Star Trek confirms the greatest threat to the Federation

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Redshirts II: Ghosts of the 21st Century #1!

Star Trek is about to pit the Federation against its most insidious threat ever. Since its inception, the United Federation of Planets has faced down some of the galaxy’s worst, from the Klingons to the Romulans to the Borg. Each time, the Federation proved victorious and proved that cooperation and diversity will triumph every time.

The Federation was built upon these very principles. Founded in 2161, shortly after the Romulan Wars, the Federation would quickly grow, reaching 150 members just two centuries later. This experiment in interspecies government would last up until the Burn in the 30th century, and even then persisted in a smaller, scaled-down version. Starfleet, whose exploits Star Trek revolves around, is one of the many branches of the Federation, as is Section 31 and other divisions as well.

With the Federation’s expansion came those who opposed it. After the Romulan War, the species went into an extended period of isolation, but the Klingons stepped in to become enemies, and tensions boiled over into war at least once. Other species and groups, such as the Cardassians and the Dominion, would also rise to challenge the Federation’s dominance. Yet in Star Trek: Redshirts II: Ghosts of the 21st Century, a foe from centuries before rears its head, and may actually destroy the Federation once and for all.

The Romulans Discovered the Biggest Threat to the Federation Comes From Within

The Romulans are Re-introducing A 21st Century Concept

Star Trek: Redshirts II: Ghosts of the 21st Century #1 is written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Scott Buoncristiano. A sequel to last year’s popular Redshirts miniseries, Ghosts of the 21st Century also follows a group of expendable “redshirts” as they go on dangerous, highly lethal missions. In this case, Ensign Harry Duebert has been assigned to Section Null, a mysterious branch of Starfleet Intelligence. Section Null is headed up by Captain Miller.

Unbeknownst to many in Starfleet, even Duebert, Captain Miller, and all of Section Null are a front for a devious Romulan scheme. After studying the history of the Federation, particularly Earth, the Romulans concluded that when capitalism was the dominant economic model on the planet, humans were much weaker and more open to being conquered and manipulated. Hence, the Romulans are using Section Null to reintroduce capitalism to the Federation, destabilizing it in the process.

Capitalism Is the Federation's Worst Foe

Before Ghosts of the 21st Century, most of the threats to the Federation’s security were other species, such as the Klingons. Earlier Star Trek shows depicted the cultures of enemy species as “monoliths,” in which the few members fans saw represented the whole, meaning all Klingons were savages and all Ferengi were greedy. Deep Space Nine bucked this trend, and later Trek shows have shown the diversity of thought existing in different species.

Yet what makes capitalism the true threat to the Federation is that it is not a philosophy contained to one species. Humans had it in their past, and other races such as the Ferengi and the Orion Syndicate continue to use it until at least the 24th century. Capitalism unites many species under an ideological banner, albeit one that will ultimately divide and exploit them. The Romulans were correct: Earth was nearly destroyed by capitalism, and now it is about to rear its head once again.

Can the Federation Stop This Dire Threat?

Star Trek’s United Federation of Planets has always been seen as a socialist, post-scarcity utopia, where poverty has been eliminated and everyone’s basic needs are provided for, and because of this philosophy, Earth has thrived, which in turn helped lead to the founding of the Federation. Other species in the Federation share this philosophy, only strengthening it further, and the return of capitalism threatens to undo all the progress.

Star Trek: Redshirts II: Ghosts of the 21st Century is on sale now from IDW Publishing!