Starfleet
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- This article describes the Starfleet organization in the Star Trek universe; for other uses see Starfleet (disambiguation)
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In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet is the military defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration force of the United Federation of Planets (UFP).
Starfleet Headquarters is located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California.
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 Federation (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 refer to the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA) as the Enterprise's operating authority before the term 'Starfleet' became widespread.[citation needed]
References to UESPA in the Star Trek universe can be dated back as far as 2067, as the Friendship One probe 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" to pay homage to the original series and explain away the contradiction of competing agencies by implying they are, in fact, the same organization that serves as the exploration arm of the United Federation of Planets.[citation needed]
Following Cochrane's first 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 Denobulans. Soon after, the first attempts of deep-space exploration were conducted, such as the launch of the SS Valiant, according to the Star Trek episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before".
It was under Starfleet's auspices that humanity expanded upon Cochrane's vision of instellar warp flight. Incorporating research begun by Cochrane and Henry Archer in 2119, Starfleet research led to the first successful flight of Warp 3 engines in the 2140s.[citation needed] The NX program greatly expanded the reach of humanity across the stars.[citation needed]
In 2151, Starfleet launches the first Human Warp 5-capable starship, the Enterprise (in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Broken Bow") followed by the Columbia (according to the Enterprise episode "E²") in 2155, and other vessels.
Starfleet became the lead exploratory and military wing of the United Federation of Planets. While ships like the USS Enterprise have a mixed-species crew, other vessels, such as the USS Intrepid in the Star Trek episode "The Immunity Syndrome and the USS T'Kumbra in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite", have single-species crews.
Eventually, Starfleet would adopt its Prime Directive of non-interference with developing worlds or other worlds' internal politics. This was not 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.
Starfleet Headquarters has buildings northeast of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Fort Baker area. Starfleet's 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.
Starfleet established a series of starbases throughout Federation territory. Starbases were built either as planetside facilities or as orbital docking stations.
Mission
Starfleet has been shown to handle diplomatic, scientific, and military missions, although their main mandate seems to be one of 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 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 UFP.
This is best described in the introduction for playing the Federation in the Microsoft game, Birth of the Federation. There it states the following:
Diplomacy is the key to expansion. Our ships are not designed to start wars but to end them. We attack only as a last resort.
Components
Starfleet consists of many components that include:
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, although there are other campuses; Tom Paris, for example, studied at a campus in Marseille, France.
Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command is the headquarters/command center of Starfleet. The term "Starfleet Command" is first used in the original Star Trek episode "Court Martial". Its headquarters are depicted as being in San Francisco in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. 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.
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 the 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 "Non Sequitur", and devising a defense against the Breen energy-dampening weapon in "When It Rains...".
Additionally, Pocket Books has published a series of eBooks and novels in the Starfleet Corps of Engineers series.
Starfleet Intelligence
Starfleet Intelligence is an intelligence agency of the United Federation of Planets. Starfleet Intelligence is entrusted with foreign and domestic espionage, counter-espionage, and state security.[citation needed]
Starfleet Judge Advocate General
The Starfleet Judge Advocate General (or JAG) is the branch charged with overseeing legal matters within Starfleet.[1] Several Star Trek episodes revolve around or involve JAG officers and procedures:[1]
- Captain Kirk undergoes the titular procedure in "Court Martial"[1]
- Data participates in a JAG hearing to determine whether he is Starfleet property in "The Measure of a Man"[1]
- A hearing is held to decide whether to extradite Worf to the Klingons in "Rules of Engagement"[1]
- In "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?", a JAG rear admiral arranges for Richard Bashir's incarceration – and his son's, Julian Bashir, retention of a Starfleet commission – as punishment for the illegal genetic enhancements given to Julian as a child.[1]
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]
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]
Starfleet Medical
Starfleet Medical is the medical branch of Starfleet.[1]
Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher, left The Next Generation during the second season.[1] The character is described during this season, and after her return, as being assigned to Starfleet Medical.[1]
Starfleet Operations
Rear Admiral James T. Kirk served 18 months as Starfleet's chief of operations.[3] Numerous starship dedication plaques identify other personnel associated with Starfleet Operations.[1]
Starfleet Security
Starfleet Security is an agency of the Starfleet referred to in several episodes of The Next Generation and 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.
Starfleet Tactical
Starfleet Tactical is a rarely-mentioned department of Starfleet responsible for planning defensive strategies as well as weapons research and development.
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.
Different species in Starfleet
Though Starfleet is composed of individuals from many races, Humans are the most often seen crewmembers onscreen, with Vulcans perhaps being the most common aliens seen. Star Trek: The Next Generation saw the introduction of Starfleet's first Klingon officer, and other races such as Bolians, Betazoids, Trills were seen and given more central roles in later series. For its first two seasons, Star Trek: Enterprise was the only show to have an entirely Human Starfleet crew owing to its being set before the formation of the Federation, though the vessel did carry Doctor Phlox, a Denobulan serving in a medical exchange program, and T'Pol, then serving as an observer from the Vulcan High Command.
Even after the formation of the Federation, however, segregated starships crewed entirely by members of one race were allowed. The USS Intrepid had an all-Vulcan crew in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Immunity Syndrome." Another all-Vulcan crew, from the USS T'Kumbra, was featured on the DS9 episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite".
Apparently, 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 (Star Trek: Voyager) both spoke of joining Starfleet. While Worf, Ro Laren, and Sito Jaxa were all from non-Federation planets, it is possible they were granted asylum and gained citizenship when they came to the Federation.
Additionally, Nog became the first Ferengi in Starfleet. When Nog attempts to apply to the Academy, 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. This is most likely standard procedure for all non-Federation applicants to Starfleet.
In the Star Trek Expanded Universe, the Bajoran Militia was integrated into Starfleet upon Bajor's entry into the Federation, and Col. Kira was promoted to the rank of Starfleet Captain. Presumably, the same procedure was used to absorb the military and space forces of other Federation member worlds, although the TNG episode "Unification Part II" implied that Vulcan still had an independent defense force.
References
- ^ 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.
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