The science fiction audio drama podcast "253 Mathilde" spent its first season in the Oort cloud, 92 years into a 780 year mission. The second season picked up the action just 22 years later exploring the Tau Ceti system. Now it's back for a third season, set another 20 years later, which is set to take the series both across the galaxy and back down to Earth. This third season, with 12 episodes expected to air from January through June 2024, will be the final season of the show.

Ambitious plans for the final season call for upwards of sixty actors, and a Kickstarter campaign is currently ongoing. The modest $100 base goal hopes to provide these actors with at least a token of appreciation, and anything beyond $100 will help compensate them more fairly and ease the process of recruiting actors not yet hired. The budget may appear too small compared to others in the industry, but the first season was produced for free and the second season for $185, so creator Paul Knierim knows he can do it again.

A small budget doesn't mean small goals. "253 Mathilde" features polished, professional stereo soundscapes with detailed sound effects and surprisingly moving music. The series achieves this with the help of sound effects archives like Freesound which offer searchable access to tens of thousands of effects, and the show's creator improvises a few sounds to fill in the rest. The music comes from websites where composers have generously donated digitally-rendered soundtrack music to fit any scene or mood. It takes countless hours of painstaking editing, sometimes mixing a dozen or more layers of sounds, to make everything come out just right. "The reward," Knierim says, "is in hearing the result when it all comes together perfectly."

What makes "253 Mathilde" worth all the time people are putting into it for so little money? It's no mere exercise in escapism. The series grapples with a variety of important issues, from ethical dilemmas to the meaning of life to political and social issues. It allows for multiple interpretations and doesn't tell you what to think, but it always gives you something new to think about. In particular, without spoiling anything, the final season delves into issues of mental health and the sometimes-messy natural process of dying.

Production has already begun, and the plan is to release the first episode on New Year's Day. To learn more or get involved, listen in your favorite podcast app for free or visit the Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gavagai/253-mathilde-audio-drama-season-3/