The United Federation of Planets

1. Possess warp drive as a native technology, or that the Federation considers knowledgeable of the Galaxy to the point that a lack of warp drive is a moot point.
2. Has a unified government that is responsive and accountable to the citizens of that political unit.
3. Recognizes a minimum level of basic sophant rights. This will include, but are not limited to, a right to self determination, a right of self ownership (no slave owning societies are admitted), a right to an assumption of innocence and a fair trial, and the right and responsibility to choose and watchdog their government.

1. The Federation may hold property in common for the use of the Federation Members. The Federation sponsors colonies and has Starfleet.
2. The Federation has no call on any member's time or money outside of what they have agreed to in signing the Federation Charter.
3. The Federation doesn't involve itself in the internal affairs of any planet or multi-planet union that is a member, unless those affairs interfere with the member acting as a member in good standing, or are a threat to other members. In any such cases interference is limited to a suspension of membership and or a quarantine for the propose of limiting hostilities.
4. You can quit at any time. No member will be held within the Federation who does not wish to be a member.
5. If you fail to meet the requirements of Federation membership, you can be asked to leave the Federation. I.E. your government is no longer a unified government that is responsive and accountable to the citizens of your world.
6. There are no general elections for Federation president or other positions Federation wide. The President is elected by the Council. "President" means you chair the council. It is a position of some responsibility and prestige, but is is not the political equivalent of POTUS. It is more like president of the intergalactic Rotary Club. Federation Councilors, the direct representative of the members, are chosen as the individual members see fit. Some are directly elected by the population, in other cases is an appointed position.
          Joe Federation doesn't even consider himself "Joe Federation". He is Joe Earth, or Joe Vulcan, or Joe Teller. Joe Federation is not likely to ever come in contact with anyone that is a direct agent of the Federation unless they are in a business that works interstellar trade or they are part of their world's government.

Area of Operation: An amoeba roughly 400 light years by 200 light years deep in the outer half of the Orion arm.
Headquarters Location: Earth is the location of most of the offices of the Federation and the location of Starfleet Headquarters. It was chosen due to its central location at the time.
Public Face: We Come in Peace.
Notable Members: While it is true that hundreds of persons were involved in hammering out the Articles of Federation, most are now forgotten. The ones remembered are those that in some flamboyant manner caught the attention of the public after the event was over. The signers of the documents that created the United Federation of Planets. These are the people that led the delegations, made the speeches and are required learning for school children the Federation over.

Andor: General Veseppi Kallfalx -- We shall have a Victory without Blood        The greatest victory is the one you don't fight for. Andor, having not that long ago fought off the Vegan Tyranny, and with Earth dealt a crushing blow to the Qzin was not ready to make friends with a multi-race alliance quite yet. They had barely avoided a shooting war with the Humans of the Three Suns Alliance. (Earth and Kentauri). Andor was edgy, and a little trigger happy.        General Veseppi Kallfalx, the Master Strategist of his day could see that an uneasy peace could quickly become a war that no one wanted, but everyone would fight. He sold the Andorian Council on the idea of the Treaty and then the Federation by comparing it to a victory won without blood. Andorians would be equal partners, not clients. Better far to win friends that win battles. Because of his reputation they listened, and sent him as a the Chief Delegate to the Convention.        General Kallfalx is the Father of Starfleet, it was he that suggested a fleet of ships for exploration and general defense that owed allegiance to no world, but the Federation at large, to be manned by all the worlds of the Federation. Earth: Randal Gordon -- Together we are Greater than our Sum        A flashy and athletic man, a sports star in his university years. He was called "Flash" for his speed on the gridiron. Gordon served briefly in the USEPA, and entered politics at the age of 35.        It was the Three Suns Alliance that suggested to the Vulcans, Telleries and the Andorians that an alliance for mutual protection be formed. As the preliminary talks where under way. Randal Gordon laid a copy of the old United States Constitution on the table. He gave a moving speech of the power and influence of that nation, how they stabilized the world, preventing totalitarians from getting power, and passed their legacy on to a United Earth. In 300 years the document before him had taken a divided world, and united it, just by existing.        He co-opted the alliance talks with one speech. Instead of a loose military and trade alliance that it was doubtful would get signed by such diverse interests, he suggested, and championed a close federation of united systems whose diverse backgrounds and interests could only make it stronger. He ignited a spark, that others fanned into a flame that still burns. Kentauri: Abraham Tacitus Dannon -- The Sighted Man of Peace        Abraham Dannon is revered today as the Federation's most honored statesman, though he was hated and despised as an appeaser in his own time. His work on the structure of the Federation council and the Federation Presidency is nearly forgotten.        Dannon is remembered as the architect of the Federation's treaty with the Romulan Star Empire, which brought an end to that long and bloody conflict. His treaty efforts were hampered by the desire of many council members to extract vengeance on the Romulans for the many Federation lives lost during that conflict. Realizing that a series of harsh treaty conditions would prolong the war, Dannon delivered his "Sighted Man of Peace" speech. This now famous speech convinced the Council members to soften their conditions, which included surrender of previously held Romulan systems, to bring about a much needed peace.        Though Dannon's efforts were eventually successful, he never lived to see their fruits. A dissident Andorian assassinated him four years after the ratification of the treaty bearing his name. Teller: Gunphar Haarhuis -- We must maintain the Sovereign Will        Founder of his own trading house. It was a ship of Gunphar's House that "discovered" Earth, and it was he himself that signed the first treaty with Earth and Andor. He lived long enough to argue the case for individual sovereignty in the Federation charter, that each planet retained the right of sovereignty within the Federation. Both Earth and Vulcan were ready to sign it all over to a central authority. Andor was dead against, and Kentauri was wavering. Gunphar prevailed in a three hour speech that logically, and emotionally presented the principle that each world must remain sovereign in order for the Federation to exist. Both the principle and the Federation were saved that day.        Gunphar died, a old, and very rich Tellerite the day after the signing of the Federation Charter. Vulcan: T'kal and Solin -- The voice of reason must be present to be heard.        T'kal the daughter of T'rul the Matriarch of Vulcan, and Solin her bondmate were personally chosen by T'rul to attend and observe the proceedings of the then called "Five Powers Treaty Convention". The two did much more than observe. They participated strongly, constantly pressing for reason and balance in every article.        After the Convention hammered out the Articles of Federation, T'kal and Solin had to convince the Vulcan people that breaking their long standing aloofness was the best and most reasonable course of action. This they did. In a brilliant display of reason they presented an argument that Vulcan joining with the emergent races would have a moderating voice among them. To remain outside would be to have no voice and to still be at risk in any wars they brought into the local group. To join, the possibility of war might still exist, but they would have a voice, and with that voice prevent senseless war before it started. Safer for Vulcan, and in their best interest.        Also notable at the convention was their young son Soren, later know as Soren the Elder. He is was often credited with being a "Founder", a label to which he would wryly disagree. Ane Confederation: Falan -- In the Spirit of Ansisi and her Covenant, we add our strength to this Union.        While the Ane are listed as the sixth signer of the Articles of Federation, and they are indeed charter members, they did not participant in the debates. Ane only observed. The debate that raged among the Ane was directly related to the convention, although unknown to it. The suggestion was made that as the Articles were shaping up that these five peoples had created something new in the Ane experience. A partnership, not an Empire. The suggestion was also made that the time had come to be a participant not simply an observer.        This move broke all the rules that Ane had thus far operated under. They had never directly affected a political process. As the signing drew to a close, the All decided. Falan present as an observer to the event stepped up and signed the agreement, placing her noseprint firmly on the documents. The first amendment to the Articles of Federation was the inclusion of "Ane Confederation" in all future publications of the document as a charter member.

