Once We Had a Point | Once We Were Spacemen Episode #7

Release Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Nathan Fillion & Alan Tudyk

Episode Overview

This episode of Once We Were Spacemen sees Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk at their most candid and playful, drifting through topics from career reflections and the quirks of aging in Hollywood to aliens, handshakes, and the oddities that make them tick. True to the tongue-in-cheek title, the conversation is meandering and lighthearted, reveling in their friendship and the freedom of a “no real agenda” format. For fans of Firefly, creative careers, and great banter, this episode delivers a generous helping of nostalgia, humor, and nerdy speculation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Career Reflections and Not Caring as Much Anymore

• Alan opens by sharing a moment of realizing he no longer gets emotionally invested in on-set conflicts:

  “I found myself in a project recently and...the director was telling me to do it this way, and one of the lead actors was telling me to do it another way. And I just did it the way that they told me to do it. And I honestly didn’t care...when did I stop caring?” (00:00-00:17)

• Nathan jokes it’s because Alan is old now, and the two riff on how youth brings intensity, but age brings perspective:

  “When you became old, Alan. You just became an old man.” (00:24)

2. Gratitude and Success Narratives

• Nathan talks openly about being “literally living the dream,” working on the biggest movies (Deadpool, Wolverine, Superman), and having the best job on The Rookie—but also the awkwardness of sharing that in casual conversation:

  “There's my name up there in lights... I am the biggest asshole there.” (02:30-03:18)
  Alan quips: “Are you saying this to, like, a barista?” (03:18)

• Nathan and Alan discuss the shifting landscape for actors, referencing Alan’s move out of L.A. (to Vancouver), and the ebb and flow of opportunity.

3. On Belief in Aliens and Cosmic Humility

• Both reveal they believe in aliens, with Alan reflecting:

  “We know so little, we don’t even know what we know...imagine the stuff we don’t know that we really don’t know.” (05:04-05:33)

• Nathan introduces the Dunning-Kruger effect and tells the lemon juice bank robber story:

  “He rubbed lemon juice on his face...thinking it would render him invisible to the cameras.” (06:00-06:27)

• Alan shares a friend’s Resident Alien-style UFO sighting, and Nathan recounts his own mysterious triangle-shaped lights witnessed with his mother in Edmonton:

  “In a triangle shape. There were three lights...tumbling over... I heard my mother say, did anyone see that?” (08:03-09:12)

4. Prehistoric Civilizations and Ancient Anomalies

• Nathan dives into theories of lost civilizations and anomalies, like underground structures under the Pyramids of Giza:

  “We found massive structures going 2 km down under the pyramids of Giza.” (10:14-10:19)

• Alan humorously compares this to finding a crawl space in a rented apartment:

  “I found a crawl space in...an apartment that I rented once. I talked about it for months.” (10:23-10:29)

5. Alien Drones and First Contacts—A Dose of Caution

• Nathan proposes that classic “little green men” might be alien drones sent by ancient civilizations—not beings, just data collectors.

  “What if...this was their form of drone, and they’re still out there somewhere...sending out probes...” (10:35-11:20)

• Alan warns against wishing for “savior aliens,” invoking historical colonialism:

  “An advanced civilization meeting a not so advanced civilization...does not end up well for the not so advanced civilization.” (11:41-11:49)

6. Nostalgia, Roles, and Showbiz Stories

• Alan and Nathan reminisce about working together, their science fiction roles, and Alan’s chameleonic career (from Firefly and V to Resident Alien):

  Alan: “I don’t record memories anymore. I think I’m gonna do less acting.” (13:13)
  Nathan: “You’ve done so much, you forget what you were in.” (13:00)

• Alan reveals the disconnect that sometimes acting brings; Nathan contrasts his experiences on Castle (difficult, consuming) versus The Rookie (healthy, humane, collaborative environment):

  “There’s a right way to run a business and there’s a not so right way to run a business...” (20:17-21:14)
  “Any one of those cast members can carry that show.” (21:14)

• Alan marvels at Nathan’s endurance:

  “Eight years on Castle...now you’re on your eighth year of leading another show. People don’t get this, have this in their careers.” (19:26-20:17)

7. Master Punchlines and Running Jokes

• The hosts explore the concept of “master punchlines”—classic one-liners used to cap conversations or de-rail them for comedic effect:

