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Star Trek isn't communist; capitalism and communism are both approaches to the allocation of resources. Neither really applies in a post-scarcity society.

pbhjpbhj 7y ago
Which Star Trek is post-scarcity. They all [within the Federation] have trading and limitations of resources, no? They're entirely egalitarian either, perhaps that's why you say they're not communist, see for example the luxuries that a captain has that crew do not and the preferences (larger quarters) that accrue with seniority.
- bena 7y ago
  Next Generation is post-scarcity. Replicators make fighting over a slice of pizza pointless. Just replicate another slice. It's both a story-telling crutch and obstacle. It's a crutch in that they never have to explain how they provide for the entire crew while out in space. They just transform energy into matter. It's an obstacle as they can't really tell a story that involves a limited resource unless they explain why it can't be simply replicated. Now, sometimes, they say just that. But it's always something they have to acknowledge. And we have to bow to the fact that Star Trek is entirely fiction. We don't really know how a post-scarcity society will function. So we will wind up still projecting contemporary mores on them. So the captain gets a special office and larger quarters. DS9 has replicators, but they're also trying to be the "wild west frontier" Star Trek, so they're not available to everyone and there are non-Federation societies present. And those societies aren't post-scarcity, so money exists. (And then there are the societies that are both technically post-scarcity, yet still materialistic which is just weird) Voyager has replicators on the ship, but their solution is to remove the ship from the Federation and handwave the fact that for the most part, starships don't require fuel in a traditional sense. I think the fuel for starships would be antimatter, but it's never an issue on the show unless it needs to be.
thrower123 7y ago
Star Trek is also almost entirely set on the decks of a warship or a military outpost, so the economics are very artificial.

pbhjpbhj 7y ago

Which Star Trek is post-scarcity. They all [within the Federation] have trading and limitations of resources, no? They're entirely egalitarian either, perhaps that's why you say they're not communist, see for example the luxuries that a captain has that crew do not and the preferences (larger quarters) that accrue with seniority.

bena 7y ago
Next Generation is post-scarcity. Replicators make fighting over a slice of pizza pointless. Just replicate another slice. It's both a story-telling crutch and obstacle. It's a crutch in that they never have to explain how they provide for the entire crew while out in space. They just transform energy into matter. It's an obstacle as they can't really tell a story that involves a limited resource unless they explain why it can't be simply replicated. Now, sometimes, they say just that. But it's always something they have to acknowledge. And we have to bow to the fact that Star Trek is entirely fiction. We don't really know how a post-scarcity society will function. So we will wind up still projecting contemporary mores on them. So the captain gets a special office and larger quarters. DS9 has replicators, but they're also trying to be the "wild west frontier" Star Trek, so they're not available to everyone and there are non-Federation societies present. And those societies aren't post-scarcity, so money exists. (And then there are the societies that are both technically post-scarcity, yet still materialistic which is just weird) Voyager has replicators on the ship, but their solution is to remove the ship from the Federation and handwave the fact that for the most part, starships don't require fuel in a traditional sense. I think the fuel for starships would be antimatter, but it's never an issue on the show unless it needs to be.

thrower123 7y ago

Star Trek is also almost entirely set on the decks of a warship or a military outpost, so the economics are very artificial.