"Please, if you find one of our songs that isn't political, please show it to me so I can verify and have it removed." - Tom Morello

I wonder what these people think "the machine" means 😭

I like this idea too but ST only partially supports it.

In ST, the only reason they're ostensibly post capitalist is because they've solved the shortage problem. The replicator and anti-matter reactors are mulligans that get them a post capitalist world without making any social decisions. They don't restructure their society or economy to create an alternate method to distribute limited resources, they just get unlimited resources. That limits the usefulness of the analogy because we'll probably never achieve that.

Later on ST goes further and starts discussing several resources that are, in fact, limited. There's "latinum" which really only exists as a post scarcity exception. It doesn't really seem to have any uses but the scarcity is enough to drive the entire Ferengi economy and it's valuable enough that people want to trade with them.

The much bigger exception is the scarcity of trilithium. The Federation fights wars over it the same way real world Earth powers fight over oil. It's the scarce core resource powering their entire post-scarcity economy.

Don’t forget that the whole Federation is a post captialist utopia which is a political statement in itself.

Great point!

True in a way, but it was more philosophical and not "in your face". It made you think about it, and the story was way waay better and deeper than today's pew-pew starwars approach to star trek. Every episode had a meaning and a lession.

Kinda like people complaining Rage Against the Machine becoming political.
Always has been.

We have The Orville today for good Trek

Does anyone else remember that TNG had a recurring background character who was just a regular crewman but he always wore a Star Fleet dress or skirt that would just walk around in the background of scenes? He may have had heels as well, I can’t remember. Regardless I always thought it was neat that they never made a big deal out of it or a joke

I remember that being a little more "coercive and rapey" than bribing, since the nurse was the one who demanded "fuck me and I'll set you free, or you can wait for whatever they are going to do to you."

I get Riker is full of fucks to give, but he didn't seem terribly pleased with not having a choice.

The Federation is not Marxist, communist, or socialist. These economic systems rely on a monetary framework where scarcity dictates value. In the Star Trek universe, scarcity has been eliminated on Earth. There is no energy crisis, no poverty, and no starvation. Transportation is instantaneous, and every individual's basic needs are met. With no financial struggle, humanity is no longer constrained by the pursuit of wealth. The Federation is not built on enforced equality but on a shared enlightenment. With abundant resources, every person enjoys a high standard of living.

I don't know. I might like that? It depends a lot on how it is implemented and who is in charge. 😅