Is Starfleet Military?
- Thread starter Prometheus59650
- Start date
I think it's largely because Starfleet insists that it's not a military organization. I think if they just admitted, "yeah, we give up, we admit it, we're the frickin' space navy", the debate would end.
See also:
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/is-starfleet-a-military-organization.308636/
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/starfleet-is-a-space-navy-military-fleet.286724/
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/starfleet-as-the-military.284759/
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/why...-the-idea-of-starfleet-being-military.282470/
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/starfleet-military-or-not.269242/
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/starfleet-is-not-a-military-organization-peak-performance.261796/
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/is-starfleet-a-military-or-not.253804/
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/a-military-star-fleet-and-uespa.214783/
Read those first
Also Kirk: "I can tell you we're not in the military and we intend no harm towards the whales."Kirk: "I'm a soldier, not a diplomat."
Just to hit all the squares on the "Is Starfleet military" bingo card.
Shit. We're on Page 3 now. Sorry!
Kirk: "I'm a soldier, not a diplomat."
Just to hit all the squares on the "Is Starfleet military" bingo card.
"Starfleet is not a military organization" - Jean Luc Picard. Who had that one on their card?
The answer is that there is definitive, but contradictory, evidence for both positions, just as in the money debate, meaning neither side can "win". Starfleet has been both definitely a military and definitely not one during the run of the shows and movies.
If you must have an in universe answer, I think @Unicron nails it pretty well on page one.
Starfleet is a representative task force of United Federation of Planet members whose combined ‘enterprise’ leads to missions of discovery, exploration of the unknown and the defense of shared moral standards, inter-species rights and ideologies.
Not sure if this was meant as a joke one?
I always took that to mean he was not part of the 1986 military
I don't know why Gene Roddenberry and the other showrunners that followed had decided to tell audiences that Starfleet wasn't a military organization, when its main characters served aboard a starship or on a space station where the majority of its characters possessed military rank and the settings for each series had a command structure.
Yes, I'm 99.9% certain it was meant as a joke.
Yes, that is what Kirk meant, considering the character he was speaking to, but you know, its not uncommon for some to reach in the "Starfleet is like a line of pacifist love boats in space" argument. Well, that description describes TNG, so...
It was. The "Shit! We're on Page 3 now! Sorry!" should've been a dead giveaway.
See my serious take on the first page (We're repeating ourselves now!):
^ Take note @TREK_GOD_1 that I think Starfleet is the military and that -- gasp! -- I actually fucking agree with you.
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In hindsight, yes that does make sense
I'm seeing the same points made as before but I'm seeing them made by different people and with different emphasis.
I also think (shockingly) that the last time I was on this merry go round was before Disco, Picard, and SNW.
Ah, I stand corrected. I actually missed one. Or two?
I also think (shockingly) that the last time I was on this merry go round was before Disco, Picard, and SNW.
Ah, I stand corrected. I actually missed one. Or two?
Yup. But a merry go round does the same thing, and it's still fun.
In the end, it boils down to how you define "military". If you do the "type 'military definition' into Google" route, it says "relating to armed forces". Well, Starfleet IS an armed force. It issues sidearms powerful enough to level buildings ("Frame of Mind"), and puts even more fearsome weapons on its ships. Add its use of uniforms, ranks, promotion, and command structure and you've got a nearly indisputable case that it's a military.
On the other side... its primary mission is science and exploration. And, aside from the Defiant class, only a small percentage of its ships' infrastructure is devoted to combat capability (the daycare center on the Enterprise D probably takes up more space than the phaser arrays). And most relevant in this topic, it says it's not a military organization.
With both sides having such a strong case, no one to impose time limits, and no designated judge or jury to render a verdict... the discussion could last for a very long time.
Yep. ST fans have been "going in circles" for decades about everything...
...but just so there's no miscommunication....Starfleet is a military organization.
...but just so there's no miscommunication....Starfleet is a military organization.
I love Office Space!I’m not sure “missed” is the right word…
If it was primary it would take precedence.
When did this become disputed? It certainly wasn't during TOS. I don't think it was in the 70's and 80's. I'm going to lay the blame at the feet of TNG and the reinstatement of The Great Bird. But I might be missing some detail.
(No Money is the one two punch of The Voyage Home and TNG.)
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