The Federation as an Idealist Institution

The United Federation of Planets (UFP) has often been compared to the United Nations. Indeed, there are many parallels that are obvious. On its face, it's a group of governments getting together to cooperate and hash out conflicts through negotiation and shared rule of law. The Federation also seeks to accomplish many of the same goals as the U.N. such as peace and prosperity and, insofar as cooperation is a means to that end, they share similar methods.

Starfleet Headquarters

But there is a point where this analogy breaks down. The U.N. rarely acts with singular purpose or effective power. On the other hand, the Federation is a state unto itself. When a civilization joins the Federation, they are abdicating a large measure of their sovereignty to do so. While in the U.N., keeping one's state sovereignty intact is one of the foundational assumptions of the institutional framework. Without much doubt, the U.N. would likely break down today if a similar legal requirement were imposed. The perceived benefits simply don't outweigh the sacrifice such an act would entail in the eyes of many statesmen of the 21st century. The Federation more closely resembles the European Union. Member states must sacrifice partial sovereignty but still not as much as planets in the Federation. At least for now, the E.U. doesn't have a central government that speaks with a singular voice.

Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco

In many ways, the planets that enjoy the fruits of Federation membership are still relatively autonomous and administer domestic affairs with minimal political interference. That's not to say that they are completely independent. The individual planetary governments are, after all, beholden to the Federation government. And even if specific edicts are not handed down from the Federation government, Federation law restricts member actions at the domestic level to some extent. For instance, a prerequisite for membership precludes things like caste systems and oppressive governments. If a member government broke certain laws pertaining to human rights or egalitarianism, it would face legal punitive action by the Federation. If an entire civilization rebelled against Federation laws and ideals, it could face outright removal.

Federation Governance

The Federation Council

Office of the Federation President in Paris, France

The Federation has a president and a legislative body called the Federation Council. While the Council looks like a U.N. General Assembly with aliens, and while the president looks like a secretary general selected from a member planet, these are more than interplanetary institutions; they are branches of government. One can discern that it is a constitutional representative republic. Beyond this, little is known about the exact separation of powers. Both the Council and Starfleet Headquarters are located in San Fransicsco, but the office of the democratically-elected Federation President is in Paris, France. The Council is primarily involved in passing laws, but can also influence foreign policy a great deal. The President, elected by the Council members, is the Commander in Chief of Starfleet forces and sets foreign policy and budgetary agendas.

The Coalition of Planets

Federation History

The history of the Federation is a story told with greater detail in the most recent Star Trek series; the prequel called Star Trek: Enterprise. In it, a NATO-style alliance called the Coalition of Planets is formed between four main powers (Earth, Andor, Tellar and Vulcan) and several others. They banded together as an alliance against the Romulan Star Empire in 2154.

Years later, in 2161, the Coalition became the Federation. Starfleet predated the UFP.

Founding Ceremony of the Federation in 2161

Federation Territory

While the UFP is the primary power of the Alpha Quadrant, it also reaches into large parts of the Beta Quadrant. Earth is the capitol planet and the Sol System (our solar system) is located in the Alpha Quadrant near the the Beta Quadrant border. By the 2370s (the period of time that encompasses most of DS9), the UFP spans 8,000 light years with 150 member planets and over 1,000 semi-autonomous colonies.

Stellar cartographic map of the Milky Way