For whatever reason, Ryan Gosling often finds himself in space or encountering life from beyond. Thanks to the release and massive success of Project Hail Mary, Gosling is on top of the world, as audiences can’t get enough of Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s sci-fi extravaganza. His turn as Dr. Ryland Grace is not the first time the Oscar-nominated actor has embarked on a space odyssey or encountered peculiar, non-human life forms. With everyone in love with Project Hail Mary, hopefully, audiences will reclaim First Man, a biopic featuring Gosling as Neil Armstrong, as the overlooked gem that it is. Before he was a space traveler, Ken from Barbie, or even the high school teacher suffering from substance abuse in Half Nelson, Gosling briefly appeared in a forgotten Canadian sci-fi series in which he confronted terrifying forces from outer space. Hosted by extra-terrestrial enthusiast Dan Aykroyd, Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal was a four-season sci-fi show with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by Gosling and many future stars.
Ryan Gosling Discussed His Brief Appearance on ‘Psi Factor’
During his press tour for Project Hail Mary, Gosling appeared as a guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers, where the host unveiled a perhaps embarrassing moment for the actor to the audience. Since it was one of his first acting jobs, Gosling had never seen his spot on Psi Factor until he was backstage at NBC’s studio, quipping that he wasn’t sure if this obscure series about a science team that investigates reports of supernatural phenomena had even aired. The young Gosling played a teenager in the pilot episode, “Dream House/UFO Encounter,” who was abducted by aliens. Meyers remarked that matters relating to space and extra-terrestrials were a match-made in heaven “genre” for Gosling. “I didn’t even remember doing it until 20 minutes ago,” he admitted.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
The clip shown on Late Night sees Gosling with a fellow young actor running away from a UFO or some alien life force in a cornfield. They are subsequently electrocuted and left lying on the Earth’s surface as the UFO flies away in a display of infectious slapstick comedy that we’re not entirely sure was meant to be played for laughs. 20 years before The Nice Guys and Barbie, Gosling proved his chops in the art of physical comedy.
‘Psi Factor’ Dramatizes Alleged Encounters With Otherworldly Life
Dan Aykroyd as the host of ‘Psi Factor’Image via Atlantis Films
Debuting in 1996 and lasting four seasons across 88 episodes, Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal was created by the late Peter Aykroyd, brother of the legendary Saturday Night Live cast member and star of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters. Peter handed hosting duties to Dan, a well-known aficionado of alien and paranormal phenomena. This procedural sci-fi/fantasy drama follows an investigative team in the “Office of Scientific Investigation and Research” (O.S.I.R), uncovering the mysteries of paranormal activity, in both a case-of-the-week format and serialized cases spanning multiple episodes. The show’s scenarios are based on real life accounts of strange supernatural activity, while not alleging that the accounts are truthful. The first season features the most inspired setup, as it deploys a documentary-like style long before mockumentaries soared in popularity in the 2000s.
The Biggest Sci-Fi Fantasy Franchise of All Time Is Officially Dead
The fan-favorite saga also starred the late Lance Reddick.
Following the debut of The X-Files in 1993, sci-fi/fantasy mysteries were all the rage on network television. More specifically, shows about mind-bending twists, turns, and subversions of reality, such as Twin Peaks, were foundational to the prestige television boom of the 2000s. On its best day, Psi Factor doesn’t even come close to any of these shows’ artistic merit. The forgotten mystery series is, in the most complimentary fashion, a trashier version of The X-Files, but one that is endearing in its own way. In retrospect, one of its most charming elements is the array of brief appearances by veteran stars and unknown actors who would go on to become established names. The long list of guest stars includes Linda Blair of The Exorcist, Graham Greene, Margot Kidder, Emily Hampshire, Alison Pill, and, of course, the top Hollywood star hailing from Canada, Ryan Gosling, who emerged as a teenager on The All New Mickey Mouse Club.
The earnest spirit emanating from host Dan Aykroyd, doing his best impression of Rod Serling, trickles down to the episodes of Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal. If it were smug and condescending about the outlandish phenomena of supernatural encounters, then the hokey acting, broad thematic strokes, and cheap special effects would get old. However, the sincere approach to each narrative not only lends the show a streak of unintentional comedy, but it also enhances the theatrical nature of every paranormal account that more often than not leans into myths rather than reality.
John Bell, Clay Borris, Giles Walker, Milan Cheylov, Ron Oliver, Allan Kroeker, Stephen Williams, Ken Girotti, Bruce Pittman, Carl Goldstein, Jon Cassar, Randy Bradshaw
