At the end of the century we've watched the "Big Three" long-running sci-fi and fantasy institutions collapse and run out of steam:

• Ultima
• Star Wars (yes it is dead)
• Star Trek (this one too)

Star Trek has the distinction of just gradually fading out, whereas the other two had spectacular failures... worthy of ridicule for generations to come. (I realize Star Wars isn't officially over yet, but only Spielberg and a real screenwriter could possibly save this sinking ship.)

It's pretty disappointing; I don't get the feeling that Farscape and LEXX are going to provide the same kind of sustenance. Oh well. Maybe real tile-based games will be in vogue again, or perhaps interactive fiction will come back in a big way.

Yeah, sure.

Oh, and yakk, I kept this short just for you :-).