Federation Merchant Marine: Difference between revisions

''This article was taken from [[The Price of Freedom: The UFP Sourcebook|The Price of Freedom]], a [[Last Unicorn Games|LUG]] [[RPG]] supplement.''

Not every ship traversing Federation space belongs to Starfleet. In fact, most of the craft in the Federation are personal, commercial, or scientific vessels, not the exploration and defense ships of Starfleet. Compared to, for example, [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Romulan Romulans] or [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Cardassian Cardassians], citizens of the Federation have virtually unrestricted freedom to travel the galaxy and see its sights.

The [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Andorian Andorian] Merchant Marine remains the largest and most professional of these, with a tradition extending back to the days of the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Earth-Romulan_War Earth-Romulan War]. Many Andorian Merchant Marine crewmen joined the new Federation Merchant Marine, giving it a cadre of experienced captains and engineers during the early crises of the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/First_Federation-Klingon_War Klingon wars] and the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Battle_of_Axanar Axanarian] secession. Grandsons and granddaughters of these captains served the Federation well during the emergency mobilizations against the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Borg Borg], the immense human crises of the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Federation-Cardassian_Treaty Cardassian border relocation], and the more conventional support roles during the Tholian War. This tradition still holds strongly enough that even human and [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Tellarite Tellarite] crewmen enlist in the Andorian Merchant Marine in hopes of being able to join the Federation Merchant Marine some day.

The Federation has always recognized a need to transport certain goods, or goods in bulk. [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Transporter Transporter] and [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Replicator replicator] technologies, marvels that they are of modern society, do not remove the need to move various types of goods, or large amounts of goods, across space. First, the range of transporters is limited. Federation space is hundreds of light-years across, and even the best cargo transporters only have a range of about 40,000 kilometers. Second, the amount of material which can be transported at any one time is limited, as is the size of the object to be transported; only a few very large planet-based transporters are capable of transporting extremely large objects (such as some vehicles). Third, not every person or every planet has access to transporters - although they are not rare, they are not ubiquitous either. This reasoning also applies to replicator technology, though large-scale industrial replicators are more common than large transporters (and, of course, there are some goods which some people prefer not to replicate, as discussed below).

Conversely, the ships of the Merchant Marine, while well equipped for commerce, are not designed for combat or similar missions. They have low strength shields and phasers, but would find themselves out of their depth fighting off anything more powerful than technologically backward pirates or brigands. Nor do Merchant Marine ships have the sophisticated sensor arrays which Starfleet ships use to chart systems and investigate stellar anomalies. When a Merchant Marine vessel has to go into a dangerous area, or its commander fears that [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Orion_%28species%29 Orions] or others may attack the ship, Starfleet might be called on to escort the mercantile ship to its destination. (Of course, some Merchant Marine captains trust to their own skills rather than calling on Starfleet, and a surprising number of them succeed.) Thus, the two fleets have a healthy respect for each other and work well together.

Daily command of the Federation Merchant Marine is vested in an Admiral; currently, Admiral Jenidox Parl, a [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Tellarite Tellarite], holds the position. Sometimes the Admiral has Starfleet experience, but more often the post serves as the pinnacle of a successful mercantile career for a civilian captain. The Admiral is responsible for seeing that the Merchant Marine fleet is properly and efficiently deployed, for ensuring that all ships are sufficiently maintained and staffed, and for evaluating requests for Merchant Marine assistance and prioritizing them. To help him with these tasks he has a staff consisting of several Vice-Admirals (each of whom is responsible for the portion of the Merchant Marine in a particular area of Federation space) and lesser officers, bureaucrats, and functionaries. The Admiral is headquartered on [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Alpha_Centauri Alpha Centauri]; his headquarters facilities include a large starport and extensive planetary and space-based starship repair bays.

A life in the Federation Merchant Marine isn't necessarily for everyone. It requires a certain combination of discipline, adventurousness, and willingness to work hard. While these qualities might also recommend a person for Starfleet service, these individuals may fail the rigorous Starfleet [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Starfleet_Academy#Preparation_for_Entrance entrance tests and screenings], prefer a less-structured lifestyle, or choose to join the Merchant Marine without ever considering a career in Starfleet.

