Like many things in
Star Trek, episodes and
films may reference entities or laws within the Federation, but viewers are never given a broad view of its inner workings. Many contemporary terms are assigned to the Federation, but parallels to current government bodies and their roles and responsibilities are pure speculation on the part of fans and critics. In the
timeline of Star Trek, the Federation was founded in 2161, after the events of
Star Trek: Enterprise but before those of the other series in the franchise. Its founding members were
Earth,
Vulcan,
Andoria, and
Tellar. Over time it has expanded to include many more worlds through peaceful voluntary association. Some notable ones include Trill, Betazed, and Bolarus IX. References to the size of the Federation vary, with
Captain Kirk stating in 2267 that humanity was on "a thousand planets and spreading out", while
Captain Picard referred to the Federation (in 2373) as being made up of "over one hundred and fifty" planets, spread across 8,000 light-years. The Federation is a major galactic power, and at various times has been at war with other powers such as the
Klingons, the
Romulans and the
Dominion. The Federation's
space force is called
Starfleet, and, although most of
Star Trek depicts peaceful exploration of the galaxy, Starfleet is also capable of considerable military might.
Section 31 is a paramilitary espionage agency, described by writer
Ira Steven Behr as "...doing the nasty stuff that no one wants to think about.". The Federation is depicted as a democratic republic, led by a
President based in
Paris on Earth. Presidential powers include issuing pardons and declaring states of emergency. This president is supported by a
cabinet. The Federation also has a
supreme court and a legislature, the Federation Council, with delegates from its various member worlds. A constitution and a charter have both been referred to as founding documents of the Federation. Several planets are shown to desire Federation membership. Joining the Federation is a complicated process, and requires meeting various criteria. Disqualifying criteria include
caste-based discrimination and violations of sentient rights. A single, unified government is not required for admission, but is desirable. Most Starfleet personnel are Federation citizens. Non-citizens can join Starfleet, but the process is more difficult, as with all non-Federation races. The Federation's counterpart in the
Mirror Universe is the Terran Empire, a human-dominated
authoritarian state which has formed an empire by conquest. ==Future of the Federation==