It’s not communism. There is simply no scarcity, and therefore no need to manage distribution of resources.
There is scarcity. Specifically, there is a scarcity of the fuel used for interstellar travel and a scarcity of inhabitable worlds to colonize as the various Federations, Empires, Collectives, and Dominions expand outward. This scarcity serves as the proximate cause of a number of flashpoints between interstellar armadas throughout the history of the franchise.
However, the organization of the Federation of Planets is at least considered Socialist, if not outright Communist, by TNG (and certainly by DS9). The assets of Starfleet are collectively owned and administered. Social demand for labor exists, but adjudication of labor is primarily meritocratic (from each according to their own ability). The government of the homeworlds is fully democratic and property is allocated by social need rather than private contract (to each according to their need).
The post-scarcity is a consequence of these reforms, not a precondition for it.
Federation officers are bound by the dress requirements of the job they freely chose.
Even that is… relatively loosely enforced. Plenty of Starfleet Officers and Crew embellish or augment their uniforms. Some disregard it entirely (Worf wears his Klingon sash while Diana Troy’s purple jumpsuit is civilian attire).
Food is synthetic but you’re certainly not required to eat it, and characters are shown craving it for how good it is, so it’s CLEARLY not flavorless.
There are lots of lines about this or that replicator food not tasting like the “real thing”. But (particularly with Voyager) there’s an emphasis on making exceptional meals with relatively limited supplies.
There is scarcity. Specifically, there is a scarcity of the fuel used for interstellar travel and a scarcity of inhabitable worlds to colonize as the various Federations, Empires, Collectives, and Dominions expand outward. This scarcity serves as the proximate cause of a number of flashpoints between interstellar armadas throughout the history of the franchise.
However, the organization of the Federation of Planets is at least considered Socialist, if not outright Communist, by TNG (and certainly by DS9). The assets of Starfleet are collectively owned and administered. Social demand for labor exists, but adjudication of labor is primarily meritocratic (from each according to their own ability). The government of the homeworlds is fully democratic and property is allocated by social need rather than private contract (to each according to their need).
The post-scarcity is a consequence of these reforms, not a precondition for it.
Even that is… relatively loosely enforced. Plenty of Starfleet Officers and Crew embellish or augment their uniforms. Some disregard it entirely (Worf wears his Klingon sash while Diana Troy’s purple jumpsuit is civilian attire).
There are lots of lines about this or that replicator food not tasting like the “real thing”. But (particularly with Voyager) there’s an emphasis on making exceptional meals with relatively limited supplies.
The rest of it is pure bunk, I agree.