Series Writer Omar Spahi Talks 'Sonic Prime' + More

Earlier this month, we got to talk to Omar Spahi, who not only wrote two episodes of Sonic Prime, but was a part of the series writers room. Spahi, whose credits include executive producing Code 8 and writing for Ben 10 and the upcoming series Hello Neighbor: Welcome to Raven Brooks, spoke to us about the intricacies of writing for a show with an IP like this, along with talking about things on the creative development side.

Cr. Netflix © 2022.

Eze: The show makes the creative decision to jump into an already-established Sonic world. Could you talk about the thought process behind that, instead of introducing the world with the series and going full origin story?

Omar: This show actually builds its own whole new world that has an intriguing tie to the existing Sonic world. Sonic has an amazingly deep history of lore from Sega, and the geniuses over at Man of Action and Wildbrain have done a fantastic job of taking that and expanding it to tell a really compelling story.

Cr. Netflix © 2022.

Eze: Due to how the series is structured, you’re stepping into an episode where you need to set up the story's progression while picking up in a new world. How did you approach crafting the narrative for episode 7?

Omar: Episode 7?! That's way down the line! But, we approached all the episodes with a fantastic writers room where people share thoughts and ideas freely to hopefully inspire themselves and the others in the room to build moments that matter. I must give so much credit to the other writers and creators in the room for helping craft each episode. Having everyone on the same page through consistent communication really helped us expand on the shatterverse.

Cr. Netflix © 2022.

Eze: Why is it crucial for the show to be released in multiple volumes?

Omar: I think in today's world, it's about being able to binge and still leave more to come down the pipeline. That means you can enjoy the show in big pieces, but still have plenty left for later.

Eze: How involved was SEGA in the creation of the show – due to their expansion of a Sonic cinematic universe, were there certain characters that they requested to be used or not be used?

Cr. Netflix © 2022.

Omar: The folks at Sega were in the writers room with us every step of the way - their story team and lore team are always represented and deeply involved in the process. They're lovely folks and super helpful, as well as their partners at Marza.

Eze: @Calistus_jdm wants to know who your favorite character to write was?

Omar: I love and loved writing for Knuckles and Shadow. That's a team-up I'd love to see in a game or story in the future. I guess I love the "bad-boy" types. They're just such fun characters that have such compelling motivations for me.

Eze: @SF_Spector wants to know what makes the universe(s) of Sonic Prime interesting to work with?

Cr. Netflix © 2022.

Omar: It's a fresh concept. I've never seen or been a part of anything like this before, so it's refreshing to tell stories in this world with characters I've grown up truly loving but have somewhere new to go with them while still honoring them.

Eze: @Bog_Rum asks if you drew on ideas from your previous shows with Sega. Aka Sonic The Hedgehog (SatAM), Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic Underground?

Omar: That would be an excellent question for the fine folks at Man of Action. I was just a writer on Sonic Prime, so the groundwork was laid before I got there. I grew up watching some of those shows, so my sense of the characters was partly derived from loving those shows as a kid, but nothing concretely came from those shows, as far as I know.

Eze: @BluberyDee asked: Rouge is a character that isn’t generally seen in this “main” Sonic crew. What led to the decision to add her to the show’s main cast?

Omar: This is another great question for our friends at Man of Action; they're the true story masterminds. To me, she's a badass and such a fun character that's needed more love for a long time. She definitely adds an unexpected and unfamiliar dimension to things which is super cool to work with.

Eze: By far, the most popular question from fans of the show is, will Silver and Blaze appear?

Omar: I pushed hard to include quite a few characters, but if you want to know who's in the show, you'll just have to tune in December 15th on Netflix to find out!

Eze: I know you’ve got a lot going on, so I wanted to wrap it up with two final questions. 1. What’s next for you? And 2. The question on everyone’s minds is — can we expect a second season?

Omar: Right now, I’m working on writing and producing an animated series, Hello Neighbor: Welcome to Raven Brooks, which just debuted on the dedicated Hello Neighbor YouTube channel. It's a horror animated series that's for a YA+ kind of audience, such as kids and families that love Stranger Things. It's been a blast to work on. But in terms of a second season of Sonic Prime, that's not up to me, but as a fan of the brilliant work everyone has done, I freaking hope so!

Like what you’ve read? Check out our review of Sonic Prime before it hits Netflix on December 15, and keep an eye out as we might have some other special Sonic surprises headed your way!