re: Orion's arm?
This summary from Wikipedia should help answer some of your questions
(yes, it is an Internet thing, not a television series or film - yet).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion%27s_Arm
It avoid all the usual pitfalls of most SF TV series and films (the
infamous hyperdrive, for example) and tries its best to adhere to
believable science. The result is a universe far richer than most,
with endless possibilities.