I kind of agree with you. The Standard Model is very powerful and (I think) very elegant. However, there's a lot of things that are very artificial about it. For example the 3 generations of matter.

It would be SO much cooler if it turned out not to be the Higgs. The problem with discovering what you already thought was there is that it gives you no clue as to what else is out there. If it's just the Standard Model Higgs, from a theoretical point of view we have learnt very little.

Actually, you're correct, particles AREN'T particles. That's completely just a convenient way of talking about them. They're just a certain excitation of a quantum field. They're localized and behave in such a way as to make it very convenient to talk about them as particles.

Cool. It's a pretty good video! It should clear up most things!

So this is a bit of a tough one.... The way the LHC works is that they smash the same two things together (hadrons!) millions of times, and measure what comes out. Because of the nature of quantum mechanics, each time they do this there is a certain probability of one thing happening, and a certain probability of…

I've been talking Higgs all day, so I'd be happy to clear up any confusion you have!

You should know better than to link to TvTropes... some of us have work to do!

Yeah. I miss feeling like it's part of a bigger universe. And these things that you're seeing are fairly every-day occurrences in the Federation. That was what made it so cool when (for example) DS9 was on the front-lines of the war, you were getting to see some of that.

I don't think Superman has nothing to overcome. His struggles are what make the character compelling. But insofar as the defining feature of the hero goes, his defining feature is his humanity. That's what makes him a hero. However, you never feel that doing heroism is a challenge to him. He has other challenges, yes,…

Now I'm thirsty AND in need of some well written characterization.

Very well put sir!

Yeah, starting over is not the problem, the problem is having a Kirk to admire.

Very good point.

Sorry. To clarify, I understand that it is a reboot of the history, what I meant was that this perceived character difference might not be entirely DUE to the reboot, it may just be a younger Kirk.

That's an excellent way of putting it. New Kirk has the swagger, the cockiness of his predecessor, but none of the true confidence and hope to back it up.

The argument could be made that we're seeing Kirk earlier than we ever seen him before. It's not a retcon, more of an origin story. Perhaps in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Cumberbatch we see him both realize how good he is, and hence become cocky like Kirk, but also realize the seriousness of his actions. Thus becoming…

For more info about Phantom Energy, this is an awesome podcast: http://titaniumphysicists.brachiolopemedia.com And one of their first episodes is about this very thing.

"What can I say? I give good wife?"

Hmmmm...I suppose!

The ONLY Q is John De Lancie.... I really don't want to see anyone else in the role. Plus, I'm not sure he would have an interest in Kirk the way he was interested in Picard.