What if Earth doesn't rejoin the Federation?

Earth may have been one of the founding members of the Federation, but how much sense does it make for Earth to still be part of it?

Earth thinks of itself as a Paradise. The Federation is only as much of a Paradise as its worst off worlds and its most dangerous, chaotic colonies.

Earth is at peace. Looking at the Federation, it looks like it's been at war more often than it hasn't been. Kind of like America.

Starfleet, the not-military branch of the Federation, has Humans in it that act more "primitive" than most Humans, if we look at what Gene Roddenberry describes in his TMP Novelization. Technically not canon, but it shows what the creator's intent was before everything except TOS and TAS was made.

I think Earth outgrew what it created. They decided, "We can't be part of this anymore." And, from their point of view, they might not want to rejoin, even if Discovery is able to reconnect all the former worlds of the Federation.

 

I'm sure the issue will come up within the context of Admiral Senna Tal and his mission, with Adira taking on that mission in some manner as an informal ambassador both for Earth and for Federation worlds.

 

I'm sure they'll be back but really... does it matter? It was meant to be space Brexit. I bet the Earthican taxes are higher.

 

My personal theory is that the last two or three episodes of season 4 are going to involve the Dreaded Space Anomaly detected heading for Earth which is going to result in Disco leading a Starfleet task force to work with the EDF and together they work to stop the Anomaly just as its edges are crossing into the Sol system, With the day saved, an eternally grateful Earth agrees to rejoin the Federation. Final scene of the finale involves celebrations in San Francisco or Paris or some city with a real recognizable landmark which is apparently still standing in the 32nd century.

 

Earth also thinks of itself as wanting to extend that paradise to the rest of the galaxy -- or at least it did before it embraced nativism.

No, it clearly is not. "People of Earth" made it very clear that United Earth has been in persistent conflict with raiders based on Titan. That means that not only is Earth not at peace, but it doesn't even control its own solar system or peacefully share its own solar system with its neighbors -- in fact, it's not even in contact with its neighbors within the Sol system. In fact, United Earth has become so nativist and inward facing that the United Earth Charter mandates immediate hostile reaction if a foreign ship, even a friendly one, approaches Earth. And, it doesn't seem as though United Earth really controls any territory outside low orbit, given its planetary defense shield. (We have no idea who governs Luna.)

That's a fair critique! But given Earth's relationship with Titan and how quickly they raised the planetary shields the instant one friendly ship showed up, I think the 32nd Century United Earth isn't doing that much better.

I mean, the United Earth Defense Force has apparently never been able to militarily neutralize a small number of poorly-organized raiders from within Earth's own star system. I think it's safe to say that the UEDF is not particularly powerful, and that United Earth is going to need to reunite with its former Federation partners or otherwise join with some larger interstellar polity if it is going to maintain its own defense. The galaxy may have been devastated, but we don't know if there might still be threats like the Borg or the Dominion or the Voth lurking out there in deep space.

 

That would be very, very rude.

 

Having Earth leave the Federation still bugs me. If anything Earth would/should have been the last planet to leave.

 

Now that everyone knows what caused the Burn...Earth had better be eating a shitload of crow right about now.

 

To be clear, I think Earth will return to the Federation by the end of the series. But I'd like it if they run with Earth not being part of it for a while.

 

I may have missed or forgotten something; What Anomaly?

 

Does everyone know or just the Disco crew and Vance's top people? There's potential for turning the galaxy against Kelpiens here. Just look at idiots today being assholes to the Chinese because of Covid19.

 

Some roving power field or gravity distortion measuring a staggering four lightyears in diameter mentioned in the trailer and is the next looming threat.

 

Ah. I haven't seen any trailers yet. I thought it was a teaser from last season.

Maybe its Son of V'Ger!

 

We know that the Eiffel Tower either survived WW3 or was rebuilt, we've seen it thorughout Trek upto the 24th century, 500 years after it was build. I see no reason it wouldn't still be standing in the 31st century. It's only 1000 years from today, Westminster Abbey and Tower of London are of a similar age, and things like the Patheon, Porta Nigra, Pyramids, Dome of the Rock all exist. Hell my local village church is over 800 years old. We know they rebuilt the Golden Gate Bridge (sometimes with solar panels for some odd reason - maybe some celebration?) after the dominion attack, again no reason it won't exist in the 31st - Earth seems to have had a stable domestic society with plenty of resources since the post atomic horror, even if it did go all brexity after the burn, so things aren't going to fade on their own.

 

I mean, you would think that if anything, the nation that helped found the United Nations and forge the coalition that defeated Nazi Germany would understand the value of international unity, but that still didn't stop the United Kingdom from seceding from the European Union.

Sometimes societies go through dark phases even when they ought to know better.

 

well, sure. I get the real world allegories they are making with it…both Brexit and Trumps “America First”.

doesn’t mean I think it fits for Star Trek when humanity was always leading the charge.

 

I dunno -- I mean, isn't the idea that Earth/humans are always in the right, always leading the charge, itself kind of a violation of the idea that everyone's equal? If you're writing a Federation where every planet and every culture is equal, shouldn't you at some point do a story where Earth is in the wrong and the rest of the Federation have to make Earth wake up, no different from a story where Vulcan or Andor or Tellar are in the wrong and the rest of the Federation have to make them wake up?

 

I think you're looking at it the wrong way. I think by having Earth not be part of the Federation, DSC has something to add to the Evolution of Humanity story from TOS, TNG, and DS9.

TOS --> Humanity is better than it was. "Half savage" but still evolving.
TNG --> Humanity thinks it's truly become more evolved. Q and the Traveller take notice.
DS9 --> What's Humanity like once you take it away from Earth or Paradise? How do those ideals actually hold up when put to the test?
DSC --> Does Earth actually still need the Federation? Why or why not? Does the Federation just revolve around Humans or can it actually be something more?

Maybe DSC proves why Earth still needs to be part of the Federation. On the other end, you get to see is Earth really the glue that holds the Federation together or are other member worlds capable of holding up the ideals of the Federation? Does the Federation need to revolve around Earth or can it revolve around itself as a more general entity?

 

I don't think it matters if Earth rejoins. It would seem that Earth's importance has, finally, been minimized in Star Trek. I say that because you can't really have this big galaxy-spanning Federation if Earth always seems to be the most important planet. I'm kinda glad that Trek has moved away from that now. It was time move on.

 

I think ever since ENT, I've looked at Earth not so much as the glue that held the Federation together, but more or less neutral ground that its otherwise disparate members could meet at. I think it was important in DIS to establish that both Federation and Starfleet HQ just moved elsewhere rather than cease to exist after Earth bowed out.