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| Starfleet | |
|---|---|
| Active | 2130s–32nd century (latest date known) |
| Country |  United Federation of Planets (since 2161)United Earth (until 2161) |
| Type | Paramilitary organization Space force Space agency |
| Role | Defense Internal security Peacekeeping Law enforcement Civil defense Space exploration Scientific research Diplomacy |
| Headquarters | San Francisco,California, UnitedEarth (2130-3089), Federation Headquarters (3089-) |
| Engagements | Xindi Conflict Earth-Romulan War Klingon-Federation Wars Federation-Tzenkethi War Federation-Cardassian War Galen border conflict Dominion War |
| Insignia | |
| Standard Starfleet Symbol |  |
Starfleet is a fictional organization in theStar Trek media franchise. Within thisfictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformedspace force maintained by theUnited Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conducting deep space exploration, research,defense,peacekeeping, and diplomacy (although Starfleet predates the Federation, having originally been an Earth organization, as shown by the television seriesStar Trek: Enterprise). While most of Starfleet's members are human and it has been headquartered on Earth, hundreds of other species are also represented. Most of the franchise's protagonists are Starfleetcommissioned officers.
During production of early episodes of theoriginal series, several details of the makeup of theStar Trek universe had yet to be worked out, including the operating authority for theUSSEnterprise. The termsStar Service ("The Conscience of the King"),Spacefleet Command ("The Squire of Gothos"),United Earth Space Probe Agency ("Charlie X" and "Tomorrow Is Yesterday"), andSpace Central ("Miri") were all used to refer to theEnterprise's operating authority, before the term "Starfleet" became widespread from the episode "Court Martial" onwards.
However, references to the United Earth Space Probe Agency, and its abbreviation UESPA, are to be found in episodes of later series. For example, theFriendship One probe (launched, on the fictional timeline, in 2067) is marked with the letters UESPA-1 in theStar Trek: Voyager episode "Friendship One". Other background props included additional UESPA references, such as CaptainJean-Luc Picard's family album inStar Trek Generations. During the production ofStar Trek: Enterprise, some larger Starfleet insignia designs included the name "United Earth Space Probe Agency".
MultipleStar Trek: Enterprise episodes refer to Starfleet having started operation some time between 2112 and 2136, when it funded research begun by Zefram Cochrane and Henry Archer, which led to the first successful flight of Warp-3 vessels in the 2140s.[1] This research is said to have evolved into the NX Program, which led to Starfleet launching its first Warp 5–capable starship,Enterprise (NX-01), in 2151, followed byColumbia (NX-02), in 2155, as well as other vessels.
Starfleet acts under thePrime Directive, a policy of non-interference with pre-warp worlds, such as interference in their internal politics. This is said not to be a human construct, but stems from policies originally implemented by theVulcans, who regarded an alien civilization's attainment of warp speed as the reason for makingfirst contact with them. This was to avoid any unfortunate incidences during space travel, as well as avoiding interfering in the natural development of a civilization. The Prime Directive and Starfleet's first-contact policies are at the center of several episodes in eachStar Trek series and the filmStar Trek: First Contact.
Starfleet Headquarters is shown to be located onEarth, northeast of theGolden Gate Bridge in the present-dayFort Baker area. Starfleet Academy is located in the same general area.[2] Additionally, various episodes show Starfleet operating a series of starbases throughout Federation territory, as ground facilities, or asspace stations in planetary orbit or in deep space. One example isDeep Space Nine, a station near awormhole commanded byBenjamin Sisko after its transfer from theCardassian Empire.
Starfleet has been shown to handlescientific,defense, and diplomatic missions, although its primary mandate seems to be peaceful exploration in the search forsentient life, as seen in the mission statements of different incarnations of the USSEnterprise. Theflagship of Starfleet is often considered to be the starshipUSSEnterprise.
Starfleet has many components, including:
As early as the originalStar Trek, characters refer to attendingStarfleet Academy. Later series establish it as an officer training facility with a four-year educational program. The main campus is located near Starfleet Headquarters in what is nowFort Baker, California.
Starfleet Command is the headquarters/command center of Starfleet. The term "Starfleet Command" is first used inTOS episode "Court Martial". Its headquarters are depicted as being in Fort Baker, across the Golden Gate from San Francisco, inStar Trek: The Motion Picture andStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Overlooking the Command from the other side of the Golden Gate is the permanent site of theCouncil of the United Federation of Planets in what is now thePresidio of San Francisco. Throughout theStar Trek franchise, the main characters' isolation from Starfleet Command compels them to make and act upon decisions without Starfleet Command's orders or information, particularly inVoyager when the main protagonists have no means of contacting Earth for several years.
StarTrek.com notes that many of Starfleet's ships are built onMare Island near San Francisco. It states:
TheEnterprise-D andUSSVoyager are depicted to have been constructed at a shipyard namedUtopia Planitia in Mars orbit. Utopia Planitia served as Starfleet's main ship yards throughout a large portion of Starfleet's existence. After theEnterprise-D encountered theBorg in the episode "Q Who" the size of the Utopia Planitia shipyards was doubled out of fear of a Borg strike. They were once again doubled after the Dominion threat became more evident. A devastating attack on these shipyards is a major plot point inStar Trek: Picard.
