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United Federation of Planets
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The United Federation of Planets (also known as "The Federation" or UFP) is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures. In those episodes and films, the Federation is described as an interstellar federal polity with (as of 2373) more than 150 member planets and thousands of colonies spread across 8,000 light years of the Milky Way Galaxy, and taking the form of a liberal democracy and constitutional republic.
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The United Federation of Planets (also known as "The Federation" or UFP) is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures. In those episodes and films, the Federation is described as an interstellar federal polity with (as of 2373) more than 150 member planets and thousands of colonies spread across 8,000 light years of the Milky Way Galaxy, and taking the form of a liberal democracy and constitutional republic. The Federation also maintains its own military and exploratory agency, Starfleet. The United Federation of Planets and Starfleet are the primary focus of all the Star Trek series, with the exception of Star Trek: Enterprise, which is set before the Federation comes into existence.
The United Federation of Planets has existed as part of the Star Trek universe since the first season of the original series. The Federation is described as stressing, at least nominally, the values of universal liberty, equality, justice, peace, and cooperation.
The fictional legislature of the Federation Council is located in San Francisco. Several other bodies of the Federation have been depicted. There is an executive branch headed by a Federation President, who keeps offices in the Palais de la Concorde in Paris. There is a judiciary branch as well, the highest court of which is the Federation Supreme Court. The Federation's scientific, diplomatic and defensive/military arm is Starfleet, depicted as being headquartered at the Presidio in San Francisco.
The Federation comes into defensive military conflict occasionally with the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, the Cardassian Union, the Borg, The Dominion, and the Breen.
Concept and creation
In the series Star Trek: Enterprise, Earth Minister Nathan Samuels advocated the Coalition of Planets and invited other alien species, initially the Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites, to become a part of this. The formation of the Coalition seems to have been the event that provoked the Terra Prime incident in the episodes "Demons" and "Terra Prime". After Terra Prime leader John Frederick Paxton exploited the xenophobia on Earth, many of the aliens were unnerved and nearly abandoned the idea of a coalition. However, they were convinced by a speech from Captain Jonathan Archer to give the idea of a united organization of worlds a chance. Six years later in 2161, the United Federation of Planets was organized.
Depiction
The Federation is founded under a document known as the Charter of the United Federation of Planets, which is occasionally referred to informally as the "Constitution". It draws text and inspiration from the United Nations Charter and other sources. An important guiding principle — indeed, it is listed as General Order One in the list of Starfleet general orders — is the Prime Directive, which forbids any interference in the natural development of any pre-warp civilization. This is intended to prevent even well-intentioned Federation personnel from introducing changes which could destabilize or even destroy other pre-warp-era cultures through interference. In practice, however, consistent application of the Prime Directive tends to be a controversial issue, and the Federation does not always abide strictly by it, such as when it attempted to strongarm the Organians into forming an alliance with it, or when it initially approved the forced relocation of the Ba'ku from their adopted homeworld. Other aspects of the Articles provide for rule of law, equality among individuals and protection of civil and creative liberties, which appears to be based on principles found in contemporary Western political theory. It includes a set of guarantees of civil rights, the "Seventh Guarantee" being analogous to the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and its protection against self-incrimination.
The Federation has exacting requirements for prospective member worlds that wish to join. Caste-based discrimination is forbidden, and major systematic violations of sentient rights, such as the unjust peacetime imprisonment of specially modified soldiers on the planet Angosia are not tolerated for any petitioner. Furthermore, while most member worlds have single, unified world governments, it is not required for entry, as the Federation will consider "associate membership" of non-unified worlds.
The Federation national anthem was heard in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite". Only music is heard during the scene; it is unspecified whether the Federation anthem has any lyrics.
Non-canon
In many non-canon sources like The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual and Worlds of the Federation, as well as the FASA and Last Unicorn Games Star Trek role-playing games, the five founding worlds of the United Federation of Planets were Earth, Vulcan, Tellar, Andoria, and Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri being a founding world of the Federation and even having a humanlike native race called Centaurans became a popular fan theory, possibly based on uncertainty as to whether or not Zefram Cochrane (described in Metamorphosis as "Zefram Cochrane of Alpha Centauri") was a native of Alpha Centauri or a resident of a human colony in that system; the latter has since been revealed to be the case, Cochrane having spent most of his life on Earth but eventually retiring to spend his final years on Alpha Centauri, prior to his disappearance and presumed death.
Later, in Star Trek: Enterprise when we actually see the founding of the Federation in the episodes "Zero Hour" and "These Are the Voyages..." and early negotiations that lead to it in "Demons" and "Terra Prime". Alpha Centauri is not mentioned as part of the founding, which is explicitly said to be between Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. This leaves open the possibility of the Alpha Centauri colony becoming an independent polity some time between "Terra Prime" and "These Are the Voyages...," and then helping to form the Federation as a separate member. However, Alpha Centauri is only ever mentioned in passing as an Earth colony on screen. In the alternate timeline seen in the DS9 episode "Past Tense", where the Federation was never formed, Alpha Centauri is a Romulan colony instead.
