To Boldly Go (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

The Galaxy

The Milky Way Galaxy spans 100,000 lightyears and contains hundreds of billions of stars. Because it would be impossible to cover everything known about the galaxy briefly, an overview of the galaxy's history in the form of a detailed timeline is presented. Much of what follows represents data any first year Starfleet Academy cadet would learn in his required history class. Classified entries are not accessible on a normal PADD without the proper security clearance but since all player characters are at least department heads, they may access classified information as if it were general information.

The Final Frontier

In Star Trek the galaxy is divided into four equal sections, called quadrants. Earth lies in the Alpha Quadrant, near the dividing line separating the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Since the following history is necessarily presented from the point of view of the UFP, most of the events that follow occurred in the Alpha Quadrant or in nearby regions of the Beta Quadrant.

While the galaxy is large, certainly large enough for hundreds of races to explore for thousands of years without running out of "frontier", there are other galaxies. The Federation has already made contact with the Kelvans from the Andromeda Galaxy, for instance. We should not presume that the Milky Way represents the only opportunities for adventure in the Star Trek universe, only that it represents more opportunities for adventure than a normal character could exhaust in a thousand lifetimes.

The following timeline covers all of the major events in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The timeline is not simply a list of things that happened; it's a guide to how the various political entities and species in the galaxy behave.

What Has Gone Before

10 Billion Years Ago: Formation of the Galaxy

Our galaxy is roughly 10 billion years old. Because Class-M planets are composed of heavy elements such as iron and nickel that can be created only in supernova explosions, life in the traditional carbon- or silicon-based sense could form only after the first stars died. Interestingly, life on the planets surrounding these second-generation stars tends to form as rapidly as possible. If the proper conditions exist, life will almost always gain a foothold and begin to evolve. One of the basic tenets of the Star Trek universe is that the galaxy teems with life!

8 Billion Years Ago: Creation of the Guardian of Forever (Classified)

Various advanced dating techniques estimate the Guardian of Forever was created 8 billion years ago. First encountered by the crew of the Enterprise under the command of Captain James Kirk in 2267, the exact circumstances surrounding the Guardian's creation remain a mystery. The Guardian is sapient, describing itself as "my own beginning and my own end." Since the Guardian's purpose is to allow those who pass though it to journey instantly through time and space, it's possible the Guardian was sent into the past from a future civilization.

22 Million Years Ago: The Organians Evolve into Pure Energy

After shedding their corporeal bodies, the Organians evolve into beings of tremendous power and influence. When, 22 million years later, the UFP and Klingon Empire enter into a dispute over an Organian world, the energy beings not only stop the skirmish over the planet, but force a peace treaty on both governments.

150,000 Years Ago: The Medusans Become a Spacefaring People

A noncorporeal life form, the Medusans are one of the oldest member races of the Federation and the first to develop warp technology. With bodies made of pure energy extruding into subspace itself, the Medusan mind intuitively grasps the fundamental workings of the universe, making their advancement from a primitive to an advanced civilization one of the fastest in the galaxy.

25,000 years ago: The Trill/Symbiont Union

The first humanoid Trill join with the sluglike symbionts, creating a symbiotic life-form greater than the sum of its parts. As result of the symbiont's extremely long life span, Trill society develops quickly, scientifically as well as culturally.

279: The Birth of Surah

Surak, the father of Vulcan philosophy, is born during a time of war and suffering on Vulcan. 33 years later, Surak banishes emotion from his thoughts, adopting a philosophy of pure logic. He and his teachings lead the Vulcan people out of their terrible cycle of war and death into a peaceful new age lasting to the present day. Virtually every living Vulcan studies Surak's teachings and follows his example.

369: The Romulan Diaspora

A core population of Vulcans rejects the philosophy of Surak, refusing to suppress their emotions. Vastly outnumbered, thousands of expatriate Vulcans board impulse vessels and follow their leader, Tellus, on an epic journey across the quadrant. Eventually a wormhole swallows their fleet, depositing it hundreds of light-years away. Tellus and his followers found a new homeworld there, Rom'lass. In Federation Standard, the planet is known as Romulus.

579: The Gorn Develop Warp Travel

The Gorn, a violent reptilian race, develop warp travel and begin expanding their empire. They first prove fearsome enemies, then uneasy allies, of the Federation. Their alien psychology makes diplomatic initiatives with them difficult, even after hundreds of years.

801: Birth of Kahless the Unforgettable

The first Klingon emperor, Kahless, is born. He sweeps across Qo'noS, conquering the Klingon homeworld, forming the first Klingon Empire, which lasts for 1,200 years. Kahless later represents the embodiment of Klingon virtue. Honor and courage through noble combat take root as the ultimate expressions of Klingon philosophy.

