Borg and Ferengi
Some thoughts on the Borg and the Ferengi as villains. First it is worth noting that initially the Ferengi were meant to be the main villains of the series, and to encapsulate "all the worst aspects of capitalism". Nobody could take them seriously as villains. They were more funny than scary. Then there was the Borg, an enemy that showed collectivism working effectively. The Borg are terrifying.
Additionally, it's odd to notice how Ferengi society is viciously sexist. In a real capitalist world, every person would have been out for themselves, with their value and status determined only by what they could produce. This could have been shown in quite a scary way, I think, at least to normal peoples' minds. But instead females in Ferengi(/"capitalist") society are conidered property, denied clothing, forbidden from dealing with money (under rule of acquisition 94, Females and Finances Don't Mix) etc. Even Ayn Rand, the most hated of the anti-capitalists, portrayed capitalist!women as strong and independent, and that was Back In The Day. There is no logical tenet of capitalism that suggests that sexism, or any other form of prejudice, follows directly from it; in fact precisely the opposite is true. It feels a little as though the writers were just calling names rather than actually thinking carefully about the potential of an enemy like Ferengi.
Additionally, it's odd to notice how Ferengi society is viciously sexist. In a real capitalist world, every person would have been out for themselves, with their value and status determined only by what they could produce. This could have been shown in quite a scary way, I think, at least to normal peoples' minds. But instead females in Ferengi(/"capitalist") society are conidered property, denied clothing, forbidden from dealing with money (under rule of acquisition 94, Females and Finances Don't Mix) etc. Even Ayn Rand, the most hated of the anti-capitalists, portrayed capitalist!women as strong and independent, and that was Back In The Day. There is no logical tenet of capitalism that suggests that sexism, or any other form of prejudice, follows directly from it; in fact precisely the opposite is true. It feels a little as though the writers were just calling names rather than actually thinking carefully about the potential of an enemy like Ferengi.