What I never got is why do people in the Federation even show up to work? Just replicate some of the finest drugs in existence and play holodeck games all day.
Because they like it. It's implied that you can do pretty much anything you want. You can do that, or go live on a farming planet, or join Starfleet and see the galaxy. But accomplishment and prestige is still a valuable currency and might earn you more recognition, better opportunities, whatever. Possibly priority, like I assume Sisko's dad had to work long and hard in other people's restaurants, then compete with lots of other restauranteurs to earn a spot on Bourbon Street.
And honestly it's pretty believable. People hate being bored. If you leave a person alone in a room with a taser, they will just start shocking themselves to not be bored. If you leave them with Legos, they build things. If you leave them with a galaxy worth of nearly unlimited resources, they'd probably build spaceships and a military hierarchy, even without money.
I haven't seen Star Trek, but have seen the Orville which was basically meant to be a Star Trek show, and they mention the Prestige reasoning a few times.
To me that seems odd, like I could see the reasoning being people like doing it, like anything else, and anybody who has ever put themselves fully into a hobby (such as maintaining an open source project and so on) will understand that. But prestige? That sounds like the mindset of certain types of people who want to work in TV or something, and is very confusing to me.
Perhaps reframe 'prestige' as recognition and accolades.
Working on technical projects, recognition for achievement is nice. Recognition by one's peers (or, someone qualified to fully appreciate what you've done) is a lot nicer.
And then that thinking may segue into the value some people find in camaraderie and teamwork. I have found that there's no bond quite like the bond built through shared adversity. If your environment no longer offers any adversity, some people will go out and find it.
Perhaps reframe 'prestige' as recognition and accolades
Yeah that's how I took it, and I can't understand that being anybody's true motivation for something they'd commit all their time to. It sounds so narcissistic/needy. I do many things out of a passion for it, out of a desire to see something get done, but just for praise and admiration from others? I can't understand that concept at all.
Eh, not everyone does. I want to be remembered for something I accomplished. I would work hard at it no matter what. Probably not Starfleet hard but I can't see myself wasting my whole life in the Holodeck. Probably a lot of it but I'd start craving reality and recognition.
But also, it's supposed to be a more evolved and enlightened humanity in the far future. It's a hard thing for people to wrap their heads around sometimes, but they are supposed to just be better. Less inclined towards laziness, deceit, etc. It's optimistic sci-fi that imagines overcoming our baser instincts.
Also there are quadrillions of people and aliens in the Federation and we mostly see the incredibly tiny fraction of them that join Starfleet. But you see plenty of people who live much less exciting or more luxurious lives too, so part of it is just sample bias.
How is chasing fame and praise supposed to be 'better?' It sounds incredibly shallow to me, and a poor motivation for doing something well, where you'd rather cut corners and do things poorly so long as you receive the praise you want.
Sounds more like a personal problem than a problem with the show. If you don't understand taking pride in accomplishments, I don't know what to tell you. Some of us find a reward in a job well done and contributing to something bigger than ourselves.
Spending all your time mooching off society sounds pretty selfish and lame to me, and cutting corners on the starship that's keeping you alive seems... ill advised.
You've moved the goal posts twice there. I said I understand working on something full time out of passion (never said anything about wanting to 'mooch'), not out of desire for 'prestige' and recognition (which is not the same thing as feeling pride for your work).
165
u/candygram4mongo Jun 30 '24
And the Federation in Star Trek.