Last week I had the opportunity to have a quick phone interview with the creator of the new Disney Junior series, “Miles from Tomorrowland.” I spoke with Sascha Paladino, Series Creator and Executive Producer, “Miles from Tomorrowland.” We had a one on one session where I got to ask him questions about the brand new series. You can catch an episode right now on the Watch Disney Junior App and the series will debut on Disney Channel this Friday at Friday, February 6 at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel. On that day you can see these four episodes.

“Runaway Shuttle/Surfin’ the Whirlpool” (9:00 a.m. ET/PT) – Miles and Merc rescue a trapped pilot before his ship crashes into Jupiter’s moon Io. Then, Miles and Leo must work together to escape the Zuma Whirlpool waves on a father/son surf trip.

“Ocean in Motion/Explorer Exchange” (9:30 a.m. ET/PT) – The Callisto family is visited by alien Blodger Blopp as part of the Cosmic Explorers exchange program. Then, Miles and his family must figure out why a probe on a dry planet has sustained water damage.

“Game On/How I Saved my Summer Vacation” (10:00 a.m. ET/PT) – Miles’ skill at the game of Galaxias becomes crucial when the Callistos are captured by an alien queen. Then, while vacationing on the dried-out planet Alarbus, Miles and Loretta uncover an ancient secret.

“Journey to the Frozen Planet/Attack of the Flickorax” (10:30 a.m. ET/PT) – During a mission on an ice-covered planet, Miles must save Loretta as she is swept down a river towards a waterfall. Then, when lights go out on the planet Calpurnia, Miles and Loretta must protect their ship from light-eating Flickorax aliens.

I’ve seen two full episodes so far. I saw the debut episode of “Runaway Shuttle/Surfin’ the Whirlpool” and “Journey to the Frozen Planet/Attack of the Flickorax”. Both were very entertaining. I enjoyed very much how the parents on the show were represented. They are not buffoons and the dad is not a bumbling idiot like most dads are portrayed. The family unit as a whole is not only a family but a competent crew. Mom, Phoebe, is the captain. Dad, Leo, is the pilot and chief mechanic. Daughter, Loretta, is a genius with technology. And Son, Miles is the adventurous spirit on the team. Miles is the wildcard, he doesn’t do things according to the instructions. He figures things out and does them his own way. He also has his best friend, Merc, the robot ostrich with him all the time. The show is bright and colorful and has a great excitement for Space and Space exploration.

I asked Sascha why Miles has a pet ostrich that is a robot. He talked about how he wanted Miles to have a pet that he could not only ride but who would be his protector. He wanted Miles to have a pet sort of like a Tauntaun. Merc also provides a bit of comedic elements as well in that he is so gangly and is also and ostrich, an underserved pet representation on television. Merc did not start out as a robot but the more the series progressed and the more Merc became not only a pet but a friend and protector the more elements of the character changed to the robotic. Merc has turbo thrusters, his wings act as shields and he has many more surprises.

I asked if the series was originally pitched with Tomorrowland in mind especially with the Tomorrowland movie coming out. It was not initially but in meeting with Disney and learning more about the spirit of Tomorrowland it became clear that Tomorrowland would be a part of the show. The spirit of Tomorrowland is what is part of the show. The spirit of Tomorrowland that Disney saw was to connect cultures through technology to lead to world peace and cultures understanding each other. The mission of the family as part of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority is to connect cultures across the galaxy.

I asked if there were any particular ships’ captains that Sascha wanted to appear in the show. He didn’t name anyone specifically because he didn’t want to jinx anything and also because he was already so excited with the great guests that he already has lined up for the show. From the world of Science Fiction and actual Science he’s got people like Mark Hamill, Wil Wheaton, Bill Nye The Science Guy, Alton Brown and George Takei plus so many more people to appear as guests on the show. In my heart I would so love to see the Callisto family meet up with some Space Cowboys of questionable allegiance but with hearts of gold. I mean, why not, that ships’ captain is part of the Disney/ABC family, it could happen.

I also asked why Space. Why set the show in Space and it was because of Sascha’s love for Space exploration but also there are infinite possibilities for stories in Space. All sorts of crazy aliens that could be dreamed up and no matter how crazy Sascha dreamed them the Disney art department could make them even crazier. The show, even though there are real dangers in Space, keeps things light even in the face of danger. I noticed how the parents trusted the children on the missions and didn’t coddle them or tell them that things were too dangerous to do. Miles is sent out to save someone because he has the best skills for the job, like a real crew. The family unit is very tight but they are also a crew and they must trust each other to do the job that they have to do.

I personally found the show to be excellent. My son Andrew sat on my lap and watched the shows with me (we watched them on the computer). I appreciated my talk with Sascha, he was a very personable and down to Earth guy. I hope that this show does well and I think it will be a fantastic one for families to watch together. It is smart and funny without the usual cliches like a goofy, bumbling dad. Sure, Leo has his fair share of Dad Jokes but he and his wife and ship’s captain Phoebe are strong parents.