Modern science fiction is surprisingly blasé about the dangers of space, at least when that space isn’t occupied by parasitic aliens and scheming Sith lords. Apprentice Jedi have to deal with many problems, but catastrophic depressurization isn’t one of them. Maybe that’s because we’ve become blasé about space; as NASA’s budget is squeezed and its accomplishments become more difficult to communicate to the public, the final frontier is starting to feel like just another venue for billionaires to show off in. Space exploration is safer than ever, but also less eventful than ever. Anything Elon Musk has his hand in immediately loses much of its majesty.
