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)