# Did any Star Trek episode have a character with no job? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2016, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913 "2016-12-05T07:40:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/21 "2016-12-05T15:33:50Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I’d like to know more about the star Fleet guys who apparently who just stand in the corners of the room, waiting for Data or Worf, or anybody on the bridge to get randomly called away on an away mission. > > They’re just waiting right there jump right in with out missing a beat. No one has to tell them to fill in for so-n-so, because they are RIGHT THERE! WAITING! AT ALL TIMES! > > Must get awful boring between away missions. I’d imagine they’re just there to monitor subsystems that are basically automatic but, as Spock pointed out in “By Any Other Name,” require periodic adjustment. On _ **TOS** _, there were five of these, all nominally unmanned, for Navigation, Weapons, Defensive Systems, Engineering, and Environmental Engineering. And of course, lots of hot babes in microskirts getting signatures from Kirk et al. on fancy electronic clipboards. (I swear, there wasn’t one ugly woman on that ship! :o ) [![](http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-enterprise-bridge-sheet-1.jpg) ](http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-enterprise-bridge-sheet-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/22 "2016-12-05T15:36:10Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > My personal fanwank is that humanity has been genetically modified to no longer be lazy or particularly greedy, in the Star Trek universe. Or maybe just brainwashed by the “Politically Correct.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/23 "2016-12-05T15:38:03Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > My personal fanwank is that humanity has been genetically modified to no longer be lazy or particularly greedy, in the Star Trek universe. > > Of course, Roddenberry thought that we could get there through good ol’ elbow grease, but I’m less optimistic about our ability to triumph all that well over evolution through nothing but rationality and cultural shifts. Problem is, there is a huge anti-genetic engineering aspect, since Space Seed, and then expanded upon later in DS9. Anything other than fixing a severe genetic disease (in the womb) is illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/24 "2016-12-05T15:45:56Z")
Right, that’s because everybody has already had the inheritable “play nice with others” gene inserted back in the 2100s. The reason they’re so against genetic engineering is that they are afraid someone might take it out. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/25 "2016-12-05T15:56:20Z")
The space hippies didn’t have jobs. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/26 "2016-12-05T15:59:42Z")
Well, in the Post-Trump Star Trek Universe, we learn that the unemployed are required to act as redshirts on exploration vessels… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/27 "2016-12-05T16:01:35Z")
The space hippies are the definitive answer. One wonders how they eat, or get that VW microbus of a ship they had. Mudd was self-employed. [del]Selling[/del] Transporting women to settlers. I assumed he got a fee for this. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/28 "2016-12-05T16:02:26Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Well, in the Post-Trump Star Trek Universe, we learn that the unemployed are required to act as redshirts on exploration vessels… Finally! Put 'em to good use! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/29 "2016-12-05T16:13:36Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But perhaps that was her hobby? Was she externally tasked with work? Did she sell her expertise? She was a staff botanist before she was Mile’s wife. She wasn’t Starfleet, but she was a scientist on board. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/30 "2016-12-05T16:49:39Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The space hippies are the definitive answer. One wonders how they eat, or get that VW microbus of a ship they had. > > Mudd was self-employed. [del]Selling[/del] Transporting women to settlers. I assumed he got a fee for this. He sold false patents, too. A real entrepreneur! Reminds me of my dad. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/31 "2016-12-05T17:04:43Z")
First of all, it should be noted that the conceit that the Federation citizens have no need for money was not articulated until ST:TNG, if I’m recalling correctly. So TOS episodes wouldn’t be expected to have people doing what they do not for remuneration, but rather because they just want to. Second of all, just because there’s no money doesn’t mean that people don’t have “jobs.” They just don’t get paid for those jobs with money. You can have an economy that rewards people with things like housing, food, etc. when they contribute to it, and refuses to reward them if they don’t. The clearest expression of the conceit involved comes in the episode “The Neutral Zone”, at the end of Season 1 of ST:TNG. > [@Picard](#): > > A lot has changed in the past three hundred years. People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things. We’ve eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions. We’ve grown out of our infancy. … The challenge, Mr. Offenhouse, is to improve yourself… to enrich yourself. Enjoy it. So you do what you do because it makes you a better person, because it contributes to the overall effort of society. In return, society provides you with what you need. And if you are the sort of person who opts out of that system, you take your show on the road and enjoy the company of species who haven’t reached that point in their evolution. I think that’s the whole point to Vash. