When Star Wars episode 7 was released, I had a minor epiphany regarding the way the economy worked compared to the Star Trek economy.
In the Star Trek economy, productivity and advanced technology have increased so much that basic human needs are satisfied for everyone. People can replicate food and basic items at effectively no cost. There is at best a small gap in relative wealth. Work has become relatively scarce so people compete for the few jobs available.
In the Star Wars economy, productivity and advanced technology have increased a lot, but wealth is distributed so unevenly that large segments of population, like the protagonist Rey, must scavenge to earn food rations. Wealth is concentrated in a small elite and within governments. Evil maniacs in government spend their wealth on titanic military projects and weapon systems. Corruption, crime, and avarice are endemic at all levels of society. Pirates and gangs thrive. Innocent people are slaughtered on a large scale. It works very much like the real economy.
The stark contrast of the Star Wars and Star Trek economies seemed worthy of a mention.
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