Presidents of the Federation Are Based in France—Why?

[Smellincoffee]

Because everyone has two countries, their own and France?

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

It raises the question, why have Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco? Why not Edinburgh or Berlin or Christchurch or Tokyo?

 

[Tim Thomason]

That's an interesting idea. Then it could have been an indication of earth's relative lack of power at the time (mid 22nd century) that made it the capital- much like small or 'neutral' member states of the UN or the EU often get important offices.

Washington, DC was literally built on a backwater swamp. My own state (Illinois) picked a small city in the middle to place their capital, because Lincoln didn't want to travel too far from his home. And many other states as well as countries picked capital cities for their location in connection to the midpoint of their nation.

It could be that Earth, in comparison to Vulcan and Andoria and Tellar Prime, is located at a centralized enough place for all these locales to meet up in the middle and discuss their alliance.

I mean, it used to be right on the Alpha-Beta border.

 

[Christopher]

It could be that Earth, in comparison to Vulcan and Andoria and Tellar Prime, is located at a centralized enough place for all these locales to meet up in the middle and discuss their alliance.

I think it was chosen more for political neutrality than geographical. ENT did a good job of justifying why Earth took the lead in forming the Coalition and later the Federation -- because it was the only world that the other three founding species all got along with, the only one they trusted not to screw them over. As the youngest power, it had the least history of interaction and conflict with the other three, so it had the least baggage and was in the best position to negotiate with the others and bring them into an alliance.

 

[matthunter]

Possibly they just heard about the chocolate bread and the sex:

• The weak, sensual, pleasure-loving French. You know, not going to war because they’re all still in bed at two in the afternoon, with the sheets coiled about their knees, lying, there scratching themselves, smoking a Gauloise inside a Gitane, sweating Nice sancerre. Before one of them sloughs off the sheets to pad around the kitchen naked. No, not naked, naked from the waist down. To emphasise their nakedity. Picking up yesterday's croissant crumbs with their sweaty feet. Slashing yesterday's paintings.
• Chocolate bread! That's how they start the day. It's only going to escalate from there. By lunchtime you're fucking everybody you know. I was in Paris recently—they are very good at pleasure. I was walking by a bakery—a boulangerie, which is fun to go into and to say, even—and I went in, a childish desire to get a cake—"Give me one of those chocolate guys," I said—and I was talking to someone on the street, took a bite... I had to tell them to go away! This thing! I wanted to book a room with it! "Where are you from, what kind of music are you into? Come on!" Proper, serious pleasure. Because they know they're gonna die. Nobody goes to church. You think, we're gonna die, make a fucking nice cake.

 

[tharpdevenport]

The Federation asked France if they could be there and France surrendered just to be safe.

 

[Graham]

I'd guess France is the capital city of the United Earth, and since Earth was the driving force behind the Federation, it became the capital city of that, too.

Why was France the capital of the United Earth? Well, maybe France got lucky in World War III and was one of the few major cities left undamaged?

 

[UssGlenn]

Why was France the capital of the United Earth? Well, maybe France got lucky in World War III and was one of the few major cities left undamaged?

Insert "because they surrendered first" joke here.

 

[Graham]

Insert "because they surrendered first" joke here.

Well they surrendered to the UK, obviously. Hence why Picard has a British accent...

 

[Tim Thomason]

The Federation asked France if they could be there and France surrendered just to be safe.

Or Napoleon XIII took over all of Europe in the aftermath of WWIII (the European Hegemony), and then managed to expand his power to cover the whole planet (United Earth). It doesn't really jibe with French being a dead language (per TNG), but France, like United Earth apparently, at least has a Prime Minister (unlike the US/UN/EU).

 

[Rrune]

see pic of Eiffel Tower

Other countries have their own landmarks too.

Paris and San Francisco are both important Earth cities with long histories.

There are other important Earth cities with long histories.

The Federation President's Office being in Paris was first established in TUC, and in that case it was just so they could get away with using the matte painting of Future Paris which very clearly included the Eiffel Tower from TNG's first season as a backdrop.