1270-1370: Romulan-Vulcan Wars

The reemergence of the wormhole that took them to Romulus allows the Romulan people to return to Vulcan in impulse ships armed with atomic weapons. Their assault on their original homeworld ends only when the wormhole closes for the last time. Over the course of the war, Vulcan strategy and tactics prove superior to Romulan aggression.

1284: Andoria Unites under Krotus

Embarking on a planetary conquest armed only with swords and spears, the armies of Krotus the Conqueror rage across Andoria. The armies discover gunpowder over the course of the campaign, and cannons push Krotus' legions to victory. Andoria is united under a single ruler and a single language—Graalen—which is still spoken today.

1411: Romulans Invent the Singularity Drive

Romulan scientists working for the Tal Diann—the Romulan military intelligence service—discover a way to isolate the singularity at the heart of a black hole. By containing the singularity in a magnetic "bottle", Romulan starships can fling themselves across great distances at speeds faster than light. While not a true "warp" drive, this engine later powers both the Romulan cloaking device and—once they acquire it—true warp technology.

1440: Vulcans Develop Warp Technology

Following 70 years of scientific discovery after the end of the Romulan-Vulcan Wars, T'vran of Vulcan develops and tests Vulcan's first warp engine. T'vran herself pilots the first manned warp-driven probes. Vulcan begins an age of exploration as warp-driven ships peacefully explore the galaxy, preferring to observe developing species rather than make contact with them.

1670: Cardassians Develop Warp Travel

A crew of Bajorans journeying in solar sail vessels makes first contact with Cardassia, and the subsequent exchange of information teaches the Cardassian government that not all worlds are as resource-poor as their own. Filled with a passionate desire to climb out of the desolate poverty their planet imposes on them, Cardassian technology advances at a remarkable rate. In less than sixty years, Cardassians develop chemical rockets, then impulse vessels, and finally break the warp barrier. Liberated from their oppressive existence, the Cardassian government begins an aggressive colonization campaign.

1696: Praetor Rule Established on Romulus

Tired of grappling with emperors desiring power beyond their station, the Romulan Senate officially abolishes the position of Emperor, replacing it with a Praetor. As the supreme executive of the Star Empire, the Praetor commands the military and serves as an ideological example to all Romulans. The Senate carefully restricts the Praetor's power, keeping the position subservient to them in all important policy areas.

1870: Detapa Council forms on Cardassia

After two centuries of domination by the military, the Detapa Council is formed to govern Cardassia Prime and its client states. A civilian body established to ensure the fair distribution of spoils from military conquest, the Council embarks on a wholesale restructuring of the Cardassian government, forming the Cardassian Union.

1967: Tellarites Develop Warp Travel

Working independently, Garas of Tellar develops warp technology. Using impulse-driven ships, the Tellarites had already explored and colonized most of their solar system. While still a relatively young race, Tellarite engineering develops quickly, leading to some of the most significant technological breakthroughs of the next four centuries.

1992-1996: The Eugenics Wars on Earth

Misguided scientists breed a group of genetically engineered "supermen" on Earth. Believing their enhanced strength and intelligence grants them the right to rule, these enhanced Humans take over the governments of 40 countries. A series of terrible wars follows in which the feudal nation-states attempt to annihilate each other, pushing Earth to the brink of a new dark age. An alliance of nations, under the banner of the U.N., opposes and eventually defeats the "supermen." Khan Noonien Singh, one of the most charismatic and successful supermen—having ruled one quarter of Earth—escapes.

2041-2069: Romulan-Klingon Wars

Romulan expansion ends as the fiercely warlike Klingons ravage the Romulan fleets patrolling Klingon borders. While Romulan technology proves in all ways superior to that of their more primitive foe, Klingon aggression carries the day. Neither species possesses true warp travel.

2053: World War III on Earth

Although most records of the events leading up to this last war on Earth have been lost, it's known that failed American presidential candidate Colonel Green leads the first wave of attacks. Having stockpiled nuclear and biological weapons, Green attempts to solve Earth's population problems by launching strikes at South America, Asia, and Africa. The wars that follow leave over 600 million people dead. War ends only after the imminent threat of widespread nuclear holocaust makes pressing the war impossible.

Phoenix Rising

This era—beginning in 2063 with first contact between Earth and Vulcan and ending in 2253 with the Axanar rebellion—represents a time of phenomenal growth and prosperity in the Alpha Quadrant. Many of the familiar Star Trek organizations and technologies develop during this period, and many species break the warp barrier, allowing for true interstellar exploration and commerce. In keeping with the abundant nature of life in Star Trek's galaxy, the first warp flights for many species coincide with first contact. Often, as soon as a race breaks the light barrier, it finds other races waiting for it. Many of these encounters end in friendship and discovery, but sometimes conflict and hardship ensue. It is an exciting time to be a citizen of the burgeoning interstellar community.

