United Federation of Planets The United Federation of Planets ( abbreviated as UFP and commonly referred to as the Federation ) was an interstellar federal republic , composed of planetary government s that agreed to exist semi - autonomously under a single central government based on the principles of universal liberty , rights , and equality , and to share their knowledge and resources in peaceful cooperation , scientific development , space exploration and defensive purposes . ( ; ; ; ) One of the most powerful interstellar states in known space , it encompassed 8 , 000 light year s . The total number of formal member worlds was over one hundred and fifty . ( ) Unlike its imperial rivals , who derived power from a single species subjugating other races , ( ; ; ) the Federation ' s various member worlds joined willingly ( ; ; ) and were equals in the Federation ' s democratic society . ( ; ) The Federation Starfleet was incorporated to maintain exploratory , scientific , diplomatic , and defense functions . ( ) " In the alternate reality , Captain described the Federation as a " peacekeeping and humanitarian armada . " " ( ) History . The Federation was founded in San Francisco , Earth in 2161 . ( ; ) The seeds of the Federation were planted during the Babel Crisis of 2154 , during which a temporary alliance was formed to search for a Romulan drone ship preying on local vessels . It was this that first brought together the species that founded the Federation : Human s , Vulcan s , Andorian s , and Tellarite s . ( ) Sometime around January 2155 , these four species as well as others , including the Denobulan s , the Rigellian s , and the Coridanite s , began talks to create what was later considered a direct precursor to the Federation : the Coalition of Planets . ( ) The Earth - Romulan War , which broke out in 2156 and was won by an alliance of forces from Earth , Andoria , Vulcan , and Tellar in 2160 , immediately preceded the foundation of the Federation , which took place in San Francisco the following year between dignitaries of these four planets . ( ) Although the Federation ' s intentions were peaceful , around it were other , more belligerent powers such as the Klingon and Romulan Empire s . As it expanded through the admittance of more and more worlds , it came into conflict with these powers . In the 23rd century , its main adversary was the Klingon Empire , with war briefly erupting between the two in 2267 , before being halted by the Organian s . ( ) However , tensions eased considerably towards the end of the century , with the Khitomer Conference of 2293 being a substantial turning point . ( ) This conference saw the signing of the Khitomer Accords , which effectively ended hostile relations . At the start of the 24th century , the Federation began an unprecedented period of peaceful exploration of the galaxy , free of major conflicts , as its main adversary of the previous century , the Klingon Empire , was now at peace with it . However , relations with the Romulans remained hostile , albeit at a low , ' cold war ' level . There was also a series of local conflicts in the late 2340s , as the Federation came into contact with other militant races , such as the Cardassian s , the Talarian s , the Tholian s and the Tzenkethi . " In the alternate timeline created by the disappearance of the into a temporal rift , the Federation became embroiled in a war with the Klingon Empire that lasted until at least 2366 . ( ) " Then , however , the period of peaceful exploration came to an abrupt end . In 2365 , the Federation encountered its single worst threat , in the cybernetic pseudo - race known as the Borg . One of the most powerful and destructive forces in the entire galaxy , the Borg invaded the Federation twice within less than a decade . They were unlike anything the Federation had ever encountered , and were only foiled by chance and resourcefulness . The Federation was thus schooled in the fact that , in the vast , unexplored reaches of the galaxy beyond what they knew , there were threats that they could not even imagine . ( ; ) Then , in 2370 , contact was made with the Dominion , the predominant ruling power over much of the Gamma Quadrant . After numerous skirmishes , misfortunes suffered by the Cardassian Union allowed for their eventual incorporation into the Dominion , and the subsequent Dominion invasion of the Alpha Quadrant . The Dominion / Cardassian forces were also joined by the reclusive but immensely powerful race known as the Breen . The ensuing war was the greatest crisis to be faced by the Federation , with the Federation forming an alliance with the Klingons and Romulans to defeat the Dominion . Although the Alliance eventually emerged victorious , many of the Federation ' s important member worlds , such as Betazed , Coridan , and Benzar , had been temporarily occupied before the Dominion ' s offensive could be turned back . Thousands of Federation Starfleet vessels and millions of lives were lost , in what turned out be , as of the late 24th century , the bloodiest conflict in Federation history . ( , " et al . " ) The most devastating and demoralizing offensive occurred in 2375 , when the Breen hit the Federation at its heart , with a surprise attack on Starfleet Headquarters on Earth . ( ) However , the aftermath of the Dominion and Borg invasions allowed the Federation to establish new relations with many of its former adversaries , the Romulans in particular . In 2379 , cooperation took place between the crew of a Federation Starfleet vessel , the , and Romulan forces to defeat the Reman Praetor Shinzon , whose actions would have destroyed both Earth and the Romulan Star Empire . It was hoped that this would mark the beginning of an end to hostility between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire , marking the beginnings of détente with a traditional enemy of the Federation . ( ) " In at least one version of the 26th century , the Klingon Empire and races such as the Ithenite s and Xindi joined the Federation . In the 2550s of this timeline , the Federation proved instrumental in halting an invasion of the galaxy by a power known as the Sphere - Builder s . This action caused the Sphere - Builders to try to stop the Federation from ever being formed by manipulating the Xindi into attempting to destroy Earth in 2153 . An attempt to change history was unsuccessful . " ( ) By the 31st " " century , the Federation had become embroiled in the Temporal Cold War , attempting to maintain the integrity and outcome of its subjective history . ( ) Location and Size . Federation space was located approximately thirty thousand light year s from the core region of the galaxy . ( ) Earth , the capital planet of the Federation , was located less than ninety light years from the Beta Quadrant . ( ; ) By 2373 , the Federation ' s territory was spread across 8 , 000 light year s , with a membership of over 150 worlds . ( ; ; ) Its major neighboring powers were the Klingon Empire , the Romulan Star Empire , the Cardassian Union , and the Ferengi Alliance . Other near - by powers included the First Federation , the Sheliak Corporate , the Son ' a , the Talarian s , the Tzenkethi , the Tholian Assembly , the Breen Confederacy , and the Xindi . In 2377 and 2378 , the location of the Federation was labeled in a map of the Milky Way Galaxy , that depicted the flight plan of the . In the chart , the Federation was located in the Orion Arm , next to the Alpha - Beta border . ( , " Season 7 " ) Government . The Federation ' s government was structured as that of a representative republic , with its capital located on Earth . ( ; ; ; ) The Executive Branch . The executive branch was responsible for the day - to - day management of the Federation . The democratically - elected Federation President was the head of this branch . ( ; ) The Federation President served as both the head of state and head of government ; as chief executive officer of the government , the President determined most of the Federation ' s foreign policy , managed budgetary concerns , and served as supreme commander of the Federation ' s military forces . ( ) The President ' s office was located in the Earth city of Paris on the European continent . ( ) The Federation Cabinet was a special executive committee to the President of the United Federation of Planets . ( ) Executive Agencies . The Federation also maintained a number of executive agencies that assisted in the administration of its affairs : In addition , at least one rogue agency , known as Section 31 , was known to have operated in the name of the Federation . ( ) The Legislature . The Federation Council was the unicameral legislative body of the Federation . ( ) Composed of representatives from the various member worlds , the Federation Council held the power to create , amend , and ratify Federation law . ( ; ; ) The Federation Council also held a great deal of influence over the operations of the Federation ' s military service , Starfleet . It sometimes served as the judging body of specially - convened courts - martial , and on occasion issued operational orders to Starfleet . ( ; ) The Council also held influence over the making of Federation foreign policy . ( ) The Council ' s meeting chamber was in the Earth city of San Francisco , on the west coast of the North American continent . The Judiciary . The judiciary was the branch of government responsible for resolving legal disputes . It consisted of a hierarchy of courts , with the Federation Supreme Court at its apex . ( ) Federation courts sometimes relied on panels of citizens known as juries . The Federation Grand Jury heard testimony as part of criminal investigations , while the Federation Special Jury tried war criminals . ( ) Alongside the civilian courts , Starfleet had its own system of courts martial . ( ; ; ; ) Federation Law . The fundamental political principles and laws of the Federation derived from two important documents : Other rights and responsibilities for citizens derived from : Exploration and Defense . Starfleet was the deep - space exploratory and defensive service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . Its principal functions were the advancement of Federation knowledge about the galaxy , the advancement of Federation knowledge of science and technology , and the defense of the Federation . In addition , it also played a significant diplomatic role . As per its mandate of deep - space exploration , its personnel were frequently brought into contact with cultures and sentient species whose existences were previously unknown to the Federation . Federation Starfleet officers therefore acted as official representatives of the Federation in these cases . Also , Federation Starfleet vessels were frequently used to ferry ambassadors on diplomatic missions . ( ; ; ; ) Economy . By the founding of the Federation in the 22nd century , capitalism was no longer the economic system of Earth , being replaced by the New World Economy . According to Tom Paris , it was around this time that " money went the way of the dinosaur . " ( ) Under the New World Economy material needs and money no longer existed and humanity had grown out of its infancy . People were no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things , effectively eliminating hunger and want and the need for possessions . The challenge and driving force then were to self - improvement , self - enrichment , and the betterment of all humanity . ( , , ) Although most items and services were provided by the Federation , some luxury items and services could still be requisitioned as late as the 24th century using Federation credits , the Federation continued to deal with other cultures which had money - based economies , and private businesses from other races such as the Ferengi were sometimes permitted on Federation stations such as Deep Space 9 , despite being scornful of the Federation ' s disregard for currency . ( ; ; ) Membership . Admittance into the Federation was either by invitation or successful petition of a world or civilization desirous of joining . In the second case , membership was granted only upon satisfaction of certain requirements . Firstly , the government of the prospective member submitted an official petition to the Federation Council , outlining its desire to join . A lengthy , thorough investigation of the prospective member ' s culture followed , including copying records from the applicant ' s central computer . ( ) This investigation could take several years , and was done to ascertain whether or not the culture genuinely shared the values of the Federation : values of benevolence , peaceful co - existence and co - operation , the rule of law , and equal rights and justice . ( ; ) For example , the discovery on the petitioning planet , Angosia III , of enhanced soldiers being unjustly and indefinitely imprisoned without treatment in times of peace was considered unacceptable in Captain Jean - Luc Picard ' s official evaluation of the planet for the Federation . ( ) Even before the investigation , the prospective member had to meet certain requirements . These were as follows : Every ascending member had to go through the same admittance process , which included a specific timetable . In mid - 2372 , Bajoran First Minister Shakaar Edon successfully negotiated the admittance timetable for Bajor to be cut in half ( ) . Roughly one year later , in mid - 2373 , Bajor ' s petition for membership was accepted ( ) . Members were allowed to leave the Federation if they wished . ( ) Reputation . Due to its size and history , the United Federation of Planets gained a reputation among the neighboring populations and beyond . Some of that reputation was based on dissemination of factual information , and some was fabricated or exaggerated for various purposes or simply through negligence . Klingon propaganda in the 23rd century claimed that the Federation committed atrocities against its prisoners , keeping them in death camp s and torturing them for their scientific and military secrets . When beamed aboard the in 2268 , Mara reminded her husband Kang of these claims . Captain James T . Kirk remarked that she had much to learn about the Federation . ( ) In the aftermath of the so - called Genesis Incident , Klingon Ambassador Kamarag publicly referred to the Federation as behaving " like a gang of intergalactic criminals " . ( ) . In the 2290s , the daughter of the Klingon Chancellor , Azetbur , called it a " Homo Sapiens only club " ( ) In 2269 , the " Enterprise " apprehended Lokai , a native of the planet Cheron , who was responsible for the theft of a Federation shuttlecraft from Starbase 4 . Following his apprehension , and , upon his initial interrogation by Captain Kirk , Lokai stated that he had heard about the starship and the " United Fleet of Planets " to which it belonged . Kirk quickly corrected Lokai , stating the correct name of the Federation . ( ) Prior to the breakdown of relations between the Federation and Klingon Empire , which eventually led to the Klingon - Federation War , Kurn opposed the decision to break the treaty but was overruled in the Klingon Council . He later stated to Worf , that the reason for his opposition was " " because Gowron underestimates the Federation . He thinks they ' re soft , weak , but he is wrong . Sooner or later , there will be war . " " ( ) Many desired association with the Federation . In the 2360s , multiple governments requested membership in the United Federation of Planets . Among these were government of Angosia III and one of the two governments of Kesprytt III . ( ) In 2369 , the Bajoran Provisional Government chose to become affiliated with the Federation and entrusted much of the operation of Deep Space 9 to the Federation ' s Starfleet . ( ) Some had a rather nuanced view of the Federation . During the preparation for the First Battle of Deep Space 9 , in 2372 , Quark expressed to Garak the direness of being stuck on the station , stating that " " the worst part is , my only hope for salvation is the Federation . " " Quark went on to introduce Garak to the Earth concoction of root beer , which Quark went on to describe as being " " bubbly and cloying and happy . Just like the Federation , " " adding , " " but you know what ' s really frightening ? If you drink enough of it , you start to like it . " " Garak , who disliked the taste of the " vile " beverage , added too , that it was " insidious " , to which Quark added , " " just like the Federation . " " Garak finally takes a moment to embrace the Federation , inquiring to Quark if he thought they would " " be able to save us ? " " The defeated Quark responded , " " I hope so . " " ( ) While the Dominion ' s leaders considered themselves to be superior , they viewed the Federation as