Two movies from the past few weeks -- "Inception" and "Predators" -- were poised to teach Hollywood an important lesson about movie-making. However, a San Diego Comic-Con panel Thursday that included "Fringe" and "Thor" writer Ashley Edward Miller, concluded that lesson had yet to be learned.

Christopher Nolan, who made "Inception," made the most out of the $200 million he was given for the film, Miller said. But "Predators," made for substantially less, was the better lesson for science-fiction filmmakers seeking creative autonomy.

"Studios don't get involved if you're only spending $40 million," Miller said.

But the panelists didn't stick with how money was spent for long. Movies distributed in 3-D has become all the rage since "Avatar," but former Geek Monthly editor Jeff Bond said that the wrong lesson to learn from "Avatar" was to make everything in 3-D.

"Inception" could've easily been a 3-D film, but panelist Bill Hunt said Nolan's film didn't need the gimmick because it focused on character and story instead.

Television isn't getting too high of praise, at least as far as the panelists were concerned. Steve Melching, a writer with "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," said many of the programs on television right now are an "embarrassment of the riches." Among the panelists, favorites included the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel "Caprica," and "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" from Starz!

But what got these writers involved in sci-fi in the first place? Miller, who was a guest on Alpha Waves Radio last year, said his interest in the genre came from a Star Trek fan club his brother started. Melching and Bond recalled the joy of their first Star Wars experiences.

Bond summer up his wish for all children of current and future generations: That they would be able to feel as he did when he saw Star Wars for the first time.