What Was Cosmic Inflation? The Quest to Understand the Earliest Universe

I should have, perhaps, used "dimension" in place of "universe" in places above.

I fail to see what is so controversial about cosmic inflation, Fraser. Aren't we, in a way, undergoing it right now since galaxies more than, what, 14.5-15 BLY from us are moving away from us in excess of light speed? And, we, them? Or, let me try a slightly different angle. I don't recall every hearing folks like you or Isaac or any of the myriad other science show folks claim that the origins of our universe are WITHIN our universe. So, if they started "outside", why couldn't/wouldn't everything have mixed there so that it was a homogenous "something" even "before" the Big Bang? Or, how about this? The Big Bang was apparently a pretty "violent" event. As matter and energy from it poured into what is now OUR universe, can we use a gun analogy? After the shell emerges from the muzzle, there are still trapped gases behind the projectile that now must escape the barrel themselves. If (and my gun analogy weakens a bit here) these "gases" -- call them ... space/time ... emerge fast enough and in great enough quantity, might they now "fuel" inflation? For that matter, might they not be STILL "emerging" to this day and creating the "inflation" we now see? Heck, might this "force" that's "outside our universe pushing in" all the space/time be what we are calling dark energy? Then again, these may be stupid observations on my part. Wouldn't be the first time!!! ;~)