Captain Kirk refers to the Federation as a democracy in Errand of Mercy.
I wonder perhaps if it works similarly to how the European Union does. Perhaps each planet elects a Senator and they in turn vote for a President.
In Star Trek's future on earth, could you just be lazy all day if you wanted to?
- Thread starter The Rock
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Captain Kirk refers to the Federation as a democracy in Errand of Mercy.
I wonder perhaps if it works similarly to how the European Union does. Perhaps each planet elects a Senator and they in turn vote for a President.
Thanks. Though my mind was more on the 24th century when I asked the question.
I imagine planets in the Federation mostly are in charge of their own laws and the interplanetary governing body only rules on interplanetary matters.
That's how I largely understood it. They all agree to Federation law, but each member world has the right of self governance and the Federation can't interefere in local politcs. I think that's how the crew of Enterprise were able to claim political asylum from Ambassador Sarek in The Search for Spock.
Also I don’t think there’s a single leader of the Federation, I think there’s a governing council made up of local representatives.
There’s probably some basic list of Federation laws like no slavery and such and otherwise local policy is determined locally.
There’s probably some basic list of Federation laws like no slavery and such and otherwise local policy is determined locally.
I like to think TNG-era earth hides a vile secret: millions of obese, grotesque humans living their entire lives in holosuites, acting out endless shocking perversions with no wish to ever leave.
But since they never go outside everyone pretends it's a problem that doesn't exist.
But since they never go outside everyone pretends it's a problem that doesn't exist.
Yes, there is. The President of the Federation is the UFP's head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of Starfleet. We've seen at least four of them:
- Jonathan Archer (ENT "In a Mirror, Darkly")
- Hiram Roth (ST IV)
- Ra-ghoratreii (ST VI)
- Jaresh-Inyo (DS9)
We also heard about (but did not see) the president in DSC. It's in "Will You Take My Hand?" where Michael Burnham is pardoned and reinstated to full rank. The pardon came directly from the President.
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Huh, in DS9 it’s portrayed like he’s President of Earth.
And he never seems to be involved in any dangerous situations not directly pertaining to Earth security.
And also in DS9, he seems pretty hapless in terms of his experience in military matters.
And he never seems to be involved in any dangerous situations not directly pertaining to Earth security.
And also in DS9, he seems pretty hapless in terms of his experience in military matters.
There were going to be scenes in Homefront/Paradise Lost where Jaresh-Inyo "federalizes" local Earth forces to deal with the crisis, but they got cut from the script at some point. I don't think they were ever filmed, but there was a plan for them.
In any case, the Federation President has full authority to declare martial law on any member world, including Earth. So I don't see a problem with events unfolding as we saw them.
As for Jaresh-Inyo's peaceful nature and inexperience in crisis situations, this is an important part of the plot. Admiral Leyton is exploiting it, in fact, to further his own plans for a military takeover.
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So, I guess you didn't notice the sign in his office that says "United Federation of Planets Office of the President"
http://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/4x11/homefront_309.jpg
It would help explain Homefront. Earth's entire power grid has been knocked offline, so no holosuite would work anymore (assuming they are not on a weird "incompatible" power system as in Voyager). Leyton, fearing that the fat, degenerate masses would leave their houses now in protest, showing the Federation to the entire galaxy in its underwear (perhaps even literally), immediately posts guards over the entire earth to prevent that from happening ...
Of course we do. Picard tells those unscrupulous, backward, lazy late-20th Century unfrozen humans that the "challenge is to enrich yourself!!!!" And then he lectures Lily Sloan, a survivor of an atomic war BTW, that humanity doesn't need to get paid because the acquisition of things is not nearly as fun as working to better yourself and all of humanity.
C'mon man!
The more I watch TNG, and listen to Picard in particular, the more I think these people are all a bunch of brainwashed drooling idiots, and the Federation is nothing but a giant cult.
We only saw a minute or so of what the education system was like in this school. For all we know, there are vast variations on the educational experience that we were not shown. I don't think we can make this judgement.
I doubt that would happen. Even without power, why would the fat degenerate masses want to go outside when their sofas are inside?
Perhaps President of the Federation Council. He's explicitly not the Commander-in-chief of Starfleet in the film (although President Jaresh-Inyo claims that authority in the 2370s). I always figure that the UFP goes for a weak presidential model and probably doesn't have a seperated executive-legislative branch. I'd hesitate to say they use a Westminster-style of government, but maybe some sort of combination of a semi-democratic Parliament composed along unrepresentative US Senate lines (each planet gets one councilman, whether it be the 10 billion on Earth or 300 on Gaul). Maybe Vulcan is run as a meritocracy (the most logical citizens get promoted, no need for a vote) and Andoria still operates out of the old Imperial clan-based nobility.
They're not obese, though, because the diet is strictly controlled by the replicator, and if they get too fat, then a doctor at the local clinic can inject them with a de-fattening pill after their latest heart attack.
Everyone looks like Hollywood actors and actresses because medical science is just that good.
He's President of the United Federation of Planets.
Without power, the replicators wouldn't work anymore, so they would have neither holodecks nor food. And as the old Romans would tell you, the masses get restless if you withhold 'panem et circences' from them....
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