- For the mirror universe counterpart, see Terran Empire, Terran Republic, Galactic Commonwealth.
INTERSTELLAR STATE | |
United Federation of Planets | |
Dominant species: | various |
Location: | Alpha and Beta Quadrants |
Capital: | Paris, Earth |
Principal City: | San Francisco, Earth |
Volume: | 8,000 light-years |
Sovereignty: | August 12, 2161 |
Military: | Federation Starfleet |
Government | |
System of government: | Federal Republic |
Legislature: | Federation Council |
Seat of government: | Palais de la Concorde |
Head of state: | President (Aennik Okeg, from 2392) |
Head of government: | President (Aennik Okeg, from 2392) |
People | |
Population: | 985 billion sentient lifeforms |
Currency: | Federation credit |
Anthem: | Federation Anthem |
Language: | Federation Standard |
Holiday: | Federation Day |
Flag: | |
Territory: |
- "A dream that became a reality and spread throughout the stars."
- — James T. Kirk, 2269
The United Federation of Planets is an interstellar state composed of 155 member states, colonies, protectorates, and other planetary governments unified under the goals of universal liberty, justice, equality, trade, exploration, scientific advancement, peace, and mutual protection. The most powerful state in local space, the Federation encompasses 10,000 light-years and is by far the largest state in the known Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The Federation, along with the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire, is one of the three traditional superpowers of known space. Unlike its traditional rivals who derive power from a single dominant species subjugating other races within the boundaries of their empire, the Federation's various Member States join willingly and are equals in the Federation's democratic society. The Federation's capital city is Paris, Earth.
In the alternate reality, Captain Christopher Pike described the Federation as a "peacekeeping and humanitarian armada".
History[]
The Federation was formed on 12 August 2161, the successor to the Coalition of Planets.
The founding Member States of United Earth, the Confederacy of Vulcan, the Andorian Empire, the United Planets of Tellar, and the Alpha Centauri Concordium were subsequently joined by numerous other worlds to form one of the largest states in the galaxy.
By 2380, the Federation consisted of 155 Member States.
- Several sources seem to imply an "Interplanetary Federation" existing prior to the official founding which did not have Earth as a founding member, and a Space Federation which existed as early as the 2080s and continued into the 23rd century, refferd to as having banded together the civilizations of the nearer universe against hostile star empires, though this is most likely an alternate timeline.
Alongside periods of peaceful relations and expansion, the Federation was also involved with numerous conflicts, some of the largest and most prolonged being with the Klingons in the 23rd century, and the Borg and the Dominion in the 24th century.
Politics[]
The Federation is a representative republic, with an elected president as the head of the entire interstellar state. An election is held every four years, and a president may serve for an unlimited number of terms.
Political and direct administrative power is held within the Federation Council, which is composed of one councillor from every Member World. There is no limit as to how many terms a person may serve as councillor. T'Latrek of Vulcan, for instance, served on the Federation Council for nearly a century. Each individual Member determines how its councillors will be determined; the First Minister of Bajor, for instance, nominates that world's councillor and the Chamber of Ministers ratifies him or her, while the electorates of many other Members elect their councillors directly.
The Federation government has several executive departments whose heads form the Presidential Cabinet, who advise the president on their issues of jurisdiction and run their departments on a day-to-day basis. Cabinet members can have strong influence on Federation policy based upon their work with the president and the appropriate members of the Federation Council.
By the late 23rd and 24th century, the capital city of the Federation is Paris, and the capital planet is Earth. The seat of government is the Palais de la Concorde.
Earlier in the 23rd century the Federation government was based out of Geneva, Switzerland.
Sill earlier, the Federation capital was Federa-Terra, Florida.
Groups[]
- Federation Bureau of Colonization
- Federation Council
- Federation Diplomatic Corps
- Federation Grand Jury
- Federation Medical Council
- Federation Naval Patrol
- Federation Science Council
- Federation Security
- Federation Supreme Court
- First Contact Division (Director of Exosocial Relations)
- Starfleet
Diplomatic Treaties[]
- Cheron Accords
- Khitomer Accords
- Frontier Accord
- Neutral Zone Treaty
- Treaty of Algeron
- Treaty of Alliance
- Treaty of Ectair
Symbols[]
Symbols of Federation patriotism include the Great Seal of the United Federation of Planets, which serves as the official emblem of the UFP. The Flag of the United Federation of Planets is also a prominent Federation symbol, often displayed at government buildings, official events, and at state and Starfleet funerals. The Anthem of the United Federation of Planets is the official musical composition of the UFP.
The Great Seal of the United Federation of Planets is the official emblem of the Federation, serving as a visual symbol of the UFP and the principles for which it stands. The Great Seal is incorporated into the Federation Flag and is often displayed on government documents, at official events, and on Federation Starfleet computer screens and communications services. (ST reference: The Star Trek Encyclopedia)
There have been a number of variations on the Great Seal since the Founding of the Federation. (ENT episodes: "Zero Hour", "In a Mirror, Darkly", TOS movie: The Motion Picture, TNG episode: "The Naked Now", DS9 episode: "Homefront")
Variations of the Great Seal of the United Federation of Planets[]
- In real life, the current version of the Federation Seal was first seen in TNG episode: "The Naked Now". Chronologically, it first appeared on the USS Defiant's computer screen from 2268 in ENT episode: "In a Mirror, Darkly" (set in 2155 of the mirror universe), but did not appear again until TOS movie: The Final Frontier. It also appeared in the Kelvin timeline's 2258 sequences in TOS movie: Star Trek. The 2271 emblem first appeared in TOS movie: The Motion Picture, and remained in use throughout the films until TOS movie: The Final Frontier, and had some re-uses in TNG season 1.
