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Favorite recurring character? (Select 4)

  • Jack / AIDSMobdy

    Votes: 257 24.0%

  • Josh / the Wizard

    Votes: 77 7.2%

  • Colin (Canadian #1)

    Votes: 460 42.9%

  • Jim (Canadian #2)

    Votes: 230 21.4%

  • Tim

    Votes: 386 36.0%

  • Len Kabasinski

    Votes: 208 19.4%

  • Freddie Williams

    Votes: 274 25.5%

  • Patton Oswalt

    Votes: 27 2.5%

  • Macaulay Culkin

    Votes: 541 50.4%

  • Max Landis

    Votes: 64 6.0%
  • Total voters
    1,073
Mussolini’s Merkin said:
The money issue is a massive pain in the ass in the Star Trek universe. People have been arguing about it for years. We know that back during the NX-01 time they're still being paid something, but what that is up to all kinds of interpretations.
I personally like the idea that everyone gets a dividend/UBI or something, then additional 'credits' if they're doing some specific kind of work. Who knows.
I'm going to link to the Feral Historian video on it as it's my favorite overview.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=tc_dAJfdWmQ
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TNG fans also seem to forget that interstellar trade is in the first episode of the show and a lot of times, the Enterprise is transporting some medicine or wildlife or technical equipment from one starbase to another starbase, which means they still have an economy, but it's, as Nog put it, a barter system that seems to be devoid of stocks and bonds and possibly insurance that we see in our economy today.

Also, and this is a very important point in Star Trek, Federation citizens are hyper educated. Calculus is considered an elementary school subject, one that is taught up to high school. Josh Albert had to take remedial lessons from Wesley to qualify for the Academy and the Academy itself selects for excellence in their officers. Ergo, Fed citizens have most of their ghetto behaviors taken out of them because of their rigorous education system. The dropouts? They become colonists, which is why I suspect the Federation often finds itself at odds with the Tzenkethi, the Gorn, the Shelliak Corporate, the Cardassians, the Tholians, and the Talarians; aliens keep running into Harry Mudd and Cyrano Jones just as often as they run into Kirk.

 
Zorak Prison Pod said:
More evidence that Jack had never seen a computer until the 2010's

Here he is fascinated by a basic function of MSpaint. This was recorded apparently in 2015.

So earlier when I said that Jack Packard emerged from the jungles of Southern Wisconsin in 2007; it's actually much worse: he only re-integrated into society in 2015, at the earliest.

Stupid dumb fuck, goofy corny ass corn-ball. His wife and kids fled his dumb-fuck life. Yahtzee reviews the latest Assassin Creed in a sarcastic manner and Jack is paid to sweep up the metal filings left behind by the lathe.

Stupid asshole.
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But isn't that Jack's voice [in link provided] going on to agree with Jay that Photoshop is a "real program," and then to state that he had used MSpaint on one earlier occasion?
 
Drag-on Knight 91873 said:
insurance
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I had an idea once for a short story about an interstellar insurance adjuster. Like Lloyd's of London old school insurance where if your East Indiaman went down in a storm your company went bust. Yeah sorry we had to jack up your rates, an interdimensional crystaline entity decided to setup shop on your route and is blowing shit up. I can't imagine what the paperwork would be like.
 
Whiskey said:
I always figured it was based off energy like voyager. If you didn’t do anything you had a very minimal amount of tickets to purchase and replicate goods with. If you had more you where allowed greater quarters, and allowance for goods
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Drag-on Knight 91873 said:
TNG fans also seem to forget that interstellar trade is in the first episode of the show and a lot of times, the Enterprise is transporting some medicine or wildlife or technical equipment from one starbase to another starbase, which means they still have an economy, but it's, as Nog put it, a barter system that seems to be devoid of stocks and bonds and possibly insurance that we see in our economy today.
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In a theoretical framework applicable to a ship's crew, this concept may be functional; however, when applied to a federal government, it suggests that the federation adopts an economic model akin to a company store. This represents a form of capitalism lacking individual wealth accumulation and investment. Consequently, it embodies a system that is, in essence, a combination of the deficiencies inherent in both capitalism and communism. I have encountered the theory suggesting that a cashless society represents a unified Earth initiative rather than a practice adopted universally across the United federation of planets. While Star Trek enthusiasts may find this notion appealing, it is important to note that the economics and world-building within the Star Wars universe tend to be more grounded and less reliant on science fantasy elements compared to Star Trek. For the majority of humans and alien species, encounters with entities more powerful than a Force user are unlikely.(Force users are still a small minority.) Additionally, the Federation has formally documented the existence of deities and the Klingon afterlife.
 
Drag-on Knight 91873 said:
Also, and this is a very important point in Star Trek, Federation citizens are hyper educated. Calculus is considered an elementary school subject, one that is taught up to high school. Josh Albert had to take remedial lessons from Wesley to qualify for the Academy and the Academy itself selects for excellence in their officers. Ergo, Fed citizens have most of their ghetto behaviors taken out of them because of their rigorous education system. The dropouts? They become colonists, which is why I suspect the Federation often finds itself at odds with the Tzenkethi, the Gorn, the Shelliak Corporate, the Cardassians, the Tholians, and the Talarians; aliens keep running into Harry Mudd and Cyrano Jones just as often as they run into Kirk.
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So the Federation and its colonies, are like the French government and Louisiana? The Federation ships their human trash far away: sodomites, rapists, whores, and homeless and if the trash survives, the Federation has a new colony?

