United Federation of Planets

The United Federation of Planets, also referred to as the Federation or UFP, is an interstellar state composed of planetary governments and colonies. The various members of the Federation have agreed to share their knowledge and resources in peaceful cooperation. Its territory encompasses at least several dozen sectors in both the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, spread across nearly 8,000 light years of space. As of stardate 3219.8, the Federation was spread across more than 1,000 worlds. In 2268 there were at least 30 members, and by early 2370s, there were more than 150 members of the Federation, and over 1,000 semi-autonomous colonies. 

Professor Richard Galen once compared the Federation to the Roman Empire being "dull and bloated", with Captain Jean-Luc Picard "patrolling the provinces" in his duties as a Starfleet captain. 

The Federation is one of the most powerful interstellar states of the Alpha Quadrant. Unlike the vast majority of other major and regional empires, where power is derived from individually dominant races that subjugate other nearby planets and species, all members of the Federation joined willingly and coexisted equally with other members. Although its multispecies origin has caused it to be labeled a "mongrel" power by some outsiders, its diverse origins have also given it a unique strength over the past 200 years.

The Federation is also famous for its technological resources and personnel. In particular, Federation engineers were respected as masters of technology, repair, and modification, even by enemies of the organization such as the Dominion.

History
Main article: Federation history.

The Federation was founded in 2161, in San Francisco on Earth. The seeds of the Federation sprouted during a temporary alliance in 2154 during the search for a Romulan drone ship. That was when Vulcans, Humans, Andorians and Tellarites first united for a common cause. This led to the founding of the Coalition of Planets a year later, when United Earth, the Vulcans, the Andorian Empire, the Tellarites, the Denobulans, the Rigelians, the Coridanites, and several other worlds joined the economic and defensive alliance. . The Coalition continued towards unity over the next several years, and this ultimately led to the formation of the Federation. 


 * The role that the Coalition of Planets played in the Earth-Romulan War has not been revealed.


 * Captain Picard's scrapbook seen in lists 11 October 2161 as the day the Federation was founded. Some fans accept that the Federation was founded in 2161 on 8 May despite a lack of canonical support. May 8th is the same day that Paramount Pictures was founded in 1914. Alternately, the Enterprise novel Last Full Measure establishes the Federation to have been founded on 12 August 2161, though this is non-canonical.

Although the Federation's intentions were peaceful, its policies of expansion almost inevitably brought it into conflict with other states in the region. In the 23rd century, the most notable conflict was with the Klingon Empire, and war briefly erupted in 2266, before being halted by the Organians. However, this tension eased considerably towards the end of the century, with the Khitomer Conference of 2293 being a substantial turning point. As the 24th century started, the Federation began an unprecedented period of peaceful exploration of the galaxy, without any major conflicts along its borders. Throughout this period, the Federation remained in a state of low-level conflict and cold war with the Romulan Star Empire following the Romulan re-emergence on the astropolitical scene in 2266.

A series of local conflicts flared in the late 2340s, with the Federation encountering races such as the Cardassians, the Talarians, the Tholians, and other minor regional powers like the Tzenkethi. These conflicts were short-lived, in no small part due to the power exerted by Starfleet at that time.

But a darker period in Federation history was soon to arrive. First contact with the Borg Collective led to a series of attacks on Federation outposts. During the Battle of Wolf 359, Starfleet was dealt a crippling blow that required many years to even partially recover from. The members of the Federation soon learned that the opponents the organization had dealt with in the past were nothing compared to the powerful forces found elsewhere in the galaxy. 

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 invasion by the latter of the Alpha Quadrant. The war that followed was the greatest crisis to be faced by the Federation; although the Allied forces of the Federation, Klingons and Romulans eventually emerged victorious, many of the Federation's important member worlds - including Betazed, Coridan, and Benzar - had been temporarily occupied before the Dominion's offensive could be turned back. Thousands of starships and millions of lives were lost, in what was to be the bloodiest conflict in Federation history as of the late 24th century. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

However, the war and its aftermath allowed the Federation to establish new relations with many of its former adversaries. In particular, it was hoped that relations with the Romulan Star Empire would improve, marking the beginnings of détente with a traditional enemy of the Federation. 

Alternate Timeline
In at least one version of the 26th century, the Federation had become an even more powerful entity. The Klingon Empire, now fully integrated into the Federation, bolstered its membership, along with the states of races such as the Ithenites, and Xindi. In that timeline's 2550s, the Federation proved instrumental in halting the Sphere Builder invasion of the galaxy, an action which caused the Sphere Builders to try to stop the Federation from ever being formed by manipulating the Xindi into attempting to destroy Earth in 2153. . By that timeline's 31st century, the Federation became embroiled in the Temporal Cold War, attempting to maintain the integrity and outcome of its subjective history. 

Government
The government of the Federation is organized as a federal republic, where the member planets and colonies formed semi-autonomous districts. Central authority in the Federation is delegated to the three branches of the Federation government: the Federation Council, the legislative branch of the government; the Federation President, the executive and head of state; and the Federation Supreme Court, the supreme judicial authority. The Council in 2286 met in San Francisco, while the President's offices were located in Paris. 

Economy
The Federation has a massive economy, built around large scale, inexpensive production of almost all consumer goods. No money is used for basic expenses, such as food, clothing or shelter. However, there is a basic unit of exchange called the Federation credit, which is used in transactions with non-Federation members (alternatively, there may be several different types of credits, such as "transporter credits"). Advances in technology and a drastic shift in public attitudes towards wealth made traditional currencies obsolete in the 22nd Century, ushering in the New World Economy. The introduction and advancement of replicators during the mid-to-late 24th century also drastically changed the orientation of the economy, as matter-energy conversion reduced the cost of most small- to medium-scale objects to practically nothing. Large-scale construction was efficiently handled, as well.

As many would have it, the driving force behind Federation society was no longer the acquisition of wealth, but rather self-enhancement and the benefit of all. Perhaps ironically, entrepreneurship was encouraged. The traditional benefits of entrepreneurship, profit and personal gain were replaced by goals of personal enjoyment and improvement, often manifested in the form of a new service to fill social needs and expressions. 

The various systems of the Federation are generally rich in natural resources, although their intrinsic worth has changed as the replicators reduced the need for most refined and semi-refined materials. Other materials, such as latinum, which were more time and energy demanding, were often traded for with non-Federation planets. One of the most valuable minerals was dilithium, which was critical in regulating the matter-antimatter reactions in the Federation's power generators.

Member worlds of the Federation who possessed resources unavailable elsewhere, were obligated to provide consignments of the substances in times of emergency. Such transfers were often facilitated by the Federation Starfleet, as in the delivery Ardanan zenite to the plague-ridden world of Merak II in 2269. 

Federation Members
As of 2373, the Federation consisted of at least 150 member planets, spread over 8,000 light years. 
 * See: List of Federation members

Colonies

 * Federation colonies

Agencies

 * Archaeological Council
 * Astronomical Committee
 * Bureau of Agricultural Affairs
 * Bureau of Industrialization
 * Bureau of Planetary Treaties
 * Central Bureau of Penology
 * Department of Cartography
 * Department of Temporal Investigations
 * Earth Broadcasting Company
 * Naval Patrol
 * News Network
 * News Service
 * Science Council
 * Science Bureau
 * Section 31 (officially nonexistent and uncondoned)
 * Spacefleet
 * Starfleet
 * Starfleet Broadcasting
 * Terraform Command
 * United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA) (Existed from the 21st and at least into the 23rd century)