"Space. The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!"
Anyone that grew up in the late-80's/early-90's knows this as the first words we hear, spoken by the indomitable Jean-Luc Picard (read: Patrick Stewart), while the majestic USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) swells to dominate our 19-35" TV screens at the start of an hour-long adventure. If you're like me, those words brought a feeling of wonder and excitement! Not so much for what the characters of the show will run into, but more for the eye-candy and imagination fodder that only a trip into space could foster. As long as I could remember, my mind has been taking that fantastic voyage on a regular basis. As readers may note, I am much more partial to George Lucas' seminal space opera, but that does not mean I will overlook inspirations for my personal space fantasies.