History of the Organization: In 2135 The founding member of the to be Federation met for the Five Powers Treaty Convention. Through an extraordinary act of courage the delegates produced and signed the Articles of Federation, by 2138 those articles had been ratified by all six of the signing powers, the United Federation of Planets came into being.
       This organization has weathered war and peace gaining members becoming stronger and being of general benefit to the members since its founding. It enjoys a rich history that is beyond the confines of a simple profile.
Culture: There is no single unified Federation culture. It is a vast stew of homogeneous cultures that each lend their unique flavor to the entire mix.
Languages: "Federation Standard" is spoken by most people that are starfareing. However on the various worlds of the Federation a multitude of languages and the associated cultures are celebrated and preserved.
Military: The Federation Military comes in two parts.
       First is Starfleet. Starfleet is the join effort of all Federation members and separate from any of them. The primary charge of Starfleet is Exploration, Search and Rescue, and Federation Defense. Starfleet also maintains navigation aids, the network of subspace repeaters throughout the Federation, and conducts diplomacy for the Federation at large.
       Starfleet has some 40,000 starships in all categories and 70,500 support ships in all categories from runabouts to supply tenders. Starfleet maintains over 1,000 station and supports facilities to service its mission, this includes shipyards, Starbases and Deep Space Stations. This facilities vary from the newest Galmeer "Alliance Starbase" to the ancient facilities of El Nanth Starbase located in the mysterious Builder Station.
       Starfleet employs 80 million beings to service its stations and ships. Starfleet draws it officer core from the best the Federation has to offer on a competitive basis. All Cadets serve a four year period of education before receiving their first assignments. It is preferred that this time be spent at the Main campus of Starfleet Academy at San Fransisco, Earth. It is possible however to attend Acadmey on ship, at a starbase, or the satellite facilities located around the Federation. All command candidate that have not attended the main campus must take command training at the main campus to maintain a uniformity of culture throughout Starfleet.
       Starfleet is broken down into a number of command units to be facilitate its operations. Each is commanded by a Fleet Admiral. They are:

       The second part of the Federation military is the local Defense forces. While Starfleet is the one that gets the press, it is the member defense forces that are the bulk of the available military. Some, like the Charter members are large, well funded, and well organized. Others, such as colonies and new members often depend on Starfleet hand downs for their ship strength. (An Excelsior class ship is a gift indeed.) In all the Defense forces can muster an additional 95,000 ships of all classes to Federation defense and hundreds of millions in manpower when required.