I’m watching S7E20 right now and the entire scene before the Defiant undocked from DS9 had that cinematic vibe you only get from a bonafide Hollywood movie.
I’m watching S7E20 right now and the entire scene before the Defiant undocked from DS9 had that cinematic vibe you only get from a bonafide Hollywood movie.
If you’re on Deep Space 9, you have to pay to use Quark’s holodecks in the first place. They don’t show it much, but they do mention in the first or second episode that Starfleet get a few slips of latinum as a per diem when stationed somewhere not part of the Federation. There has also been at least one occasion where Bashir mentions eating at the replimat instead of Quark’s because he was saving up to buy something, implying that they all pay to eat at the bar.
Gambling is also big activity at Quark’s, something that costs money, but can’t be replicated. Also, real liquor, not Synthehol.
I get the feeling that replicated food is the equivalent of frozen dinners. Its edible, and for many people its good enough, but those with more discriminating palates occasionally want something real.
I also got the impression that replicator quality can vary. I think it was Birthright, from TNG, where they go to DS9, and Worf learns his father might be alive. One of the Enterprise crew, I don’t remember who, makes a comment about the food at the Replimat tasting like polymer.
How did quark acquire this holodeck on a federation/ bajoran space station anyhow? oh yeah he traded info on self sealing stem bolts. Next you’ll tell me it cost money to transport and o Brian was raking in coin to buy antique whiskey with…
It was absolutely a plot device; they’ve said as much. The rest is just the in-story rationalizations to give viewers something - however difficult to believe - to accept so the story can go forward.
Star Trek is full of these. TNG was chock fucking full of Mordor Eagle plot devices. Quark is Harry Mudd, with a bumpy head. The Federation exists within a universe of civilizations which haven’t yet reached post-scarcity and, frankly, I think even in a post scarcity utopia we’ll still have money and be trading. Consider, we’ll probably still have the very first profession, and you’ll likely have other services. You’ll still have a lot of people like McCoy, who reject the technological solution and want “the real thing” and not a holodeck.