them a lot

[00:45:16] of new fresh artists where this was like their first yeah big type of thing to know but this

[00:45:23] is their first you know voyage out and um it was just a fun time we filmed it in Paris and in

[00:45:30] breath oh my god oh that's why you were there yeah which in Paris yeah so I played I played the

[00:45:44] anti-and uh uh uh uh and she's she kind of messes up things

[00:45:54] a while meaning woman but just sometimes you know she's she's like uh you know like

[00:45:59] egg Clara which exactly like it's like a Clara only like I'm loving but just oh my god

[00:46:09] I enjoyed because I don't usually do that type of comedy like I was like oh this is kind of uh

[00:46:15] I thought like Raven and that's so Raven like I'm so Raven now

[00:46:24] we know what he won I can't wait for the snow oh I really see this it's really silly and um

[00:46:33] uh the the kids and some of the people that have seen it like the producers and whatnot they've

[00:46:37] just been loving it and saying that it's amazing and so we'll see how it all comes out there's still

[00:46:43] remixing it and adding in all their magic glitter and all the stuff that um but yeah so I'm

[00:46:50] curious to see that should come out I'm thinking in the new year okay okay all right you gotta come

[00:46:56] back come back and talk about it bringing bring some of the cast with you maybe we'll talk to them

[00:47:01] gotta be awesome yeah because you know that sounds like something we want to make sure we're promoting

[00:47:09] because I mean anything that's gonna highlight just normally of you know black kids just trying

[00:47:15] to be normal kids trying to do something um you know and you want to we're gonna have a safe space

[00:47:22] for that so that would be wonderful absolutely we do and having the cast be well the leads you know

[00:47:28] be yeah it's just it's been it was really wonderful yeah I can see it when you talked about it you were

[00:47:33] like just glowing about yeah it was so fun it was so silly fun and my character she's very dramatic

[00:47:41] so a lot of like headwraps and I love it yeah bad I love that I love that I have one one more

[00:47:54] question man I don't but you probably can't answer it but uh so will you be in uh season five

[00:48:01] of discovery I can't say nothing no okay but I can't say nothing about nothing nothing about nothing

[00:48:12] nothing well I had that and D.A. yeah you did that so all right sorry okay

[00:48:20] you're gonna hit be on that ship we know you're gonna be there

[00:48:25] that ship is in order

[00:48:31] well we we definitely can't wait until the final season we're sad about it but yes we are

[00:48:36] we're sad but it was very um very proud yeah um very proud of that show I mean I always say that I

[00:48:48] it's a it's not my favorite show but it is a show that I am very proud of and I believe it's an

[00:48:57] important show and I'm so glad it was done um I just I have this feeling about this show like I have

[00:49:08] for DS9 but differently like it's so important DS9 is my favorite show so everything about it is

[00:49:16] favorite for me but yeah discovery just it's just it's right it's a soul show like it

[00:49:24] it just means that this it's gonna keep going star trek is good you know it's gonna keep going and

[00:49:29] that's what I always want that it's gonna just keep going so younger people still be um inspired by

[00:49:36] it you know because I know my generation was incredibly our generation was incredibly inspired by

[00:49:44] Star Trek and I just want to want that to keep going and I think discovery was is the launching

[00:49:49] pad for that for everything else well yes exactly what I think it was one of you that said that during

[00:49:55] the during the video yeah yeah it launched the others after we have you know strange new worlds

[00:50:06] and lower decks like everything like it really it reinvigorated it brought this new life back

[00:50:12] to the franchise right it was the flagship yeah it is the flagship right now yeah yeah yeah

[00:50:22] there was nothing else because Picard wasn't coming back Picard was it yeah no yeah I mean

[00:50:28] discovery is really important to all of us I mean like I mean it's germane to our creation story

[00:50:35] um you know because because of Sunique Martin Green this is the reason why

[00:50:40] Fran and Sabrina got to know each other defending her online and even before the show you'd

[00:50:46] even come out and defending the show and then um us going to a uh a convention going to a panel

[00:50:55] with the first season to talk about the first season of discovery and where it's all these black

[00:51:00] women in the audience of this panel and they want to talk about everything but the fact that a black

[00:51:05] woman is the lead of the show and you know and and and and the sci-fi sisters were born from that I

[00:51:12] mean that's an extremely short version of how we came to be but I mean that's pretty much

[00:51:20] how it came to me so like our DNA discovery is the the basis of our DNA of the sci-fi sisters DNA

[00:51:29] you know um is how we all met at met each other and it's how we came to be so you know the importance of

[00:51:36] that show for us it's it's really personal but then it goes even more micro for each one of us

[00:51:44] you know the representation that is on this show and you know how the and for me like as a

[00:51:52] as a person who loves the craft of storytelling in all its forms how discovery started to tell stories

[00:52:00] in a different way than we've seen before and trek to I bitched about it a lot in some seasons

[00:52:06] on our podcast like sometimes I was just like oh no this is not the way you know but I

[00:52:13] appreciate it because what it did was it woke up my curmudgeonly old thought patterns that I

[00:52:22] you know and it shook me out of them and like and I'd saw my friends who were like 20 years younger than

[00:52:27] me who completely honing in on this show like this everything how it's the expressions of everything

[00:52:36] was them and I was like I get that because DS9 was that for me and then I had these older people

[00:52:43] who were TOS heads that were like this is not how we tell star Trek stories you know and I'm like

[00:52:50] but this is how I tell stories this is how I get stories like this is my trek you know so like

[00:52:57] I see the whole cycle again so you know disco is just amazing for that to me yeah

[00:53:03] yeah you know I said disco's my favorite the Pateo is disco disco disco disco disco disco

