Alien personalities/philosophies

[Sci]

That's a bit like asking if the United States accepts islands or prairies as states in the Union. You're confusing geography with political organization. The Federation doesn't accept planets, per se, nor star systems -- how could they? Planets are just objects; you can't accept an object, you have to accept a political entity.

I wasn't the one who decided to call it the UFP.

Yeah, but so what? It's called the United States of America, but that hasn't prevented it from accepting a polity located on an island chain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean as a state. That it cites its primary geographical feature -- planets -- in its name does not mean that the actual constituent political units of the Federation will be planets.

Obviously, my response is that the UFP would indeed accept United Earth as a member in addition to its colonies and territories, much like the U.S. has unincorporated territories even today.

Well, one would hope that the Federation would only allow its constituent political units to have colonies if the people of those colonies consent to their unequal status, and if those colonists still get to vote in elections for the Federation Council and President. Certainly the U.S.'s current system of unincorporated territories--essentially communities that the U.S. conquered and to which it still denies equality under the law--should not be emulated.

To make a comparison: The Hawaiian islands are not part of the Union; the State of Hawaii is part of the Union. The planet Earth is not part of the Federation; the political entity United Earth is part of the Federation.

And you prove my point. The political entity of Earth (at least as far as canon goes and novels notwithstanding) includes Mars.

Except we don't know that. We know that they were founded as Human colonies, but we do not know their current canonical status at all.

I mean, what definition of "colony" are you using? Is this a description of the community's origins -- i.e., that it was founded by people who moved from Earth and began terraforming Mars? Is this a description of its legal political situation -- i.e., that it is considered a territory of the state known as United Earth but is subject to United Earth rule without possessing political equality with United Earth's other constituent entities (in the same way, that, say, the Territory of Indiana wasn't equal with the states in the Union prior to its becoming the State of Indiana, yet was still subject to rule from Washington)? Or is it a description of a de facto but not de jure relationship--say, a United Earth that dominates Mars the way the United States dominates the Republic of Haiti?

Who said anything about Haiti?

I did, because I wanted to make a point that the word "colony" is often used to describe the unofficial relationship between powerful states and the weak states they dominate and oppress. The phrase "puppet government" comes to mind. I made that point about the word "colony" (i.e., that it has several different definitions) to make a larger point--that we don't know exactly what the term "colony" means in this context.

A more apt comparison would be Puerto Rico. We don't own Haiti. We didn't plant a flag on their capital steps.

No, we just occupied it for decades and periodically send in our military to intervene whenever we decide we don't like how their internal political system is working. Make no mistake: Haiti is ruled from Washington, as surely as Alabama or North Dakota.

And Puerto Rico was covered under the second definition of "colony" I cited.

Why assume that United Earth get to claim ownership of the entire solar system?

Because in canon, Earth settled Mars and the various moons of our system.

Well, no, we don't know that. We know that humans settled Mars and various moons in the Sol system, but we don't know what sovereign states did. The founding of United Earth has never been canonically established. It's entirely possible that, as the novels speculate, Mars and those moons were colonized before the founding of United Earth, by any number of pre-U.E. states. For all we know, the first Martian colony may have been established by the Republic of Uganda. And we have no idea what Mars's relationship to United Earth evolved to be.

Where does it state that in canon? No reference to Mars as an independent sovereign planet are listed on Memory Alpha.

The canon has established nothing about Mars except that the Martian colonies exist.

I rest my case.

The fact that the canon has established nothing about Mars except that the colonies exist does not by default mean they must be U.E. colonies. The only factual statement about Mars's canonical status is "We don't know." It's just as non-canonical to say that Mars is a colony of United Earth as it is to say that Mars is independent of United Earth.

 

[T'Girl]

Does the Federation accept PLANETS or does the Federation accept STAR SYSTEMS?

I usually thought that Federation members "owned" their star systems, out to perhaps the system's Oort cloud. Formally a hypothetical bubble with a diameter of say one light year. If there were non-independent colonies, the member would own these as well. The same with a distant star system they held with dilithuim, or a planet with perguim, of a gas giant with tibanna gas. Resource areas.

Even former colonies, still in association with the home world, might be considered part of their "world."

Where does it state that in canon? No reference to Mars as an independent sovereign planet are listed on Memory Alpha.

There is a major Starship production facility on Mars, and in orbit around it. This suggest a relationship between member Mars and the Federation, or between dependent Mars and member Earth.

Or third, Mars is completely independent of both Earth and the Federation. And Mars simply undercut all member shipyards, in terms of Starship construction costs.

I admit there's no *canon* mentioning of when Trek's Mars became independent.

In the episode Court Martial, Kirk's lawyer mentions the Fundamental Declarations of the Martian colonies, but there was no linkage between that and something like a Martian declaration of independence. Cogley linked it more to a statement of Human Rights.

Canon be damned.

Torpedoes too, full speed ahead.

 

[T'Girl]

Blanca (species birthworld Kaza'Blanca)

The Blanca's birthworld is located in the Neutral Zone, the thin ribbon between two major powers. The birthworld itself is neutral and free. The Blanca civilization colonized a small republic prior to the Romulan War.

Ensign SambVar is from one of those colonies, Cassi. Outside of the Neutral Zone (which the Blanca don't recognize), and on the Federation's "side." While Kaza'Blanca is neutral, Cassi isn't, a friend and ally (but not a member) of the Federation.

Philosophy: Gamblers and gregarious social butterflies. After a few weeks on even the largest ship they know everyone aboard well.

Common traits: After puberty, the Blanca cease to require sleep. While they prefer to have a couple hours of quiet time a day, they don't lose consciousness. Quiet time consist of listening to music, light reading, and of course prayer.

Physical: Female, SambVar is a tall "beanpole,"and looks to have wings. Not wings really, they are actual heat radiators and have the appearance of multiple sword blades, they unfold when she exerts herself. Also when she expects violence, or when she is attracted to someone. Kind of like blushing. The backs of her uniforms have special openings and "pockets."

Shipboard assignment: Life sciences, "I just love scanning for lifeforms."

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The idea for the Kaz'Blanca home planet came from this ...

http://www.trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=4406343&postcount=10