Watch This: 'Starship Goldfish' Pilot

You may be more familiar with Starship Goldfish under its original title, Sam Sweetmilk.  Back in 2014 an IndieGoGo campaign was launched to fund a third episode of Britsh writer/-director Jason Weight's sci-fi comedy- and now, it's finally here.

Although this is the third episode to be released, it's actually a prequel (and you don't need to have seen the other episodes to understand it). It's the first episode to be fully animated, too (the previous episodes were mainly in animatic form).

The pilot (aka Episode Naut) features the self-obsessed space adventurer Captain Sam Sweetmilk (voiced by Weight) and long-suffering "robot dad" Ghostworth (Pirates Of The Carribean star Kevin McNally) encountering a sinister villain called The Avianaut (voiced by the brilliant Colin MacFarlane). It also features their first encounter with Vela (Tricia Xavier).

The producers have now teamed up with Ottawa animation studio Big Jump Entertainment, who produce F is For Family and Animals. The results are frankly gorgeous, with visuals that look better than the majority of western produced adult animation, and some fantastic design work.

The script is super sharp too, with plenty of great gags. It's also got a very distinct tone, with a tinge of melancholy that makes this deeper than just another knockabout space comedy.

The idea is being pitched around to various broadcasters or streamers in the hope of making a full series. The pilot nearly didn't see the light of day, as the finished series is likely to be changed quite a lot to distinguish it from similar shows, and to focus more on the character of Ghostworth. The new title also reflects this change.

It's a shame because this is wonderful stuff, and we'd love to see more just like it- but it's completely understandable why changes need to be made. And hopefully, it will make for an even better series in the end.

Check out the pilot, below!

Elsewhere In Space

• Jason Weight joined us for The AFA Podcast Episode 16. Listen here.
• Starship Goldfish YouTube
• Starship Goldfish website