[00:53:14] this is my favorite with you

[00:53:19] something about it I'm telling you I wrote a little article about it you know how I felt

[00:53:27] about the cancellation and one of the things that I mentioned was that we've seen all these new

[00:53:31] series come out and you know we know the drop time on Thursday nights but I will wait till three

[00:53:37] o'clock in the morning for disco I swear to God I can't wait to hear that intro music

[00:53:47] see that ship and then to see my girls nays a big boy a crack

[00:53:52] I just it's I could never get enough of it I could never get enough of it so by the time you know

[00:53:57] Friday comes along I've seen the thing three times

[00:53:59] please that's right all tired at work if I was like what happened I was watching disco

[00:54:08] it's two-thirds sometimes they dropped around two-thirds it's two-fifth things

[00:54:12] you know where I'm taking it again yeah yeah yeah yeah

[00:54:17] I mean wait wait wait wait you like uh uh uh uh nope nope right here oh my god

[00:54:23] yeah

[00:54:25] we started four years and a half literally

[00:54:28] being friend twice six o'clock girl you know

[00:54:36] which you know I I didn't take it personally when it was you know they said wasn't

[00:54:41] gonna do anything but I heard something else and it popped in my head um I was looking at um

[00:54:47] strange new world and he actually says he actually says it's five-year mission

[00:54:54] and I'm thinking it's only gonna last five years too five seasons too he actually says

[00:55:00] it's five-year mission where where's Pocac said it's continuing mission and to your

[00:55:07] asset five years that I mean well pipe got a countdown he got to go soon or later right and not stay there

[00:55:14] yeah but he's got him already know what's going on is this supposed to be like 10 years before that

[00:55:20] no discovery was 10 years before okay well this is eight years or something like it is supposed to be

[00:55:26] it could go seven but I think it's gonna be five

[00:55:30] like that thing well that's today's TV that's that's the uh that's dreamy shelf life

[00:55:36] dreaming yeah now I think it's attention spying too I mean he was

[00:55:40] in session got five years this is the greatest of ever yeah and I got five years so you know

[00:55:46] say discover you're in good company don't worry about my seasons I mean that's good

[00:55:51] they just took those people off thank you Jesus I was still I mean five seasons that's good yes

[00:55:57] you're absolutely right I was still pissed oh yeah oh you know I'm sorry and he's 30 years of

[00:56:05] Star Trek so yeah we got it yeah I could go on and on with this

[00:56:16] we are even just to see what new uniform they're gonna have this year I think that show is

[00:56:20] had more uniform but yeah but the doctor tolerance uniform has a change

[00:56:29] I love the white white and it look and you look nice in it you look really nice in it

[00:56:36] did you see the cute little skirt saw yeah yeah yeah

[00:56:40] yeah

[00:56:46] the first day I put that on oh my goodness I was strutting around set

[00:56:50] like a peacock looking at me strutting

[00:56:55] look good girl look good

[00:57:00] yeah that was rough I felt like I felt like okay I got my google go go boots so got my

[00:57:05] oh man oh yeah oh gosh I know I was like look at Dr. Polly right Dr. Polly's trying to get a date

[00:57:21] or something yes is Dr. Pollock single I have my back story she is but she she's yes

[00:57:35] short answer yes she is she is yes yeah I wish we would I guess that's what I was I was

[00:57:40] looking at memory alpha because I want to know do we have a backstory for um Dr. Pollock and there's

[00:57:46] no backstory so I was just wondering do you did you wait for your slate did you do your own canon

[00:57:52] for her when you yeah okay yeah you got your little backstory put together what you what you think

[00:57:58] came up exactly I was waiting for some books I'm waiting for some books unless something was established

[00:58:04] yeah okay remix but yeah that's cool that's cool yeah well y'all I Raven thank you so much I know

[00:58:12] I mean if you've been so generous with your time I mean you're just you're generous with your spirit

[00:58:18] and you know we couldn't love you more we're so grateful that we got to meet you at Trek

[00:58:24] Long Island and um and we just really feel like you're part of our family here a sci-fi sister forever baby

[00:58:35] yes oh so glad I got to meet you I adore you and just I'm so thankful for this this has been a lot

[00:58:43] of fun and um I cannot wait to do this again oh yeah okay we can't what you wish for

[00:58:51] the week guys the week exactly I'll call you up next season we're gonna be like okay Raven come on

[00:58:59] right it's time everybody's tough to talk about

[00:59:04] oh yeah this is with on the Costa Rica

[00:59:10] supporting on the beach man person talking about we claim that put that out to the universal point

[00:59:22] I will share this kind of little thing um part of uh how I feel I also got the role was I did some

[00:59:29] manifesting I would dream and envision myself hanging out with the cast and out yes I would

[00:59:37] because I I just wanted to embrace it as much as I could and I wanted to take it even further than

[00:59:43] just being on set I was like no we'd hang out have our little game nights and chat and why not

[00:59:49] and then there you go and then it happened and then it happened right and game nights and everything

[00:59:56] right yeah everything and supporting you all and your stuff that you did you know the cast members

[01:00:02] what goes to the little the things you did you know that you all did and I'm like oh my god that

[01:00:08] is so nice yeah manifesting does work it does we did it

[01:00:17] we did it we did it

[01:00:21] yeah that's right that's it

[01:00:27] well would you believe I said

[01:00:30] well I want to thank you again we love you so very much and event can you tell people

[01:00:36] where they can send in their thoughts about anything that we've talked about tonight or just

[01:00:42] their road wishes and love for Raven I sure can you could find us at sci-fi sisters.com that's

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[01:02:22] too thank you for listening peace love and hair grease