United Federation of Planets
From ST_ACTD Wiki
The United Federation of Planets, or sometimes referred to as the Federation or UFP, is an interstellar nation consisting of planetary governments and colonies. The various members of the Federation are organized under the unifying goals of universal liberty, equality, peaceful coexistence, trade, science, exploration, and mutual defense. 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. (Metamorphosis -TOS) In 2268 there were at least 30 members (Journey to Babel -TOS), and by 2373, there were more than 150 members of the Federation, and over 1,000 semi-autonomous colonies. (Star Trek: First Contact) Many of the Federation member worlds were originally Human colonies, which is why Humans make up the majority of Starfleet personnel.
The Federation was founded in 2161 (The Outcast -TNG; Zero Hour, These Are the Voyages... -ENT), 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. (United -ENT) This led to the founding of the Coalition of Planets a year later, when United Earth, Vulcan, the Andorian Empire, Tellar, Denobula Triaxa, Rigel V, Coridan, and several other worlds united in a common economic union. (Demons -ENT). The Coalition continued towards unity over the next several years, and this ultimately led to the formation of the Federation.
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 (Doctor Bashir, I Presume? -DS9). The Council in 2286 met in San Francisco (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), while the President's offices were located in Paris (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country).
This article borrows heavily from the Memory-Alpha article of the same name.
