Members of the Federation.

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Deranged Nasat, Feb 8, 2014.

  1. Marika

    Marika Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    because they are cute and fluffy and everyone wants to hug them ::)
     
  2. Markonian

    Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

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    Betazed joined the Federation in 2273 according to Memory Beta, the source being Star Charts.

    In Federation: The First 150 Years, Betazed is the 81st member to join and admitted in 2311 at the 150th anniversary of the Federation founding.
     
  3. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    I tend to think the former date is a little too early and the latter a little too late.

    In Cast No Shadow, set in 2300, a Betazoid (Dr. Malla Tancreda) is involved with the Federation, and while that means nothing for Betazed's membership, I did get the impression that Betazed was indeed within the Federation fold. In The Last Roundup, set in 2294, an implicitly Betazoid character is serving President Ra-ghoratreii, and the writing suggests that Betazoids are quite new to the Federation - mention is made of their "proven ability" to sense emotions and intentions even over subspace, as though it's a novelty. I tend to go for the late 2280s as the most likely point of admission.
     
  4. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Has any mention ever been made as to whether 'Betazed' is the real name that they call their own world? It just seems too convenient - Betazed, i.e. Beta-Zed (some kind of code word or abbreviation used on the star charts).
     
  5. Masiral

    Masiral Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    ^Vulcan - a Roman god
    Romulus and Remus - Roman mythological figures

    It's always been this way.
     
  6. Idran

    Idran Commodore Commodore

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    Yeah, but there's been other cases in the novels - Rihannsu, Dhei-Lta - where they explained how a planet name like that came about that way. I assume that they want to know if there was ever anything similar in a novel for Betazed.
     
  7. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    That's true, but the books have often tried to work around it. (Actually, sometimes the TV shows did this too, I think, like making Kronos "Qo'noS", perhaps suggesting that the name is coincidence).

    Vulcan is T'Khasi or Minshara, among others.

    Romulus and Remus are ch'Rihan and ch'Havran, Romulans are Rihannsu (since the modern novel 'verse uses the latter at times, I'm assuming the Duane planet names are also in use).

    Sauria is Lyaksti'kton.

    The Rigel Worlds are Raij'hl.

    Delta is Dhei-Lta, Deltans are Dhei-tan.

    EDIT: Idran beat me to it. What he said!
     
  8. Markonian

    Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

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    Plus. we have Mol'Rihan for New Romulus (the planet) and Nova Roma (the city on Rator III) in the STO continuity.

    I loved the idea Bernd Schneider once suggested in his EAS pages, that the name for the Romulans could've come about due to a temporal loop - Archer reading about the Romulan Star Empire in the library and then assigning the name to the alien attackers from "Minefield".
     
  9. Enterprise1701

    Enterprise1701 Commodore Commodore

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    Does it qualify as a temporal loop if it was a person's experiences in traveling to an alternate future that prompted something in a thereafter revised past/present?
     
  10. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^In the same sense that "Yesteryear" is a loop because Spock had to see an alternate present in which he didn't exist in order to perform the action in the past that guaranteed he would exist. Loops can involve more than one timeline.
     
  11. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ^ And "Yesterday's Enterprise".
     
  12. LutherSloan

    LutherSloan Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    How did the Xindi end up joining? According to Memory Beta the only reference to that is a short story that I have not read.
     
  13. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    How they joined isn't explained in the story; it simply asserts that a Xindi is a member of the UFP government in the 24th century (if it's the story I think you mean).
     
  14. LutherSloan

    LutherSloan Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Thanks, I figured it was probably something like that.

    They tend not to get mentioned very much in Trek Lit, despite them being kind of a big deal in Enterprise. Feels like you could tell a story about what happened to them from Ent-modern Trek
     
  15. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Well, ENT did establish that their territory was very far away, so it's reasonable that they're still beyond Federation space in the 24th century, or at least out on the fringes. And at the end of their arc, they had a new homeworld to establish, something that could easily be the work of centuries. If anything, I'd find it more implausible if they were heavily featured in the TOS or TNG eras.
     
  16. Paper Moon

    Paper Moon Commander Red Shirt

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    So this was something I compiled a few weeks ago, based off of Deranged Nasat's most recent list. Here, I determine which Federation members are established explicitly as such in canon, which ones are suggested and which ones are non-canonical. The list is somewhat inconsistent about using species names versus planet names; generally, I tried to be conservative about what is actually "canon", though I wasn't particularly consistent in how I went about that. The point is that there are some cases where only the species was named, and the planet is left unspecified, in which case I list the canonical species name. (Or vice-versa, though I don't think that ever actually happened.)

    Part of my motivation for developing this list was to outline just how much of the larger TrekLitverse was grown from the onscreen Trekverse by our beloved tie-in authors. The TrekLitverse really is a much richer and more widely explored universe, and we have them to thank for that.

    On the other hand, sometimes I like to focus more on the primary source material and imagine (for myself) other interpretations of and extrapolations from onscreen Trek. So having an epistemologically-differentiated list is nice for those purposes, too.