That explains a lot about how nice Earth is and why Tasha Yar's Rape Planet exists.
 
Protistology said:
So the Federation and its colonies, are like the French government and Louisiana? The Federation ships their human trash far away: sodomites, rapists, whores, and homeless and if the trash survives, the Federation has a new colony?

That explains a lot about how nice Earth is and why Tasha Yar's Rape Planet exists.
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Irish Amish, Navajo, and organic farmers (Maquis) too. The Feds do it under the buzzwords of starting a new life and full freedom. And that's true, but it's also irresponsible colonization practice because so many people leave that the Federation doesn't keep track of them all like in Angel One or in Up the Long Ladder.
 
Battlefield2142EU said:
In a theoretical framework applicable to a ship's crew, this concept may be functional; however, when applied to a federal government, it suggests that the federation adopts an economic model akin to a company store. This represents a form of capitalism lacking individual wealth accumulation and investment. Consequently, it embodies a system that is, in essence, a combination of the deficiencies inherent in both capitalism and communism. I have encountered the theory suggesting that a cashless society represents a unified Earth initiative rather than a practice adopted universally across the United federation of planets. While Star Trek enthusiasts may find this notion appealing, it is important to note that the economics and world-building within the Star Wars universe tend to be more grounded and less reliant on science fantasy elements compared to Star Trek. For the majority of humans and alien species, encounters with entities more powerful than a Force user are unlikely.(Force users are still a small minority.) Additionally, the Federation has formally documented the existence of deities and the Klingon afterlife.
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The deficiencies of communism and capitalism stem from scarcity.

Star trek is a post scarcity society that doesn't mean it necessarily is one with unlimited abundance. It very well could have enough energy to ensure the survival of each citizen while not allowing access to all luxuries at the same time.
 
Whiskey said:
The deficiencies of communism and capitalism stem from scarcity.

Star trek is a post scarcity society that doesn't mean it necessarily is one with unlimited abundance. It very well could have enough energy to ensure the survival of each citizen while not allowing access to all luxuries at the same time.
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Interstellar trade is the reason why the Bendii wanted to join the Federation and kidnapped the giant jellyfish in order to do so. I think the Federation doesn't charge taxes (in raw materials like Dilithium) for its member states, so that post-scarcity society is built upon a vast interstellar trade network that keeps growing and growing.
 
Drag-on Knight 91873 said:
Interstellar trade is the reason why the Bendii wanted to join the Federation and kidnapped the giant jellyfish in order to do so. I think the Federation doesn't charge taxes (in raw materials like Dilithium) for its member states, so that post-scarcity society is built upon a vast interstellar trade network that keeps growing and growing.
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Well... yeah?

I think you can have both post scarcity and people wanting excess. While I wouldn't argue that most people would do anything productive with unlimited free time a lot would pursue comforts, status and pleasure.

I never got the vibe from star trek that had such an abundance they could be wasteful just that they wouldn't starve or go cold.
 
Whiskey said:
While I wouldn't argue that most people would do anything productive with unlimited free time a lot would pursue comforts, status and pleasure.
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If we truly had that and the tech like the holodeck, most of humanity would be stoned out of their minds getting mindraped by AI creations
Whiskey said:
I never got the vibe from star trek that had such an abundance they could be wasteful just that they wouldn't starve or go cold.
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All you really need is for the drones to fly around space and collect the "ingredients" for the replicators to make stuff with.
I don't think you really need anything else in that world. You could automate the entire process.
 
Beelzebub's Lawyer said:
If we truly had that and the tech like the holodeck, most of humanity would be stoned out of their minds getting mindraped by AI creations

All you really need is for the drones to fly around space and collect the "ingredients" for the replicators to make stuff with.
I don't think you really need anything else in that world. You could automate the entire process.
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I low key think they lightly touch on this with one of the background characters (burkly? Not sure on the spelling).

There is a fantasy element to star trek but I do believe overall most of its citizens are well... bums. Maybe the gooner holodeck needs an absurd amount of power? I am willing to accept some leeway here. Its one of those things where unless they really dig into the setting its mostly going to be speculation.

Just my take on it.
 
Whiskey said:
I low key think they lightly touch on this with one of the background characters (burkly? Not sure on the spelling).
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Barclay is a coomer, yes.
Whiskey said:
There is a fantasy element to star trek but I do believe overall most of its citizens are well... bums.
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I don't recall this from the show but if I was writing this, I would have it similar to Starship Troopers where you get your gibs and everything just because you exist since they can afford it, they might put you on some backwards planet but you'll have a home, but if you want to actually have things and status, travel, vote etc. you need to enlist.
You'll probably be a janitor or some shit and won't ever be flying around with Picard but you'll be a full citizen.
 
Whiskey said:
The deficiencies of communism and capitalism stem from scarcity.

Star trek is a post scarcity society that doesn't mean it necessarily is one with unlimited abundance. It very well could have enough energy to ensure the survival of each citizen while not allowing access to all luxuries at the same time.
Click to expand...
Scarcity was solved by antimatter generated by warp flight.

Fabricators can make whatever is needed out of the exhaust of the Federation just doing what it does, and the conversion is 1:1, according to stuff that was in the RPG books and novels around the TNG timeframe.
 
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