Changes

Negative characteristics are generally found only in alien races. In a typical episode, one alien race is trying to enslave another, and the Enterprise intervenes to restore balance. The principle of equality is thus applied universally, with the Declaration of Independence sometimes mentioned explicitly. In these episodes, the Federation stands in for the United States, while the villain species stands in for Communists or Nazis.<ref name=Cantor>Cantor, Paul A., ''Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization'', p. 46.</ref> In other episodes, an alien species is used to comment on imperfections in contemporary America. “Let This Be Your Last Battlefield” (Jan. 10, 1969) depicts a species divided into two races by skin color. For one race, the left side is white, and right side is black. For the other race, these colors are reversed.<ref name=Cantor/>

Negative characteristics are generally found only in alien races. In a typical episode, one alien race is trying to enslave another, and the Enterprise intervenes to restore balance. The principle of equality is thus applied universally, with the Declaration of Independence sometimes mentioned explicitly. In these episodes, the Federation stands in for the United States, while the villain species stands in for Communists or Nazis.<ref name=Cantor>Cantor, Paul A., ''Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization'', p. 46.</ref> In other episodes, an alien species is used to comment on imperfections in contemporary America. “Let This Be Your Last Battlefield” (Jan. 10, 1969) depicts a species divided into two races by skin color. For one race, the left side is white, and right side is black. For the other race, these colors are reversed.<ref name=Cantor/>

In the original series, the military nature of Starfleet and the need for dramatic conflict limited the influence of Roddenberry's left-wing views. The early seasons of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' suffered more severely from them. For example, the character Q is used to parody God. Roddenberry’s skeptical view of religion is detailed in several dialogs between Q and Picard.<ref name=walker /> When Roddenberry’s health declined, he was replaced with Rick Berman. ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', a Berman creation, dramatically breaks with the Roddenberry tradition. It includes various flawed human characters, and we learn that Starfleet has a secret agency called Section 31 that is responsible for various atrocities. <ref name=walker />   

In the original series, the military nature of Starfleet and the need for dramatic conflict limited the influence of Roddenberry's left-wing views. The early seasons of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' suffered more severely from them. For example, the character Q is used to parody God. Roddenberry’s skeptical view of religion is detailed in several dialogs between Q and Picard.<ref name=walker /> When Roddenberry’s health declined, he was replaced with Rick Berman. ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', a Berman creation, broke with the Roddenberry tradition in several ways. It included various flawed human characters, and we learned that Starfleet has a secret agency called Section 31 that was responsible for various atrocities.<ref name=walker />   

As the citizens of the Federation have access to goods in unlimited supply, it does not have a conventional economy. However, various characters are depicted as running small businesses such as vinyards or restaurants, presumably just for the fun of it.<ref>Yglesias, Matthew, “[http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/11/18/star_trek_economy_federation_is_only_mostly_post_scarcity.html The Star Trek Economy: (Mostly) Post-Scarcity (Mostly) Socialism]", ''Slate''. Nov. 18, 2013.</ref>

As the citizens of the Federation have access to goods in unlimited supply, it does not have a conventional economy. However, various characters are depicted as running small businesses such as vinyards or restaurants, presumably just for the fun of it.<ref>Yglesias, Matthew, “[http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/11/18/star_trek_economy_federation_is_only_mostly_post_scarcity.html The Star Trek Economy: (Mostly) Post-Scarcity (Mostly) Socialism]", ''Slate''. Nov. 18, 2013.</ref>