    So, here we go:

    founding planets:
    Earth
    Vulcan
    Andoria
    Tellar Prime
    Alpha Centauri (see NOTE)

    additional member races, planets and states, canonically-established, more or less:
    Algolians
    Arbazan
    Ardana
    Benzar
    Betazed
    Bolarus IX
    Caitians (name is non-canonical)
    Coridan
    Deltans
    Efrosians (name is non-canonical)
    Grazerites (name is non-canonical)
    Haliia
    Ktaris
    Hekarans
    Pacifica
    Peliar Zel II
    Rigel IV
    Risa
    Trill (see NOTE)
    Xindi (though unclear when; may be anytime before 2500s)
    Zakdorn

    [canonical appearance, non-canonical name, membership is likely but non-canonical] (see NOTE):
    Aaamazzara
    Arcadians (seen in Federation Council Chambers in The Voyage Home)
    Ariolo (seen in Federation Council Chambers in The Voyage Home)
    Bzzit Khaht (seen in Federation Council Chambers in The Voyage Home)
    Edosians/Triexians
    Ithenites (name and membership are both canonical, but not specifically linked to onscreen appearance)
    Kasheeta (seen in Federation Council Chambers in The Voyage Home)
    Kazarite
    Zaranite (may be seen in Federation Council Chambers in The Voyage Home)

    [canonical appearance or members, canonically members but possibly as colonies]:
    Aldebaran/Aldebaron
    Archer IV
    Arvada III
    Alpha Proxima II
    Berangaria
    Beta Antares
    Caldos II
    Cestus III
    Deneva
    Izar
    Mars
    New Paris
    Sirius IX (canon is vaguely suggestive of membership; on the other hand, no one's done anything with it either way)
    Tau Ceti (I'm somewhat skeptical about how technically Tau Ceti worlds were established as part of the Federation; however, once again, like Archer IV, it seems very likely)
    Vega IX

    [canonical appearance or mention, non-canonical membership]:
    Arcturus
    Argelius
    Arkenites
    Andros III
    Antos IV
    Antedeans
    Atrea IV
    Aurelia
    Axanar
    Bajor
    Bilana III
    Bre'el IV
    Bynaus
    Cairn
    Cygnet XIV
    Delb II
    Denobula
    Draylax
    Elas
    Elaysians (see Gemworld, below)
    Evora
    Gallimites
    Icor IX
    Inferna Prime
    Iotia
    Janus VI
    Kyppr
    Lorillians
    Magna Roma
    Makus III
    Medusans
    Napeans (multiple canonical members in Starfleet, which is suggestive of membership)
    Nasat
    Ramatis III
    Regulus
    Rhaandarites
    Sauria
    Tandar
    Terra Nova
    Tessen III
    Tiburon
    Troyius
    Tyrellia (five Tyrellians are onboard the Enterprise-D at one point and Starfleet officers are stationed on the planet in apparently non-extraordinary circumstances, which means Tyrellia is likely a Federation member)
    United Worlds and Colonies of Rigel
    Zalda

    non-canonical:
    Alonis
    Antares VIII
    Asarion
    Candelar IV
    Carnegie
    Damiano
    Dedderei
    Delta Sigma IV
    Gemworld (Gemworld is the non-canonical name for the homeworld of the canonically-established Elaysian species)
    Gnala
    Hermat
    Huan
    Koa
    Lendrin
    Meldrar I
    Ochat
    Ontailians
    Oriki
    Pahkwa
    Parnasi
    Pandril
    Pentam V
    Pythagos Clans
    Scoridia
    Seleneans
    Sulamid
    Threllvia
    Valzhan
    Vobilin
    Vestios
    Xeletians
    Ysa
    Zanri

    NOTE on Alpha Centauri: Memory Alpha has run itself ragged debating whether or not Alpha Centauri was a founding member of the Federation; it is certainly never made explicit. If memory serves, though, Daniels refers to the Federation being founded by four species, not four planets. So, depending on whether you interpret canon to indicate Alpha Centauri as being a human colony, it could still be possible. In any case, Alpha Centauri should probably be included instead under canonical appearance or members, canonically members but possibly as colonies.

    NOTE on Trill: Technically, Trill has never been canonically declared a Federation member; while Curzon Dax's ambassadorship would certainly be a strong argument in favor, and indeed, that is the prevailing argument for including Arbazan as a canonical member, it is plausible that the great Curzon Dax was so illustrious and so well respected (particularly by the Klingons) that he was individually granted citizenship, in order to be a Federation ambassador. On the other hand, Trill not being a member is more consistent with "The Host," and I've long felt that TrekLit could've done a better job of reconciling the apparent contradictions between the Trill's portrayal in that episode and later in Deep Space Nine. (I don't think they're really as severe as many people think they are.)

