MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) Discussion > Where do they get the latinum?

Where do they get the latinum?

posted 8 years ago by Geek_XX
19 replies | jump to latest

It's funny that in the 24th century, money isn't really around anymore and that everyone can pretty much get what they want usually through a replicator.

On DS9 they opened the promenade where there are shops and restaurants and bars, which is great but since there's no money in the 24th century, I'm guessing these shop owners are doing it for enjoyment?

I don't believe Starfleet officers get paid for being officers, so where do they get the money?

The replicator? If that were so, Quark wouldn't be bitching so much about not having enough latinum to retire on.

[–] randbanks 8 years ago

actually this has been addressed.

The Federation has no money, which is a bit of a continuity issue on numerous TNG episodes and the movie First Contact. I don't remember where but I read that officers that serve on stations that use money are given a stipend so they can buy things.

So when O'Brien, Bashir and others buy food or drinks at Quark's Starfleet has a budget for that. I suspect that it could be a barter for Latinum kind of deal Starfleet might supply Ferenginar with things that they need and the Ferengi pay for it with Latinum which is then distributed to the officers on places like DS9.

Also many shops pay rent for their leases, this money also likely is distributed to the people on DS9 as well.

Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory and ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat

[–] Inspector81 8 years ago

@randbanks

So how does Riker get latinum to gamble with at Quarks? He's not stationed on DS9 and mentioned latinum can be spent anywhere and that Quark owed him a lot in winnings when he was there in TNG's "Firstborn." Worf also had a lot of Klingon money to spend with Alexander at the Klingon outpost in that same episode. I've also seen other Federation crewmembers from visiting starships like in Voyager's pilot gamble at Quarks.

The whole money issue is a farce, anything that could be replicated wouldn't be "money" and the people of the Federation have to use it to interact with other cultures and species which means they do use "money." To say they wouldn't use it within the Federation is a joke as we saw in the DS9 ep, "In The Cards" and shows a complete lack of understanding by the writers who first installed the silly notion in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

[–] timmy9313 8 years ago

Why would you pay for food when a replicator can make you anything you desire?

[–] kerryedavis 8 years ago

But there wouldn't be any sense in gambling with anything that could just be replicated at no cost.

[–] seldon913 8 years ago

Completely wrong. It's been clearly stated that their clothes are replicated and I'd find playing some strip poker with Jadzia, Leeta, and Keiko to make lots of sense.

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[–] kerryedavis 8 years ago

You play strip poker to get their clothes? Oh you poor fool. 😎

[–] iroquoisjoe 8 years ago

I would have to venture that latinum is not a replicateable substance or it is forbidden to replicate it.

On November 6, 2012 god blessed America...again. 

[–] Torni3945 8 years ago

I would assume latinum is a precious metal like gold or silver? Like we use to have silver in our halve dollars, quarters, and dimes.

[–] Cmmisc-176-683795 8 years ago

Latinum is a liquid. It's pressed into gold, which oddly is otherwise valueless. See Who Mourns for Morn.

[–] kerryedavis 8 years ago

Yes, they probably just replicate the gold to put the latinum into. Either that or the Hortas have dug out so much that it just doesn't matter any more.

[–] everymanaking6488 8 years ago

don't you mean gold pressed latinum? 😝

[–] dogstar-12 8 years ago

I assume it gets mined, like any other precious mineral, and pressed into gold for convenience. As to where Starfleet officers get their hands on latinum, well, we've seen Dax gamble with it, and presumably anyone can sell something for it on any planet which still uses currency.

As other posters have mentioned, though, it's a ridiculous notion that humanity would spread to the stars and undertake all of this risky exploration for free. This is just a case of Deep Space Nine trying to clean up the previous series' mess, and I think they did a pretty good job of it.

[–] sigma23-1 8 years ago

I expect Latinum is a material that cannot be replicated for whatever reason. I don't know if they ever go into the details, but keep in mind that replicated foods are noticably different from real food, and this is addressed several times in TNG, if not elsewhere. Something to do with a low molecular resolution.

There was an episode of DS9 where Quark is left with 'worthless gold', which has been stripped of its latinum. This is probably because gold is easily made in replicators or perhaps through a fusion reaction. Latinum seems to be resistant to that sort of tech which makes it valuable.

[–] meridian_satyagraha 8 years ago

Latinum is one of the only things that can't be replicated, which is why it is used as currency. More info here: http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Latinum

[–] ManuelManipulation 8 years ago

Rodenberry's thought the money-less society was possible, but does that mean that other planets would practice this? Probably No.
That alone became a problem when the series' universe expanded with TNG and so on.

During the last episodes of DS9, Sisko talks about having bought property on Bajor for a new house... so people in and out of the Federation need to get paid a salary because not even in Gene's BS utopia not everyone gets 40 acres and a mule for no reason.

Some have said that there's no cash money and all is done electronically/credit [bitcoin?]...

I can't imagine that even on Federation's earth with several billion people no one works for other than it feels good... even if Vulcans landed tomorrow would things change in 50 years
Is there still welfare, are there other 'accidental' births other than David Marcus? Who knows.

[–] kerryedavis 8 years ago

And why did Picard's brother in France get to have big house and a vineyard etc? Rather than someone else? Or rather than having it covered by apartments or what-not.

etc, etc.

[–] ManuelManipulation 8 years ago

That was part of the Picard Family's business dating way before the Federation ever existed... what they never explained why so many frenchmen in the Picard family spoke with british accents.

[–] kerryedavis 8 years ago

Or how they kept such good property records since before WW III, etc.

But in reference to the other part, I thought there could have been a very interesting TNG episode where Q shows up and goes around annoying people by explaining how they're wrong about stuff. Because so many records and historical references etc were lost during and after WW III/The Eugenics Wars, and so forth. The random colonization expeditions that disappeared for centuries until Enterprise D maybe went looking for them for no apparently reason in advance...

He could point out, for example, even aside from issues of accent, Picard as a supposed Frenchman should be drinking coffee, not "tea, Earl Grey, hot."

The title?

Well, naturally....

It has to be...

"Q Tips."

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[–] hafabee 8 years ago

There's money in Star Trek, the Starfleet characters are buying things all the time, in all of the series that I've watched (Star Trek, TNG, and DS9).

I would assume that in a utopia like the Federation that you don't need money to get by, all necessities would be provided for, both tangible (shelter, food, medicine, clothing, transportation, essential equipment) and intangible (education, medical aid, dental aid, lawyer representation, etc).

BUT, if you wanted to secure for yourself something outside of what the state provides, for example something luxurious, or unique, you need Federation credits to pay for it, and therefore need a source of income. Starfleet officers I'm sure are paid well, it's a very dangerous job!

Everything you need would be provided, but there might be extraneous things that you want that you'd have to pay for. In this way Star Trek is correct in that the driving force behind mankind is to better themselves, but there are still personal gains beyond an increase in rank and responsibilities or obtaining a degree.