I should be all over this Space Force thing. I’ve flown with the Federation and the Falcon. Shoot, I’d join the Imperial Navy if it means zipping around at the helm of a starship.
I was one of those kids who tuned in as astronauts walked to Moon, who tuned in even after our short-attention-span nation stopped being impressed by men walking on another world.
But really. These days, US astronauts have to hitch a ride from Russians to get into space. And then the only destination is a larger version of Skylab, which has long since plummeted to Earth.
Sure, now we’re hoping Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos will get us there within a few years. Maybe. But honestly, in all my sci-fi dreams no one asked Captain Picard how he planned to monetize the Prime Directive.
So here we are. It all seems like hype to me, another political selling point. But if I’m wrong and we shift into FTL drive in the foreseeable future, sign me up for the Space Force. Thanks to the magic of sci fi and television, we all know what Warp Speed would look like. Someday reality may catch up.
Ron Prichard's Fictions and Fables 