Greven reaches for metaphors where there are quite frankly very little and takes an almost explicitly Freudian approach, finding phallic symbols in eels and phasers when they are likely just eels and phasers. His writing style can be humorous and engaging one moment then overly verbose the next. I would have liked to see a more balanced theory of Trek rather than purely Freud, with his Oedipal complexes, phallic symbols galore and hypersexuality every where you turn. Elements were helpful for my paper and an overall interesting read, but if you are looking for a balanced look at Star Trek and the occasional realization that sometimes there just isn’t subtext, you will not find it here.