Because the end of the movie is so uplifting, I think people have a tendency to forget just how brutal the story is on Andy.

Eh, Red's smuggling is a practical skill. It's proof of his intelligence, not magic. Whereas Andy brings non-tangible things like hope into the prison, is an inspiring figure, etc. If anyone is magic, it's him.

While Trek has never been - and maybe could never be - hard scifi, I do think that the TOS in particular had a kind of open-armed embrace of science as a concept that I'd like to see return. We know so little about the universe and what could exist in it - or how it could impact us. So there's a sense of wonder there,…

For me DS9 - Bashir and Kira alone would do it for me, but you've got your choice from that crew. Though Spock is my forever crush.

Yep. Most sexed up series, yet somehow the least sexy. To be fair, though, no Trek series handled sex in a very adult way.

I was right. You can't grasp that very basic point. So I can't help you.

Because bisexuality and heterosexuality are treated in two very different ways. Because heterosexuality is everywhere, even places it doesn't need to be - and bisexuality is NOWHERE. If you can't grasp that very basic point then I can't help you.

Amber Heard is bi (though I guess her taste in dudes is crap), Anna Paquin, Joan Jett (I think?), Angel Haze is pansexual, and I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting. Frankly I'd include Kristen Stewart here but I guess she's not out.

Thank you. This explains the problem perfectly.

So how come heterosexuality is never 'shoehorned in'? How come straight characters can have sex scenes and romances and talk about the people they're attracted to, and it's all just part of the story? But jeez, if you're gonna bring up bisexuality, you'd better have a damn good reason!

Isn't it funny how a character's sexuality is only a minor part of their story if they AREN'T straight? It's almost as if non-heterosexuals get erased. Hmmmm.