2063: First Contact between Humans and Vulcans

A second dark age of man is prevented only through the preservation of Earth's cultures in small, isolated pockets of humanity. From one of these bastions of civilization, Zefram Cochrane launches the Phoenix, mankind's first warp-capable ship. Constructed in Montana from a modified Titan V rocket, the Phoenix's warp signature alerts Vulcan exosociologist Sevak to mankind's development of warp travel, leading immediately to first contact.

2069: Death of the Last Klingon Emperor

The Klingon High Council assumes control of the government after the death of Koth, the last Klingon emperor. This second Klingon empire, led by the Chancellor of the Council, seizes power quickly, preventing a civil war.

2112: Bajorans Develop Warp Travel

Hundreds of thousands of years after the cultural height of their civilization, Bajorans develop warp travel, spanning the short distance between each species' homeworld in the Bajor Sector to make contact once again with their closest neighbors, the Cardassians.

2118: Andorians Develop Warp Travel

After several catastrophic failures over the previous 200 years, Andoria launches the Lor'Vela, its first warp-capable ship. Over the next several decades Andorian explorers reestablish contact with former outposts established during the impulse era and begin their role as leaders in the larger interstellar community.

2139: Betazoids Develop Warp Travel

The Avandar, Betazed's first warp-capable ship, breaks the light barrier. Its crew explores nearby solar systems, making first contact with their neighbors, the Terabians, four light-years away. An initial period of peace and commerce lapses into war as the nontelepathic Terabians begin to mistrust their mind-reading neighbors. Betazoids living on Terabia are jailed in internment camps, and a seven-year war erupts between the two species. The war ends after Terabia surrenders. The conflict prompts the religious Betazoids to establish their first secular government.

2149: Transporter Technology Invented

Earth's scientists invent the first practical transporter device. Though initially rated for transporting supplies and equipment, they later perfect the technology, enhancing its ability to transport living creatures by 2151.

2151 Launch of Enterprise NX-01

Earth launches the Enterprise NX-01, a test vessel capable of traveling at the then-astounding speed of warp 5, over the objections of the Vulcan High Command. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, assisted by Vulcan SubcommanderT'Pol, the Enterprise's first mission is to return a stranded Klingon courier to Qo'noS. With the stellar completion of this mission, Earth's nascent Starfleet orders Archer and his crew to continue to boldly go where no man has gone before....

2156-2160: Romulan-Earth Wars

A brief conflict between a Romulan vessel and the U.S.S. Endeavor near Cheron IV results in the retreat of the Human ship and a new understanding between the two races—war is inevitable. Romulan warships, far deadlier than their Terran counterparts, take months to cross the distance to Human space. The war that erupts swings immediately in the Romulans' favor, but as Terran ship production increases, the Romulan lack of faster-than-light technology ultimately prevents rapid response and reinforcement, costing them the war. The Cheron Treaty negotiated via radio establishes the Romulan Neutral Zone. During the war and throughout the subsequent negotiations, Humans never see a single Romulan. Romulan appearance remains a mystery for another 110 years.

2161: Founding of the UFP

Following hard on the heels of the Cheron Treaty, delegates from Andoria, Vulcan, Tellar, Earth, and Alpha Centauri draft the Articles of Federation on Epsilon Eridani. Talks break down once, but further meetings succeed in drafting a constitution acceptable to all. Its language focuses on individual rights and freedoms, granting each world the right to self-determination. Suvok of Vulcan suggests Earth assume the role of capital of the UFP. A representative government is formed, the Federation credit is established, and Starfleet receives its mandate as a multispecies defense force, while protection of the sovereignty of each world is secured by allowing each race its own space fleet. The Tellarites ratify the Articles of Federation first, with the other four races rapidly following suit.

2230: Spock of Vulcan Is born

Son of Sarek, the great diplomat, Spock becomes the first Vulcan to join Starfleet. In a distinguished career spanning over 100 years, Spock first serves as a science officer aboard the legendary Enterprise under three captains. In his later years, his duties become diplomatic rather than scientific, as he participates in the Khitomer Accords and later engineers the defection of Vice-Proconsul M'ret from Romulus to Vulcan. Toward the end of his life, Spock works diligently to establish Vulcan-Romulan relations.

