On the heels of a massively successful live show at the Hollywood Bowl, “Dimension 20” returns with an all-new season. “Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!” follows a ragtag group of veterans and new explorers. They search for a world that is thought to have been only a legend. As the crew comes together, they’ll face many obstacles in their path. Secrets from the past and new enemies threaten to stand in the way of their greatest adventure yet.

“Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!” stars the Intrepid Heroes cast. Brennan Lee Mulligan serves as Game Master along with Siobhan Thompson, Ally Beardsley, Lou Wilson, Zac Oyama, Emily Axford, and Brian “Murph” Murphy as the players. This season is reminiscent of Jules Verne adventures and of Disney’s “Atlantis,” leaning heavily into the steampunk aesthetic. In an exclusive interview with Temple of Geek, Mulligan revealed his excitement to create this world after multiple Intrepid Heroes seasons with worlds that had already been established with “Fantasy High Junior Year” and “Starstruck Odyssey,” which adapted his mother’s comics.

Temple of Geek spoke with Thompson about “Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!” She shared the inspiration for her character, Van Chapman. Thompson also explained the early dynamics between the crew and why this season felt reminiscent of Star Trek in some ways.

Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho! Is “That Ideal Of Exploring New Worlds And Civilizations”

Temple of Geek: What was your favorite part of getting to explore this genre, which is different from any of the other seasons we’ve seen you guys play in?

Siobhan Thompson:

It’s so fun to just go on an adventure, and I love adventuring stories. Anybody who says they don’t is a fucking liar or boring, which may be worse than a liar, I think. At least liars are fun. It has a sort of Star Trek vibe to it of that ideal of exploring new worlds and civilizations and boldly going where no one has gone before. Yeah, we haven’t really done that in Dimension 20 yet, and so to be able to travel around and get on the ship and go to the next place and find the new people. Great. So fun.

Temple of Geek: I love your character, Van Chapman; she’s so great. Loved your bosun voice immediately. What was your inspiration when developing this character?

Siobhan Thompson:

I think a big part of it was just I wanted to play a big, strong woman, like a burly woman. I feel like we haven’t really seen that, at least in the Intrepid Heroes. It felt like a gap. I am just always amazed by people who have that sort of physical presence that she has. Because I don’t think I have it in my real life, but as soon as somebody starts barking orders at you, I do feel like [salutes] “absolutely.” And I wanted to play a character that was that kind of a leader.

“If We Hadn’t Brought My NPC Husband On The Quest, I Would’ve Quit The Show”

Temple of Geek: Did you anticipate everyone wanting you to bring your NPC husband along on the quest?

Siobhan Thompson:

Oh, if we hadn’t brought my NPC husband on the quest, I would’ve quit the show. Are you kidding me? Why would I create a tiny little husband if we weren’t going to bring him?

Temple of Geek: What was your favorite part of playing an adventurer in their second act? I really liked that this was a crew of people that had retired and gone their separate ways and then come back for this one last journey.

Siobhan Thompson:

Yeah, I mean, I think that as I age into irrelevance, it is astonishing to me the lives that people have led. We very rarely see, and especially with women, women who have lived full, exciting lives and continue to live full, exciting lives. I think that most of the stories that we see of older women, if they’re in a story at all, it’s a story of motherhood.

And I’ve chosen not to be a mother. It just has never been particularly important to me. It’s never been a moment of, like, I will never have a child. I am friends with a lot of other people who don’t have children. I also am friends with a bunch of women who do have children, and they also have full, exciting lives outside of that. I think that that was part of it for me to show the kind of old adventurer that we see a lot of as men but very rarely as women.

Temple of Geek: One of the things I really found fun was the dynamic between the older generation of adventurers and then the newbies. Can you talk to me about what your character’s thoughts were about Ally and Murph’s characters? Especially with Ally’s who is just immediately uncool because they’re too excited?

Siobhan Thompson: 

Yes. I think that of all of the adults, I think Van is probably the most patient with Olethra just because that’s also kind of her vibe. She’s also probably the one that’s the most excited to talk about her old travels and has maybe the least sort of baggage around Kumphrey MacLeod as well. I think that the other three maybe have more frustrations with her than Van does. At least that’s what she’s telling herself. And it’s always fun to be mad at Murph.

“[Van]’s Very Proud Of Her Own Loyalty”

Temple of Geek: Van was the one who said, I always knew Zood was real. I always knew that she was right. So it was very fun, kind of even just seeing that beginning of dynamic in the first episode.

Siobhan Thompson:

I mean, I think that Van is a very loyal character. I think that one of her defining characteristics is her loyalty. She’s very proud of her own loyalty, and I think that she has a very, “Well, if the professor believes it, then so do I.”

Temple of Geek: What can you kind of tease about her arc through this adventure, especially with her old friends she hasn’t seen in so long and these new kids?

Siobhan Thompson:

I think that for Van, this adventure ends up bringing up a lot of stuff around her family that she’d never dealt with. I think we see her in the pilot being very content in her retirement, and as we go on, we’ll see maybe that contentment is somewhat less truthful or comes from a less honest place than she’s fronting in the first few episodes.

The premiere of “Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!” is available on Dropout now.