[PatrickHenry]

Star Trek lost me as a fan years ago when they dropped capitalism from the future. A post office style economy can't build starships, so the whole series became absurd.

[hellinahandcart]

Star Trek lost me as a fan years ago when they dropped capitalism from the future. A post office style economy can't build starships, so the whole series became absurd.

Wasn't that annoying? Sheesh. My favorite DS9 epiode was when Jake wanted to buy an autographed baseball for his dad and couldn't get it because he had no money("we work to better ourselves, and mankind, not for profit"--gag). His Ferengi friend Nog decided it was time for a lesson in "incentive-based economics" and set him to work trading services with about a dozen different people in order to finally the wherewithal to trade for the baseball.

[longshadow]

Star Trek lost me as a fan years ago when they dropped capitalism from the future. A post office style economy can't build starships, so the whole series became absurd.

And mine was rekindled when I read a review of the new series, in which the critic raved about the female Vulcan character with "gravity-defying" cleavage. It's enough to make Newton turn over in his grave.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Star Trek lost me as a fan years ago when they dropped capitalism from the future. A post office style economy can't build starships, so the whole series became absurd.

You've nailed it!

Has anyone ever heard a decent rationalization of how the Federation economy worked?

[Zeroisanumber]

They have replicators, when you can replicate any product that you want the capitalist system takes a nosedive.