2233: James Tiberius Kirk Is born

As legendary captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Kirk's tours of duty include some of the greatest adventures, battles, and discoveries the Federation will ever know. In later years, Kirk's tours of duty come to symbolize the spirit of the age for the Federation.

2245: U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 Is Launched

The Constitution-class U.S.S. Enterprise is launched under the command of Robert April. The flagship of Starfleet, the Enterprise—in its various incarnations—is present at most of the important military and diplomatic events of the next 125 years.

2252: First Contact with the Bolians

After decades spent torn between two warring neighbors—the Uzor and the Iren—Bolarus IX makes first contact with the Federation. Bolian antigravity technology and metallurgy rivals that of the Federation, and the Bolian people prepare their first warp-drive tests. The Federation extends the offer of membership, but the three governments ruling Bolarus IX are too fractured to agree.

2252: Axanar Demands Federation Membership

The Axanari, an aggressive interstellar culture on the verge of developing warp technology, demand admittance to the Federation. The request, from an oppressive and rigidly hierarchical society, meets with division in the Federation Council. The Axanari take the ensuing debate over their admittance as rejection, quickly conquering several neighboring planets and offering them to the Federation as tribute. The Council disapproves of this action, and many member worlds threaten to secede unless something is done. The Council sends a fleet of Constitution-class ships to force the Axanari to retreat from their newly conquered worlds. The brief conflict ends with Axanari compliance, but the entire situation—specifically the passionate division in the Federation Council over Axanar's membership—proves one of the first significant challenges to the UFP's form of government.

The Cold War (Original Series Era)

Punctuated by constant skirmishes and posturing between the Federation, Romulan Star Empire, Second Klingon Empire, Gorn Empire, and Tholian Assembly among others, this period proves a time of great unease in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Beginning after the Axanar Rebellion and ending with the Khitomer Accords, the Cold War period marks the end of limitless expansion for the dominant races of the galaxy. While often seeming on the brink of open war, this period is exemplified by courageous individuals and a continued spirit of exploration and discovery.

2264: Kirk Takes Command of Enterprise

Captain James T. Kirk, already decorated for foiling an assassination against the leaders of the new Axanari government, takes command of the Enterprise.

2265: Axanar Admitted to the Federation

In the wake of the disastrous Axanar Rebellion, the Axanari abolish their old caste system and form a new world government. This new government, after several years spent undoing the mistakes of the past, succeeds in gaining admittance to the Federation.

2267: First Contact with the Gorn

Gorn warships destroy a Federation outpost on Cestus III. The Metrons, an advanced, apparently humanoid species, prevent a large-scale war by forcing the Gorn commander and Captain Kirk to resolve their conflict in single combat. The combat results in a cessation of hostilities between the Federation and the Gorn, although years must pass before the two races establish a treaty.

2267: Romulan-Klingon Alliance Formed

The expanding Second Klingon Empire, preparing for conflicts with both the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets, signs a treaty with the Romulans in order to avoid a two-front war. More a nonaggression pact than a workable alliance, both sides initially benefit from the treaty, and the Klingons prepare for war with the Federation.

2267: Khan Revived

Captain James Kirk revives Khan Noonien Singh, warlord and escaped genetic "superman", when the Enterprise encounters the S.S. Botany Bay. Khan and his followers attempt to take over the Enterprise and begin their conquest anew, but fail. Kirk strands Khan and his followers on Ceti Alpha V.

2267: Organian Peace Treaty Established

The Organians, beings of near-limitless power, impose the Organian Peace Treaty. The Klingons, now forcibly prohibited from conflict with the Humans, begin to chafe at the confines of the Romulan treaty.

2268: Polaric Test Ban Treaty Signed

Though initial evidence suggests polaric ion energy might provide clean power on a planetwide scale, research into the technology is halted when a Romulan outpost is destroyed after discovering polaric ion energy can cause widespread chain reactions in subspace. The Romulans, Federation, and other races in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants sign the Polaric Test Ban Treaty to prevent further use of polaric energy as an unstoppable, uncontrollable weapon.

2266: First Contact with the Tholians

After gathering scant pieces of data from other cultures on the enigmatic species, the Federation makes first contact with the Tholian Assembly. The Tholians prove aggressive and intractable. Their territory, perhaps as a result of the manner in which they perceive space-time, is noncontiguous, resulting in several inadvertent incursions into their space. More than 100 years pass before the Federation officially establishes diplomatic relations with the Tholians.

2268: Federation Steals Cloaking Technology (Classified)

The Federation, fearing its use as a first-strike weapon, steals cloaking technology from a Romulan battle cruiser. Research indicates that, with its current technology, the Federation cannot outfit its vessels with cloaks unless the ships are heavy cruisers specifically designed for war. The Federation Council opts not to build such vessels, instead relying on proven strategy and tactics to compensate for the advantage cloaks give their opponents.

