Borg Collectivism vs. Individualism.

Throughout Star Trek, the Borg—with a few breakaway exceptions—is presented as a single mind. As first seen on The Next Generation, they all do “what is best for the hive.” But is that the full story, or is there truly a Queen that controls the thoughts of the Collective, as shown in First Contact and Voyager?

In this episode of The Briar Patch, hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell discuss the Borg and the differences between collectivism and individualism. They take a look at how a drone operates versus how the Queen operates, and discuss whether the Queen is part of the hive mind or is an individual who controls the hive.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Lenin was the Borg Queen (00:08:35) Does the Queen Think for Herself? (00:12:30) She Didn’t Have to Ask Permission (00:17:00) Borg Origins (00:27:49) Is the Central Plexus a Stand-in for the Internet (00:34:30) Does this Slow Progress? (00:42:15) Final Thoughts (01:01:21) Closing (01:05:41) Hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell Production Guinevere Liberty Nell (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

The Ferengi.

They are a race that believes in capitalism over anything else. But does that mean they are only self serving? Does selfishness make for better business or is it wiser to meet the needs of your customer better with a better product? If you corner a market, is it then easier to offer bad products at higher prices?

In this episode of The Briar Patch, hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell discuss the Ferengi and why—despite knowing that they are swindlers—people continue to do business with them.

Hosts Guinevere Liberty Nell and Patrick Devlin

Production Guinevere Liberty Nell (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

The Evolution of Society and Culture. Star Trek shows us many societies and cultures, and we see how the Prime Directive attempts to protect them from contamination. But it isn’t always possible to avoid contact with another culture, and episodes such as “Blink of an Eye” and “Who Watches the Watchers” illustrate how a society can be changed by a single event. And episodes such as “Workforce,” “Samaritan Snare,” and “Tapestry” show how how memories can affect a society or an individual.

In this episode of The Briar Patch, hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell discuss how social and cultural evolution is addressed in Star Trek and how the franchise approaches the question of who should have a say in what happens within a society.

Chapters Intro (00:01:04) Theory of Spontaneous Order (00:01:54) Technology Ties into Culture (00:09:20) Evolution in One Episode (00:09:45) An Accident that Creates a God (00:14:30) Enlightenment (00:30:34) Memories (00:38:05) Individual Look Over Society (00:51:40) Final Thoughts (00:56:11) Closing (01:02:48) Hosts Guinevere Liberty Nell and Patrick Devlin Production Guinevere Liberty Nell (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Voyager Essentials.

The final season of Star Trek: Voyager has some true gems of socioeconomic principles; “Critical Care” and “Unimatrix Zero” are good examples. Many of these had timely implications when they first aired, and these still hold true today. Is medical care being rationed properly? Can rebellion be brought about without anyone really knowing they are participating—at least at the start?

In this episode of The Briar Patch, hosts Guinevere Liberty Nell and Patrick Devlin discuss the seventh season of Voyager in terms of essential socioeconomics. We talk about principles such as the invisible hand and which episodes from Voyager’s final season best tackle them.

Chapters Intro (00:01:19) First Principle (00:02:44) Second Principle (00:19:25) Third Principle (00:28:08) Honorable Mentions (00:41:45) Closing (01:04:57) Hosts Guinevere Liberty Nell and Patrick Devlin Production Guinevere Liberty Nell (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) [name] (Associate Producer) [name] (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Critical Care.

When The Doctor is stolen from Voyager and sold to a vast ship-based medical facility, he finds himself in a situation that challenges his ethics. Aboard this ship, treatment is allocated based on social status rather than need. Those with higher social status are sent to the higher level. Those with lower social status wind up on the lower levels, where they are denied basic treatment. While these people suffer, the available medicine is rationed to healthy members of the higher class as a preventative measure.

In this episode of The Briar Patch, hosts Guinevere Liberty Nell and Patrick Devlin discuss the medical system portrayed in the Voyager episode “Critical Care.” We look at how these systems mirror our own, how they differ, and the reasons why a society might prioritize those with higher social status over those most in need.

Chapters Intro (00:02:28) Synopsis (00:03:13) Societal Worth (00:05:18) Our Own System through a Lens (00:06:57) A Good Short-Term Fix? (00:22:16) The Treatment Coefficient (00:25:00) How to Game the System (00:26:24) Different Systems in a Single Economy (00:28:30) Allocation and Compensation (00:38:27) The Doctor and Game Theory (00:42:59) Closing (00:55:50) Hosts Guinevere Liberty Nell and Patrick Devlin

Production Guinevere Liberty Nell (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) [name] (Associate Producer) [name] (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Scarcity and Federation Utopia.

The Federation seems to have built a utopian society. How is it that they succeeded where so many generations have failed? And how does technology such as the replicator affect our ability to achieve utopia?

In this episode of The Briar Patch, hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell discuss the ways in which the Federation has achieved utopian ideals and the role scarcity place in reaching that goal.

Chapters Introduction (00:00:00) Scarcity and Society (00:04:40) Reallocation of Resources (00:11:09) Overcoming Scarcity (00:13:27) Basic Needs vs. Luxuries (00:22:53) Closing (00:00:00)

Hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell

Production Patrick Devlin (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Insurrection and Forced Migration.

In Star Trek: Insurrection, the United Federation of Planets and the Son’a plan to forcibly remove the Ba’ku from their homeworld. But an accident causes Data, who is taking part in covert operations, to revert to his basic programming—including a strict sense of morals—and expose the plan to the locals.

In this episode of The Briar Patch, hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell discuss the Ba’ku planet, the Federation–Son’a plan for forced migration. Was the Federation decision to move the Ba’ku correct? Was Captain Picard right to intervene once Vice Admiral Dougherty put the Federation between two sides of a what was essentially a civil war? We explore the ethics of this attempted action through the lens of the Libertarian non-aggression principle, Marxist ideals of shared resources, and other political science approaches.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Definitions of Migration (00:02:25) Why Relocate the Ba’ku? (00:03:03) The Non-Aggression Principle vs. Marxism (00:06:16) Factors Behind Forced Migration (00:13:33) The Prime Directive (00:17:46) Flexibility in Law (00:26:04) Benefiting from a Past Wrongs (00:30:08) Changing Culture (00:40:32) When to Intervene (00:41:46) Final Thoughts (00:53:54) Closing (00:57:04)

Hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell

Production Patrick Devlin (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Introduction.

Welcome to The Briar Patch, a podcast that uses Star Trek as a springboard for the discussion of socioeconomics. Drawing upon more than half a century of stories told in Gene Roddenberry’s idealistic future, hosts Guinevere Liberty Nell and Patrick Devlin take you on a journey of exploration into societies, political theory, economics, and more to find out how we get from the strife-filled world of today to that tomorrow when society’s ails have been cured.

In the premiere episode, Patrick and Guinevere share their backgrounds, how and why they got into Star Trek and social sciences, and what they have planned for the show.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Meet Guinevere (00:02:15) Meet Patrick (00:03:00) 9/11, Security, and “Drumhead” (00:03:50) Star Trek as Fable (00:10:50) Voyager and “Critical Care” (00:12:50) Values, Mob Mentality, and Collective Will (00:15:30) United Kingdom vs. United States (00:17:00) Guinevere’s Economics Background (00:22:00) Utopia, Scarcity, and the Borg (00:26:00) Overcoming Scarcity (00:29:00) Goals for the Show (00:32:00) Why The Briar Patch? (00:34:00) Complexity of the World (00:39:00) Closing (00:48:00)

Hosts Patrick Devlin and Guinevere Liberty Nell

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)