Jester David
Hero
I’ve thought about this at length, and while writing for a Trek RPG blog.I never bought the claim in the Star Trek universe that the Federation had evolved beyond money, and I don't buy it here. (Have we heard of this before on The Orville?) Replicator technology makes most resource shortages disappear, but it's still damned efficient to have a means of tracking the exchange of value.
It’s actually kinda simple and comes down to warp engines and transporters.
Warp reactors generate enough power to warp space. Which also means a reactor the size of a small strip mall can power the Eastern United States. There’s a riddiculous amount of power available. And when every city can have one you have an effective limitless amount of power. Supply and demand kicks in, and when you have an infinite amount of power it becomes free.
With unlimited and free power you can do all kinds of projects that would otherwise be cost ineffective. Like mile long greenhouses in the Sahara and mass desalination plants that turn sea water into fresh water. Food and water are also abundant and thus become free.
The one limiting factor that would increase the cost is shipping. But then transporters come in and that becomes free.
Then add in being able to mine asteroid belts. That radically increases the availability of metal ore. And even modern tech like 3D printers allowing you to make simple household items.
Free food, free water, free goods, etc. At that point, why do people need to go to work? Would you keep going to some crap job if everything you need is free?
Now this is still the mid-2160s. Now fast forward 100 years. At that point money has cases to be important. It can’t buy anything of value and many people don’t have any.