2271: The Battle of Dumok'azen

Dumok'azen, a small, mineral-rich world on the border of the Romulan and Klingon Empires, becomes the site of a bloody battle between the two allied races. The Klingons claim glorious victory while the Romulans retreat, increase productivity of warp-capable ships, and bide their time as the Klingon Empire stretches itself thinner.

2275: First Contact with the Breen

The U.S.S. Eagle, an all-Andorian Constitution-class ship with the most decorated crew in Starfleet, makes contact with the enigmatic Breen. Captain Igrilan Kor beams over to the Breen ship and, although language barriers impede productive diplomatic negotiations, reports the Breen are a peaceful, if somewhat withdrawn, species. This contributes a great deal to future confusion over the Breen's attitude when they inexplicably become hostile.

2277: Enterprise Emblem Adopted as the Universal Symbol of Starflect

After the promotion of James Kirk to Chief of Starfleet Operations and the retirement of many of his crew, Starfleet adopts the Enterprise emblem as its symbol. Previously, each ship in the fleet had its own emblem, worn by each crewmember over the left breast.

2285: Khan Steals Genesis Technology (Classified)

The U.S.S. Reliant, dispatched on a survey mission, stumbles upon Khan Noonien Singh on Ceti Alpha V. Given a second chance to conquer the galaxy, Khan quickly takes control of the Reliant and steals the data and technology surrounding Project Genesis. Armed with the Genesis Device—miraculous when used for terraforming, devastating when used as a weapon—Khan sets out to build a new empire. Thwarted only through the efforts of Admiral James T. Kirk, Khan and his followers are killed in the Mutara Nebula when he detonates the Genesis Device aboard the Reliant.

2286: Cardassian First Contact with Klingons

Cardassian troops, expanding into the Betreka Nebula, make contact with the Klingon Empire. Initially considering the Klingons a race of incompetent barbarians, the Cardassian Union ignores their aggressive posturing. The Klingons eventually goad the Cardassians into open battle, resulting in eighteen years of border conflicts. While the Cardassian Union and Klingon Empire eventually enter into a truce, the Cardassians consider the agreement a humiliating failure.

2292: Klingon-Romulan Alliance Dissolves

After 21 years of worsening relations following the Battle of Dumok'azen, the Romulan Senate dissolves the Romulan-Klingon alliance. Klingon ships are ordered to quit Romulan space, and Romulus withdraws its ambassadors. This marks the beginning of a protracted open hostility between the two races that lasts several decades.

2293: Khitomer Accords

Praxis, moon of the Klingon homeworld and source of much of the Empire's energy reserves, explodes after overmining destabilizes the moon's core. The Klingon Empire, fearing attacks of opportunity from the Romulans, approaches the Federation for aid. The two governments meet at Khitomer, a Class-M planet near the Romulan/Klingon border, and hammer out the Khitomer Accords, enabling the Federation to aid the weakened Klingon Empire and making the two powers uneasy allies. With the exception of a one-year abrogation of the accords almost 100 years later, the alliance proves stable and prompts the development of a more diplomatically sophisticated Klingon Empire.

The Age of Diplomacy (TNG Era)

Beginning shortly after the Khitomer Accords, this era marks a long period of relative peace between the Federation and the rest of the galaxy. While many races—particularly the Tholians and Cardassians—engage in hostile activities, peace with the Klingons and the withdrawal of the Romulans encourage many in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants to believe the specter of war has been left behind. Diplomacy rather than military posturing carries the day.

2294: Betazed Joins the Federation

After over a century of peace, Betazed applies for membership in the Federation. The Federation quickly accepts, and Betazoid diplomats and counselors become common advisors on Starfleet first contact missions. Betazed itself becomes host to the Federation's biannual Trade Agreement Conference.

2309: Cardassia Begins Diplomatic Relations with Bajor

The technologically more advanced Cardassian Union extends the diplomatic hand of friendship to Bajor. The Bajorans welcome Cardassian technological assistance and bureaucratic aid. Soon, Cardassians advise Bajorans at every level of government.

2311: The Tomed Incident

As Federation technology advances, Romulan intelligence suspects that Starfleet is now capable of building cloaking devices into their exploratory vessels. The Federation denies these claims. Acting on reports from the Romulan Senate's intelligence directorate, the Tal Shiar, a Romulan incursion fleet attacks Starbase 247 in the Tomed system. The battle results in thousands of Federation casualties. The Romulans retreat only after Federation ships decloak and join the conflict. Romulan diplomats threaten war after the UFP duplicity. Federation officials claim the cloaking technology was developed by Starfleet Intelligence without the Federation Council's knowledge or approval. The two species, committed to solving their differences, draft the Treaty of Algeron. The treaty specifically prohibits Federation use of cloaking technology. This satisfies the Romulan Senate, but negotiations after this point are irregular, and the Romulan Empire abandons its interests in the Alpha Quadrant.

