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thedoctor said:
It appeared several times in TNG too. Talk about elemenating poverty, greed, etc. But, in truth, it was really kinda muddled. From what I've seen, if you're in Starfleet, you don't get a paycheck. You get three squares a day, shelter, clothes, whatever you need. But there is definetly some system of trade considering the Ferengi (fuck if I know how to spell it) were a strong capitalists who did trade with individuals in the show. It's basically a Rodenberry "Hey! The future is great with running streams of champagne, gumdrop rainbows, and butterscotch meadows! Just don't ask me how it was done!"





One of the things I disliked about TNG was its constant state of whimsy. The first season had the captain talk down to a whole bunch of races and demonstrating how superior the Federation was since they were able to eliminate poverty, the death penalty, world hunger, etc.--But they wouldn't tell anyone how it was achieved! The most the show had to offer were story solutions that could be thought up by people of our current timeframe with no trouble at all. The series adopted a "What would the Federation do" tune, but the fact of the matter is that they did nothing we couldn't do. They're no more enlightened then I am. I furthermore disliked their sweeping comments about what is and is not silly to fight over. I get what they were trying to say, seeing as how they went out of their way to make it a happy-go-lucky fantasy realm, but it was bloody insensitive if you ask me.