Part of the point is people buy the status and the history of the brand. If the brand is consistent with the customers values.

If it comes out of a cold lifeless machine and not the warm hands of human craftsmanship, is it the same thing?

> which episodes of Star Trek should I watch?

Perhaps 'The Neutral Zone' season 1 episode 26. There is a cryogenically frozen person brought back to life, and he is obsessed with finding out about the value of his stock portfolio, and he and Picard have a conversation about how money no longer exists.

But I don't recall any episode that really explores the idea of a post-scarcity world (which is essentially communism I suppose)

they only have intrinsic value to begin with.

The bragging is basically a cultural think in your circles so no i dont see them becomming that.

One thing to keep in mind is that in the 24th century, there still is no cure for baldness.