Charlie Greene, Tue November 1st 2011 5:24am
Brett Gann writes about the UFP Government
The United Federation of Planets, like any government, is a puzzling network of councils, committees, departments, and agencies. And because Star Trek is an entertainment franchise and not a documentary franchise, the writers have only provided us bits and pieces of information over the years from which to develop a complete picture of the Federation government.
Some novels have dealt more openly with Federation government. One notable example is "Articles of the Federation" by Keith R. A. DeCandido.
In recent weeks, I took on this task for the Sixth Fleet. Besides fulfilling a personal desire to layout a reasonable form of government for the Federation, I wanted to provide the fleet with some background in case any commanding officers venture into the political arena in future missions. I will summarize my thoughts here, but I encourage you to peruse the Memory Zeta articles for full details.
And, of course, all potential fleet canon goes through a process of approval by the Department of Creative Resources. These details are no different. To learn about our fleet canon, go to http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Fleet_Canon.
The United Federation of Planets is a federal republic with a representative democracy and a modified presidential system of government. This makes the UFP remarkably similar in structure to Earth nations like the United States - member states form a union for their common good (federal republic) and send legislators to represent their individual interests in the common government (representative democracy).
Where the Federation government differs from the United States is in the relationship between the legislature and the executive. Like any presidential system of government, the Federation President administers an executive branch that exists independently of the legislature, and her executive department heads report directly to her and are not themselves members of the legislature (which is common in parliamentary systems of government). Unlike most presidential systems of government, the Federation President is a member of the legislature - the Federation Council - and presides over it. And she has special powers to appoint its sub-councils and direct its business, centralizing a great deal of the Federation's power in its Head of State.
You can find an extensive article on the Federation Cabinet on Memory Zeta, where I have provided links to all of the Federation's major executive departments. Like any Earth government, the Federation government has departments or agencies to manage the necessities: diplomacy, finance, law, infrastructure, commerce, scientific development, health, defense, trade, monetary policy, and more. Of course, the Federation has a distinctly futuristic bent, apparent in departments like the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations, one department that some of our sims may bump into from time to time. If you want to learn more about any of these departments or political positions, you can find articles from this page: http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Federation_Cabinet.
Of course, the executive branch isn't permitted carte blanche. The Federation Council, like Earth legislatures, makes law and has committees responsible for overseeing the executive. Each member state is allowed one representative on the Council, and is permitted to choose that representative according to its own laws. The Federation Presidents appoints the Councilors to committees, or sub-councils as they are styled. Some of these sub-councils, like the Federation Security Council, are permanent sub-councils prescribed by the Federation Charter, and five seats on each are reserved for the founding member states. Others, like the Federation Science Council were established by laws. And some, like the Sub-Council on Ethics, are based on Council rules. The Federation Council's twelve permanent, standing, and special sub-councils are responsible for the gamut of laws, hearings, and proposals considered by the legislature each year.
The work of the sub-councils is still too complicated to be done as a committee of the whole. Therefore, the sub-councils often appoint committees of their own to manage certain aspects of their portfolios. For example, the Federation External Affairs Council has committees for each of the major civilizations with which the Federation has diplomatic relations. These committees have been established as the need presented itself. Until the Breen Confederacy joined the Dominion in 2375, the sub-council saw no need for a separate committee to manage policy on relations with that state. For more about the Federation Council, see http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Federation_Council.
Finally, the United Federation of Planets maintains an independent judiciary. Each of the Human, Vulcan, Tellarite, Andorian, and Centauran species are guaranteed a seat on the Federation Supreme Court, but once the Federation grew to over 15 member states, no species was permitted to hold more than one seat on the high court. And, due to the drastic differences in lifespan between species, the Federation Charter limits the term of Justices to twenty years.
Beneath the Supreme Court are fifteen Federation Courts of Appeal and a single Federation Court for each member state. Judges are appointed for terms of ten years. The Federation is represented before the high court by a Solicitor General and deputies and before the lower courts by Federation Attorneys. All Justices, Judges, and Attorneys are appointed by the Federation President with the advice and consent of the Federation Council. You can learn more about the court system at http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Federation_Supreme_Court.
This has been a little peak into the Federation government. I hope you enjoyed it. If you're planning an upcoming mission or looking for a political hook or background for your character, feel free to contact me for advice.