2313: The Taurhai Attack the Romulan Empire (Classified)

A previously unknown threat from the far side of the Romulan Empire reveals itself. The Taurhai, an aggressive, expansionist, technologically sophisticated race, employ artificially constructed subspace funnels to propel their ships. The Romulan Star Empire is weakened, losing battle after battle over the next 30 years.

2320: Bolarus IX Joins the Federation

After internal debates come dangerously close to open war, Bolarus IX adopts a single government—the World Council—and applies again for Federation membership. Though the new government is young, the Federation Council is impressed and admits Bolarus IX into the UFP. The Bolian government proves stable, and Bolian service in Starfleet is typified by near-tireless, hard-working men and women devoted to Federation principles.

2328: Cardassians Occupy Bajor

Cardassians across Bajor throw off the cloak of friendly neighbor and, in one swift insurgency, take over the planet. Mining camps are built to strip the planet of its natural resources, and millions of Bajorans are pressed into service as slave labor. The Vedek Assembly goes into hiding. Its first act of resistance is the abolition of the D'jarra caste system. The now casteless Bajorans are free to bear arms, and the Bajoran resistance forms. Eleven years later, the Detapa Council officially annexes Bajor in order to funnel more troops onto the planet.

2335: First Contact between the Federation and Cardassian Union

The Cardassian Third Order makes contact with a Federation exploratory vessel, and the Federation gains a new, aggressive neighbor. A series of border conflicts follow during which the Cardassian Central Command, a military body, slowly gains control of the government.

2335: Development of the Positronic Brain

Dr. Noonian Soong and his wife Juliana develop the first functional positronic brain while on the Omicron Theta colony. After four unsuccessful attempts, the fifth—named Data—proves initially successful. After its activation, Soong programs the android with social and creative subroutines to compensate for its lack of emotion. Dr. Soong becomes disappointed with Data's social development and deactivates him, abandoning his research.

2343: Romulans Attack the Taurhai Homeworld (Classified)

Fighting a desperate, losing battle, the Romulan Senate changes tactics. Mounting a suicide assault on the Taurhai homeworld of Chi'tai, the battered remnants of the Romulan fleet win for the day and defeat their opponents in one swift battle. With the Taurhai no longer a threat, the Senate prepares for renewed expansion.

2344 Romulans Attack Narendra III

Filled with renewed vigor after the decisive battle of Chi'tai, the Romulan Senate turns its attention to the Klingon Empire, whose opportunistic border raids went unchecked during the lengthy Taurhai assault. The Senate resolves to wipe out the Klingon Empire once and for all. When Romulan warbirds attack the Klingon outpost at Narendra III, the Federation comes to the aid of its Klingon allies. The Enterprise-C is destroyed in the conflict, but the outpost is saved. This marks the beginning of a true alliance between the Federation and Klingons. The Romulans, unwilling to face the Federation head-on after the long Taurhai siege, withdraw.

2345: Data Graduates from Starfleet Academy

After being discovered on Omicron Theta and reactivated by the crew of the U.S.S. Tripoli, Data joins Starfleet and graduates with honors. He is posted to the U.S.S. Trieste.

2346: Romulans Attack Khitomer

A renegade Klingon provides the Romulan Empire with codes permitting a Romulan fleet to assault Khitomer, slaughtering 4,000 Klingons. Once again, the Federation comes to the aid of the Klingon Empire.

2347: Federation-Cardassian War

Viewing Federation build-up on the Cardassian border as a sign of future aggression, the Obsidian Order—the Cardassian intelligence directorate—convinces the Cardassian Central Command to preemptively attack the Federation outpost at Setlik III. Even though the Obsidian Order learns the outpost is a civilian installation, the Central Command refuses to back down, following the attack with a series of skirmishes over the next several years. During this time, the Central Command gains additional power and begins to subvert the authority of the Detapa Council.

2351: Tholian Invasion Averted

Bolian Admiral Taneko, his fleet beaten and his ship crippled, attempts to retreat more deeply into Federation space after an assault by a Tholian fleet. When it becomes clear that reinforcements will not arrive in time, he detonates his ship's warp core, decimating the Tholian vessels and forcing the remainder to withdraw.