In the2009 film, theEnterprise is shown under construction nearJames T. Kirk's home in Iowa. In the2013 sequel,Montgomery "Scotty" Scott discovers a covert Starfleet facility, near Jupiter, that has built a much larger Federation warship, USSVengeance.
TheStarfleet Engineering Corps (also called theStarfleet 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 inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the design of theYellowstone-class Runabout in the alternate timeline in theStar Trek: Voyager episode "Non Sequitur", and devising a defense against theBreen energy-dampening weapon in theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "When It Rains..." As a result of these successes, Starfleet engineers gained a reputation as the undisputed masters of technological adaptation and modification. As one minion of theDominion in theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Rocks and Shoals" notes, Starfleet engineers are reputed to be able to "Turn rocks into replicators."
Additionally,Pocket Books has published a series ofeBooks and novels in theStarfleet Corps of Engineers series.
Starfleet Intelligence is anintelligence agency of theUnited Federation of Planets. It is entrusted with foreign and domestic espionage, counter-espionage, and state security. In the non-canonStar Trek: New Frontier novels the series main character Mackenzie Calhoun was once a Starfleet Intelligence operative.
TheStarfleet Judge Advocate General (orJAG) is the branch charged with overseeing legal matters within Starfleet.[3] Several episodes revolve around or involve JAG officers and procedures:[3]
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.[4] Additionally, dialog in "The Measure of a Man" indicates that the loss of a starship automatically leads to a JAG court-martial (this is similar to real-world military procedures, in which a court-martial is convened to enter the loss of the ship into the official record). Courts-martial were held following the loss of the USSPegasus and USSStargazer.[3] In theVoyager episode "Parallax", Tuvok states thatthe Captain has the authority to conduct a court-martial on the ship, given the circumstance of the ship being isolated from the Federation.
Starfleet Medical is the medical branch of Starfleet.[3]
Gates McFadden, who played Dr.Beverly Crusher, leftStar Trek: The Next Generation during its second season.[3] The character is described during this season, and after her return, as having been assigned to Starfleet Medical.[3]
Numerous star ship dedication plaques identify other personnel associated withStarfleet Operations.[3]Rear AdmiralJames T. Kirk served 18 months as Starfleet's Chief of Operations.[5]
Starfleet Security is an agency of Starfleet referred to in several episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generation andStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. Security is a branch of Starfleet first introduced in theoriginalStar Trek. Main characters in subsequent series have been security officers.
Starfleet Tactical is a rarely mentioned department in Starfleet that is responsible for planning defensive strategies, as well as engaging in weapons research and development.
Although Humans are the most-often-seen crew members onscreen, Starfleet is shown to be composed of individuals from over 150 species, withVulcans perhaps being the most common aliens seen.
Already inTOS, the USSEnterprise and other ships have a mixed-species crew, although this does not appear to be an absolute rule; for instance, the episode "The Immunity Syndrome" refers to the USSIntrepid as having an all-Vulcan crew. TheStar Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" also features such a crew, serving aboard the USST'Kumbra.
In keeping with this idea,Star Trek: Enterprise, in its first two seasons, was the only show to have an entirely human crew, as it was set before the formation of theFederation, although the vessel did carryPhlox, a Denobulan serving in a medical exchange program, andT'Pol, then serving as an observer from the Vulcan High Command.
Star Trek: The Next Generation saw the introduction of Starfleet's firstKlingon officer. Other races—such as Bolians, Betazoids, and Trill—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 thatEarth/Federation citizenship is not a necessary pre-condition for joining Starfleet.T'Pol of Vulcan is shown to be the first non-human Starfleet officer, receiving a commission as a commander following theXindi mission and her resignation from the Vulcan High Command. Even after the Federation's formation citizenship was not required; several officers are from planets that are not part of the Federation. For example,Star Trek: TNG's EnsignRo Laren, a Bajoran aboard theUSSEnterprise-D; her fellowBajoranKira Nerys, who was field-commissioned as a Starfleet commander so that she could aid theCardassian resistance during theDominion War; andFerengiNog, who enters Starfleet Academy in season four ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine; all were from non-member planets. In addition, Quinn and Icheb fromStar Trek: Voyager both spoke of joining Starfleet.
An example of the process imagined by the writers is given when the characterNog 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, with the implication that this is the standard procedure for all non-Federation applicants to Starfleet.
In theStar Trek Expanded Universe, an example of what typically becomes of a new Federation member world's military is depicted when theBajoran Militia is integrated into Starfleet upon Bajor's entry into the Federation.
The Starfleet insignia have been inspired by thechevron, which is broadly used in aeronautics, and particularly by theinsignia of NASA.[6][7][8]
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