Is this my nerdiest post? Yes. Anyway,
The Star Trek wiki had something interesting...
Paul Schneider modeled the Romulans on the ancient Romans, naming the species' homeworlds after the mythical founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. "It was a matter of developing a good Romanesque set of admirable antagonists that were worthy of Kirk," Schneider related. "I came up with the concept of the Romulans which was an extension of the Roman civilization to the point of space travel, and it turned out quite well." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 34) D.C. Fontana reckoned that Schneider basing the aliens on the pre-existing Roman civilization was the cause for the writer receiving insufficient credit for creating the Romulans. ("Balance of Terror" Starfleet Access, TOS Season 1 Blu-ray) Gene Roddenberry, interested in ancient Rome himself, approved of the initial depiction of the Romulan species. "He loved Paul's having endowed the enemy-Romulans with the militaristic character of the ancient Romans," wrote John D.F. Black and Mary Black. (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 11, p. 19) Roddenberry's original concept of the Romulans, however, was that they represented 1960s' Chinese Communists.
Yes, Romulans are somewhat based on the Roman Empire and are xenophobic conquerers, but Westerners often ignorantly attribute these traits to communist countries anyway.
Then there is the Klingons, again, the Klingons are nothing like communists, (they're a patriarchal empire) and yet I've seen people say they were based on the Soviets.
So what do you think?
Gene Roddenberry's wife said he was secretly a Communist, but if that's true he would have had to hide that REALLY deep while working in TV in the 60s-80s, especially the 60s, and taken a pro-America line. That's not a direct answer to your question, but it's probably why Star Trek seems very socialist in some ways and in some episodes, and very patriotic American in others.
Interesting, I never knew.
And yes admitting to being a communist would have been dangerous as hell.
Cryptocommunism, interracial kissing, mass hysteria!
Star Trek was a Desilu production and Lucille Ball was a card-carrying communist party member in the 1930s. She later denounced it under threat but I’d find it hard to believe she didn’t remain at least a little sympathetic. That would have probably helped.
Gene was also very weird and also would sometimes be very meticulous with scripts, and other times would let writers do as they pleased. Also, at least with TOS, the sort of online pedant nerd culture didn't exist yet. It didn't exist yet because Star Trek basically invented it with conventions and later, usenet groups. So the writers didn't care so much about keeping with continuity because I don't think anyone expected TOS to be as influential and far reaching as it was. It didn't do so hot when it was first airing. It only started gaining massive notoriety in the early 70s after it had already been cancelled.
Gene had entirely incoherent political views and was for most of his life a booze and pill addled mess trying to make a buck and saying whatever the person nearest to him wanted to hear, near the end of his life, his Frank Reynolds phase where he got TNG and was back on top he had let fan worship seep into his brain and tried to make the vision he told everyone he had, which was different depending on the audience so it was utopian but also totally incoherent.
OK but his wife said he was a secret communist