Ask Lemmygrad

I like DS9 and TNG equally, but TNG (and TOS) are more communist-ey that DS9.

In DS9 we find that the Federation is not all that great, and in fact it's another imperialist power (arming the rebels in the Cardassian neutral zone, Section 13, etc.) DS9 often focuses on the individual, while in TOS and TNG it is always a team effort and practically nobody does anything alone. DS9 is great and I have seen it as many times as TNG if not more, their depiction of Ferengi is a great parody of modern libertarians/ancaps. There's also an episode that deals with unionising which is great.

DS9, to me, is more about reconciling and learning to work with enemies. This is why there's a lot of focus on armed conflict/"terrorism". Cardassian-Bajoran situation is like Israel-Palestine. There's the neutral zone with Cardassian and Federation settlers living in a precarious peace with both sides secretly arming them, giving rise to the Maquis ("are they freedom fighters or terrorists?"). Then there's the interplay of religion and state. Federation is secular but with freedom of religion, Cardassia only has worship of the state as the only religion, Bajorans are very much led by their religion and spiritual leaders, Dominion worships the Founders who actually have "superpowers" and seem like "higher beings" (although mortal just the same, but harder to kill) so their gods are physical. DS9 deals with modern ethical issues: Jem'Hadar are genetically modified to worship the Founders and obey Dominion, cloning, forced drug dependency, taking sides in wars, etc.

In TNG, on the other hand, Federation has solved all of its problems, it has cured pretty much all diseases, it has achieved post-scarcity when it comes to human necessities (materials to make ships, engine fuel, knowledge, these are still scarce) and now it's mission is basically to be the UN, but the ideal version of it. It finds a harsh, bitter and unwelcoming universe and it has to use diplomacy and cooperation, rational thinking and good will to make friends with these other civilisations, but it also has a powerful military just in case.

The problems that TNG deals with are universal. In TNG the Federation has a stance that all cultures/civilisations are equal and have an equal right to existence. If a civilisation is violent now or can't be worked with that's ok, perhaps in 10, 20, 200, 500 years they will be, what they must have is self-determination and the opportunity to develop unobstructed. If they attack, the Federation will defend itself, but it will never seek total annihilation of the other side in that fight. Episode that is talked about a lot is I, Borg, when Picard gets a chance to kill all Borg. But because he has to use a changed Borg to do it, he sees that there is possiblity of change even within Borg, so who is he to decide to wipe out a race from existence?

The episode Measure of a Man, is not about whether AI/androids are or can be human, it is the univeral question of "what makes us human?" and the moral (at least to me) is not that androids are human cause they do human things but that personhood (i.e. agency and ability to decide your own destiny) is not something we can take away from those who demand it.

And on the face of it, this may seem like an individualistic message, however in the context of TNG it is not. There's often talk about duty to your fellow crewmembers, Federation as a whole, the human race and finally all life in the Universe (last one exemplified in the Prime Directive). In the episode Lower Decks it was done a bit clumsily cause it seems like Picard and Worf kinda bully-shame Ensign Sito into volounteering for the dangerous mission, but overall the TNG message is that you have free will and choice as an individual, but then you also have the opportunity to choose to make yourself part of something bigger and do your part to see that something persevere, improve, advance, etc.

Damn, long post, but I love Star Trek so much and I could talk about it for hours lol