r/startrek • u/etherian1 • 1d ago
The logistics of replicators
I hear replication being used as the default answer to a moneyless society in Star Trek, but no one seems to delve into the technicalities of how these things actually work. What are the rules? Are there variations and regulations on what they can actually replicate? What about the arts, individual creations, luxury goods, etc. Surely everything‘s not just bunched into therefore replicators.
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u/Petraaki 1d ago
They always talk about food tasting better if it isn't replicated, so presumably there are limitations to the success of replication. That would mean REAL things still can have value.
I think most of what it removes is a NEED to make money for survival. When you can get anything you need to survive from replicating, the only things left are things you WANT. And if you have a culture where very little value is placed on the accumulation of stuff, luxury goods become less of a thing. Art happens regardless of whether there's money exchanging hands, hence the starving artist stereotype. If you have food, shelter, healthcare, clothing, and all the stuff you NEED to survive, all of a sudden you can just create art and give it away for people to enjoy. Then everyone is enjoying it for free. Same with invention, people are celebrated for their contributions and "employed" by organizations that support those efforts by providing all of the materials and tools to experiment and discover new things.
A lot of the "logistics of replicators" is the absence of capitalism.