Captain Brett Gann is the Chief of Fleet Communications and a member of the Department of Creative Resources. He plays on the USS Pegasus and USS Bismarck sims. You can reach him at cfc@sixth-fleet.com.
Some novels have dealt more openly with Federation government. One notable example is "Articles of the Federation" by Keith R. A. DeCandido.
In recent weeks, I took on this task for the Sixth Fleet. Besides fulfilling a personal desire to layout a reasonable form of government for the Federation, I wanted to provide the fleet with some background in case any commanding officers venture into the political arena in future missions. I will summarize my thoughts here, but I encourage you to peruse the Memory Zeta articles for full details.
And, of course, all potential fleet canon goes through a process of approval by the Department of Creative Resources. These details are no different. To learn about our fleet canon, go to http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Fleet_Canon.
The United Federation of Planets is a federal republic with a representative democracy and a modified presidential system of government. This makes the UFP remarkably similar in structure to Earth nations like the United States - member states form a union for their common good (federal republic) and send legislators to represent their individual interests in the common government (representative democracy).
Where the Federation government differs from the United States is in the relationship between the legislature and the executive. Like any presidential system of government, the Federation President administers an executive branch that exists independently of the legislature, and her executive department heads report directly to her and are not themselves members of the legislature (which is common in parliamentary systems of government). Unlike most presidential systems of government, the Federation President is a member of the legislature - the Federation Council - and presides over it. And she has special powers to appoint its sub-councils and direct its business, centralizing a great deal of the Federation's power in its Head of State.
You can find an extensive article on the Federation Cabinet on Memory Zeta, where I have provided links to all of the Federation's major executive departments. Like any Earth government, the Federation government has departments or agencies to manage the necessities: diplomacy, finance, law, infrastructure, commerce, scientific development, health, defense, trade, monetary policy, and more. Of course, the Federation has a distinctly futuristic bent, apparent in departments like the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations, one department that some of our sims may bump into from time to time. If you want to learn more about any of these departments or political positions, you can find articles from this page: http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Federation_Cabinet.
Of course, the executive branch isn't permitted carte blanche. The Federation Council, like Earth legislatures, makes law and has committees responsible for overseeing the executive. Each member state is allowed one representative on the Council, and is permitted to choose that representative according to its own laws. The Federation Presidents appoints the Councilors to committees, or sub-councils as they are styled. Some of these sub-councils, like the Federation Security Council, are permanent sub-councils prescribed by the Federation Charter, and five seats on each are reserved for the founding member states. Others, like the Federation Science Council were established by laws. And some, like the Sub-Council on Ethics, are based on Council rules. The Federation Council's twelve permanent, standing, and special sub-councils are responsible for the gamut of laws, hearings, and proposals considered by the legislature each year.
The work of the sub-councils is still too complicated to be done as a committee of the whole. Therefore, the sub-councils often appoint committees of their own to manage certain aspects of their portfolios. For example, the Federation External Affairs Council has committees for each of the major civilizations with which the Federation has diplomatic relations. These committees have been established as the need presented itself. Until the Breen Confederacy joined the Dominion in 2375, the sub-council saw no need for a separate committee to manage policy on relations with that state. For more about the Federation Council, see http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Federation_Council.
Finally, the United Federation of Planets maintains an independent judiciary. Each of the Human, Vulcan, Tellarite, Andorian, and Centauran species are guaranteed a seat on the Federation Supreme Court, but once the Federation grew to over 15 member states, no species was permitted to hold more than one seat on the high court. And, due to the drastic differences in lifespan between species, the Federation Charter limits the term of Justices to twenty years.
Beneath the Supreme Court are fifteen Federation Courts of Appeal and a single Federation Court for each member state. Judges are appointed for terms of ten years. The Federation is represented before the high court by a Solicitor General and deputies and before the lower courts by Federation Attorneys. All Justices, Judges, and Attorneys are appointed by the Federation President with the advice and consent of the Federation Council. You can learn more about the court system at http://memory-zeta.com/wiki/Federation_Supreme_Court.
This has been a little peak into the Federation government. I hope you enjoyed it. If you're planning an upcoming mission or looking for a political hook or background for your character, feel free to contact me for advice.
Captain Brett Gann is the Chief of Fleet Communications and a member of the Department of Creative Resources. He plays on the USS Pegasus and USS Bismarck sims. You can reach him at cfc@sixth-fleet.com.
