Trill civilization is one of my favorite civilizations in Star Trek. And there are Trills in Starfleet and Defiant could fly there without any problems. However, are they part of the Federation or just an ally (like Bajor)? Because we know there can be citizens of non - Federation civilizations in Starfleet. So, are they members of the Federation or not?
Is the Trill part of the Federation in Deep Space 9?
- Thread starter BohandiAnsoid
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AFAIK, they were never said to be so. But they were never said not to be either.
They were ex-members in the future history of Discovery season 3/4/5. So they did join at some point.
“Is the Trill part of the Federation in Deep Space 9?”
Which Trill are we talking about?
Because there's the Trill, and then there's the Trill.
My headcanon is that Trill was a member of the Federation during the time of Deep Space Nine. At the very least, it's heavily implied.
For one thing, Dax never mentioned needing a sponsor to attend Starfleet Academy. Sure, it's possible she just never brought it up. But considering how much emphasis the series placed on the whole sponsorship process, it would’ve made for a great comment—especially in the episode where Nog wants to join Starfleet, or when Garak teases Worf with the same question.
For one thing, Dax never mentioned needing a sponsor to attend Starfleet Academy. Sure, it's possible she just never brought it up. But considering how much emphasis the series placed on the whole sponsorship process, it would’ve made for a great comment—especially in the episode where Nog wants to join Starfleet, or when Garak teases Worf with the same question.
He was, and I would have brought up the same argument - if it weren't for Neelix. He, too, was a Federation ambassador, but not a Federation citizen. So we can't be too sure with this argument alone.
But like I said, I would have used the same argument, if I didn't want to be technical.
Neelix wasn't just an ambassador in name only. The episode "Homestead" clearly establishes that he becomes the official "Federation Ambassador to the Delta Quadrant." Now, it's possible he obtained Federation citizenship as part of that role—but since that's never mentioned on screen, I'd argue he didn’t.
So, there is precedent that Federation ambassadors don't necessarily have to be Federation citizens. You could make a similar case for K’Ehleyr, though again, we just don’t know for sure.
It really depends on how technical you want to get. Personally, I believe Curzon Dax was a Federation citizen, based on my headcanon that Trill is a member world. But canonically, that’s never been confirmed (in the Berman era).
And after The Burn™, the Trill is gone.
From the script:
JANEWAY: I know you do. I've been thinking about something, too. Maybe you could help me.
NEELIX: I'd be happy to.
JANEWAY: It's an idea I'd need to talk to Starfleet Command about.
NEELIX: It must be important.
JANEWAY: It is. Now that we've established two way communication with Earth, it seems to me Starfleet could use a permanent ambassador in the Delta Quadrant. This ambassador would have to stay in frequent contact with Voyager.
NEELIX: Certainly.
JANEWAY: It would be difficult for me to run this ship without you, Neelix. But that might be a sacrifice I'd be willing to make for the greater good of Starfleet. Of course, the assignment would be entirely voluntary. You wouldn't be interested, would you?
So it was just Janeway’s idea, that we don’t even know if Starfleet implemented, or considers to be official. And he wouldn’t be a Federation ambassador, just an ‘ambassador in the Delta Quadrant’ in communication with the ship. This isn’t remotely the same thing as Curzon Dax.
If I'm not mistaken, an individual being a Federation citizen doesn't necessarily mean that their species is a Federation member.
For example, Worf was a Klingon, a Federation citizen, and an Ambassador.
That's not to say that proves anything about Curzon or the Trill. Just attempting to add more food for thought.
For example, Worf was a Klingon, a Federation citizen, and an Ambassador.
That's not to say that proves anything about Curzon or the Trill. Just attempting to add more food for thought.
Good one; completely forgot about Worf in that capacity.
Going back to my earlier point that Dax never mentioned anything about needing sponsorship, it just occurred to me that Ezri didn’t either. Both were commissioned officers. So was Perim from Insurrection. While three examples aren’t enough to draw broad conclusions, it’s still enough to suggest that requiring all Trill to be sponsored in order to join Starfleet would be unnecessarily complicated.
Not mentioning getting a letter doesn't preclude it happening though. Especially Perim. She has maybe a dozen lines tops? It'd be an oddly irrelevant thing to mention. 
There's quite a few Bajoran officers and we know for a fact they come from a non-Federation world, and none make any mention of being sponsored.
There's quite a few Bajoran officers and we know for a fact they come from a non-Federation world, and none make any mention of being sponsored.
While there is no definitive proof, such as dialogue, that says Trill was a Federation member, it's certainly heavily implied.
Curzon Dax was a Federation ambassador. Jadzia Dax, Ezri Dax, and Perim (from INSURRECTION) were Starfleet officers... as mentioned above, if they were non-Federation citizens, they would have needed a command level sponsor to get into Starfleet. Considering how many Trills we have seen in Starfleet, I don't think they all needed that. (Plus Arjin in "PLAYING GOD" toyed with the idea of joining Starfleet due to his pilot training.)
Curzon Dax was a Federation ambassador. Jadzia Dax, Ezri Dax, and Perim (from INSURRECTION) were Starfleet officers... as mentioned above, if they were non-Federation citizens, they would have needed a command level sponsor to get into Starfleet. Considering how many Trills we have seen in Starfleet, I don't think they all needed that. (Plus Arjin in "PLAYING GOD" toyed with the idea of joining Starfleet due to his pilot training.)
Yeah, I said the same thing about Dax—that she could have received the letter, but just never mentioned it.Not mentioning getting a letter doesn't preclude it happening though. Especially Perim. She has maybe a dozen lines tops? It'd be an oddly irrelevant thing to mention.
There's quite a few Bajoran officers and we know for a fact they come from a non-Federation world, and none make any mention of being sponsored.
In the case of the Bajorans, Tal Celes mentioned that Starfleet seemed interested in having more Bajorans join—possibly out of sympathy for everything they went through during the occupation. So maybe they were exempt from the requirement?
You could say the same about the Trill, if there were an in-universe reason why Starfleet would be particularly interested in them joining the service.
I’m not claiming it’s a strong argument—just that the absence of any reference to the letter (especially since it played such a prominent role elsewhere in the series) might suggest that Trill is already a member world of the Federation. But we don’t know for sure!
One might also say, "Considering how many Bajorans we have seen in Starfleet, I don't think they all needed that."
Just to be clear, I'm not arguing for one side over the other. Merely poking at assumptions and providing possible counterpoints.
