United Federation of Planets

Facts

• Full name: United Federation of Planets
• Common name: Federation
• Founded: August 12, 2161
  • Successor nation to the Coalition of Planets
• Center of Government: Palais de la Concorde, Paris, France, Earth
• Population: 9.85 trillion
• Membership
  • 10 member nations as of March 2166 (ENT Novel: Patterns of Interference)
  • Over 150 members as of October 2373 (First Contact)
  • 155 member nations as of December 2380 (Novel: Articles of the Federation)
  • Federation Members
  • Individual members still hold some degree of sovereignty, including continuity of government following membership and sharing ambassadors between one another
    • Federation membership largely to facilitate interplanetary cooperation and trade and provide for interplanetary defense
    • Regular Ministerial Conferences held as needed for executive heads with relevant portfolios to meet, discuss Federation issues and devise policy (ENT Novel: A Choice of Futures)
      • Additionally includes Prime Ministers' Conference for member heads of state (ENT Novel: A Choice of Futures)

Political Structure

• Described and established by Articles of the Federation
• Executive
  • Led by President
    • Election held once every four years (TNG Novel: A Time for War, A Time for Peace)
      • Direct election by all Federation citizens among those nominated by the Council (TNG Novel: A Time for War, A Time for Peace)
      • Elections held in November, president takes oath of office immediately following confirmation of results
    • No term limits
    • In event of resignation or death, special election is held for remainder of term
    • Federation Presidents
  • Office of the President directed by Chief of Staff
    • Has authority over all staff in the Palais
    • Often serves as advisor to the President
    • Granted high security clearance to support them
    • Administration specific, comes and goes with the President
    • Federation President Chiefs of Staff
  • Divided into various departments
    • Departments formed by Council, filled by Executive appointment with Council approval
    • Led by Secretaries
      • Collection of Secretaries known as Presidential Cabinet
      • Cabinet Members
    • Commissioners implement policy in field, meet regularly at regional departmental conferences
      • Federation Commissioners
    • Departments:
      • Agriculture
      • Commerce
      • Defense
        • Starfleet falls under jurisdiction of Federation Department of Defense, though only Federation President is in Starfleet chain of command, not Federation Secretary of Defense
      • Exterior
        • Foreign policy
      • Housing
      • Science and Technology (est. 2161)
      • Temporal Investigations (est. 2270)
      • Travel
        • Transportation
      • Federation Security Advisor
        • Independent cabinet-level office appointed directly by the President without Council approval, no connection to Departments of Defense or the Exterior
        • Works with Starfleet to provide daily security briefings
        • Has a deputy, also appointed by the President, as well as independent staff
        • Serves as alternate point of view, as well as providing (in theory) mutual oversight between the office of the FSA and the Departments of Defense or the Exterior
  • Colonial activities
    • Directed by Federation Colonial Authority
      • Headquartered in Beijing, Earth (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)
      • In charge of both directing Federation-sponsored colonial operations and processing and approving colonial applications by private parties
      • Federation colony
  • Diplomatic relations
    • Foreign policy executed by the Federation Diplomatic Corps (Novel: Revelation and Dust)
      • Highest level: Ambassadors
        • Selected by President, confirmed by the Council
        • Traditionally resign at the conclusion of a President's administration, incoming President can offer continuance of role or select new ambassador in their place (Novel: Articles of the Federation)
        • Ambassadors kept both between Federation and foreign powers and between member nations
          • Latter likely appointed by individual member states, not under FDC
        • Federation Ambassadors
        • Ambassadors have legal power over starship commanders, can deliver orders if necessary for the fulfillment of their mission (TOS:
        • Starfleet starship commanders considered to have diplomatic power equal to that of ambassadors otherwise, for purposes of initially representing the Federation in first contact situations far from Federation infrastructure (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)
          • As a result, command path training includes diplomatic training alongside other courses
          • Prolonged negotiations beyond initial contact, however, require FDC intervention
      • Other roles chosen largely at FDC or ambassadorial discretion
        • Lower-ranked officials include envoys, consuls, and attaches (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; Novel: Revelation and Dust)
        • Temporary title of "special envoy" can be given by FDC to outside civilians without Presidential or Council approval when time concerns prevent it
          • Only short-term, may only be given in situations involving sensitive negotiations where individuals outside the FDC structure have connections or resources necessary for the success of the negotiations (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; TNG: "The Emissary")
          • Considered legally equal in position to ambassador, but only with regard to their specific mission
          • Special envoys will often, if successful, be invited to ambassadorial positions later (TNG: "Reunion", "Unification")
      • FDC also responsible for drafting treaties and agreements with foreign powers (DS9: "Blood Oath")
    • Foreign ambassadors received by the President
  • Legal enforcement
    • Enforcement of the law directed by the Attorney General for the United Federation of Planets
      • Federation Attorneys General
• Legislative and Judicial
  • Led by Federation Council
    • President serves as presiding official
    • Each member nation represented by one councillor
    • Method of selection determined individually by each member nation
    • Service indefinite
    • Federation Councillors
    • Sessions convene once every six months, three weeks of recess between sessions
      • Councillors must be present at the start of a new session or they may not participate until next session
  • Includes various standing committees
    • Archaeology Council
    • External Affairs Council
    • Intelligence Council
    • Judiciary Council
      • Equivalent of, and occasionally referred to as, supreme court
      • Also serves as legal advisory board for the President, aiding the office of the Attorney General
      • Lower courts empowered via the Judiciary Council
        • Colonial Court (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)
          • Oversees legal matters significant to the Federation arising from colonial bodies
    • Science Council
    • Security Council
      • 13 member body consisting of five councillors representing the founding members, eight nominated by President and confirmed by the Council