How Dose Starfleet Pay For Stuff?

[elax92]

So this is something I've been wondering(mostly through DS9 with quark and his bar) How dose Starfleet(or really any human) "pay" for things they buy from other species? From my understanding money is no longer a thing on earth, which is all fine and good. But when you need something that a member of a different species has, and that species dose have a system of money what do you thinks happens? if O'Brien wants to relax after a hard day's work with a beer at quarks, dose he resort to the barter system? or dose quark have a standing tab with Starfleet or something?

Also I'm sure this topic was brought up before but I couldn't find any post related to it.

 

[T'Girl]

Take it further, how does Starfleet pay for those giant starships? Original construction, equipment, fuel, space stations, starbases, the land the bases sit on, shuttles, ground vehicles?

We've actually talked about this for years here, either there's some kind of financial compensation system in play, or everything is literally free.

Some people want to have it both ways, the interior of the Federation is a "free zone." while the edges of the Federation (and beyond) is a "pay zone."

if O'Brien wants to relax after a hard day's work with a beer at quarks, dose he resort to the barter system?

Where does Miles get the whatever he uses to barter with? If he replicates it does he pay for the replication, and with what? It's a Cardassian built replicator, on a Bajorian owned space station, which is managed by Starfleet, who gets the ultimate bill?

Personally I think that Mile and all Starfleet personnel (regardless of where they are) get paid on a regular basis. And that the various Federation Members have their own money, banking and economic systems, as well as a separate interstellar financial and banking system.

s

 

[hux]

Here we go again

There clearly is a form of currency within the Federation. Not only that but I would assert that there is also a continued desire for achieving and maintaining status (possibly at the expense of others). The idea that we can replicate something to use for barter makes a mockery of replication technology. Quark clearly has access to the same technology so why would he accept something he can produce himself as a form of payment? He wouldn't so let's nip that theory in the bud.

As far as I'm concerned, the replicator has limits (hence the continued need for mining) so the only other option is a universally agreed upon form of currency. Whether people work for that currency (or to better themselves) is irrelevant. The fact remains, that currency exists. If it didn't, the Federation would be stuck.

 

[Kemaiku]

It doesn't, Picard said so, next.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Oh this is going to cause gnashing of teeth but...

I assume there is no money within the Federation. [I very much like this idea]

I assume the energy crisis is entirely solved and that replicators are running off of renewable energy sources and thus anyone can replicate anything they like whenever they like [of course, limited by the replicators actual ability to replicate]

I assume 150 member worlds, with billions upon billions of people and thus a huge labour supply and vast resource supply, has no problem building starships and starbases etc. Many people will want to be designers, builders and engineers etc so contruction is no problem.

Thankfully, capitalism seems long dead in Trek thus the exploitation of labor and the means of production no longer exists thus natural resources are used far far more efficiently.

Where I assume currency is still a factor is in Starfleet itself and, perhaps to a lesser extent, in regards to external relations. Thus if O'Brien wishes to buy a beer at Quarks he pays with Starfleet credits [which Quark must be accepting of to begin with] and these credits must have some type of value [hell, bitcoins right now have value so it is debatable what the value actually is].

So, I also assume if you want to saunter off on holiday to Cardassia that you will have emassed enough 'credits' to 'pay' for your stay. But as soon as you return to Vulcan/Andoria/Betazed everything is 'free' again because you can just replicate. Perhaps credits could be used on Earth to pay for some things [such as Chateau Picard].

I always assume however, that people [unlike now] are no longer wage-slaves and that everything needed to live is entirely free.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Federation Express. Don't leave home without it

 

[T'Girl]

It doesn't, Picard said so, next.

It does, Beverly Crusher said so in the pilot, next.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ And in that TOS episode with the tribbles, Federation Credits are mentioned several times. Also on one Voyager ep.

 

[Kemaiku]

It doesn't, Picard said so, next.

It does, Beverly Crusher said so in the pilot, next.

Beverly probably thought the inhabitants were actually dumb enough to believe the Federation still used money, charged it to "her account" and was ready to warp out before they found out.

Don't think they won't exploit locals when they need to. They all thought the Bandi or whoever they were were pig ignorant anyway. Even threatened to feed them to the Ferengi just to get answers at one point.

Oh I know GR chickened out later and had the Ferengi not be evil canabils, but they were when that line was written.

 

[Mytran]

I assume there is no money within the Federation. [I very much like this idea]

I assume the energy crisis is entirely solved and that replicators are running off of renewable energy sources and thus anyone can replicate anything they like whenever they like [of course, limited by the replicators actual ability to replicate]
...
Where I assume currency is still a factor is in Starfleet itself and, perhaps to a lesser extent, in regards to external relations. Thus if O'Brien wishes to buy a beer at Quarks he pays with Starfleet credits [which Quark must be accepting of to begin with] and these credits must have some type of value [hell, bitcoins right now have value so it is debatable what the value actually is].

With you up to this point: O'Brien is Starfleet and as such has all his needs provided for by The Service, whether from internal sources (replicators) or external (Quark's)

So, I also assume if you want to saunter off on holiday to Cardassia that you will have emassed enough 'credits' to 'pay' for your stay. But as soon as you return to Vulcan/Andoria/Betazed everything is 'free' again because you can just replicate. Perhaps credits could be used on Earth to pay for some things [such as Chateau Picard].

Surely if people can amass credits, they are getting granted them at a certain rate, yes? Credits that they can save up to exchange for goods & services? Sounds a lot like money to me, just one not based on physical currency

 

[Tim Walker]

With credit cards. That is why Trek characters occasionally make references to "credits".

 

[Captain Rob]

Will that be credit or debit?

 

[T'Girl]

And while we're at it, paper or plastic?

 

[Tim Walker]

Plastic!

 

[robau]

It doesn't, Picard said so, next.

It does, Beverly Crusher said so in the pilot, next.

That was on an alien world that still requires such a thing. It doesn't exist in the utopia.

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

They auction off the exploitation rights to the planets they discover.

 

[Terok Nor]

I always assumed money was still used on Earth in Kirk's time but by the 24th century it had been done away with. I find it hard to accept humans don't use money at all considering they're not the only species in the universe or indeed on Earth. Perhaps money is not used between humans but is used between humans and other species. Starfleet can't run on thin air so someone has to be getting payed.

 

[Lance]

Star Trek's society pays people in beads, following Zephram Cochrane's drunken suggestion that ''We should totally base our new world society on Spring Break! YEAH!!!''

This also helps to explain the 'stripperific' uniforms for the ladies. And wet T-Shirt contests are a prerequisite for entry into Starfleet Academy.

 

[Sector 7]

^ And in that TOS episode with the tribbles, Federation Credits are mentioned several times. Also on one Voyager ep.

Federation Credit Card... that is why they don't carry money. Problem solved.

 

[Silvercrest]

The Federation doesn't use money and everything is free. To barter or trade with other races, they just replicate the appropriate materials and hand them out.

And when the Federation wants to recruit a new world, all they have to do is hand replicator technology to that world. It will ruin their economy overnight. After that, they have no choice but to join.