What is your Federation?
- Thread starter Arpy
- Start date
As the dominant power of the Alpha Quadrant. An interstellar alliance of 150 worlds, with Earth as its capital. Isn't that basically how the Federation has always been depicted?
Not as infallable as Roddenberry always wanted to present it.
I may be speaking out of turn, but I am guessing the OP was hoping we'd dig a little deeper than that.
For example, how would you depict their culture and traditions?
Would it be closer in nature to the United States or the European Union as regards to how the central authority and its constituent parts relate to each other?
Is there a lot of racism against Humans/Vulcans/Tellarites/Andorians/Betazoids anywhere?
What kind of music do people listen to? What does the word "people" even mean in a true "multi-racial" nation?
I tend to view the Federation as an alliance of unified worlds, with each world maintaining its own planetary government, but working together to deal with issues that might affect them all or to assist one another in times of need.
As a real-world analogy, I would place the Federation as being closer to the United Nations, with Earth as the United States and maybe Vulcan as China or France?
As a real-world analogy, I would place the Federation as being closer to the United Nations, with Earth as the United States and maybe Vulcan as China or France?
I would say that the UN analogy holds well enough for what we've already seen on screen. Journey to Babel obviously established that each member world maintains its own diplomatic corps. But the analogy breaks down in certain areas. The UN for example does not maintain a unified armed forces of its own like the UFP does.
Personally I see the UFP as a more Federal type state, similar to the United States, Mexico, and Germany. It is one unified political body, but each member has a little more autonomy in certain areas than any state would in the US, Mexico, or Germany.
Personally I see the UFP as a more Federal type state, similar to the United States, Mexico, and Germany. It is one unified political body, but each member has a little more autonomy in certain areas than any state would in the US, Mexico, or Germany.
I wouldn't place the capitol on Earth. I find it unlikely that all of the founding species would have accepted having all the power on Earth.
I would imagine that the founding races of the Federation would place the capitol on a previously uncolonized but habitable planet.
jcourtenay
Ensign
should just make it mars or something
Mars was very enhabited at the founding of the Federation.
A bunch of pompous killjoys?
Yeah. That would be like having the headquarters of the UN in the United States....oh, wait...
You read my mind.
After the situation with the Zindi in ENT and the later Romulan War I could see the need for the Federation to maintain a single unified strong protection force. There's also the ongoing threat of the Klingons and Orion pirates. And since Starfleet was already around and had a few non-human crew, they got the job.
I could see Earth as the Federation capital because that's where the headquarters of Starfleet is. So it's probably the best protected location. Plus, I felt that the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites saw Earth as a neutral between them.
I see the Federation as a place founded on promising, idealistic principles, but one that has come to value political expediency instead yet at the same time are in denial about the fact that sometimes tough measures have to be taken. They espouse diversity but are quick to lecture others. It's a weird combination, for sure--but that's what they have become.
It occurs to me, if you were to write a story about your present day home country, would that story automatically be about the government? There has just got to be more to the massive Federation other than it's political body. Is the Federation society really just one big group hug kumbaya family, or are they thousand upon thousand of squabbling races looking for the best time and place to one up their closest neighbor?
I would present portions of the Federation population as being very competitive with each other. But not all, some planets would be "pastrail."they would be comparable to terrestrial Uruguay, proud of themselves, just not what you would call major players.
However, if I did do a story about the Federation government, I'd bear in mind that Earth (with it's politically traditions) is just one member among many, it's unlikely that the Federation government would be to much like what we have on Earth, there's a council and somehow a leader is chosen, canon gets a little mysterious past that,
The persons on the Fed council might be like the Centauri ambassador on Babylon Five, Londo got the job because no one else wanted it. T'Pau did turn down the position herself (she probably knew something).
Perhaps depict the Federation gov as more of a association or a share holders meeting. The council is on Earth now, but in years past it held it's meeting on various different planets, each time (after a dozen odd years) the hosting planet would "request" that they grace another member planet with their august presents.
In my story through a problem with the universal translator at the time, a law was pass five years earlier that require all council members to appear in chambers dressed in feathers.
Thing is, we've had no indication that Federation planets do maintain their own planetary government. After all, in Homefront/Paradise Lost it was the Federation government that handled the situation on Earth. No referance was made to any involvement from or even the existence of an Earth government.
Well, Canon has made it very clear that Earth is the capital.
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