“These characters are locked into a company ecosystem that forces them sometimes to die and be repeatedly resurrected, sometimes to pay for every plant they cut down with a knife built by a company fabricator kit. Sometimes, they must make a choice between suffering the rest of their lives imprisoned on a far-flung world or destroying ancient cultural artifacts, melting down allegorical Etruscan statuary for wiring to make a better laser gun. On practical, moral, and spiritual levels alike, they must sell their souls to the company store just to live another day.”

This week, Garrett Robinson wrote about death and loss in Appalachia, and the process of grieving as a community. The piece explores the mismatch between instinct and ritual in the context of losing a loved one, and offers a reconciliation between the two.