Joining a larger Federation?

[Crewman47]

Given what the Federation is as it stands throughout the latter part of the TNG era do you think the Federation Council would ever consider integrating with a larger alliance of similar size if exploration ever made it to the far reaches of the Gamma and Delta Quadrant and possibly beyond?

If they did what do you suppose would actually happen with Starfleet and the member worlds? How would the other Empires, assuming they haven't already joined the Federation by this time, and any minor powers react to such an integration?

 

[T'Girl]

It might be interesting if: the Federation with it's 150 plus member worlds and thousand odd colonies encountered a Republic with 500 members and a couple of thousand colonies. The Federation could not very well ask this Republic to jump through the Federations membership hoops, with all the conditions that inplies. Simply because it comparative size and (maybe) it was an older organization, the Republic would the senior partner in any joining/merging with the Federation. And if the Federation Council refused to have anything to do with the Republic, individual Federation member worlds could conceivably feel differently.

At the end of the Dominion War the Federation was in less than perfect shape, one of the primary reasons planetary systems and small interstellar states joined the Federation in the first place was for security and protection. They had been required to surrender their sovereignty to get it. The main organization of that protection, Starfleet, had committed a series of actions that resulted in the Dominion War. The war took billions of lives. The Federation (from a certain point of view) had failed them.

Offered a option of joining a larger and presumily more powerful interstellar state would contain much appeal. The Republic (hypothetically) might offer the member worlds more autonomy concerning their internal matters. Greater military protection from a stronger (larger) fleet. Access to a more diverse culture. A different economic system. A less aggressive foreign policy toward potentially paranoid cultures like the Dominion.

One big selling point would be their simply not being the Federation, who (perhaps through no fault of it own) did in fact get the member worlds into a protracted war.

 

[Timo]

Didn't we sort of see the early stages of such a merging in TNG? That is, the Klingon Empire apparently ceased to be a UFP foe and was very much in the process of becoming its closest ally - and possibly much more.

The Dominion War may well have hastened this merging process, especially considering that pro-Federation factions carried the victory day, even if anti-Federation factions had fought the bulk of the conflict...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[C.E. Evans]

I thought about this idea once myself. I'm more inclined to think that the Federation could be part of a larger alliance of nations, yet still retain its individual sovereignty, as is the case with the present day United Nations. A future situation could have the Federation join forces with multiple other interplanetary governments in times of widespread galactic crisis or conflict.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

They should ally themselves with the First Federation and then proceed to debate who gets to keep using the name.

"We're the Federation!" "No, WE'RE the Federation!"

 

[Red Ranger]

Interesting question. I think the Federation would remain a separate political entity allied with such a group, the same way the Federation and the Klingons remain separate political powers. I think the same thing would happen if the Romulans signed a peace treaty as well. I think the only way the Federation would join a larger group is if it encountered an intergalactic group which has members in several galaxies.