Summary
InStar Trek’s utopian society of the future,humanity has evolved beyond the use of money. This fact comes out most frequently when Starfleet officers come up against people from Earth’s past, such as Captain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) frank confession to Dr. Gillian Taylor (name) inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Homethat the future has no money, or 1990s financier Ralph Offenhouse (Peter Mark Richman) awakening in the 24th century to find that plans to provide for his financial future have been dashed inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 1, episode 26, “The Neutral Zone”.
As Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) explains to Offenhouse inStar Trek; The Next Generation,“People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things. We’ve eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions. We’ve grown out of our infancy.“The lack of currency in the United Federation of Planets, and among humans in particular, is a great thought experiment that illustrates just how far humanity has come inStar Trek, but not everyStar Trekcivilization is so enlightened. In other words,theremustbe some kind of money inStar Trekfor the economics of the future to function.
9 Ways DS9’s Ferengi Changed Star Trek History
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the making of the Ferengi and Quark, Rom, Nog, and Ishka continue to make a huge impact on the Star Trek universe.
What Is Latinum? Star Trek’s Favorite Money Explained
“Who came up with the idea of suspending liquid latinum inside worthless bits of gold?”
The economy of the future inStar Trekis driven by latinum, a rare liquid substance that can’t be replicated. Because of latinum’s liquid nature, it’s encased within gold when used as physical currency, which is why latinum is so frequently referred to as"gold-pressed”:it’s the latinum that’s valuable, not the gold.Different amounts of latinum are pressed into different denominations of slips, strips, bars, bricks, and braces, with strips being the most commonly used for everyday purchases, whereas bars were used. Latinum, though naturally liquid, can also be used to plate items to make them more luxurious or valuable.
100 slips
1 strip
20 strips
1 bar
Unknown number of bars
1 brick
Unknown number of bricks
1 brace
Any explanation of latinum is incomplete without mentioning the Ferengi, whose pursuit of latinum is iconic within theStar Trekuniverse. The Ferengi inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, and in particular Quark (Armin Shimerman), give the most insight into the value of latinum, from both a material and a social standpoint. TheFerengi Rules of Acquisitionrefer to latinum frequently, giving rise to idiomatic expressions equating latinum with wealth of any kind. AsStar Trek’s resident capitalist society,the Ferengi driveStar Trek’s economy, making latinum a relatively universal currency inStar Trek;latinum is used not only by Ferengi, but Cardassians, Klingons, and non-Federation worlds.
When first introduced toStar Trek, latinum was measured in terms of weight in kilograms; however, the standard denominations came into more frequent use inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Does Starfleet Get Paid In Star Trek?
Humans In Star Trek Aren’t Post-Scarcity; They’re Post-Greed
Starfleet officers aren’t necessarily compensated financially for their service, but they are"paid"in other ways. InStar Trek: First Contact, 21st-century Bozeman, Montana residentLily Sloane (Alfre Woodard)is appalled to find that Captain Jean-Luc Picard doesn’t get paid for service to Starfleet. Picard is, of course, unbothered, pointing out that"The economics of the future is somewhat different … the acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.“To Picard, and other Starfleet officers,compensation comes in the joy of discovery, the service itself, and the recognition of merit.Currency is social and academic, not monetary.
“It’s not my fault your species decided to abandon currency-based economics in favor of some philosophy of self-enhancement.” - Nog (Aron Eisenberg),Star Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 5, episode 25, “In the Cards”
Fortunately, Starfleet officers aren’t just out of luck when it comes to participating in the greater economy of non-Federation societies.Starfleet officers are given a stipend of latinum to spend when stationed in places where they’re likely to need it. InStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, latinum pays for drinks and gambling at Quark’s Bar, various food and drink, and the acquisition of … certain necessary items. InStar Trek: Voyager, far from Starfleet Headquarters, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) barters Federation technology with Delta Quadrant societies. While Earth money may be a thing of the past inStar Trek,latinum accounts for humanity’s participation in galactic trade.