In the novels A Time to Kill, A Time to Heal, A Time For War, A Time For Peace, Errand of Vengeance: Seeds of Rage, and Articles of the Federation, the Federation Council was shown occupying the floors below the President's office in the Palais de la Concorde. This may be seen as contradicting elements of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek: Voyager.
In some non-canonical works like The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual and the novel Articles of the Federation, the Federation's founding document is called the Articles of the Federation, which has been popular fan tradition. However, in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "The Void", the text of the founding document is shown on screen (the preamble is a slightly reworded version of the UN Charter), and it is clearly called the "Charter of the United Federation of Planets", canonically establishing that as the name of the founding document. The term "charter" is also used in Star Trek: Enterprise and in the DS9 episode "Accession", when discussing membership requirements for the Federation. That latter episode seemed to indicate that the timetable for a world's entry into the Federation is ten years after the request is made, although the Federation was willing to cut that time in half for Bajor in that episode, and has similarly made other exceptions for times of war, as seen in Star Trek: Insurrection. In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Drumhead", Captain Picard refers to the founding document in passing as "the Constitution", establishing that it is also known by that name. Novels such as Articles of the Federation presume that it is known by all three names.
History
21st century
After the disastrous World War III was fought by multiple forces (deliberately described as "factions," not nations) on Earth, scientist Zefram Cochrane built Earth's first warp-capable vessel, the Phoenix. He launched it on April the 5th 2063. The warp-testing of this vessel would garner the attention of a Vulcan science ship operating just outside of the Sol System. Vulcans had not previously considered the Sol System or Earth worthy of their attention before this time. However, the science ship lands on Earth, and makes first-contact with Zefram Cochrane and the inhabitants of Bozeman, Montana, United States. This contact would be the first time that Earth joins the interstellar community, and begins the road toward the foundation of the United Federation of Planets.
22nd-23rd centuries
In the year 2119, an aging Zefram Cochrane opens the Warp 5 Complex on Earth, in the hope of building a vessel that would be the fastest human starship at the time. Eventually this project would yield the Enterprise NX-01, Earth's first deep-space exploration vessel.
In 2150, a World Government, United Earth, was formed that included virtually all of the old nation states on Earth.
Although no single individual is responsible for the foundation of the United Federation of Planets, the exploratory vessel Enterprise NX-01 was a major catalyst. Under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer, it helped forge an alliance between the formerly belligerent Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite states, and forged a spirit of unity and cooperation in the Alpha Quadrant, culminating in a formal union in 2161. It was first preceded by the Coalition of Planets, which was mainly opposed by the xenophobic group, Terra Prime. The Federation was formed largely out of the ashes of the Earth-Romulan War of the late 2150s ending in 2160, when the founding members saw the need for interstellar unity to prevent the horror of further war. Archer was one of the individuals who signed the Federation Charter, after giving a historic speech that was still being studied two centuries later. According to information seen on a viewscreen in a late episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, Jonathan Archer later became the Federation ambassador to Andoria, a Federation Councillor, and President of the United Federation of Planets from 2184 to 2192.
Around 2223, tensions thickened between the UFP and the Klingon Empire. In 2267, the Organian Peace Treaty was signed which ended major engagements, but the two interstellar powers remained in a state of cold war with occasional skirmishes over the next couple of decades. In 2293, the Khitomer Accords were signed, effectively ending the war and ushering in seven decades of relative peace.
During the era of the original series, Captain James Kirk once noted (in the episode Metamorphosis) that humanity was on "a thousand planets and spreading out"; however, this number apparently encompasses Earth's many off-Earth colonies and the various alien worlds on which humans can be found (just as non-humans have been depicted as residing on Earth) and should not be taken to mean that the Federation itself had a thousand members at that time. Considering that many of the Federation's other members have several interplanetary colonies just as Earth does, the full number of planets which the Federation encompasses may be impossible to determine; it is presumed that colony worlds are directly subsidiary to the planetary governments of their homeworlds (much like individual states/provinces in a nation), but this has never been clearly established.
Early 24th century
In 2311, the Tomed Incident occurred in which thousands of Federation civilians and Starfleet personnel died and Romulan outposts disappeared. The unrest was ended by the Treaty of Algeron, which re-affirmed the Neutral Zone and prohibited Federation development of cloaking technology.
In 2344, the Romulan Star Empire launched an assault on the Klingon outpost at Narendra III, but unexpectedly the USS Enterprise-C, under the command of Captain Rachel Garrett, came to the Klingons' defense. The Enterprise was destroyed in the skirmish, a sacrifice which did great honor to the Klingons, and the burgeoning diplomacy between the two powers soon grew into a formal alliance (in an alternate timeline, the Enterprise-C did not assist, leading eventually to a full-scale war).
Exploration and expansion in the 2340s and 2350s brought the Federation into conflict with several minor and major powers including the Talarians, the Sheliak and eventually, the Cardassians.
Cardassian War
Federation contact with a race called the Cardassians resulted in an extended conflict. One incident in this conflict was the massacre of Federation civilians on Setlik III in 2347. A truce was reached and a Demilitarized Zone was formed in 2370. A number of Federation and Cardassian colonies found themselves situated within the other’s territory; an agreement was reached for the transfer of those colonies. However, some Federation colonists were opposed to the agreement and formed the Maquis, a rebel movement who resisted the Cardassians (see below).
