I think Rowling very deliberately paints the magic world as one people shouldn't necessarily envy.

I just saw Pinker on NOVA: Mind of a Rampage Killer.

If I had a problem with TOS it would be the rampant sexism.  But I guess that's more an indication that we've hopefully progressed in that area since the 60s.

Most of the stuff like the retro tech and limited job options I just took as symptoms of trying to keep their world hidden from the Muggles.  I guess I just didn't think about it too much, and focused on the characters and their journeys.  For better or worse, I tend to focus on characters more than plotting, so I…

@K. Thrace, may I ask what the roadblock to TOS is?

I totally agree with the assessment of DS9.  Basically it all boils down to writing that acknowledges the consequences of previous episodes.  Any decision made in the show is a result of that mission statement.  It's an inherently mature tactic to take in the writing process.

You know, I think that when Jake starts wearing vests, I realized that late-period DS9 did the best with 24th century civilian wear.  I don't know.  I liked it and I thought the civilian wear from that period holds up the best.  But that could be because it's preceded by late 80s/early 90s clothes, and TOS's off the…

I saw the trailer for that months ago.  It looked pretty good.  He's sort of doing the Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson thing there.  I kind of want to see that.

Yes, but with stories liberally pinched from the classic film canon, including westerns, film noir, war movies, etc.

I bet Ira Stephen Behr would love to hear that.

Oops.  I thought this was a reference to the holocube in TNG's "Ship in a Bottle."

Yes, of course they're related.  They're Bajorans.

Excellent reviews!

They're working on a movie about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, so it remains to be seen.  That said, not Pixar but, Disney's CGI Davy Jones was pretty solid.

The CGI in the 2009 Star Trek movie were amongst the best I've ever seen.  It looked about as close to models as I've seen.  So, hopefully they put in as much effort in Star Wars VII

Fair enough.

Jerry Seinfeld was the writer, creator, and biggest star NBC had at the time.  It's not really comparable.  And Larry David left at the end of season seven anyway, which was arguably a better time to end the show.

Well then I'd say that, even if it's basically regular religion, it's more about how Starfleet has become more a strict adherent to the principles of the Prime Directive (actual non-interference not being applicable as it's a post-warp society, but the idea of tolerance and Starfleet's reticence with Sisko's role…

Yup.  I'd say a lack of religion is an integral part of Earth's future as laid out by Gene Roddenberry.  I suppose even more broadly, it would be a lack of dogma that brings humans together.  If people can learn not to be ideological, and instead learn to seek common ground with empathy as a defining trait, then we'd…

Wouldn't an atheist be, etymologically speaking, an a (non) theist (godly)?  In that regard, wouldn't simply not considering a sentient creator to be worthy or worship or godliness, be atheistic?