[aaronem]

Pretty much the defining space opera, yeah -- I mean, it's set in the year ten thousand, what else can you fairly expect it to be? While I quite like it (and can't abide its sequels), I do concede it takes a peculiar taste to appreciate it on its merits.

the whole thing is a metaphor for the oil industry, no?

No, not really, or at least I think not deliberately; it's much more Lawrence of Arabia in space.