Posted on 09/27/2012 6:46:06 AM PDT by C19fan
I recently watched Starship Troopers for the first time. It’s brilliant, isn’t it? I can’t believe I’d never seen it before. If you can set aside the laboured subtext about militarism and the whole America policing the world thing, it’s a brilliant epic about love and the indomitability of the human spirit. And they’re all pretty hot, which helps. But I had another train of thought watching this movie. It reminded me of a guilty secret, and of a violent change in attitude I’ve had toward science fiction in the past few years, and toward Star Trek in particular.
(Excerpt) Read more at kernelmag.com ...
Oh, I agree. In the dialogue I quoted, the boys were trying to buy a rare, Willie Mays rookie card, to give to Captain Sisko. How would items like that be obtained with no money?
I’m not saying socialism would work in a world with the technology available in the fantasy Star Trek world, but it would be somewhat less problematic than it is in the real world, as the fundamental problem of “running out of other people’s money” would be greatly diminished.
I suppose it could also be argued that if all people’s needs were abundantly met by technology, the culture might evolve to become less fixated on obtaining material wealth and people would seek the status they get from owning a mansion or a fancy car, by some combination of doing good works for society or by achieving great things, like discovering new planets, or cures to diseases, etc.
Personally, I think that most would end up more like the fat, lazy people in “Wall-E” than the noble, selfless people of Star Trek, though.
The same reason I buy green coffee beans, roast them in a popcorn popper, grind them by hand, and brew them thru a coffee press ... when just down the hall I can push a button and have what most people would consider an indistinguishable beverage in a few seconds: there's more to travel than the destination.
Seven of Nine! Wow...
The Riddler? :)
Wait. Wrong series.
(and yes, I know which one you REALLY mean).
According to Fermi Paradox ( which I agree with ) we are alone in the universe. All SCI-FI seems stupid after learning the paradox... Google it yourself.
In the book, they’re “cap troopers”, short for capsule, which is how they deploy from low orbit. They’re inside articulated armor that amplifies the muscle movement of their bodies so they can jump, “fly”, etc., and they have back-mounted racks for rockets, grenades, etc.
Badass. Just. Bad. Ass.
Oh for God’s sake. That fact that anybody even Cares about Star Trek with its One World Government, No Money, weapons temporarily issued on order of the Captain’s perceived need, disposable landing party members etc, .....
See Galaxy Quest and get over it.
Oh, the kid’s mom was that doctor. No one seems to get married on that ship. Well, kick him off anyway.
I much preferred the Marines in "Aliens", especially Private Vasquez.
In ST, we’re seeing the elite of the elite. Even the janitors and bartenders will, under such exotic conditions, be selected for being the top 0.0001%th percentile. Such people can’t not be their very best, they have an innate irresistible drive.
To be honest with you, when Troi was on-screen I didn't pay too much attention to the dialog.
Marx:
In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly—only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!
Have you been to a gas pump or grocery store lately? None of that stuff is “cheap”. I think what you are getting at is that for many (the not quite 47%) it is being paid for fully or subsidized by the labor of others (Mainly Republicans and other suckers like us).
The difference in the fantasy Star Trek world is that with replicators, etc., we wouldn’t be paying for the food, shelter, clothing, of the “47%” as that stuff would actually be virtually free...as opposed to being “free” only in the sense that someone else is paying the bill.
That said, most humans tend to take the path of least resistance, so if we all had the option of “bettering ourselves and humanity” or lying around eating replicated cheesecake all day, most would probably choose the latter.
I think I remember that one , also. What struck me as odd was the snottiness towards capitalism and the cryonic sleep. The crew basically lectured the people how cryogenic sleep was a “fad” that only the elitist rich did. Since the people who did it were actually alive whereas the people who didn’t do it were dead , it seemed rather stupid to lecture them. It’s kind of like going up to a 300 million Powerball winner and telling them only stupid people play the lottery because nobody wins.
Mega dittos on that.
And if replicators fixed the problem of scarcity, why is it that there is only one Enterprise? Why can't every family have their own space ship, and seed the galaxy like Space Family Robinsons?
The husband died in an alien attack before the period of the show, IIRC.
Just to be clear, I am talking about a fantasy world where all man’s needs are provided with little or no cost or effort. In the real world, work must be done to obtain these things and socialism leads to the exploitation of the industrious, by the lazy.
Also, even in a fanstasy world, where all needs are met, the fallen nature of man, would probably lead to arguments, fight and wars about how to allocate the excessive abundance. It is in man’s fallen nature to always think he is being shortchanged and deserves more and should work less. That is another reason (besides the running out of other people’s money problem) why socialism does not work.
Saw her at a Con once. Sure was petite. In the vertical dimension, that is.
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