Hey unrelated but check out Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I think you'll enjoy it. It's sort of a criticism of the utopianism in previous Star Treks. It's gritty a

Hey unrelated but check out Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I think you'll enjoy it. It's sort of a criticism of the utopianism in previous Star Treks. It's gritty and the characters have to make hard choices, where "everybody wins because it's a utopia" isn't an option. Some characters are literal terrorists and the show does a pretty good job of letting that be morally gray. It asks the question, "what happens when a utopian society must go to war? Is the benevolence a facade masking a core which is authoritarian or fascistic?" If you only watch one episode, make it "The Siege of AR-558." You once told me in Memphis Belle you could see the "fear in their faces, the bravery, the hurt, the relief." Actors of course can't do what documentary subjects can, but that is what this episode aims for. Also check of Andromeda. It's similarly critical, it's like Star Trek if it was a dystopia where the federation had collapsed because their utopianism had made them vulnerable to betrayal by their closest allies (who are literal nihilists). My understanding is Roddenberry came up with the idea but passed away before it could be realized. It asks the question, "okay, we have this techno-utopian concept, but how does that grapple with the existence of evil in the world?" Don't sleep on TNG either. Did you watch until the Borg were introduced? The Borg are a foil for the Federation I think you'd enjoy, a dystopia of enforced uniformity, a grotesque socialism. Each receives according to their need and gives according to their ability, but through means sickening and unconscionable. Skipping around to just the Borg episodes might be interesting. That reminds me of Animal Farm, a novel I bet we've both enjoyed. I'm due for a reread. I'm sorry if I said anything hurtful or frustrating. I hope next time we see each other around HN there won't be hard feelings. I consider your commentary on the intersection of aviation and software development to be must-read, and I have a lot of respect for you.