The basic answer is that everyone is in university all the time. Which as a rosetta stone for an author's process goes is pretty much without peer or rival.

They've still got religion. It's just that it's social role is for real hard to pin down. No different from around 80% of any other aspect of civil society in Trek.

Man, that's baloney. People would be stoked.

How would you feel about calling out Debt: The First 5000 Years as a fairly popular primer for a relatively general audience?

Voyage of the Star Beagle by AE Van Vogt. It went to trial and was settled out of court.

It was originally published as three books then it was published as nine books.

yeah, Candide is the Coldplay of cynical popularity, primed for popularity.

You say that and then you don't think someone who somehow pours the perfect glass each time isn't a superhero?

I'm certainly not arguing he is detached just that his level of detachment is impressive for a comic book villain and that Jessica appearing to be an exception highlights rather than diminishes that distinction from other such characters and the particular threat and conflict he represents.

Only if it's followed by grizzled unshielded TIE veterans beating the snot out of the guy.

Oh I love Dewey scheme bits.

I just have to imagine that if you're a TIE pilot diving directly into hell with nothing but your flightsuit, your cohort, and the sweet sweet battery fire of big mama Stardestroyer at your back you just fucking LOATHE those GDed rebel pilots.

That's a really good way to put it.

So we spinnin' this out to a snowglobe or a thing with flippy comic panels up before the credits?

Guy's a widower right?

Absolutely. I can only imagine you write that scene like you work on a broken nuclear power point.

You're not Curry-ing any favor with DC, for dang sure.

Yeah, I'm… surprised by the Traffic love.

On one occassion I had a psion actually manage to dominate an illithid lord.

Isn't there a city of theives that's all right barring the thieving?