I am not a reader (or viewer) who insists on understanding absolutely everything about the story-world. I don’t need to comprehend everything about the magic system, or have a detailed explanation about how faster-than-light travel was achieved. Internal consistency is pretty much all I require - and believable human nature. This month’s fantastic subscriber essay, however, has forever changed how I view one of those space-opera stalwarts: the small-time space ship. My beloved Roci from The Expanse series, for example; Serenity, and Moya… . Nina Niskanen has now ensured that whenever I read about, or watch, a small crew on such a ship, I will be asking: are they taking shifts? How annoyed are they about those personal tics? Where is the wealth coming from??