I’d love to see more about the cultural and social revolutions which occurred in Ferenginar which were happening in the background of DS9 that resulted in the first Ferengi to be a trade union leader becoming Grand Nagus.

I think Nagus Zek and Moogie were working on ways to modernise Ferengi culture but the realpolitik of it means it can’t just have been the two of them. I feel like there was a coalition of feminists and Ferengi workers in the proletariat growing in popularity.

Ferengi’s seem to have been isolated from the Dominion War but it doesn’t mean they weren’t impacted by it, as the 3 biggest Empires closest to them were all actively in full scale war mode. I also think it’s likely that prior to the war there may have been a kind of Gold Rush into the Gamma Quadrant which left many Ferengi investors overextended when the war started and the quadrant was cut off.

I think Zek and Moogie were trying to reform in this context. It’s Russia in 1916-17 without the overt involvement in the war.

Ferengi workers and women, surrounded by the cultural hegemony of the Federation must have been causing strikes, protests and riots in the background, and the wealthy class of Ferengi were weakened due to their gamma quadrant investments failing.

While Rom was radical to lead a strike in the first place, it’s possible he was seen as a moderate by the time of Season 7 after a few months of continuous disruption to Ferengi economy and politics. Also as a hero of the Allies fighting the Dominion who saved millions of lives with his role in keeping the wormhole closed and the resistance, he’d have a good diplomatic influence to regain trade with those powers and access to DS9 as a port.

So my working theory is that there was a gradual revolution in Ferengi culture, and that a coalition of Ferengi trade unions, feminists, Federation enthusiasts and socialists and democratic reformers were able to claim victory at the same time as the war ending.

But of course the FCC and the power of Capital amongst the elite must still have been immensely strong. 100% of a culture won’t change overnight - but however the Ferengi left coalition gained influence (I’m thinking at least a general strike and riots - why else is Zek’s message to Quark so garbled that he thinks he will be the next Grand Nagus) Rom was seen as a good compromise by both sides. The FCC working on their prior intelligence will see him as the moron brother of minor barkeeper they may be able to keep in line and manipulate, and who at this time is less radical than demands of some Ferengi revolutionaries, but to the left he’s hugely symbolic as their first trade union leader. Both sides also accept that diplomatically he’s going to be popular with the Federation.

There’s no way Rom gets to be Grand Nagus without massive social and political change, without some kind of Marxist dialectic happening in the background.

I think Rom is the Social Democratic compromise between various political movements and also the first wave of further integration into the Federation and its ideals.

But we only get the surface level information of it. I think there’s at least a double episode in it. Maybe a future Ferengi Star Fleet officer in Discovery could retell this story of cultural evolution after first contact with a particularly capitalist new alien culture.

There was that civilian led plan to create a new continent that Picard was thinking of leaving Star Fleet for.

Plus a lot of the guest scientists that go on the enterprise to study particular stars and planets or go to DS9 to study the wormhole seem to be mostly non Starfleet.

Most colonists of new colonies are also civilian. Jake Sisko’s future fame shows artists are celebrated in their lifetime.

So lots of civilian opportunities, we just don’t see them on screen a lot.

I think prior to the Borg near capture of Earth and the Dominion War, Starfleet life is seen as more of a civil service life. Something that’s nice if you have a calling for but it’s not the only way to enhance your life and humanity.

Literally three days ago nobody needed to summon a dermatologist.

As a nerd with regular cycles of bad skin from dermatitis since my teen years I doubt nobody in a community of nerds needed to summon a dermatologist, but we may soon hit the sweet spot of being big enough to have specific expertise in comments without people lying for clout or karma farming!

Same.

I had deleted my main reddit account that I had for 13/14 years a few months ago. I created a new alt so I could check in and talk about some of more niche interests, but I deleted that 3 weeks ago, just couldn’t be dealing with the increasing enshittification.

I’ve had a Twitter a/c since 2009, have a lot of mutual followers and a lot of people I know only for there, but decided today that it’s definitely not going to get any better. I had a Mastodon account since last year, but it was very slow and quiet, and again, not a lot of niche interests I have over there yet. But this weekend’s bullshit (and obvious lies from Musk) makes it clear twitter isn’t going to get better. Even if the stupid rates thing improves in the next while, it will just be something else Musk decides which will be making twitter worse.

So I’m just going to enjoy the chill vibes and explore all the different communities here.

Fascist governments got to fascist.

Targeting the LGBTQ+ population and eroding their rights and making it a focus during a time of an international cost of living crisis, is a tried and true practice of the right wing to hide their incompetence in governing and in matters of economy.

While I hate to pull the “it’s a cartoon influenced by pulp scifi” card…it’s a cartoon influenced by pulp scifi.

A bit of timey wimey changes is in line with the spirit of the show. It’s more like how it “retconned” Fry being in the future by accident and it being a plan of Nibbler to get him to the future to fight the brains.

And having time to see some of Fry and Leela’s relationship in the moment could be nice too.