DERELICT Podcast

Episode Title: Full Trailer - S3 - DERELICT WAR
Date: March 24, 2026
Produced by: Night Rocket Productions
Website: derelictpodcast.com

Overview

In the highly anticipated trailer for Season 3, DERELICT WAR, the team at Night Rocket Productions teases a dramatic escalation in the DERELICT universe. The story revisits the submerged, enigmatic “Vault” artifact discovered deep beneath the ocean at the secret laboratory base, FATHOM. As tensions reach a breaking point, alliances fracture, loyalties are tested, and the secrets lurking in the depths threaten all involved. This season promises a war—between titanic forces, haunted individuals, and the shadows of the unknown.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Brief Campaign Announcement

• Host J. Barton Mitchell (JBM) announces the trailer drop and urges fans to support the crowdfunding campaign.
  • Details about early access and rewards for backers.
  • [00:00–01:04]

The Return to FATHOM

• “Everything started deep, deep down at a place called Fathom.” (B, 01:04)
  • Sense of nostalgia, trauma, and unfinished business woven throughout.
• Characters recall their individual and shared scars from Fathom.
  • “I left parts of myself there. Everyone did.” (B, 01:19–01:22)
• The fate of the story seems inescapably linked to Fathom:
  • “What started there is going to end here. One way or another.” (B, 01:27)

War Is Inevitable

• The theme of war—personal, corporate, and existential—is at the forefront:
  • “War is two sides sharing the same terrible faith. The belief that a life is a price worth paying.” (C, 01:46)
  • “So it’s to be war. War between us. Then I think it must be Maas versus Dorian.” (C, 01:52)
• Stark warnings and growing tension:
  • “People are going to die, Francis.” (C, 02:07)
  • “This is gonna go south fast.” (E, 02:09)

Orders, Betrayal, and Distant Masters

• The futility and detachment of those giving orders from afar:
  • “We have our orders from an MD CEO. We will carry those orders out.” (A, 02:34)
  • “We’ll watch over holograms from a distance. While people under our employ tear themselves apart.” (C, 02:21, 02:30)
• Soldiers and staff recognize the moral vacuum and expendability:
  • “You are in violation of materials. You are not supposed to be here.” (A, 02:15)
  • “Neither are you.” (E, 02:20)

Chaos and Personal Bonds

• Breakdowns in order and rising chaos among the team:
  • “Ah, shit.” (D, 02:39)
  • “It doesn’t have to go this way.” (E, 02:40)
  • “Boss, I think we’re going to shoot more.” (D, 02:55)
• The messy intimacy of relationships under duress:
  • “You and Captain Lopez are in love with one another, trooper. That’s going to get you both killed.” (B, 03:15)

Doubt, Fear, and The Cost of Survival

• The human cost and weariness are palpable:
  • “How the hell are we supposed to win this? I don't know, but it doesn't happen without Blaine.” (B, 03:25)
  • “I can't do this. Whatever this is.” (B, 03:51)
  • “Because the people I care about, they always die.” (B, 03:54)
• Fear of failure and the weight of responsibility:
  • “I'm so scared of failing.” (C, 04:00)
  • “It's so heavy.” (B, 04:03)
  • “Fear.” (C, 04:06)
• Wisdom about coping with the burden:
  • “My experience. What crushes us, it isn't the wait. It's the story that the wait won't ever end. You gotta stop that story. You gotta make each moment smaller.” (F, 04:07)

Cryptic Prophecies and Dread

• Allusions to horrors hiding in the depths and shadows:
  • “I know what swarms in the shadows you've been to, Traveler. You've seen it, too. It's why you have no cards to play here.” (C, 04:32–04:37)
• The sense that stakes are higher than ever:
  • “Because what's coming, you cannot hope to face without me.” (B, 04:42)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Everything started deep, deep down at a place called Fathom.” (B, 01:04)
• “I left parts of myself there. Everyone did.” (B, 01:19–01:22)
• “War is two sides sharing the same terrible faith. The belief that a life is a price worth paying.” (C, 01:46)
• “People are going to die, Francis.” (C, 02:07)
• “We’ll watch over holograms from a distance. While people under our employ tear themselves apart.” (C, 02:21, 02:30)
• “I can't do this. Whatever this is.” (B, 03:51)
• “My experience. What crushes us, it isn't the wait. It's the story that the wait won't ever end.” (F, 04:07)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – Campaign pitch and trailer intro by J. Barton Mitchell
• 01:04 – Opening lines, return to Fathom
• 01:46 – Monologue on war and the upcoming conflict
• 02:10 – Rising tension, characters clash with authority
• 03:25 – Questions about survival and personal stakes
• 04:07 – Philosophical reflections on fear and endurance
• 04:32–04:42 – Ominous hints of what lurks in the depths

Summary & Takeaway

The trailer for DERELICT WAR sets the stage for a gripping third chapter in the narrative podcast’s saga. With powerful, haunting language and crackling tension, it hints at a story of war—not only between corporations, but within haunted, traumatized individuals caught in something much bigger and far darker than they ever imagined. The season promises a collision of ambition, loss, and unimaginable danger lurking beneath the waves. The stakes are higher, the threat is greater, and as the closing line warns: “Because what’s coming, you cannot hope to face without me.”