Awards[]
As a government body, the Federation issues awards and medals for beneficial military or exploratory service. While many of these are generally given to members of Starfleet, there are some that are for citizens in general. The constituent nation-states of the Federation also sometimes have their own similar awards. One such award that is given to members of Starfleet during victories in battle is the Andorian Battle Star which recognizes command officers that have displayed who demonstrate superior tactical abilities.
Culture[]
There is no official Federation religion, although members are free to practice their own religious and philosophical beliefs, as protected by the Guarantees contained in the Articles of the United Federation of Planets. Every August 12, Federation citizens observe Federation Day, a patriotic holiday established in remembrance of the founding of the Federation.
Federation presidents[]
22nd century[]
- Thomas Vanderbilt (Council President, 2160s)
- Haroun al-Rashid (2160s)
- T'Maran (2170s)
- Avaranthi sh'Rothress (2170s)
- Jonathan Archer (2184-2192)
23rd century[]
- Madza Bral (2230s)
- Samuel Solomon Qasr (2240s)
- Kenneth Wescott (2260s)
- Sukio Hirashito (2260s)
- Lorne McLaren (2260s)
- Chab jav Lorg (2270s)
- Hiram Roth (2280s)
- Ra-ghoratreii (2289-2300)
Nero's alternate timeline[]
- Pellan Fel (c. 2255)
24th century[]
- Gan Laikan (2310s)
- Thelianaresth th'Vorothishria (2320s)
- Hikaru Sulu (2330s)
- T'Pragh (2350s)
- Amitra (2365-2367, 2369)
- Henry Hayes (2367-2369)
- Jaresh-Inyo (2369-2373)
- Min Zife (2373-2378)
- Ra'ch B'ullhy (pro tempore, 2378)
- Nanietta Bacco (2378-2385/2392)
- Baras Rodirya (pro tempore, 2385)
- Sipak (pro tempore, 2385)
- Kellessar zh'Tarash (from 2385)
- Aennik Okeg (from 2392)
Form of Address[]
The proper form of address for a President of the United Federation of Planets depends upon the President's sex and species, and are as follows:
- "Mister President" if a male (any species)
- "Madam President" if a female (any species)
- "Zha President" if a zhen (Andorian)
- "Sha President" if a shen (Andorian)
- "Cha President" if a chan (Andorian)
- "Tha President" if a thaan (Andorian)
- "Shir President" if an asexual president (of any asexual species)
Territory[]
Planets[]
Borders[]
- Romulan Neutral Zone
- Klingon Neutral Zone
- Federation-Cardassian border
Conflicts[]
- Earth-Romulan War
- Earth-Kzin Wars
- Tholian expansionist programs
- Four Years War
- First Federation-Klingon War
- Federation-Klingon War of 2285
- Second Federation-Klingon War
- Galen border conflicts
- Federation-Cardassian War
- Federation-Goa'uld War
- Battle of the Border (alternate timeline)
- Federation-Klingon War (alternate timeline)
- Federation Klingon War (alternate timeline)
- Tholian War
- Tzenkethi War
- Dominion War
- Xindi War
- Federation-Der'kal War
- Second Federation-Der'kal War
- Federation-Der'kal Order War
- Galactic War
- Federation-Terran War
- Mirror War
- Federation-Klingon War of 2405-2410
- Iconian War
Alternate timelines and realities[]
In an alternate timeline created by the death of Gabriel Bell prior to the Bell Riots in 2024, Earth remained a pre-warp civilization, which never expanded beyond the Sol System, in the 24th century. Consequently, neither the Federation nor Starfleet ever existed. The {{USS|Defiant|NX-74205}, having been protected from the changes in the timeline by a subspace bubble, detected Romulan transmissions emanating from Alpha Centauri. This would indicate that the Romulan Star Empire was able to expand considerably further in this timeline due to the lack of Federation interference. (DS9 episode: "Past Tense, Part I")
In 2269, the Romulans implemented their Second History project, briefly creating a timeline in which the Federation never existed. (TOS novel: Killing Time)
In another alternate timeline, Captain James T. Kirk was unable to prevent the assassination of Federation President Ra-ghoratreii at the Khitomer Conference in 2293, leading to war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Klingons eventually emerged victorious and controlled most of the Federation's former territory by the 2360s. (TNG - Myriad Universes comic: "Do Not Close Your Eyes")
In another alternate timeline created when the USS Enterprise-C was accidentally sent through a temporal rift from 2344 to 2366, the Federation had been at war with the Klingon Empire for almost 20 years as the Enterprise-C's disappearance resulted in the destruction of the Klingon colony Narendra III. By 2366, 40 billion people had died in the war and, although it was not generally known, Starfleet believed that surrender would be inevitable within six months. (TNG episode: "Yesterday's Enterprise")
In an alternate reality, the Borg Collective had succeeded in conquering the Federation and much of the Alpha Quadrant by 2370. The mirror universe was one of the last surviving Federation starships by this time. (TNG episode: "Parallels")
In another alternate reality, the Federation had absorbed many of its former enemies including the Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians, the Tzenkethi and the Breen by 2377. (DS9 novel: Fearful Symmetry)
In another alternate reality, the Federation had fallen to the Borg by 2377. (DS9 novel: Fearful Symmetry)
In another alternate reality, the Klingon Empire had conquered the Federation and most of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants by 2380. (TNG novel: Q & A)