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/32 "2016-12-05T17:22:46Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The space hippies are the definitive answer. One wonders how they eat, or get that VW microbus of a ship they had. From the Wikipedia page; On stardate 5832.3, the Federation starship USS Enterprise is in hot pursuit of the **stolen space cruiser Aurora** , which is heading into the dangerous Romulan Neutral Zone, with **Tongo Rad (the son of the Catuallan ambassador**) on board. The Enterprise locks onto the ship with a tractor beam, but the Aurora tries to flee. With the craft already straining with pushed engines, the vessel begins to break up. Captain Kirk orders the transporter room to lock on the passengers and beam them aboard immediately. As the Aurora explodes, the six humanoid passengers are safely brought aboard the Enterprise. Kirk heads down to meet with them and is shocked by their wild appearance. The six beings are barefoot, dressed in lavish robes and colorful tunics. Despite their close brush with death, they appear completely calm and relaxed as if nothing has happened. **The group identifies themselves, starting with Tongo Rad (whose presence must be handled carefully, owing to the delicate relationship between the Federation and the people of Catualla), Irina Galliulin (a Starfleet Academy dropout and a former love interest of Ensign Chekov), Dr. Sevrin (a noted communications and electronics researcher from Tiburon, who specializes in the theories of sonic manipulation), Adam (a popular musician), and two other women.** ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/33 "2016-12-05T17:25:15Z")
Like Mudd, Cyrano Jones is an example of a ne’r do well human character. Beyond that, I don’t understand why people need to “fanwank” anything. Is it that impossible to believe that humans can have a society that works the way Star Trek presents it? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/34 "2016-12-05T17:29:21Z")
Other than hanging out at Quark’s, what did Morn do? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/35 "2016-12-05T17:44:11Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Is it that impossible to believe that humans can have a society that works the way Star Trek presents it? Yes, quite impossible. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/36 "2016-12-05T18:35:57Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Other than hanging out at Quark’s, what did Morn do? According to Memory Alpha, he owned a shipping business. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/37 "2016-12-05T18:39:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’d imagine they’re just there to monitor subsystems that are basically automatic but, as Spock pointed out in “By Any Other Name,” require periodic adjustment. On _ **TOS** _, there were five of these, all nominally unmanned, for Navigation, Weapons, Defensive Systems, Engineering, and Environmental Engineering. > > And of course, lots of hot babes in microskirts getting signatures from Kirk et al. on fancy electronic clipboards. (I swear, there wasn’t one ugly woman on that ship! :o ) > > [http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-enterprise-bridge-sheet-1.jpg](http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-enterprise-bridge-sheet-1.jpg) Oh, Ter…that woman in The Deadly Years…[this woman would never be on TV today.](http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x12hd/thedeadlyyearshd0278.jpg) As for another with no job…Lokai. Travelling from port to port living off the goodwill of liberal, hippy socialist Feds…doing nothing but giving lectures. But not THIS TIME NOOOOOOOO…sorry, i got carried away. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/38 "2016-12-05T18:57:27Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Other than hanging out at Quark’s, what did Morn do? He never shut up, for one thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/39 "2016-12-05T18:58:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > According to Memory Alpha, he owned a shipping business. Not an overly successful one, based on Quark’s inability to find any profits, when he temporarily inherited it when Morn faked his death. In which episode we found out he was also a retired thief. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913/40 "2016-12-05T19:00:11Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Not an overly successful one, based on Quark’s inability to find any profits, when he temporarily inherited it when Morn faked his death. Quark did inherit a cargo bay full of rotting beets. It’s not Morn’s fault that Quark couldn’t find a buyer for them! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-star-trek-episode-have-a-character-with-no-job/773913.md?page=3)