From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Tue Feb 26 2002 - 08:31:18 MST
"Dickey, Michael F" wrote:
>
> This is pretty interesting as well
>
> http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Essays/Trek-Marxism.html
>
> The Economics of Star Trek, as bogus as the physics of Star Trek. The
> author argues, reasonably well, that ST:TNG is a communist society.
>
> The author also has an extensive database critiquing specific episodes and
> noting the evidence of the true contradicotry, hypocritical communist nature
> of the federation
>
> http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Database/index.html
WHich is all rather BS. I'll buy that Starfleet operates
communistically, much as many military organizations do today to a
limited extent. In todays US military, for instance, a soldier does not
really have any need for the pay he receives, unless he starts a family.
As a single individual, one could do an entire four years doing nothing
but living in on base barracks, eating base cafeteria food, and using
base facilities (gym, library, golf course, movie theater, NCO or
Officers club, PX, etc) consuming little of one's monthly pay, if at
all.
US Navy ships are even more so.
A Captain living in the world of Starfleet would have little need of
money if all of his/her needs were met by the starfleet replicator
technology. However, we rarely see in Star Trek anyone who isn't in
Starfleet who ISN'T engaged in private enterprise.
Most of all, what is the point of naming the flagship of the fleet
"Enterprise" if it is a communist society?
There are many incidents in Star Trek history of businessmen operating
openly, even if some are depicted in a rather typically
biased-Roddenberry fashion (Harry Mudd, of "Troubles with Tribbles" and
other episodes of ST:TOS featuring him, including the one with the
beauty pills and dilithium miners, and the one where Harry meets his
apparent end at the hands of an android that appears as his ex wife....)
In ST:TSFS, McCoy tries to arrange for passage to the Mutara sector with
a private shipowner in a private bar.
In ST:TNG, Capt. Picard's brother owns his own vinyard in France, which
he labored to keep "in the family" while Picard went off to the stars.
Furthermore, the Ferengi ARE a part of the Federation, even if they are
looked down on by snooty starfleet types.
Furthermore, in ST:DSN, there are numerous incidents of private
businesspeople, including the Ferengi Quark, who owns his own bar/casino
on the space station, as well as the Cardassian tailor, who owns his own
shop.
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