He turns to face the screen himself, then glances toward Gaila, reading the familiar expression. Home, or it would be if the Captain's chair still rattled over warp four--that's mostly what he's sore about. It's the little things.

"It may look like home, but in the end it's just forcefields and light." But it is dangerous, she's right. Technology develops quickly, and what happens next? Photonic people? Photonic rights? Holodeck inspired psychoses? Photonic ships with photonic crews?

But this is a question he can answer. "The Oregon trail was the route taken by emigrants populating the west coast of North America. Two thousand two hundred miles, crossing mountains and rivers--wild country, and dangerous. A new and exciting frontier. Like space in the 22nd century."