Is Starfleet a military organization?

yep but otoh the andorian mining consortium looks rather militarily, too (they are armed to their teeth, aren't they?) - maybe they are modelled after the east indian company.

jean-luc is kinda indiana jones in outer space, though

 

You are aware that the name ‘Andorian Mining Consortium’ was made up by Shran..?

 

you don't say


... thy'lek shran is the best alien to ever point a gun at a starfleet captain - enterprise should have been continued for him alone

 

kinda your job, isn't it?

 

Yep. The Andorian military was called the "Andorian Imperial Guard" (The Andorian Incident, Cease Fire), which is a solid military name that implies it grew out of the Emperor's personal guard.

 

yeah, do you guys really believe i didn't get that? or that i stumbled into that episode having never seen thy'lek shran before (those andorians all look the same anyway)?

 

That's just not right, unless you don't count France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain as liberal democracies. The fact is, in a number of countries' histories, they turned over some policing responsibility – especially of rural areas or road networks – to a part of the army, and it works for them.

I'm not sure that is a widely-held view. But the important part is that people who are tried by a court martial are covered by a legal system that is separate from the system that has jurisdiction over most citizens. IOW, a military justice system.

 

I was responding to Mr. Laser Beam, and mostly making a comment on the possible origin of their true name, with no comment on the Consortium title.

The name Andorian Mining Consortium does predate Proving Ground, in non-canon sources, and this might imply an existence outside of Shran's imagination.

 

more or less the whole of europe - those forces were in between the police and the military. in case of war they were used as military. their equipment and structure was military, too.

 

i didn't know that but then i'm rather bad with non canon sources. just for curousity when were those non-canon sources written (in relation to proving ground)?

 

25th Anniversary Game (1992)

 

thx

 

Starfleet is possibly best described as a quasi-military organization. It is an official branch of the United Federation of Planets separate from the civilian government (unlike a paramilitary force which has no formal recognition). It is organized along military lines (ranks, hierarchy, equipment, etc.) Its officers can act as diplomats, provide logistical support or fill judicial roles when needed, but are separate from the Federation’s civilian professionals in their respective fields (diplomats, colonists, judges, etc.). And it defends the Federation from external and internal threats when necessary (a combination of a traditional military and a police force).

However, Starfleet’s primary mission has always been the pursuit of peaceful exploration and scientific discovery, with secondary focuses of defense, diplomacy and other public services. Unlike a traditional or true military organization, Starfleet’s primary function is not one of combat (compared, for example, to the Klingon Defense Force or the Cardassian Central Command). Starfleet always attempts to first seek a peaceful resolution to potential conflicts, resorting to the use of force only as a last resort. Starfleet personnel will of course defend themselves and the Federation when necessary, are equipped with top-of-the-line military weapons and are thoroughly trained in the fields of military combat, tactics and strategy. However, Starfleet always hopes that such defensive measures will not be needed, but are prepared to use them just in case.

 

"Primary mission" doesn't shift the military moniker. It just means that they are capable of several jobs, which makes sense in light of Kirk's "combined service" remark to Captain Christopher.

 

i always understood that as 'we don't have/need infantry' and i always thought that's nuts

 

More like military++

 

Exactly. If people want Starfleet to not be a military then having a separate department of the UFP that serves in that role, both infantry and naval. There's a reason why Federation Marines, or Starfleet marines, have a certain amount of appeal. They can be that actual military arm and Starfleet can go and just do exploring. The fact that Starfleet is always called upon to respond to external threats from other powers' military aggression puts it squarely in that role.

I love the slogans that get bandied about by Starfleet personnel about exploration but they all get called up in the moment of need.

 

... and get shot to smithereens like ordinary grunts