a threat . Following the Battle of the Omarion Nebula , which eliminated the threat of the Obsidian Order and Tal Shiar , the Changeling posing as Colonel stated that " " after today the only real threats to us from the Alpha Quadrant are the Klingons and the Federation . And I doubt either of them will be a threat for much longer . " " ( ) As the Dominion cold war pressed on , Benjamin Sisko was told by Weyoun that " " the Dominion has endured for over 2 , 000 years , and will continue to endure , until long after the Federation has crumbled into dust . " " ( ) " " Later , during the Dominion War , it was Weyoun ' s belief that for the Dominion to absorb the Federation , following their theoretical defeat , that " " holding on to a prize as vast as the Federation isn ' t going to be easy . It ' s going to require an enormous number of ships , a massive occupation army and constant vigilance . " " Ultimately , Weyoun personally believed that " " the key to holding the Federation is Earth . If there ' s going to be an organized resistance against us , its birthplace will be there . " " ( ) In 2375 , Ru ' afo , a Son ' a who was working in conjunction with Starfleet Vice Admiral Matthew Dougherty , expressed his views of the Federation , describing it as " old , " adding " " in the last twenty four months , it ' s been challenged by every major power in the quadrant – the Borg , the Cardassian s , the Dominion . They all smell the scent of death on the Federation . " " Ru ' afo suggested to Dougherty that it was for that very reason why the Federation Council " " embraced [ the Son ' a ' s ] offer , because it will give your dear Federation new life . " " ( ) Appendices . Background information . In , the Federation was depicted as a group with certain vulnerabilities . " " If you look at the original series , it had the Federation with real strengths and weaknesses , " " Robert Hewitt Wolfe pointed out . " " I think Gene [ Roddenberry < nowiki > ] < / nowiki > wanted to show that in times of crises people can get reactionary and that ' s not necessarily a good thing . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 28 , No . 4 / 5 , p . 43 ) The Federation was dealt with more on than on . Robert Wolfe commented , " " There was a realization [ for the DS9 writing staff ] – it started [ in the show ' s third season ] , with TNG off the air and " Voyager " in the Delta Quadrant – that all the fun stuff of the Federation was ours to play with . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 28 , No . 4 / 5 , p . 28 ) " Star Trek : Deep Space Nine " veered away from depicting the Federation typically . Ira Steven Behr commented , " " Anything where we can have Federation people acting in ways that the Federation doesn ' t advise or support is interesting to me . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 25 / 26 , No . 6 / 1 , p . 109 ) On the other hand , the series ' portrayal of the organization had to somwhat adhere to certain confines ( such as with the design of the ) . Said Behr , " " Everything has to stay within the Federation and the Federation is not , if you asked Gene Roddenberry , a military organization . We ' re not the cops of the galaxy . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 27 , No . 4 / 5 , p . 102 ) The premise of always implied that a big part of the series would explore how the Federation was initiated and how things would change as the organization came into being . When Manny Coto took over as showrunner of the series for its fourth season , he opted to focus on this aspect of the show . ( " " , issue 55 , p . 15 ) Ever since then , exploring the origins of the Federation was important to him . " " He very much wanted to see the laying of the foundation of the Federation , " " André Bormanis recalled . " " How did the Federation come to be ? Who were the original charter members of the Federation , the United Federation of Planets ? Why was it important to create [ . . . ] this tremendous planetary alliance ? Let ' s show how this United Federation of Planets came to be . Let ' s write that future history , and that was tremendously fun , and very much through the efforts of Manny Coto to take us in that direction . " " While Coto was planning to deal with the birth of the Federation in the fourth season , this concept led to the idea of hiring Judith and Garfield Reeves - Stevens . " " And Mike [ Sussman < nowiki > ] < / nowiki > said , ' Well , Judy and Gar have written " Federation " , and so they ' ve written 250 years of this history . Maybe , you know , they might be worth talking to , " " recounted Judith Reeves - Stevens . ( " Before Her Time : Decommissioning " Enterprise " , Part One : New Voices " , ENT Season 4 Blu - ray special features ) She clarified , " " I think it was specifically because they were laying the groundwork for the Federation . " " ( audio commentary , ENT Season 4 Blu - ray special features ) Jonathan Archer actor Scott Bakula noted , " " I would have loved to have been able to explore that journey to the Federation and their creation of it [ . . . ] to a greater extent . And I think that would have been , um , just more fun for the audience , [ . . . ] just better , longer storytelling . " " ( " Before Her Time : Decommissioning " Enterprise " , Part Four : End of an Era " , ENT Season 4 Blu - ray special features ) Trivia . The Federation seal was first shown in . It reappeared on a flag in , whose final draft script stipulated that the flag was to display " the early Federation seal ( as seen in " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " ) . "