Thanks to all. I'll convey what I can of this to Michael when I next
speak to him.

Wayne...if your friends feel that way, then they must not like any show
ever produced in the history of television, because *all* series get five year
options on their cast. That's considered pro forma.

What they, and to some extent you, fail to understand is that there is a
difference between a *contract* for five years, and an *option* for five
years. The former is a guarantee; the latter is at the discretion of the
producers, though in some cases, as we've just seen, an accommodation can be
reached. An option means that the producer has the right, but not the
obligation, to pick up an actor for another season. There's plenty of room
for random events.

Other than that, you can tell your pessimistic, insulting friends to get
a life. And I mean that in the best possible sense of the word. I see no
reason why I have to justify my show to them. It is what it is. If they like
it, fine, if not, still fine. If they don't like it, tell 'em to stop
watching. Nothing make me crazier than what I've seen on the Trek forums for
all these years, of people who *hate* the show, but still watch every single
episode just so they can go online and grump about it.

jms