    NOTE on all those random species from The Voyage Home: So this is a weird situation. We have a handful of species here that we see exactly once, fuzzily, in the background. Never seen before or since. Their names (and in most cases, the only clear pictures we have) come from production artwork. Yet, we are led to believe that not only are they Federation members, they are Federation Councillors!

    Therefore, it feels inaccurate to place them on the same level as Betazoids, Coridanites, etc.

    That scene is difficult for other reasons, not the least of which is that there are way too many Starfleet officers ostensibly part of the Federation Council. (This is a problem we've run into elsewhere, too: c.f. "Rapture." But still.)

    This leads me to wonder whether or not we were actually seeing the Federation Council proper in those scenes. Perhaps it was a subcommittee, with many observers– not unlikely given the interstellar significance of the case of James T. Kirk, renegade and terrorist. In which case, the Bzzit Khaht, Kasheeta and the others would be representatives from non-aligned planets (perhaps from along the Federation-Klingon border?) invited to observe the proceedings.
    Thus, given the brevity of their appearances, and given potential alternative explanations, I hesitate to describe those species as being canonically members.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2014
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  17. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    Good list, Paper Moon. :)

    The only issue I find with it is that Inferna Prime, Delb II and Bilana III should be in the "canonical mention, non-canonical membership" category.

    As for the troubling implications of the Council being filled with people in Starfleet uniforms, my personal interpretation is that former Starfleet personnel are permitted to ceremonially retain their uniform upon leaving the service to enter politics. The novels seem to support this, in that President Thelian, in his comic appearance, was wearing a uniform, and Articles of the Federation listed him as a former Starfleet officer.
     
  18. Enterprise1701

    Enterprise1701 Commodore Commodore

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    Have you ever read the TOS novel Excelsior: Forged in Fire?
     
  19. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    I tend toward the idea that the people in Starfleet uniforms in the council chamber in TVH were observers or witnesses, not Council members. After all, the issues under debate were Starfleet-related, so it made sense that there would be Starfleet representatives in attendance to testify or argue before the Council.

    And, sadly, there's nothing "weird" about TVH featuring aliens we only see once and never again -- or at least, nothing unusual. Trek is unfortunately full of background aliens seen once and ignored by later productions.
     
  20. Paper Moon

    Paper Moon Commander Red Shirt

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    Thanks! And good catch; not sure what in particular would've made me miss those, so I'm glad you corrected me! Will edit.

    Yeah, that's definitely a possibility, though it's still a large bloc of the Council being represented by former Starfleet officers. I'm just not sure how consistent that depiction of Starfleet within the larger life of the Federation is; is the organization really that sprawling? Seems almost suffocating.

    (On the other hand, the fact that a Starfleet JAG had some jurisdiction in the case of Richard Bashir might imply that, yes, Starfleet is that much of a sprawling organization.)

    For comparison, about one-third of the US Senate and the US House is composed of veterans. So, depending on how sprawling you think the present-day US military is, perhaps it's not such a leap to imagine so many veterans on the Council.

    I have not read it, though I believe I am familiar with how it addresses the inconsistency.

    Victims of the Klingon Augment Virus, right?
    I dunno, that just feels overly complicated as an explanation. As I say, "actually, I never read it", so I can't comment on it as a story. But it's part of my overall frustration with TrekLit's treatment of the Trill. I mean, really, the first world not from the Founding Five to be represented in the Office of the President was the world which later gave us Odan? About whose species Troi said, "We know so very little about them," and Picard agreed, "Yes. Quite"? That seems implausible to me. (Though I can think of ways around it.)

    Did AotF specify that she actually was from Trill? Or only that she was Trill? For example, she could be Rigelian. In fact, that's what I'm going to go with in my headcanon until it's established otherwise.
    Side note: does the above theory count as a story idea? If Christopher read it, would he not be able to use it in a novel, even as a supporting detail? I've long been unclear as to what counts as story ideas when it comes to universe-building theories.

    In any case, Trill is probably the most extreme example of an ambiguous presentation in canon that TrekLit has interpreted in one way but could also be validly interpreted in a totally different direction. I'm reminded of some the things FASA did in the late 80's, based on TOS, the first few movies and the first season of TNG, which ended up being a totally different direction than the TV show went in.

    I agree. That said, the fact that we see multiple Caitians in flag officer uniforms suggests to me, nonetheless, that Caitians are Federation members. Normally I don't think that single instances of representation in Starfleet should be taken too seriously as evidence of Federation membership (c.f. Worf, Nog, Ro and possibly the Dax's), but a pair of high-level officers being present at top-level activities of the Federation government seems like a great enough preponderance of evidence to assume membership, at least in this specific case.

    Agreed that it's not unusual. What's weird is that, unlike other background aliens, these folks were in the Federation Council chambers, suggesting not only that they were Federation members, but members of at least some (possibly temporary) importance. It's an odd imbalance, from an analytical perspective, anyway.

    Also, that brings up another interesting assumption that TrekLit has made: that all member planets/species/states hold individual representation on the Federation Council. That variable throws another wrench into analyzing those scenes from The Voyage Home.