Star Trek: An Introduction/Starfleet: Difference between revisions

Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory and defense service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Its principal functions included the advancement of Federation knowledge about the galaxy and its inhabitants, the advancement of Federation science and technology, the military defense of the Federation, and the practice of Federation diplomacy.

Starfleet began as a defense and exploration organization for Earth and the solar system, and until the founding of the United Federation of Planets, its aim was narrowly focused to benefitting the people of Earth.  

Starfleet’s mission has always been carried out by a corps of highly trained officers and a fleet of interstellar spacecraft. Most ships are designed to serve multiple functions and are equipped as research and military vessels.

While Starfleet currently benefits from subspace transmissions which facilitate extremely fast transmission of communications throughout the Federation territory, it was not always that way. In Starfleet’s formative and developing years, captains of interstellar vessels had to represent the Federation in all of their dealings with different forms and civilizations without the benefit of guidance and feedback from Starfleet command or Federation diplomats. Captains were given an extraordinary measure of independence as a result.  

Over the years, many StarFleet captains have chosen to violate the Prime Directive if they believe that by doing so they are protecting a culture from destruction or repairing damage done by a previous contamination. For example, when the Mintakans witnessed Federation technology in action in 2366, Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D chose to explain what had really happened to prevent the Mintakans from falling back into a period of superstition.

The primary missions of Starfleet remain exploration and defense. But there are many other secondary missions of Starfleet that help direct time and resources of the ships and crew that compose the fleet.  

Not all StarFleet’s missions involve sentient life forms. Most StarFleet vessels have a large number of science labs – Constitution-class vessels such as the original USS Enterprise NCC-1701 had 14 – and a major part of the starship’s duties involves collecting data on stellar phenomena such as nebulae and comets. The crew of StarFleet vessels also include a number of academic specialists such as botanists and historians.

StarFleet maintains a massive network of starbases to support its ships. Some of these are based on planets, while others such as StarBase 74 are effectively spaceborne cities. These stations provide a number of important facilities. Most starbases have large populations and are home to offices of StarFleet Command and the Judge Advocate General, which conducts StarFleet’s legal affairs. Almost all starbases have facilities and resources that allow tired crews to recuperate.

StarFleet ships perform important medical functions and are often required to transport medical supplies to Federation worlds, especially supplies that may only be produced in small quantities or in specific places in the Federation, like vaccinations, antibiotics, and antivirals.  

StarFleet doctors have one of the most demanding jobs in the Federation. They have to be able to treat hundreds of different races, some of which are not even humanoid. All StarFleet doctors contribute to databases on the different races and conditions that have been encountered. This information is available to all Federation vessels and on some advanced ships have been incorporated into an Emergency Medical Hologram – a holographic physician that can support the ship’s normal medical staff when necessary.

All Starfleet ships make regular calls at starbases for routine maintenance and upgrades. This can be as simple as taking on new supplies of deuterium, which is an essential component of the warp and impulse drives, or as complex as repairing major damage sustained in battle. It is extremely difficult for a starship to function without making these regular stops. But starbases also benefit as ships ferry supplies to Starfleet’s bases, especially the ones in more remote locations.

Starfleet also operates a system of subspace relays that allow ships and planets to communicate across vast distances. These relays can send messages at faster-than-light speeds, up to 60 times faster than the fastest starship. The subspace network contains thousands of relay stations. Starfleet vessels deploy more as they explore new areas of space, and make repairs to the network if they come across damaged systems. Without this communication system, the Federation would barely function; although it is often overlooked, maintaining it is one of Starfleet’s most important duties.

Direct commanding authority over Starfleet is a power of the Federation president. In addition, the Federation Council, the Federation's legislature, often directly influences the service's operations and even issued orders on occasion.

On board ship, the captain is assisted by a first officer who, in many cases, is a captain in training. Under normal circumstances the first officer is responsible for performing crew reviews and determining assignments, but he or she must be ready and willing to take command of the ship if the captain is missing or disabled.

Data graciously provided by The Trekker – Officer’s Bible, and Star Trek: Magazine.

For more information about Starfleet, read the [[ma:Starfleet|Starfleet article on Memory-Alpha]].