Federation Man
| Federation Man |
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| Defender of the Federation |
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Federation Man is a fictional character created by the United Federation of Planets in connection with Starfleet to reach out to the younger generation of the populous. A comic book superhero, Federation Man has since starred in numerous holonovels and holomovies and is loved by children (and adults) around the quadrants.
The Story of Federation Man
The story of Federation Man has had many retellings. His secret identity is that of Robin Sharp, a cross-species former Starfleet Captain who fought in the Federation-Cardassian War. In order to prevent further conflict across the quadrants, the Federation and Starfleet condition Sharp to be the elite sole-fighting force. Sharp operates in the quadrants of known space, assisted by the Federation Battle Net (FBN) and Starfleet. His superpowers are technically his birth genetics; using his Vulcan intelligence and strength, his Klingon stamina and his Betazoid senses to fight crime and corruption amongst the races, colonies and worlds of Federation space.
Purpose of Creation
Federation Man became very popular upon his release to boost the morale of the population of the quadrants and to entertain the masses. As time passed, the FedNet Publishers and writers expanded on the character and his repertoire of alliances to include many different species throughout space. Many different interpretations of the original story exist and some have been made into playable holonovels.
Publication
Federation Man's first appearance was in Galaxy Defender Comics #1, 2368. A self-titled series was later launched in 2370. The first issue mainly reprinted a revamped version of what was published in Galaxy Defender Comics, but despite this the holonovel achieved record sales in the Sol System then later throughout the Milky Way galaxy. Initially, The Adventures of Federation Man was programmed solely by Armitage Schubert but as the popularity of the character and the adventures increased, a base was formed within the Federation administration to deal with the propaganda.
In 2371, Federation Operations formed an editorial team specific for the creation of Federation Man comics and holonovels and they assumed control of the creativity of the character, included several already prominent science fiction holonovel writers.
By 2373, the comic was put on hiatus for the Dominion War. This had a dramatic affect on the production of the comic and it was debatable whether production of the comic would continue after the war. The sense of loss felt by the army of fans was insurmountable as many believed this to be the end of the Galaxy Defender's adventures.
However, Federation Man was relaunched at the end of the Dominion War in 2375 and included a gigantic playable holonovel which consisted of Federation Man's adventures and fictional contributions to the Dominion War and the conflicts therein. There was a surge of new-found interest in the series due to the losses that many felt during the war and needed to find a new outlet. Federation Man was relaunched as the "Ultimate Defender" and the publications have continued uninterrupted since.
Comic Book Character
The holonovels and comics of Federation Man have always been in serial format and as such the writers have evolved the character immensely from his humble beginnings as a starship Captain. Some of the details of Federation Man's origins and relationships have changed significantly over the years. Villains were developed later in the series and the costume the character wears has become more robust and dependent on technological advancements.
2368 saw the creation of a multi-universe Federation Man, with the writers creating a multiple universe in the fictional universe of the characters. This allowed for an evil Federation Man to be created, wherein the Federation and Starfleet are more fascist in their tyrannical domination of the quadrants. This introduced the reader to parallel universes and allowed for some alternate writers to take very different stances on the creation and evolution of the character.
In 2378 Federation Man was killed by a Borg drone during the infiltration of a cube. He was later brought back from an alternate universe.
Powers and Abilities
Federation Man possesses no extraordinary powers other than his genetic defaults from his cross-bred species. For most of his existence, it is the arsenal of genes that have included strength, intelligence, longevity and stamina. In the early stories, Federation Man's powers were dependent upon the weaponry and "gadgets" given to him by Starfleet and the FBN, which he would utilise through the course of the comic.
With the evolution of the character and the story, there was the chance to create and evolve other "powers" for the character. After his return from the alternate universe in 2378, Federation Man helped a colony on Betazed defend itself from the criminal racquets which had set up on an orbiting station. In order to infiltrate the base, he was trained to use his Betazoid genetics to the full extent and become empathic as well as partially telepathic. This is perhaps the most significant rewrite for the character.
Due to the lack of superpowers, Federation Man has no specific weakness other than his dependency on the FBN for support. His link to the FBN is contained inside a chip at the base of his brain which not only amplifies his genetic abilities but allows Starfleet to monitor his movements and transport items of use to him at any given moment. This link has been severed on several occasions, one resulting in his untimely death on the Borg cube in 2378.