Mid-24th century
In 2365, the Federation had first formal contact with the Borg Collective, who threatened the existence of the Federation at the Battle of Wolf 359. Other events of this era include the Klingon Civil War, first contact with the Q, and various time travel incidents.
From 2363 to 2371, the USS Enterprise-D served as the Federation's flagship.
From 2373 to 2375, the Federation fought the Dominion War. This was by far the largest conflict the Federation had ever been involved in, allying with the Klingons and Romulans against the combined forces of the Dominion, the Cardassians, and Breen. The Federation/Klingon/Romulan alliance was victorious, but with substantial casualties on both sides.
In 2379, a Reman Praetor named Shinzon seized control of the Romulan Star Empire. The coup was defeated by the crew of the USS Enterprise-E with assistance from dissidents within the Romulan fleet, opening up the possibility of improved UFP/Romulan relations after over two centuries of tension. However, this improved relationship came at a cost, as the death of Shinzon may have created a power vacuum.
Possible future
Prominent in some timelines is the Temporal Cold War, waged on a number of fronts throughout time including the 28th and 31st centuries.
By the 2550s, the Klingons and possibly the Xindi join the Federation.
By the 29th century, the Federation explores time as it once did space.
Economics
The Federation has largely been portrayed as a utopia, a condition enabled by a state of abundance. On Earth, war and poverty have been eliminated. Individuals strive for self-betterment rather than fiscal remuneration. This condition probably doesn’t extend to the outer reaches of the Federation or other powers with similar levels of technology, where substances such as latinum are used as currency on a somewhat ad hoc basis, and for the purpose of trade with other cultures, although there have been persistent references to a "credit" unit of currency used at least occasionally in the Federation.
In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Dark Frontier", Tom Paris describes it as the "New World Economy", which began in the late 22nd century and eventually made money obsolete, as does Jean-Luc Picard while explaining the timeline to Lily Sloane in Star Trek: First Contact.
However, this appears to be either a retcon, or a change in the Federation that occurred over the course of the 23rd century, as apparently for at least the first century or more of the life of the Federation they had a monetary unit known as the "credit" in fairly common use. At the Federation space station K-7 in the original series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles", set in 2267, Uhura offers to buy a Tribble for 10 credits. In the episode "Errand of Mercy", also set in 2267, Spock estimates that Starfleet has invested over 122,200 credits in his training as a Starfleet officer. In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, in 2285, while on Earth, McCoy attempts to hire a ship to take him to the Genesis Planet, and is warned it would be expensive and cost many credits; we do not know if McCoy could have afforded this or how much it would cost, since he was taken into custody for breaching the secrecy of the Genesis Project immediately afterwards.
The first mention of the Federation not using money came in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where Kirk (coming from 2286) seems to be unfamiliar with the concept of using money. However, one of the first actions Kirk takes in the 20th century is to sell a pair of antique glasses to procure spending money (he is not familiar with the value of the dollar, however). Also, while entering the meeting room in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Scotty states that he had just purchased a boat. By the time of The Next Generation, money was considered abhorrent to many members of Starfleet, although in "Encounter at Farpoint", set in 2364, Beverly Crusher buys a bolt of fabric and requests that it be charged to her account on the Enterprise, while later that year in "The Neutral Zone", Picard tries to explain to cryogenically preserved people from the late 20th century that 24th century economics are quite different and money as they know it is not used or needed in the Federation, much as he would later in 2373 to Lily Sloane in Star Trek: First Contact. Two years later, in 2366, in "The Price", the Federation is willing to pay millions of credits for access to a stable wormhole. In the Deep Space Nine episode "Explorers", Benjamin Sisko says that when he first entered Starfleet Academy, he rapidly spent an entire month's allotment of transporter credits on transporting back and forth to his home in New Orleans.
From this evidence, it is clear that by the late 24th century, money in the modern sense is very seldom used in the Federation, and not needed for the life of a typical Federation citizen. Replicators fill the need for almost all material goods and a pervasive altruistic philosophy of self-improvement and helping others provides most labor. However, a monetary unit called the "Credit" exists for some purposes, such as dealing with foreign governments, alloting government budgets, and access to limited resources. Money began to fade from everyday use in the 22nd century, although it was still in fairly common use by the mid to late 23rd century.
On the other hand, while the resources required for basic existence are abundant in the Federation, many other resources would not be. These would include things like real estate, services which take up a person's time, large ticket items such as starships, ship transportation between worlds and to some extent, energy itself. In Starfleet, reference is made in various episodes to the rationing of transporters, replicators and holodecks. Mining and other resource harvesting practices are also frequently encountered (specifically Dilithium which imply some inherent limit to replication technology. In an episode of DS9, Quark was even forced to sell his wrecked shuttle to book passage from Earth back to Deep Space Nine. The Federation then, might allocate those resources which do happen to be scarce through some sort of command economy or central system of rationing, or rely on some sort of monetary system.
See also
External links
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