My head canon is that instead of monetary rewards for doing important or dangerous work, you get more land to use. That would mean trashmen, farmers, nurses, and starship crew would have huge palaces and ceos would live in a shoebox. Picard gets double sized because he's a captain and a farmer. Same with Boimler.
I rather thought that there were no “palaces” and no “shoeboxes“, but still a varied range of accommodations that are a mix between inheritance and state ownership where they lend it to an individual or our family.
There’s a very good reason why most sci-fi series that espouse a futuristic socialistic utopian future never really get into the details. Because we, today, haven’t figured that shit out yet.
My guess is that in post scarcity societies, a cabin in a remote location far from everyone is the easiest thing to get. There's plenty of empty land all over the world.
City centre on the other hand, apartments might be small with a waiting list.
in a post scarcity society with industrial scale matter replication and matter/antimatter power sources—why the hell not? I’m sure anyone could have one if they asked.
Man this episode makes me cringe. Although the follow-up is arguably worse, with Geordi getting all indignant that someone would be upset at him dating a holographic deepfake of them. Is it so hard to write someone being socially awkward without making them a total creep?
The answer, whomever wants it. Since most everyone has easy access to anywhere they want to go and anything they want to do, things we consider luxuries are trivial pass times.
It’s my belief that Starfleet still pays their officers, but that since they spend so much time on missions, they have fewer opportunities to spend the money. And by the time they become captains, they’ve probably saved up quite the nest egg.
How do you think Sisko afforded that land on Bajor? Though, being Emissary might have afforded him free or deeply discounted land.
DS9 is probably the closest we got to really investigating federation economics. At some point Sisko warns Quark that if he stops being on the Federation's good side, hell make him start paying for rent and utilities again. So they have some concept of converting "time and effort" into "credit". The star fleet officers all have latinum to spend at Quarks, and Quark complains on several occasions that business gets slow when Starfleet stops visiting his bar, so he's definitely getting paid.
My assumption is that officers are given an allowance or extended credit for interactions with other cultures, and that allowance/credit is either a higher number or simply "more lax" the higher rank you are. Want to "expense" a holosuite visit at Quarks with Starfleet, you'll have to explain yourself less the higher rank you are. Kind of like "unlimited PTO" at big tech companies.
Like, an ensign might request a cabin in the woods from the cabin logistics department, but they'll be in line behind all the captains, whereas an admiral would be able to jump the line.
The general headcanon is that rent, access to the stations grid and crew for maintenance is credited at fair market value for officers to use at Quarks. Plus having a steady stream of Starfleet or Bajoran officers there would deter general crime and ruckus, much like why gas stations tend to offer free coffee for cops.
Think about how much land area is currently used for growing crops. If the remaining farms are small vanity/tourist places like Picard's, then millions of acres on the planet would be rewilded.
Having a cabin in the woods could be quite common.
Aesthetically, it works extremely well because it contrasts with the Enterprise. Anyone who is a fan will feel on some level that the Captain is somewhat out of their element when they're not on board the Enterprise.
Also, he achieved the rank of admiral prior to this scene, and self-demoted. So, I mean, Kirk, at least, makes some sense. He also had the smallest, most reasonably sized, cabin.
This is a shot from the Nexus, but the cabin itself he did previously inhabit. He describes in hilarious ADHD manner various memories as Picard tries to reign him in.
he wasn’t self demoted, he was demoted to the rank of captain as punishment for stealing and then losing the enterprise, but got a dispensation for saving Earth from the chatty whale probe.