system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek] How does a civilian obtain a starship of his own in the federation?
gpt
Money. The federation still uses money, latinum, it's just that you don't need it. But companies still exist, and there is still money to be made. Typically, you'll do something like take a contract, meaning that a company will give you a ship and funding in exchange for a certain period of service. Basically, the company technically owns the ship, but the captain will run it. Then you can work your way up to buying your own ship. They aren't that expensive, the equivalent of a pretty nice car in the early 21st century for an old beaten-down one.