Reply #2: Good call

[Orrex]

Shit like that can make for a passable backdrop, but it almost unavoidably becomes a narrative quagmire that's of no interest to anyone except the characters directly involved.

I've often sensed that this sort of thing is symptomatic of a writer who's spent a lot of time putting together his universe and who, as a result, can't bear not to spell it out for the reader/viewer in excruciating detail.