156: Peace in Our Time

The 24th Century Utopia. Star Trek has been described as a show about a utopian future; but only The Next Generation really showcased this vision. The Original Series showed the Federation fighting many battles with the Klingons, Deep Space Nine brought war and an undermining of Federation principles by Section 31, Voyager had terrorists serving on the crew, and Enterprise found early explorers struggling with morality. During The Next Generation, it truly was peace time and the Federation and the ideals of Roddenberry that it represented were explored in a way no other series could. In First Contact, Picard remarked to Lilly that money doesn't exist in the 24th century and that wealth is no longer the driving force. Instead humanity works to better itself. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison explore Star Trek's vision of a utopian future, whether the society portrayed on The Next Generation is possible, how it could be achieved, and the consequences of a world without money.  Chapters Intro (00:00:00)   A Sequel (00:00:50)   Richard on Utopia (00:02:30)   Teachers on Utopia (00:04:30)   Workhorse (00:07:07)   The 1% (00:09:30)   The Best (00:12:40)   Insular Society (00:15:25)   Stronger Together? (00:17:40)   Enlist in Starfleet (00:23:16)   Workers Rights and Jobs (00:26:30)   Not Everyone Can Be a Poet (00:29:38)   Intellectual Elitism (00:32:10)   Unstoppable Progress (00:37:20)   Money and Trade (00:40:20)   Starfleet Socialism (00:44:31)   What We've Learned (00:47:52)   Closing (00:50:06)  Hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison Production Lee Hutchison (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Stephen Boyd (Associate Producer) Ron Saarna (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)