A Starfleet draft during the Dominion War

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

It would have been interesting to see Starfleet drafting colonists from worlds near the war zone, or at least promoting enlistment.

There'd be the anger of colonists who don't want to send their children off to war. Women wouldn't be excluded from conscription. Medical issues wouldn't be as much of an excuse they are today. Those who didn't volunteer would be called cowards. Maybe you'd have a planet that forcibly repelled Starfleet from taking their drafted citizens. Etc.

 

[WraithDukat]

I can imagine officer fast tracking more than a draft. The closest thing to a draft would probably be handing everyone a Phaser because the Dominion is about to land

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I suspect that there would still be conscientious objectors had a draft been introduced. Starfleet reserves would be called up and I suspect a lot of people would enlist to do their patriotic duty to defend their home and the Federation, either that or the Arcturians would turn their cloning machines up to eleven

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Starfleet doesn't need to institute a draft, not even during the height of the war. There'd be more than enough willing enlistees.

 

[kkt]

Even now, draftees are of limited value. You want people watching your back and learning to use complicated equipment who really want to be there. It takes time to learn to use complicated gear - draftees who are out in 2-3 years you'd probably spend more time training them than they'd get in the field.

 

[Jono]

It would have been interesting to see them come at the manpower issue from the technology angle. I think that in terms of a Star Trek context would be more interesting than a draft.

 

[thribs]

I think that was never a issue. They had plenty of people enlisting of their own free will that they didn’t need a draft.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

They could always perfect the transporter "accident" that created Tom Riker. That would be right in Section 31's wheelhouse.

 

[thribs]

They could always perfect the transporter "accident" that created Tom Riker. That would be right in Section 31's wheelhouse.

The Andorians did that in one of the Titan novels. No one knows about it yet. Still a open story.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

The Andorians did that in one of the Titan novels. No one knows about it yet. Still a open story.

Thanks! Now you've spoiled it for me

 

[Nyotarules]

Starfleet cannot draft citizens unless the Federation is a military dictatorship, it can only promote enlistment.

 

[TheSeeker]

A draft does not really seem to be in line with federation values. I can't see it happening.

 

[dahj]

Is Starfleet even military to be able to draft people?

 

[Spot261]

With a population in the trillions and the recurring themes we've seen of starfleet being by necessity a highly demanding and elite organisation I'd imagine recruitment issues would be the least of their concerns. On the contrary, building the material resources to provide roles for the willing volunteers and training them quickly enough to be viable would be far more pressing questions.

Starfleet's never been shown to be lacking in interested recruits, they have been shown to be in a position to be incredibly and unnecessarily picky, but the ships they crew are a massively scarce, costly and time consuming resource.

 

[Nyotarules]

Is Starfleet even military to be able to draft people?

'We're not soldiers we are explorers'! Can/Does NASA draft people?

 

[Spot261]

@dodge, can you tell us why?

Did you just have a bad day and feel we deserved to suffer with you?

 

[Kemaiku]

With a population in the trillions and the recurring themes we've seen of starfleet being by necessity a highly demanding and elite organisation I'd imagine recruitment issues would be the least of their concerns. On the contrary, building the material resources to provide roles for the willing volunteers and training them quickly enough to be viable would be far more pressing questions.

Starfleet's never been shown to be lacking in interested recruits, they have been shown to be in a position to be incredibly and unnecessarily picky, but the ships they crew are a massively scarce, costly and time consuming resource.

The Federation only numbered around 960 billion by the end of the war, not even 1 trillion people

But factor in entire races like Vulcans opting not to fight, with 150-160 members, say 1/20th are pacifists, at 5 billion per world. 155 billion or so opting out.

Lets say the remaning 805 billion, have about a 1/4 of their population even elligable in age and ability at best means 201.25 billion people that can apply overall. I can't seen more than a tenth of that getting past basic training and skill specification in time, given it would already be more than halfway through the war before a draft is implemented.

So 15-20 billion new and just barely capable recruits just as the war ends. Now all have to be put through civilian readjustment courses...

Plus drafts are against basic human rights so the Federation will not become a meat grinder state.

 

[Spot261]

The Federation only numbered around 960 billion by the end of the war, not even 1 trillion people

But factor in entire races like Vulcans opting not to fight, with 150-160 members, say 1/20th are pacifists, at 5 billion per world. 155 billion or so opting out.

Lets say the remaning 805 billion, have about a 1/4 of their population even elligable in age and ability at best means 201.25 billion people that can apply overall. I can't seen more than a tenth of that getting past basic training and skill specification in time, given it would already be more than halfway through the war before a draft is implemented.

So 15-20 billion new and just barely capable recruits just as the war ends. Now all have to be put through civilian readjustment courses...

Plus drafts are against basic human rights so the Federation will not become a meat grinder state.

201 billion eligible recruits, for an organisation which operates in terms of a few million active personnel at the best of times. and could easily streamline the roles required to function in wartime, not to mention the usual surge in interest that we tend to see under such circumstances.

There's no need to draft is my point, just the opposite, regardless of the ethical questions.

Of course the OP's point is that stories revolving around those ethical questions would make for good trek, which I completely agree with, but it would be difficult to work them into the setting without it creating yet another "How big is SF?" "is there money in the 24th century?" style circular fan debate....

 

[dahj]

@dodge, can you tell us why?

 

[Spot261]

Not sure if that was disturbing or strangely pleasant....