Was Star-trek a socialist society?

[Turtle]

Ok all you star-trek fans lets hear what you think. Please comment as well as vote on the poll. I would like to know "why" or "why-not" as well as any other insights you might have.

 

[Bill of Rights]

As much as it pains me to say so, yes, it was. Additionally, it was also an impossibility, as everything was free, the food (and everything else) came from "replicators", rather than from anything that anyone did to earn his way. From where would a work ethic come if there was no accomplishment to be achieved?

In addition, what did people who were not in the military (Starfleet) do? Really, if you were on Earth or some colony somewhere, a civilian, and could obtain anything you wanted by pressing a few buttons or by saying "Tea, Earl Gray, hot", what work would you do?

I enjoy the effects of Star Trek and I enjoy seeing Gene Roddenberry's vision brought to the screen, but I can't allow myself to think about it politically or I can't watch it.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[Scutter01]

They mentioned in more than one episode that "money was obsolete. We work for the the thrill of discovery and the benefit of mankind." And yet, you saw time and again that the have-nots still used money and still lived in squalor.

Now, it's a bad sci-fi TV show, so I'm not expecting deep philosophical issues and continuity, but it's clear what Roddenberry and Berman had envisioned.

 

[MyGlockRocks19]

Yeah, I hate to say it, but it was...they even had a pansy-fied socialist utopian "military"...come on, hardly any small arms to speak of, no ground forces, no dedicated combat vessels...and the wife and kids are on board for your "tour"?

They're lucky they never ran across the Empire...they'd have gotten owned.

Still, I enjoy the show...

 

[paddling_man]

I hate to say it, but yeah... It was.

Redeeming fact #1? Border areas still used latinum and the Federation had a "brothel" planet. How cool is that??

The Klingons? They be my peeps!

 

[rhino]

I can't answer the question because real Star Trek and Star Trek: the Next Generation (aka Gay Star Trek) are two completely different beasts.

Gay Star Trek was definitely full-on socialism.

Real Star Trek gave some lip service to it occasionally, but clearly not everyone was treated equally. Kirk snagged all the babes, whereas Sulu got . . . none. Oh, wait . . . bad example.

 

[redneckmedic]

I'm not a star trek fan.....boo hoo, get over it...but isn't more like a military than a society (socialist or not) they wore uniforms worked together for a common goal on a space ship with appointed rank ...not sure. Either way if StarTrek is socialist....Star Wars is definitaly very much Capitolist!!!!!!

 

[tv1217]

Yeah, I hate to say it, but it was...they even had a pansy-fied socialist utopian "military"...come on, hardly any small arms to speak of, no ground forces, no dedicated combat vessels...and the wife and kids are on board for your "tour"?

They're lucky they never ran across the Empire...they'd have gotten owned.

Still, I enjoy the show...

Yeah, the Empire would probably make the Borg it's bitch.

 

[Fletch]

Star Trek was a utopian vision of socialism, no doubt about it. Eventually they started returning to the ideas of trade and money, but they really tried not to. Kind of like the Soviets after the Russian Revolution.

 

[theweakerbrother]

I can't believe any of you watched more than one episode of Star Trek. Star Wars is where it's at!!! Trolling!!!!

I keed, I keed. It seemed to be some sort of socialism where knowledge was valued. Although, it made me wonder what kind of terrible place there homeplanets were to go off and get shot at in space than stay at home with hot alien babes.

 

[oldfb]

So Obama is really like the Emperor and Hilary is Darth

Oh wait come on this is a out the nerd thread! Isn't it? Hey that is not fair! First one tries to pull a wedgie gets it!

I am not a trekky but I have watched and enjoyed most of the whole franchise except for DS.
Federation ships that we were exposed to used replicators like our military provides food and such.
They gambled with credits and they explored and traded science with advanced enough societies. Refused to get involved in pre warp civilizations. At home there were crops and droughts and energy shortages and you name it but people worked together without war on earth to make things better as far as health and other issues.. I would lke to see a world wthout the need for war or famine and chaos. Where we were able to spend all of our resources on trying to make the world better for ourselves. I am not saying we should ever take someone elses labors or wealth but honestly how many millons before I woukd say ok I have enough and lets really fund things like ending the diseases and other issues together. Probably why I will never have billions to share. There are lurkers in this world that want it all. No part no half they want everything and are quietly trying to make each of us dance to their tune. Maybe if the militarys smartbombed those scary peeps we could all breathe again.
OK back to being a geek.
I always thought that boredom and colonization was the real drive to explore and add to the federation of Planets because most of the problems at home were minor compared to getting klingon skull humped every other day. Yeah they had puny guns and stuff but they were pioneers. Weren't most of the planets they came across using sticks and rocks. To those planets it would have been nothing for the federation to bend them to their will. And the others they encountered were so much more advancwd that they looked like they were using the rocks. Now the BORG. That is what I think of as the evil socialism that the Messah wants

Maybe I am nuts and wanted to just believe in Bad vs Good dreams but for the most part it didn't look like everyone had equal everything. Just that they didn't have to worry about being totally up the creek ever. It just looked like the harder you worked and were promoted the more stuff you could acquire and the bigger room you were quartered in to hold your stuff.
One small exception. If your shirt didn't match everybody elses you were probably going to die sooner.lol

Man almost think having an evil empre to fght would be easier to deal with nstead of these fruitcakes trying to blow us up, starve us, global warm us or swine flu us every ten minutes

So I guess It may have been Utopian but I failed to see the socialism that would make me puke. It would be a long road to get there from here, is one thing I am fairly confident of.

Regards Gang,
Oldfb

 

[Mrs. Hoppes]

Yeah, it's socialist. Those in Star Fleet did have a military ranking system, but saluting was obsolete. (Standing at attention was not.)

On Earth, socialism reigned and there was definitely a one world gov't. (ST IV the voyage home showed a female president. "Madam President" was how she was referred to.) In many of the books (of which I have over 100) there are references to civilian life that leads me to believe they hail from socialist ideals. Including "old quotes" such as "From each according to his ability to each according to his need." Also, look at the Vulcan edict. "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few or the one."

While I have seen and read TNG and the others, I am a fan of TOS.

 

[oldfb]

ALL right well read trumps warm fuzzy every day.
Note to self... No more Star Trek after this next movie coming out.

 

[Benny]

What's a Star-trek?

 

[Lucas156]

I voted yes because the food and everything is free. My favorite star trek is hands down star trek enterprise. Woot Woot!