Project Blue Book podcast 2.6: Aidan Gillen and company make contact in 'Close Encounters'

Surprise! For the first time in Project Blue Book's two season history, "Close Encounters" flashes forward in the lifespan of Dr. J. Allen Hynek (Aidan Gillen) and Mimi Hynek (Laura Mennell). Using the esteemed ufologist's consultancy on Stephen Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a framing device for the Hynek's to reflect back on their investigations, the audience gets perspective on the past, specifically, the infamous Robertson Panel that determined the fate of the Air Force's Project Blue Book program. 

Here is the goosebump-inducing opening scene to the "Close Encounters" episode:

Meanwhile, the episode also continues the show's continuty with Quinn (Michael Malarkey) and Hynek working with an enigmatic new character that promises to help the pair conquer the Robertson Panel's intention to shut their work down.

Michael Malarkey as Captain Michael Quinn in HISTORY’s Project Blue Book, "Close Encounters"  (Credit: HISTORY)

**SPOILER WARNING: There are spoilers for Project Blue Book's "Close Encounters" episode below!**

Just how did this amazing episode come to be? Luckily, Project Blue Book: The Official Podcast has some answers. SYFY WIRE senior producer and host Tara Bennett welcomes back showrunner/EP Sean Jablonski, and castmembers Aidan Gillen, Laura Mennell, and Michael Malarkey.

Jablonski talks about breaking the show's typical format to recreate the classic film, the unexpected guest star at the center of the episode, and the return of a shady figure that deeply impacts Susie's (Ksenia Solo) perilous path. Meanwhile, the cast discusses making contact with Spielberg's masterpiece.

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Stick with us all season long for our proverbial peek behind the curtain into the making of every single episode of Project Blue Book Season 2.

In the meantime, you can watch Project Blue Book Season 2 new episodes on HISTORY.com. And for more information on the series and cases explored, check out HISTORY'S Project Blue Book.