United Federation of Planets

The **United Federation of Planets** (abbreviated as **UFP** and commonly referred to as the **Federation**) is a supranational interstellar union of multiple planetary nation-states that operated semi-autonomously under a single central government, founded on the principles of liberty, equality, peace, justice, and progress, with the purpose of furthering the universal rights of all sentient life. Federation members exchange knowledge and resources to facilitate peaceful cooperation, scientific development, space exploration, and mutual defense.

One of the most powerful interstellar states in known space, it encompassed eight thousand light years. The total number of formal member worlds is over 150.

The Federation's various member worlds joined voluntarily and were equals in the Federation's democratic society.

Federation culture, values, and technology had vast influence; across space and time, as well as other dimensions and subspace domains. Encountering numerous clashing ideologies, some conflicts escalated into significant resistance, such as armed conflict, and even temporal incursions intended to prevent key historical events from occurring.

## History

> *Main article: Federation History*
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The Federation was founded in San Francisco, Earth in 2161. However, 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: Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. Sometime around January 2155, these four species as well as others, including the Denobulans, the Rigelians, and the Coridanites, 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 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 Empires. 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 a war taking place in 2256-57, and another briefly erupting between the two in 2267, before being halted by the Organians. 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. During the 24th century, there were a series series of conflicts as the Federation came into contact with other races, such as the Cardassians, the Talarians, the Tholians, and the Tzenkethi.

Then, however, the period of peaceful exploration came to an abrupt end. In 2365, the Federation encountered its single worst threat, in the cybernetic hivemind 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, Coridanite, 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. 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 USS *Enterprise*-E, 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.

The Borg once again invaded the Alpha Quadrant in 2381, causing one of the most deadly conflicts in Federation at the time with a total estimate of 40% loss of Starfleet and over 100 billion lives.

Upon the discovery of an impending supernova of the Romulan sun, the Romulans requested aid from the Federation. Although 14 members opposed aiding the Romulans and threatened to secede, Starfleet mobilized a massive rescue armada comprised of ten thousand warp-capable ferries to aid in the evacuation efforts, which assembled over Mars. On First Contact Day of 2385, an attack on Mars was carried out by androids that were secretly compromised by the Romulan cabal *Zhat Vash*. With over 90,000 casualties and the evacuation fleet destroyed, Starfleet not only abandoned its support for evacuating Romulus, which was destroyed in 2387, but the Federation Council also placed a ban on creating or researching artificial lifeforms that would not be lifted again until 2399.

## Federation Territory

Federation space was located approximately thirty thousand light years from the core of the galaxy, located within the Orion Arm, on the border of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

By 2267, its territory had expanded across "a thousand planets". Because of the cosmopolitan nature of the United Federation of Planets, its territory included at least 150 member worlds, spanning across 8,000 light-years of interstellar space, with thousands of colonies and outposts, vast expanses of uninhabited space, and even planets inhabited by pre-warp civilizations, directly incorporated under the political jurisdiction of Federation space as of 2370.

Entering or being within Federation space had jurisdictional implications, e.g., possible health and safety inspections and the enforcement of the Prime Directive.

## Government

The Federation's government was structured as that of a federal constitutional republic, with much of its facilities 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.

#### Federation Cabinet

The Federation Cabinet was a special executive committee to the President of the United Federation of Planets. Departments belonging to the Federation Cabinet:

* Department of Agriculture
* Department of Commerce
* Department of Communication & Media Affairs
* Department of Defense
* Department of Education
* Department of Energy
* Department of Federation Security
* Department of Health and Life Services
* Department of Intragalactic Affairs
* Department of the Interior
* Department of Justice
* Department of Labor
* Department of Planetary Development
* Department of Science
* Department of Technology
* Department of Transportation
* Department of Travel
* Department of the Treasury
* Department of Veteran Affairs
* Environmental Protection Agency

#### Executive Agencies

The Federation also maintained a number of executive agencies that assisted in the administration of its affairs:

* Central Bureau of Penology
* Department of Cartography
* Department of Temporal Investigations
* Federation Archaeology Council
* Federation Astronomical Committee
* Federation Bureau of Industrialization
* Federation Bureau of Planetary Treaties
* Federation Central
* Federation Command
* Federation Food and Drug Administration
* Federation Naval Patrol
* Federation News Network
* Federation News Service
* Federation Science Bureau
* Federation Science Council
* Starfleet - see below
* Terraform Command
* UFP News
* UFP Standards Measurement Bureau

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 made up the legislature 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 and humanitarian 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

> *Main article: Federation law*
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The fundamental political principles and laws of the Federation derived from two important documents:

* The Charter of the United Federation of Planets was the document ratified by the original members of the United Federation of Planets at the organization's founding in 2161. Caste-based discrimination was prohibited under the Charter.

* The Constitution of the United Federation of Planets incorporated a series of enumerated rights to which all sentient beings were regarded as being entitled, collectively referred to as the Guarantees. The Seventh Guarantee of the Federation Constitution protected individuals from self-incrimination, while the Twelfth Guarantee protected the rights of artists.

Other rights and responsibilities for citizens derived from:

* Starfleet Charter

* The Federation Judicial Code, which provided guidelines and regulations related to legal issues.

* General Orders and Regulations, a series of guidelines used to instruct members of Starfleet on the proper etiquette and policy in a situation that requires consultation for a resolution.

* The Federation Uniform Code of Justice, which formed the legal basis of Starfleet court martial proceedings.

### Membership

Admittance into the Federation can be granted either by invitation or successful petition submitted by a world, civilization, or government desiring to join voluntarily. In the second case, membership was granted only upon satisfaction of meeting certain requirements and conditions. 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 last 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, justice, and equal rights and freedoms.

Even before the investigation, the prospective member had to meet certain requirements. These included the following:

* It had to have an "advanced level of technology." The Federation's baseline definition of this term was the capability for faster-than-light space travel.
* Its government should have achieved stable planetary political unity, demonstrating a resolution of social and political differences and a respect of the rights of the individual. Membership was still considered if there was an isolated faction present that did not want membership, but this was a rare case.
* No form of caste discrimination was to be practiced.

Every acceding member had to go through the same admittance process, which included a specific timetable.

Individual groups could give up their status as Federation citizens.

> **See also:** List of Federation Members
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## Exploration and Defense

> *Main article: Starfleet*
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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

While money was not "necessary" for the daily running of Federation life, Federation citizens were not restricted from engaging in capitalism, trade, or business.

Most references to economics within the Federation allude specifically to Earth. 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.

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.

The Federation itself did engage in trade with friendly powers and organizations. 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.

## 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.