It seems like they would have given it more thought than merely to recycle an existing matte painting before making such a noticeable and continuous commitment.

Why not?

Why not elsewhere?

It raises the question, why have Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco??

Another valid question.

Overall, it feels like France was not a random choice. One thought that comes to mind is the Statue of Liberty that was given to the USA by France.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

In the book "Starfleet: Year One", one of the characters said about how the headquarters of Starfleet and the Federation were kept separate so as to not overburden one region on the planet--which makes sense.

Just why those two were picked was never noted though.

 

[Verteron]

In the book "Starfleet: Year One", one of the characters said about how the headquarters of Starfleet and the Federation were kept separate so as to not overburden one region on the planet--which makes sense.

Just why those two were picked was never noted though.

Except this seems to contradict direct onscreen evidence in ST:IV that the Federation Council (Legislative Branch) sits in San Francisco in a building next door to Starfleet Headquarters and Starfleet Academy. So at most, it's the Federation's Executive branch that sits in Paris.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

^ Given the fact that's where Starfleet Command is it could simply be a formal meeting room that an emergency assembly was called. Or everyone beamed back and forth between San Francisco and Paris. Or it was a temporary arrangement whilst works were being carried out on the Council Chambers building.

Without it being stated outright then there will always be a little ambiguity.

 

[Verteron]

^ Given the fact that's where Starfleet Command is it could simply be a formal meeting room that an emergency assembly was called. Or everyone beamed back and forth between San Francisco and Paris. Or it was a temporary arrangement whilst works were being carried out on the Council Chambers building.

Without it being stated outright then there will always be a little ambiguity.

True enough. I just rewatched the scene, and although I've seen it widely assumed as being the Federation Council before, it's not as clear cut as I remember. Sure, the Federation President was presiding over it, and says 'Council now in session' but it could have equally been some kind of judicial council for serious charges against senior Starfleet officers. I'd imagine the Federation President has some ultimate authority over Starfleet (even though he doesn't seem to be the CinC, who seems to be a uniformed officer as per ST:VI).

This would also neatly explain why there were so many uniformed Starfleet officers on the benches -- I've seen people ask before 'why (in that scene) does it seem half the Federation Council made up of Starfleet officers', but if it's just a judicial council, perhaps only the five sitting in fancy chairs at the front are the panel, and the benches are just a public viewing gallery.

The Federation Council itself could sit elsewhere.

Is there anything in the novelisation that supports/undermines this? I haven't read it.

 

[Tomalak]

Paris has been host to dozens of peace treaties over the years, so I guess it's as good a candidate as any.

I suspect in the real world, it was to reuse that matte painting from We'll Always Have Paris as @The Wormhole says. So if Picard had planned to meet Jenice for the last time in Panmunjom or Pretoria, Federation history would look a little bit different.

 

[Nyotarules]

I think it was chosen more for political neutrality than geographical. ENT did a good job of justifying why Earth took the lead in forming the Coalition and later the Federation -- because it was the only world that the other three founding species all got along with, the only one they trusted not to screw them over. As the youngest power, it had the least history of interaction and conflict with the other three, so it had the least baggage and was in the best position to negotiate with the others and bring them into an alliance.

Earth..... the Switzerland of the Federation...

 

[Nyotarules]

I'd guess France is the capital city of the United Earth, and since Earth was the driving force behind the Federation, it became the capital city of that, too.

Why was France the capital of the United Earth? Well, maybe France got lucky in World War III and was one of the few major cities left undamaged?

Paris is a city, France is the nationstate.

 

[The Wormhole]

Was Paris even supposed to be the Capital of United Earth? It seems unlikely one city would be chosen as two capitals, well, three given Paris is already the capital of France. Take for example, Ottawa, the capital of Canada is in the province of Ontario, but Ontario's capital is Toronto. I find it more likely there is a separate city that serves as United Earth's capital.

 

[Nyotarules]

In hindsight assuming the former pre WW3 UN headquarters site still exists it should become the site of the UE government. However if Switzerland still wore its neutral hat (aka 'we love everyone and will bank your money, no questions asked') during WW3 it should be Geneva or the whole Swiss state.