We're too stuck on the idea that technology *must* progress rapidly, but that's an artefact of our time in history.

Plausibly in the Star Wars universe, fundamental science is effectively settled, so there are no new innovations to be found through new scientific discoveries (like we shrink transistors, or build better solar panels, or eventually figure out room temperature superconductors). I believe the lore states that hyperdrives and blasters have been around for millennia. That suggests the science behind this stuff as firm as it'll ever get.

Instead, technological progress comes in the form of devices changing form to prioritise things like manufacturing, supply, economics and changes in 'market' dynamics - such as noticing Rebel fighters start using shields, so producing more TIEs with shields in response, which might cost more but be an effective strategy, until, for example, the Rebels recruit millions of new pilots and turn to building more inexpensive shieldless fighters, and so it goes.

Lightsaber changes might be better explained through signalling - like knights' swords and armour could be embellished to mark their station - so too do individual Sith customise their 'sabers to maximise recognition and intimidation (Jedi are probably beneath this stuff).

Just a thought.

I'm aware this is anecdotal, but I and many of my friends and colleagues would qualify as the kind of "highly skilled migrants" that once would have placed the US as a top working destination. But not so much any more.

I do have a few friends who have ventured to the US for postgraduate study, and a few who have stayed or moved there to take academic positions, but only a handful who have moved for work, and most have come back within a few years. Most are happy just to stay here in Australia, or if they do move overseas long term, it's more likely to Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, China are popular) or Europe.

My impression is it's not just the economy that has turned us away. It's a combination of things, including the culture.

First, on the economy, being in Australia, our economy is already strong, and we enjoy many benefits and protections you don't get in the US, like high quality and free or inexpensive health care, and a decent welfare safety net in case things go bad (and a sensible minimum wage if starting out, eg if you bring your kids), and high quality and relatively inexpensive education (although sadly our government is trying to change that). I'd speculate that the relative difference in economies between countries like Australia and the US in the 20th century might have inspired more to migrate, but that pull has ebbed.

Secondly, standard of living. You'll likely get paid more for the same job in the US, but you'll have to work longer hours with less holidays (i.e. vacations), and so less time to actually enjoy your salary. Perhaps it's my Australian values talking, but I work to live, not the other way around. And I can live pretty well here with the work I can get.

Third, the culture. I'm not sure if many Americans realise that a lot of the news that escapes their borders is pretty ugly. Political deadlocks and extremists like the Tea Party, mass shootings (and a baffling obsession with guns), religious quackery and anti-science, a tsunami of obesity and lifestyle diseases... it doesn't sound like a very attractive place a lot of the time. It's subjective, I know, but the guns thing has been enough to dissuade me from exploring work options in the US.

The world has changed a lot in the past century from when my father, born in England before WWII, was thrilled to have the opportunity to escape the post-war doldrums in Europe and move to the US. It's not only that the rest of the world has now caught up, but the US has by its own decisions lagged behind on social, governmental and cultural measures. There are still good reasons to live and work in the US, but just less of them.

Lego's excursion into franchises is entirely the consequence of intellectual property protection. Since the last patents on generic Lego expired in the 1980s, the company could no longer profit purely from the sale of generic brics. As such, it had to start offering unique products that stood out from the generic ones, and which could be protected. And what better way to do that, and garner increased attention in stores, than to pick up a license for a big name franchise like Star Wars etc? However, if my nephew is anything to go by, he might build the official design once, but then he ventures out and builds his own creations - out of generic brics and the ones unique to certain kits. It's still sparking imagination, even if it's somewhat more directed than it was decades past.

Hey, that's not spam! It's a bloody interesting story about one of the world's leading researchers in epigenetics.