  Nathan: “The classic is...you hear something that could be a sexual innuendo. That's what she said. It works for a great many things.” (22:46-22:57) Nathan: “One that I really enjoy is, How dare you? ...Another is, Why do you sound surprised?” (23:00-23:38) Alan: “Don’t have to tell you... that was his little...tag for near everything he said.” (25:22-25:50)

• The “leave it” punchline, adopted during an Amsterdam story, becomes a running bit:

  Alan: “It was a long, hard one.” Nathan: “Leave it. You've just been punched, boy.” (26:53-27:00)

8. The Science and Social Contract of Handshakes

• Nathan, self-confessed “handshake expert”, offers a passionate PSA about proper handshake etiquette:

  “The handshake is for telling people that they’re safe with you...If you do anything else, it’s a betrayal of the social contract...” (32:26-32:52) “Imagine you’re holding an egg on the wildest roller coaster you’ve ever been on...You don’t want the egg to break. You can’t let it go.” (33:25-33:47)

• Alan riffs on "softest hands in Hollywood," Andy Samberg's creaminess, and the curiously sensual nature of these tactile exchanges:

  “I don’t know why I’m aroused, yet...Is it sexual?” (31:47-31:52)

9. Personal Oddities: Getting to Know You

• Nathan shares a childhood phone-talking OCD habit:

  “Every step I take, I take, like an outline of my foot...it sticks to the bottom of my foot...Every step I take in my imagining gets taller and taller.” (35:08-36:06)

• Alan’s quirky confession: Only wooden Q-tips, butterflies as his favorite “trans species,” and affection for clownfish and humans for their transformations:

  “Butterflies are my favorite trans species...clownfish are just a little bonkers...and then humans make more.” (38:47-39:50)

• Nathan recommends the Blue Morpho butterfly as Alan’s soon-to-be favorite, birthing a bit about its Gem Heist Movie potential.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Changing Priorities:
  “So glad I stopped talking like that because that really limited me.” – Alan Tudyk (00:48, 14:23)
• On Success:
  “I am presently now in the perfect position.” – Nathan Fillion (02:30)
• On Aliens and Knowing Nothing:
  “There’s stuff that we know that we don’t know. But imagine the stuff we don’t know that we really don’t know.” – Alan Tudyk (05:33)
• On Dunning-Kruger:
  “A guy went in and robbed a bank...he rubbed lemon juice on his face before he robbed the bank, thinking it would render him invisible.” – Nathan Fillion (06:00-06:27)
• On Hollywood Existence:
  “You’ve had two [long-running shows]. And you seem...in great shape, you're enjoying yourself.” – Alan Tudyk (19:26-20:17)
• On Master Punchlines:
  “Why do you sound surprised?” – Nathan Fillion (23:38) “Leave it!” – Nathan Fillion, episode running gag (multiple)
• Handshake Wisdom:
  “Imagine you’re holding an egg on the wildest roller coaster...you don’t want the egg to break, you can’t let it go...that's a handshake grip right there.” – Nathan Fillion (33:25-33:47)
• On Softest Hands:
  “I'm gonna tell you a little secret. I have the second softest hands in Hollywood.” – Nathan Fillion (30:22)
• On Personal Rituals:
  “Every step I take...an outline of my foot...sticks to the bottom of my foot and I take it with me.” – Nathan Fillion (35:08-35:54)
• On Transformation:
  “Butterflies are my favorite trans species...clownfish are just a little bonkers...and then humans make more.” – Alan Tudyk (38:47-39:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Realizing You've Changed Careers/Aging: 00:00-00:48, 13:17-14:45
• Nathan "Living the Dream": 02:30-03:44
• Dunning-Kruger & Lemon Juice Story: 05:33-06:43
• Alien and UFO Anecdotes: 07:18-09:12
• Ancient Civilizations Theories: 09:12-10:29
• "Master Punchlines" and Running Gags: 22:46-27:00
• Handshake Discourse & Soft Hands: 27:10-33:47
• Nathan’s Phone OCD Ritual: 34:41-36:11
• Alan’s Wooden Q-Tips & Trans Species: 37:49-39:56

Final Thoughts & Tone

Nathan and Alan's rapport shines, with the episode equally likely to make you giggle or ponder the great cosmic mysteries. Candid, self-effacing, and playfully nerdy, the “no point” episode actually lands dozens of small ones: about growth, gratitude, humility, and the joys of having a good friend to laugh with about it all.