It's a lot easier for a Federation citizen to join the Merchant Marine than to join Starfleet. (In fact, unlike Starfleet, the Merchant Marine does not require Federation citizenship.) Although there are some entrance requirements and tests, they mainly concern physical and mental fitness for the job; they do not approach the rigors or difficulties of the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Starfleet_Academy Starfleet Academy] admission procedure.

A second reason is a lock of desire to join Starfleet. Many Federation citizens want to go into space for some reason, but not as a part of Starfleet. It's hard to get into Starfleet, and just as hard to make it through the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Starfleet_Academy Academy]. When you finally get posted to a starship, you're likely to be exposed to dangers both commonplace and exotic - anything from warp-core breaches, to collisions, to starship combat, to encounters with bizarre galactic phenomena and playful omniscient energy beings. Not everyone wants that kind of pressure, danger, and "excitement." Some prefer the more sedate life of a sailor in the Merchant Marine. It's not a relaxing job - Sailors work hard, and they're proud of it - but compared to serving on board a Starfleet vessel it's a mighty calm job most of the time.

*'''''Transporting goods:''''' The most common "mission" for a Merchant Marine vessel is transporting goods which Federation citizens cannot or prefer not to replicate. While most of the needs of many Federation citizens can be met with replicated goods, not everyone has easy access to [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Replicator replicators] (or industrial replicators big enough to make large items). Some items cannot, or should not, be replicated. One good example is artwork and craftwork, such as [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Mintakan Mintakan] tapestries. While it is possible to replicate such an item, a replicated copy would lack many of the qualities of an original, handmade one, and certainly would have little or no value as a work of art. Therefore a lively Federation trade in such items has sprung up. Similarly, some Federation citizens claim to be able to tell the difference between the taste of replicated food and "real" food, so there is trade in homegrown grains, meat animals, and similar products. Because of their access to such foodstuffs, some sailors are acomplished cooks who eat quite well.

*'''''Transporting passengers:''''' The Merchant Marine is not a commercial transportation service. Citizens of the Federation can't simply contact the Merchant Marine via [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Subspace_communication subspace radio] and book passage to [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Risa Risa] whenever they feel like taking a trip; for that, they must use private commercial transportation companies. However, there are many occasions when the Federation must transport large numbers of people. Some examples include establishing colonies, evacuating failed colonies, evacuating planets which are suffering from an attack or natural disaster, and ferrying large numbers of diplomats to important conferences. In these cases the Merchant Marine usually does the transporting. In fact, some Merchant Marine vessels are specifically designed as personnel transports, and come equipped with amenities such as [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Holodeck holodecks] for the passengers' use.

*'''''Trade:''''' The Federation does conduct some official trade with non-member species. Typically this involves exchanging Federation goods for goods of equal value which the other race has but the Federation cannot manufacture, especially minerals like [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Dilithium dilithium] or [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Topaline topaline]. However, sometimes these trade missions are conducted solely to generate goodwill and help cement relations between the species and the Federation; whether the Federation obtains anything else of value in return is inconsequential.

*'''''Repair ships:''''' Similarly, ships which have been extensively damaged often need a large supply of parts to make repairs - parts which cannot be replicated (either because the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Replicator replicators] are inoperational, or the items needed are too large for a ship's replicators). In such cases the Merchant Marine is usually called upon to ferry parts and repair personnel to the damaged ship (although in the case of ships which require classified military technology, Starfleet may instead take this duty upon itself). Some Merchant Marine craft specialize in repair work, with a large complement of engineers and equipment the next best thing to a full spacedock.

Regulations in the Merchant Marine are not nearly as strict as those in Starfleet; after all, the Merchant Marine is not a quasi-military organization. Discipline tends to be more lax, and the officers and crew more easygoing, than usually seen in Starfleet. However, the Merchant Marine is required to abide by all pertinent Federation regulations, especially the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Prime_Directive Prime Directive]. Common-sense safety regulations also apply, and most sailors observe them conscientiously, since they know the risks of space travel better than most people. The Merchant Marine also falls under the Federation's commercial regulations and laws; most Command officers have a thorough knowledge of such laws.

On long journeys, life aboard a Merchant Marine vessel can get a little routine. Most Merchant Marine vessels do not have [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Holodeck holodecks] or similar forms of entertainment, so the crew oftens contents itself with studying, gambling, athletics, art, or other hobbies or diversions.