List of Federation Members

[Timo]

One might assume that the Universal Translator would have a set policy for avoiding conflicts and confusion of this sort - which in practice might mean referring to a species as well as their homeworld and language by the human name of their star, since in theory the star names would be unconflicted.

This would explain things like Deltans or Sheliak just fine - while a select few species, either encountered early on before the introduction of the UT or then allowed to educate the world as to their indigenous naming systems, would form an acceptable exception. But this would also sort of imply that there would be only one Krios where Kriosians lived and spoke Kriosian...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Stevil2001]

Well, going from this entry, I'd say the best word for "united" in this sense would be consociatus. "Federation" is from the Latin word foedus, a league or covenant. And "planets" would be planetae. My Latin's rusty, but maybe something like Foedus Consociatus de Planetae?

Not de. I'm too rusty to be sure what's right in that context, but de does not belong.

 

[Timo]

Indeed, I guess any preposition in Latin can be assumed to be at least superfluous if not outright in error... Putting "planets" in the possessive form should suffice. That is, if we assume that "planets" is possessive, rather than descriptive.

It's the old "United States of America" problem again. Is it a bunch of States that are United and possessed by / located on the continent of America? Is it a bunch of States located in a nation of America that almost coincidentally sits on the continent of America? Is it a bunch of States defined as America?

United Federation of Planets is unlikely to be a nation named Planets that possesses a Federation. But do the Planets possess the Federation, or does the Federation consist of its Planets? Is this one Federation of Planets out of many, including the Dispersed and the Indifferent?

Semantics like that won't be solved by looking at the English version. But doing it in Latin would require the issues to be solved first...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Christopher]

Well, clearly it's supposed to mean a federation consisting of planets. Another way of phrasing it would be "Planetary Federation."

So what we want is the genitive form of planeta, being used in a partitive sense. And that would be planetae. Unless you go with the earlier Greek form planetes, in which case it would be planetei.

So I think I was close. Maybe something like Foedus Planetae Consociatus or Foedus Planetei Consociatus.

 

[William Leisner]

I would just go with Oonitedyay Ederationfay of Anetsplay.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I would just go with Oonitedyay Ederationfay of Anetsplay.

You speak Tellarite?

 

[wew]

Also in regards to the UN aspect, it should be remembered that observer status has been given to various groups, so it is possible that an individual actually is there as a recognized observer.

 

[Bec]

Guys (especially Chris), I just gotta ask: how do you know so much random information from Star Trek off hand??

 

[Christopher]

It's not all offhand. I consult Memory Alpha and other references a lot. But I've been a Trek fan since I was 5 years old, so I've always been immersed in the universe.

 

[Bec]

Fair enough.. I did figure Memory Alpha might have helped.. just a little. And I suppose writing Star Trek books requires a good amount of research also.

EDIT: Just noticed I'm a Commander now. When'd that happen?? Sorry, it's an achievment in my eyes!!

 

[foravalon]

I would just go with Oonitedyay Ederationfay of Anetsplay.

You speak Tellarite?

 

[Sci]

Also in regards to the UN aspect, it should be remembered that observer status has been given to various groups, so it is possible that an individual actually is there as a recognized observer.

Again, the problem there is that the Federation is a state in its own right, not an IGO. In point of fact, the Federation is just what its name implies -- a federation. It's probably fair to say that it grants a lot more autonomy to its member polities than, say, the US or Canada does today, but the idea of an "observer" member of a federation is legal nonsense.

 

[Timo]

Should we really put so much weight on the name, though? After all, the real world is full of "People's Democratic Republics" that, well, ain't...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Sci]

Should we really put so much weight on the name, though? After all, the real world is full of "People's Democratic Republics" that, well, ain't...

Timo Saloniemi

What can I say? I operate from the presumption that the Federation is a genuinely benign liberal democracy that, with rare exceptions, is what it says it is and does what it says it does.

 

[Timo]

Agreed that the UFP probably is as bona fide as bona fide can be. But essentially, the founders of this thing would be selling old human concepts to a culturally diverse and distant bunch of new allies - so arguably, they might have to invent new words, new concepts and slightly new meanings for their old words and concepts in the process.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[PaulSimpson]

Guys (especially Chris), I just gotta ask: how do you know so much random information from Star Trek off hand??

As Christopher says, the secret of this isn't necessarily having all the info in your head - but it's knowing where to go look for it from an accurate source. And that excludes 99.9% of the internet unfortunately.

Paul

 

[DimesDan]

Guys (especially Chris), I just gotta ask: how do you know so much random information from Star Trek off hand??

As Christopher says, the secret of this isn't necessarily having all the info in your head - but it's knowing where to go look for it from an accurate source. And that excludes 99.9% of the internet unfortunately.

Paul

I'm not a massive font of information like a few who hang out on here. But, from just seeing a few moments of an episode or a brief description, I can name pretty much any episode from TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT!

 

[wew]

I understand that about the "UN" connection, but even the Federation might allow for observers from planets that are not members of the Federation.

And it isn't nonsense, that they might allow for offiical observers at their official gatherings, if you are trying to entice a planet to enter, you might grant them the right to attend varoius meetings, etc. as observers.in order to see how things truly work.

 

[Sci]

I understand that about the "UN" connection, but even the Federation might allow for observers from planets that are not members of the Federation.

And it isn't nonsense, that they might allow for offiical observers at their official gatherings, if you are trying to entice a planet to enter, you might grant them the right to attend varoius meetings, etc. as observers.in order to see how things truly work.

What you're describing would be an Ambassador.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I understand that about the "UN" connection, but even the Federation might allow for observers from planets that are not members of the Federation.

IN ST VI, the Romulans were sitting with the Vulcans, and all vulcanoids were wearing yellow sashes, while the other UFP members wore blue.