Starfleet

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This article describes the Starfleet organization in the Star Trek universe; for other uses see Starfleet (disambiguation)
Starfleet Command symbol.
Starfleet Command symbol.
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In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet is the defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration force of the United Federation of Planets (UFP).

Contents

[edit] History

Starfleet's early history was left obscure until the series Star Trek: Enterprise demonstrated that an Earth Starfleet had been operating at least 18 years prior to the founding of the United Federation of Planets (according to the episode "First Flight"), as Starfleet conducted the Warp 2 and 3 tests and several high-ranking officers referred to graduating from Starfleet Training.

During production of early episodes of the original series, several details of the makeup of the Star Trek universe had yet to be worked out, including the operating authority for the USS Enterprise. Several episodes, such as "Tomorrow Is Yesterday", refer to the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA) as the Enterprise's operating authority before the term 'Starfleet' became widespread.

According to the TOS episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before," following Zefram Cochrane's warp flight in 2063, Earth founded a few colonies in nearby star systems and established trade routes with a few species, such as the Vulcans and the Denobulans. Soon after, the first attempts of deep-space exploration were conducted, such as the launch of the SS Valiant, but it is not shown which agency commissioned the spaceship.

References to UESPA were later inserted, e.g. the Friendship One probe (launched, on the fictional timeline, in 2067) is marked with the letters UESPA-1 in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Friendship One." Other background props included UESPA references as well, such as Captain Jean-Luc Picard's family album in Star Trek Generations. During the production of Star Trek: Enterprise, some larger Starfleet insignia designs included the script "United Earth Space Probe Agency".

Again Star Trek: Enterprise episodes refer to Starfleet being already in full operation in 2119 when it funds research begun by Cochrane and Henry Archer leading to the first successful flight of Warp 3 vessels in the 2140s.[citation needed] This research is said to evolve into the NX Program until in 2151, Starfleet launch their first Warp 5-capable starship, Enterprise (NX-01), followed by Columbia (NX-02) in 2155 and other vessels. The story then makes Starfleet the lead exploratory and military wing of the Federation.

Starfleet has a Prime Directive of non-interference with developing worlds or other worlds' internal politics. This is said not to be a Human construct, but stemmed from policies originally implemented by the Vulcans, who used the attainment of warp speed as a barometer for making first contact with a civilization. The Prime Directive and Starfleet's first contact policies are at the center of several episodes in each Star Trek series and the film Star Trek: Insurrection. For obvious continuity reasons, in Star Trek: Enterprise the Prime Directive is conspicuously absent.

Starfleet Headquarters are shown to be located on Earth, northeast of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Fort Baker area. Starfleet Academy is located in the Presidio of San Francisco, a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, with some buildings further inland. Additionally, various episodes show Starfleet operating a series of starbases throughout Federation territory, either built as planet-side facilities or as orbital docking stations (notably the titular installation in the Deep Space Nine series).

[edit] Mission

Starfleet has been shown to handle diplomatic, scientific, and defense missions, although their main mandate seems to be peaceful exploration in the search of sentient life. The flagship of Starfleet is often considered to be the starship USS Enterprise, even though that ship has generally not been commanded by a flag officer.

In the early years of Starfleet, as seen in Star Trek: Enterprise, Starfleet's mission is purely exploration and is not military in any sense except for weapons designed for defensive capabilities until the retrofitting of the Enterprise (NX-01) and the incorporation of MACOs after the Xindi attack on Earth. It is assumed this trend continues as Starfleet adopts a more traditional military role and assumes its regular place as the exploratory and defensive arm of the United Federation of Planets.

[edit] Components

Starfleet consists of many components that include:

[edit] Starfleet Academy

Main article: Starfleet Academy

As early as the original Star Trek, characters refer to attending Starfleet Academy. Later series establish it as an officer training facility with a four-year educational program. The main campus is located near Starfleet Headquarters.

[edit] Starfleet Command

Starfleet Command is the headquarters/command center of Starfleet. The term "Starfleet Command" is first used in the TOS episode "Court Martial." Its headquarters are depicted as being in San Francisco in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Throughout the Star Trek franchise, the main characters' isolation from Starfleet Command compels them to make and act upon decisions without Starfleet Command's orders or information.