2352: Treaty of Alliance Signed

Operating openly as allies for several years outside the bounds of the Khitomer Accords, the Federation and Klingon Empire sign the Treaty of Alliance, formally uniting the two powers in diplomatic allegiance.

2353-2360: Federation-Tholian War

Starbase 277, constructed on the Federation-Tholian border to monitor ongoing Tholian activity, is attacked almost immediately upon completion. There is only one survivor—civilian mathematician Kyle Riker. The attack provokes a response by the Federation, and the two cultures engage in open warfare for the next seven years. The war ends in 2360 when diplomatic representatives from Betazed negotiate a truce.

2363: U.S.S. Enterprise-D is Launched

Devoted equally to space exploration, science, and diplomacy, Jean-Luc Picard is given command of Starfleet's flagship, the newly commissioned U.S.S. Enterprise-D.

The Federation

Two hundred years after its founding, the Federation stands at 150 member worlds, with dozens of planets under consideration for membership at any time. Ideally, the UFP would like all species in the galaxy to benefit from working together.

Benefits of Membership

There is strength in unity. With the thousands of inhabited worlds and dozens of alien species present in the galaxy, a forum where differing opinions can be peacefully resolved is valuable. Membership in the Federation offers mutual aid, protection, and political benefits. Governments can share their resources, sending medicine to a planet in need or relieving the burdens of famine. They can offer a united front against potentially hostile members. The Federation offers a forum where members can discuss their differences and find common ground on matters of galactic import. Moreover, members, by working together, can advance the cause of knowledge through shared research and exploration (best embodied by Starfleet).

INSTANT RECOGNITION: Once the Federation Council accepts a petitioning world into the UFP, that world instantly gains recognition as a full member, along with all associated rights. The planet earns a seat on the Federation Council and an equal vote just as Earth, Vulcan, and the other founding worlds do. This means the evaluation period is necessarily long—at least a few months, often a year or more—to ensure the prospective world is mature enough to shoulder this responsibility. Instant recognition and the voting equality of all members represent two of the strongest lures to membership for prospective worlds.

ECONOMIC SUPPORT: Worlds with economic difficulties need more than influxes of capital to solve their problems. Fortunately, the Federation has both vast experience in these matters and powerful technological solutions to most issues. The world of Bajor, though not a member world, represents an excellent example. After decades of exploitation at the hands of the Cardassian Union, the Federation—as a sign of goodwill—provided industrial replicators capable of producing large agricultural equipment and the technology necessary to turn one of Bajor's moons into a limitless energy source.

MILITARY SUPPORT: The need for defense on the part of member worlds is of paramount significance, especially for those worlds near the border of a hostile or potentially unfriendly neighbor like the Romulans. Many potential members cite protection from more powerful aggressor species as a major reason for requesting admittance to the UFP. Once a world joins the Federation, Starfleet dispatches special tactical advisors along with the normal contingent of Federation ambassadors and diplomats to evaluate the extent of Starfleet's future presence in the system. In those cases where the new member world is under imminent threat, the Council postpones this requirement, tasking Starfleet Command with the responsibility of securing the planet's safety immediately.

Responsibilities of Membership

Membership in the Federation has its responsibilities; it is not a free ride at the expense of other members. The Council expects each world to contribute material or financial resources to maintain Starfleet, fund research by the Science Council, and provide emergency services for any Federation members in the area. Local officials must regulate local trade and protect the freedom of interstellar commerce, and provide facilities, either on the planet or in orbit around the planet, for Federation administrators. Finally, members agree to uphold Federation laws ensuring individual freedoms as well as those safeguarding due process.

So far, each Federation world admirably meets these expectations, and requirements are intentionally kept low enough for every world to fulfill its responsibility.

Joining

New worlds join the UFP in one of two manners. Either they and the UFP have a history of past relations and the world opts to petition for membership, or the world is unknown to the UFP and joins after first contact has been made. In both cases, the requirements for joining are the same.

FIRST CONTACT: Prior to considering a world for membership, the Federation Council must first make contact with the prospective civilization. Often, this first contact results from Starfleet's normal course of business—exploring the galaxy. Any time Starfleet discovers an intelligent species, it dispatches a first-contact team. The team reports directly to the First Contact Division, based on Vulcan, under the Director of Exosocial Relations. If the newly encountered species does not possess warp technology the team covertly observes the culture, evaluating its social and technological status. The contact team files its report along with a recommendation for further study, without the culture's knowledge. If the species possesses warp drive technology, the rules are somewhat looser. First contact can be made directly via subspace radio or direct intervention. Optimally, this occurs after a period of observation, but warp-capable cultures can usually detect such covert activities and often dislike the notion of being observed. As a result, any starship exploring the galaxy has the potential to make first contact with other beings. Almost every ship has at least one first-contact specialist aboard, often—in the case of Galaxy-class ships—a whole division.

