Federation Starbase & businesses

[MhicWombat]

Hello all,

My gamers want to have our next campaign be based out of a Starbase and they want to pick up that DS9 vibe, but they want to be on a Federation starbase.

So here is the question.

Given that the Federation is supposed to be in a "post-scarcity" situation, given the many replicators around, would there actually be businesses on a Federation starbase?

Or, on a slightly different tack, if there were "local" businesses (e.g. something like Quark's or Garak's tailor shop), would they actually charge money? And if so, how would you see them competing with the use of replicators?

Just more mindwarps for the moment...

[C5]

Welcome!

I don't see any issues with having businesses on a Federation starbase, just like Sisko's father had a restaurant in New Orleans. I tend to consider that Federation worlds are currency-free for Federation citizens, and the starbase would be no exception. People from outside the Federation would probably still need to pay in credits or latinum.

Apparently replicated food or clothes tend to be generic, so restaurants or tailors could have no problems finding customers in search of a more authentic feel.

[WaveMan]

I agree, there was also a precedent with Sisko's father's restaurant being able to supply tube grubs that were alive to Nog and we saw Sisko (I think if I remember correctly) peeling potatoes in one scene suggesting his father had access to grown food rather than replicator food.

Your crew could have a restaurant that offered 'real' food as the draw, as many people in the Federation believed they could tell the difference between replicator produced food and the 'real' thing.

[Owen E Oulton]

Welcome!

I don't see any issues with having businesses on a Federation starbase, just like Sisko's father had a restaurant in New Orleans. I tend to consider that Federation worlds are currency-free for Federation citizens, and the starbase would be no exception. People from outside the Federation would probably still need to pay in credits or latinum.

Apparently replicated food or clothes tend to be generic, so restaurants or tailors could have no problems finding customers in search of a more authentic feel.

I agree with C5 that there should be no problem with private businesses on Federation starbases. Unfortunately, Sisko's Kitchen was not a really relevant example, as it was based on Earth in a city. However, it does point out that there is a ready market for artisanal foods and other things. More to the point are the various businesses on Deep Space Nine, a Starfleet-run station presumably subject to the same rules and regulations as regular Starfleet facility. Hence we get Quarks's Bar, Garak's tailor shop, the Klingon restaurant and the many businesses on the Promenade, as seen in this image: Q5y4O.png

Star Trek III, the Search for Spock depicted an obviously civilian-owned bar complete with hostesses in flamboyant costume; in Earth Spacedock, which is most assuredly a Starfleet facility.

As for non-Starfleet facilities, Deep Space Station K-7 shows us a civilian station with yet another civilian-owned and operated business; yet another bar with colourfully-costumed hostesses.

As a real-world example, during Canada's involvement in Afghanistan, coffee/donut shop Tim Hortons set up an outlet at the Canadian Forces operations base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, open from July 1, 2006 to November 29th, 2011

Deep Space K-7 also answers the question of what is the usual medium of exchange in this ostensibly "post-scarcity" society - the Federation credit. They never really define this medium of exchange beyond various allusions to it not being "money" or "currency" in other episodes and movies, but looking back with the lens of time (50+ years) it is most probably a cryptocurrency like bitcoin (but more developed and, dare I say "perfected"). In context it needs no further explanation than does a modern movie or TV show where someone buys a coffee or a Coke. The closest we'd ever see to that sort of thing is in a spy thriller where the character needs to discuss the exchange rate between British pounds and US dollars.

[WaveMan]

as far as being relevant, the restaurant owner on the starbase could simply lease a cargo bay, converting it to a hydroponic's and installing a series of hydroponic growing stations (like Kes did on Voyager) and grow all their food for the restaurant (or hire someone with expertise to do it for them).

The other thing would be artisan brewing of alcohol, again rather than replicating it, (Picard's family wine vineyard) although this may be as Owen stated planetary based rather than Starbase based, though if you have a starbase within transporter range this isn't a problem.