The Essentialists are a fictional social conservative movement in Star Trek. The movement was introduced in the DS9 season 5 episode 7 "Let He Who Is Without Sin...". The movement's founder is David Fulgarty.
Perspective[]
The Essentialist take their name from their belief in essential values shared by Federation society, values they feel are being underminded. Diligence is an important trait to the Essentialists, with one of their talking points being the extensive use of replicators, computers, and general lethargy. The other is resolve, with the Federation's recent era of peace and comfort having in combination with lethargy contributed to a state of being they consider childish. Life of bliss where individuals lack the will to learn skills nor take up arms to defend the Federation against threats that likely perceive the same weakness the Essentialists have noticed.
The Essentialists have an admiration for the 2260s, and in general seek to bring the Federation back to the values that where more abundant during that decade. A certain level of Judeo-Christian ethics are exhibited among it's members. It's notable for it's more militarist stance which goes back to the state of Cold War between the Federation and Klingon Empire that characterized much of the Federation's activities in the 2260s. The boldness exhibited by it's leadership is also garnered from an idealized image of the leadership of that era.
The group has a drive to bring technology down to an 'essential level' giving them association with other anti-tech groups.
Opposition[]
Federal Liberal Opposition[]
Such opposition is demonstrated through the characters of Bashir and Dax during the episode. Such opposition saw them as alarmist, paranoid, and lashing out at something unrelated to what was actually agitating them. Specifically, Risa being a unique culture was hardly an example of what the Essentialist claimed was wrong with the Federation's present social state. With diversity being part of what makes the Federation strong through adaptability the Essentialist lack of understanding nor respect for local culture was unwelcomed.
Other Federal Conservatives[]
The Essentialist where considered misguided by some who would agree with them on certain matters. The only notable example of opposition to them from other social conservatives was from Worf himself who expressed that the Essentialist had forgotten to value trust, as without trust the federation wouldn't have become what it was in the 24th century. Figures such as James T. Kirk, would do bold things to make a moral point, but he always left trusting that what he did would make an impact. This was something David had lost- faith in the betterment of others.
Risan Conservatives[]
Risan culture is distinct from both the Federation and the multitudes of people on Earth. Risa's spirituality teaches tolerance, openness, and peace. When confronted by the Essentialist the Risans never obstructed their operations nor hindered them. David compared them and the guests on Risa to children, and the Risan traditionalist had a similar view of the Essentialist. That being that David and his people are ignorant and that the more time they spend on Risa the more they will learn and, it was hoped, eventually change. To most prior to the lounge incident the Essentialist where more entertaining than disruptive.
Activities[]
The Essentialist movement was far from a major one. It published material but usually was only noted in localized media though it had an interstellar presence. It's activities focused heavily on the planet Risa- a pleasure planet. For six months David and others distributed pamphlets and gave speeches. Neither the Risans nor their visitors where particularly swayed.
The most notable action, of which the Risans did not prosecute them for, was a disruption at one of the lounges. A disruption of the activities there while handling phasers resulted in the destruction of tapestries with bare hands. The phasers had no energy banks, and had merely been brought for dramatic flare as the group had carried out the disturbance in hopes of convincing those gathered that they where indeed complacent and in no shape to defend themselves if the Federation in it's current state failed to do so.
Such focus on Risa however demonstrated a certain disregard for local culture- with Risa's status as a pleasure planet deriving from the religious believes of it's people. Risan pacifism and hedonism being interwoven into a religious fabric of sexual openness as a means of achieving universal harmony. The essentialist present themselves as valuing the culture that has formed from the social exchange of the federation's members but in practice their reverence for the 2260s and Judeo-Christian values made them more Terran. This difference contributed largely to the movement's lack of success on Risa.
The lack of success through both peaceful means, and the stunt at the lounge, eventually drove David Fulgarty to feelings of the need to do something more drastic. A proposition by Commander Worf, a Star Fleet officer who was having relationship troubles with his partner, gave Fulgarty a course of action to take. That was to deactivate the Weather Grid.
After the group did this David Fulgarty expressed the reason being that Risa's paradise status is an illusion, much as the group perceives the federation's 'utopian' status to be. By having the Risans and the guests experience Risa's natural weather cycle Fulgarty believes he'll be making his point about the universe being a hostile place in which the citizens of the Federation are allowing themselves to be unprepared should the Dominion, Klingon Empire, or Romulan Empire invade.
Certain everyone would forget the incident, David tried to amplify the storm to destructive life threatening levels before Commander Worf ended such effort. Such was the last time the group was of any note.