Ah, re Kirk: It's true, isn't it? And all the sadder because you can see him visibly getting older, still untapped to his full extent by anyone but Fontana (wait, that sounds really bad)...

But yeah, the equation always breaks down like that: How hard are you going to be made to work? Especially when what you want from a product is less yet another chance to work, say, than an opportunity for play. Either it pays off, or it doesn't.