Is Earth/the Federation explicitly moneyless at this time? Even by DS9 we still see currency being used in the form of latinum. I interpreted this line as the chief going out to strike a deal with a non-Federation, independent supplier. Presumably using whatever budget Starfleet provides.
I've always interpreted the "no money in the Federation" thing non-literally. I think there's still a financial and economic system operating in the background (otherwise this would be the most radical bit of world building Star Trek has ever done - and Star Trek's world building has never been particularly innovative), but it's just that "money" doesn't have the same primacy in people's lives as it does in the real world today.
I imagine there would be an electronic system of debits and credits (hence "credits" being the currency) moving around in the aether, with money in its physical form having entirely disappeared. Less "evolved" societies like the Ferengi would still use a form of cash (latinum), as would backward societies like 20th century Earth (hence Kirk saying "They're still using money" in The Voyage Home).
But even more than the term "money" being associated with physical currency (a concept that's increasingly being phased out even in the real world), to Federation citizens "money" would be associated with the archaic mindset of capitalism, greed and exploitation - the accumulation of financial wealth for its own sake. As opposed to 24th century people who (with just about all physical needs like health, food and shelter met by virtue of tech like replicators and advanced medicine), can focus on bettering themselves as a goal in its own right. So you might study medicine or law, not because it pays well, but because you're interested in that field. You might go for a promotion in your job, not because it pays better, but you seek the satisfaction of having more responsibility.
@Prouvaire@startrek Given that replicators seem to be able to produce literally anything (except latinum), it really seems like the Federation is an actual post-scarcity culture, where money would have little to no utility.
Exactly. "Money" (or "credits") would still exist to address whatever scarcity remains. Eg replicators can't replicate starships (although in Prodigy we get pretty close IIRC). Or if you want to own that genuine Rembrandt (even if you could replicate a very good fake). Or if you want to trade with societies that still use money. But it would be confined to edge cases like that.
You’re not wrong, but you ever try to argue with an older person who’s convinced of some nonsense because they got sucked down a facebook conspiracy theory rabbit hole? Sometimes you have to choose your battles, and I imagine La’an’s battle at that moment was trying to ascertain if Pelia actually rightfully owned all of those artifacts, and not whether or not the Federation is putting chemicals in the food slots to turn children into genderless energy beings or whatever.
I’m not familiar with those examples you listed, however I did not mean that people make money like we do now. I thought in ST that governments still had their own currencies.
I remember in one of the episodes of DS9 where Sisko visits his father, he makes a point that his father used a large portion of his monthly transporter credits to travel a large distance on Earth. And as for the DS9 station, I assumed Starfleet crew had stipends since they hang out at Quark’s, and I doubt he offers services free of charge.
Another user also claimed it’s probably not best to take Pelia’s cash-less society remark at face value, could have been sarcasm. She’s probably older than Earth currency!
More likely your needs and most of your wants are covered, but not everything. So currency exists for what is not provided by the government. Or in the case of something important like transporters, an arbitrary limit to prevent abuse. Also there are plenty of profit-driven characters we see even if they are a species from the Federation.
No. We find out in “Bar Association” that the station doesn’t charge Quark rent, and hasn’t since the Federation took over administration duties on behalf of the Bajoran Provisional government, however in season two’s “Armageddon Game”, when it is believed that Doctor Bashir and O’Brien are dead, Quark toasts them by saying, “We may have had our differences, but I’ll say this for them, and it’s no higher tribute I can think of: they were good customers. They always paid their bar bills on time.”
Notably he specifies that Bashir and O’Brien paid their bills, not the Federation or Starfleet paid on their behalf. Now, maybe Starfleet officers serving on DS9 or other places where the civilization still use a form of currency have access to an account that Starfleet is takes care of everything, but based on the language Quark uses it does seem like Bashir and O’Brien were the ones making sure the money got put into Quark’s hands.