[edit] Starfleet Engineering Corps

The Starfleet Engineering Corps (also called the Starfleet Corps of Engineers) is mentioned in several episodes in conjunction with projects such as hollowing out the underground laboratory complex inside the Regula I asteroid in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the design of the Yellowstone-class runabout in the alternate timeline in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Non Sequitur", and devising a defense against the Breen energy-dampening weapon in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "When It Rains..."

Additionally, Pocket Books has published a series of eBooks and novels in the Starfleet Corps of Engineers series.

[edit] Starfleet Intelligence

Starfleet Intelligence is an intelligence agency of the United Federation of Planets. It is entrusted with foreign and domestic espionage, counter-espionage, and state security.[citation needed]

See also: Section 31

[edit] Starfleet Judge Advocate General

Main article: Law in Star Trek

The Starfleet Judge Advocate General (or JAG) is the branch charged with overseeing legal matters within Starfleet.[1] Several episodes revolve around or involve JAG officers and procedures:[1]

Dialog in "Court Martial" reveals that a court-martial may be convened in the absence of any JAG officers by three presiding command-level officers.[2] Additionally, dialog in "The Measure of a Man" indicates that the loss of a starship automatically leads to a JAG court-martial. Courts-martial were held following the loss of the USS Pegasus and USS Stargazer.[1]

[edit] Starfleet Medical

Starfleet Medical is the medical branch of Starfleet.[1]

Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher, left Star Trek: The Next Generation during its second season.[1] The character is described during this season, and after her return, as being assigned to Starfleet Medical.[1]

[edit] Starfleet Operations

Numerous starship dedication plaques identify other personnel associated with Starfleet Operations.[1] Rear Admiral James T. Kirk served 18 months as Starfleet's Chief of Operations.[3]

[edit] Starfleet Security

Starfleet Security is an agency of Starfleet referred to in several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Security itself is also a branch of Starfleet first introduced in the original Star Trek. Main characters in subsequent series have been security officers.

[edit] Starfleet Tactical

Starfleet Tactical is a rarely-mentioned department of Starfleet responsible for planning defensive strategies as well as weapons research and development.

[edit] Ground troops

Starfleet has ground troops seen and referred to mostly in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "...Nor the Battle to the Strong", "The Siege of AR-558", and "What You Leave Behind." A ground trooper in "...Nor the Battle to the Strong" wears an all-black uniform with a colored stripe across the chest.

[edit] Different species in Starfleet

Although Humans are the most often seen crewmembers onscreen, Starfleet is shown to be composed of individuals from many races, with Vulcans perhaps being the most common aliens seen.

Already in TOS the USS Enterprise and other ships have a mixed-species crew, although this does not appear to be an absolute rule; the USS Intrepid is shown with an all-Vulcan crew in the episode "The Immunity Syndrome." In later series this is confirmed with another all-Vulcan crew, from the USS T'Kumbra, featured on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite."

In keeping with this idea, for its first two seasons Star Trek: Enterprise was the only show to have an entirely Human crew owing to its being set before the formation of the Federation, though the vessel did carry Phlox, a Denobulan serving in a medical exchange program, and T'Pol, then serving as an observer from the Vulcan High Command.

Star Trek: The Next Generation saw the introduction of Starfleet's first Klingon officer, and other races such as Bolians, Betazoids, and Trills were seen and given more central roles in later series; some of these, notably Klingons, had been shown as enemies in earlier episodes.

Various episodes show that Earth citizenship was not a necessary pre-condition to joining Starfleet, as T'Pol enlisted following the Xindi mission and her resignation from the High Command. Even after the formation of the Federation, citizenship is still not a requirement, as several officers are from planets that are not part of the Federation. For example, Bajoran colonel Kira Nerys was field commissioned as a Starfleet commander so that she could aid the Cardassian resistance during the Dominion War without jeopardizing Bajor's non-aggression pact with the Dominion. Also, Quinn and Icheb from Star Trek: Voyager both spoke of joining Starfleet.

An example of the process imagined by the writers is given when the character Nog, the first Ferengi to do so, attempts to apply to the Academy. In this case he is told that since he is from a non-member world (Ferenginar), he requires a letter of recommendation from a command-level officer before his application can be considered, with the implication that this is the standard procedure for all non-Federation applicants to Starfleet.

In the Star Trek Expanded Universe, the Bajoran Militia is integrated into Starfleet upon Bajor's entry into the Federation, and Kira is promoted to the Starfleet rank of commander.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Okuda, Michael & Denise (1994,1997,1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-03475-8. 
  2. ^ "The Menagerie". Star Trek.
  3. ^ Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links