Society has demands.
Expand it out to every sport I don't care about, every political issue I haven't researched and can't comment on, or every book I haven't read (or don't remember reading), and you start to flesh out the extensive list of things in society I am disappointingly ignorant of but still have to apologize for.
I have only so much time, interest, and mental real estate, all of which seem to be in increasingly short supply. I have to somehow maintain a balance of things that I feel are interesting and important versus things that make me feel like a part of society (or, perhaps at least a subculture).
Star Trek, while not always a great show, hits that balance when it comes to entertainment. The problem is that it's an incredible time sink. I did drop it for a week or so this summer, and watched other things/programmed things/biked around. However, the show was compelling enough, and my interest was strong enough that I wanted to see the story to the end. I wasn't trapped, I was committed.
I am not now beholden to watch Voyager, Enterprise, TOS, The Animated Series, or anything else. I will never revisit Andromeda, or Farscape, or Big Bang Theory, or How I Met Your Mother, Caprica, or Dollhouse, or anything else I eventually found insulting to watch. My comment on being "free" was more to express that I'm free to watch/read/participate in whatever happens to catch my gears without feeling guilt at letting my other time/interest/real estate commitments lapse.
