Comment on How Star Trek's Future Works - Money, Work and Property

reddig33@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• yyyesss@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Correct, latinum cannot be replicated: en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Latinum

  and for some additional color: …stackexchange.com/…/why-can-latinum-not-be-repli…

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  • ValueSubtracted@startrek.website ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Correct, latinum cannot be replicated: en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Latinum

    This link doesn’t lead to a statement that latinum can’t be replicated, because that’s never actually been established on-screen. It makes sense and is almost certainly true, but it remains fanon.

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    • Corgana@startrek.website ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      You must be fun at a very specific type of party.

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      • ValueSubtracted@startrek.website ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I’m an absolute riot at wakes.

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  • htrayl@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    It still doesn’t really make much sense in a world where the vast majority of things are replicated. The only things that would give them worth are things that cannot be replicated:

    • Specific real estate
    • Experiences
    • Favors?

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    • Zorque@kbin.social ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Things that can not be replicated, or are too complex to replicate easily.

      I'm sure, given enough energy and processing power, you could replicated just about anything... but if they already exist naturally, why bother? If it takes less energy to mine, or mix, or harvest latinum than it takes to replicate it, then replication doesn't make sense for it. That goes for just about every other physical thing as well.

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    • USSBurritoTruck@startrek.website ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      In my opinion, I think some people would ascribe value to authentic luxury goods.

      For example a bottle of genuine Chateau Picard. Why go to all the trouble of growing, harvesting, and fermenting the grapes when you can just snap at a replicator, *“Wine, Bordeaux, room temperature!” and have it materialize one for you?

      Or, in “Captain’s Holiday” Riker asks Picard to purchase for him a Horga’hn while on Risa. Granted, this is a bit of subterfuge to try and get Picard laid, but from Picard’s perspective, Riker is asking for a genuine artifact of something he could likely easily replicate aboard the ship. Compare that to Quark in “Let He Who Is Without Sin” who likely doesn’t care about the authenticity of the experience, and saves a few credits by having Horga’hns already when they on the way, likely replicated on the runnabout ahead of time.

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