federation

Star Trek: Discovery Just Challenged the Federation’s Fiscal Hypocrisy

This article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episode 12, “There Is a Tide…” Remember that time when Admiral James T. Kirk pretended to be a socialist so he didn’t have to pay the bill on a pizza date? In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks) rolls her eyes as Kirk is taken-aback about having to pay for the pizza and one round of Michelob (yes, Michelob) beers. Gillian says, “Don’t tell me that they don’t have money in the 23rd Century.” Kirk replies faux-innocently, “Well, we don’t!” Even by that point, Trekkies…
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How Star Trek: Discovery Has Changed the Federation and Starfleet

This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 5, “Die Trying.” After four episodes of searching for what was left of the United Federation of Planets, the crew of the USS Discovery actually finds the new incarnation of their government, 930 years later. For a casual fan, the new Starfleet and United Federation of Planets may not seem all that different — after all, didn’t they have greyish uniforms kind of like that in the last Chris Pine movie, Star Trek Beyond? Superficially, Starfleet may have been given a sleek upgrade, but the look and feel of…
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