Did Star Trek ever pretend to be anything but ridiculously dangerous? To quote Q:
What I get from Star Trek in general is that the Federation, at least by the TNG era, has a universal, basic social safety net. Nobody starves or goes homeless in the Federation unwillingly. What I don’t see is widespread wealth. Iirc there was an episode of DS9 showing some generic Federation civilian neighborhood on one of the colony worlds that was pretty much an “inner city” neighborhood. Perhaps not as grimy or dangerous as the “hood” today, but far from country estates. In other words, the Federation is a socialist workers state in a way. Want a job? Sure, have one. Want a powerful job? Not so fast bub.
I think it would be kinda cool to live in post-2010 times, with Jupiter burning bright as a second sun in the sky, questions about extra-terrestrial life answered but nothing to worry about.
Barsoom.
There’s only two humans on Barsoom that we know of, John Carter and Ulysses Paxton. Dejah Thoris may look human, but she isn’t.
To me the book’s Terran Federation reminds me of something more along the lines of the pre-World War I German Empire or Turkey until recently-relatively free societies where nonetheless the military has disproportionate influence.
This is what Michael Wong argues in this essay: http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Essays/Trek-Marxism.html
What no one has any love for the warhammer 40k universe ,lol.
Declan
Over 60 posts and no votes for David Brin’s Uplift universe.
See y’all later!
Judging by the descriptions of her- close enough 
She lays eggs, for crying out loud. To quote another author “John Carter was essentially doing the nasty with a giant bug.”
The Humanx Commonwealth from Alan Dean Foster sounds like it would be a groovy place to hang out, I mean who wouldn’t want to be BFF with a giant praying-mantis like alien that smells like lemon?
Being human in The Damned series by the same author might also be fun, being the big scary badasses that scare the underwear off all other species? Humanity hell yeah!
That’s an interesting suggestion, as much as I love the movie though it would be too much like our reality for my liking. If I’m going to a sci-fi reality I at least want flying cars dammit.
If you could remove the Reapers, the Mass Effect universe seems pretty good too.
That is probably the last choice I’d make. I’m not a fan of big crowds. Or eating trash.
ETA: I’ve noticed nobody has said Ringworld. How bad could it be? Plenty of other species to converse and have sex with.
The near-future of She seems enticing - an urban United States that’s thoroughly gentrified, if a bit sanitized.
I was wondering if anyone knew the setting.
I think Known Space, esp the Ring World, would be cool.
Anyone want Gateway?
The Dosadi Experiment …
Vermillion Sands (more of a resort than a state, but wothehell?)
Plenty of elbow-room on the Ringworld, plus there are some protectors to take care of us breeders.
But it wouldn’t be all fun and games, not without superconductor power or much in the way of sophisticated culture or higher civilization.