Both situations are delicate. First contact teams make mistakes, sometimes revealing themselves to the prewarp culture. Seemingly primitive cultures sometimes show surprising aptitude in detecting and ferreting out hidden observers. The team must rely heavily on technology as well as its own scientific training to remain hidden. Some officers operate within the culture itself. Known as heavy integration operatives, these agents spend months studying a society so they can insert themselves into it as seamlessly as possible.

Similarly, warp-capable cultures often represent their own coalition of worlds or single, very aggressive worlds. First contact with these cultures can not only damage the culture if not handled properly, but also damage the Federation if misunderstanding causes war. In all cases, a well-rounded first contact team relies on psychology, sociology, diplomacy, and technology to get the job done.

REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP: The requirements for acceptance into the Federation are kept intentionally simple. The Council considers complex requirements difficult to explain, difficult to meet, difficult to evaluate, and difficult to navigate. In every case, the Council appoints a cultural attaché, described below, to examine the issue.

Before being accepted, potential worlds must:

• POSSESS TRUE FASTER-THAN-LIGHT TRAVEL. This does not necessarily mean warp travel, although so far this has exclusively been the case. If the world developed FTL travel through means other than research and development—stealing it, trading for it, discovering it archaeologically, or through some other manner—the review process becomes more complex. The cultural attaché must spend more time evaluating FTL travel's impact on the developing cultures of the world. Societies acquiring warp travel through outside means—as with the Klingon Empire—often experience developmental problems as sudden access to other planets puts unnatural pressures on the indigenous society.

The Federation experienced first-hand the way in which exposure to an advanced race can corrupt the development of a younger race. The UFP believes each species has a right to develop on its own, even if this means risking the self-destruction of the society. The Council selected the milestone of warp travel, building it into the Prime Directive to protect developing cultures from this kind of shock.

• BENEFIT FROM ONE GOVERNMENT. The Council considers factionalism a sign of immaturity. The world must speak with a single voice. Furthermore, this global government must have a proven track record of internal stability and adherence to the principles of Federation.

• EXIST PEACEFULLY WITH ITS NEIGHBORS. In most cases, if a petitioning species meets the faster-than-light requirement, it dominates its local area technologically. How it uses or exploits this superiority is an excellent test of the planet's worth as a potential member race. If a potential member is at war with its neighbor, the Federation often extends the opportunity for peaceful negotiation to both warring members. Responses to these overtures go a long way toward providing the Council some notion of the participants' demeanor. The Federation, in all cases, prefers any warring cultures to resolve their grievances peacefully. It is possible, however, for a potential world to impress the Council with its sincerity while at the same time the opposing race impresses the Council with its belligerence. In these cases a treaty with the potential member world is signed, aid is given, and the war usually comes to a peaceful end. Then the petitioning race is reevaluated.

• ACCEPT THE PRINCIPLES OF FEDERATION. This, the most obvious requirement, demands the most rigorous evaluation. The principles of Federation allow many fine interpretations, some of which result in behavior subtly contrary to the Federation's goals. The cultural attaché spends most of his time studying the potential world, trying to understand as precisely as possible the mores and folkways of the planet's cultures to make sure they understand and agree with the principles found in the Federation Constitution.

THE REVIEW BOARD: The Review Board, a permanent subcommittee of the Council, has all first contact and diplomatic data at its fingertips, and often sends board members on fact-finding missions as well. Once the request is made the Board assigns a cultural attaché, with a team to aid him, to the culture in question.

The cultural attaché must be a skilled and highly experienced diplomat. The job requires nothing short of an extensive tour of the planet (or planets, in cases involving world- or system-spanning cultures) and an exhaustive review of the culture's society, economy, science, religion, government, and resources. The importance of attention to detail in these matters cannot be overstated. A cultural attaché might have no notion that, for instance, a society considers its children slaves belonging to the parents, usable for debt payment or as collateral on a loan. Such an attitude, contrary to Federation principles, could pass unnoticed until a review of the world's educational system took place. This makes the attaché's team necessarily large and the review period long.

When the review period ends, the attaché files the report with the Review Board, which returns a verdict usually within a few weeks. The verdict is rarely a surprise to the potential member, since one of the attaché's duties is to explain the Federation Constitution to the culture and ensure the prospective species understands these principles.

REJECTION: Those applicants who pass the review gain UFP membership and all associated benefits. For those worlds rejected, the reasons are usually obvious and fall into one of three categories: the culture is too belligerent, does not respect the personal liberty of its citizens, or does not respect the right of each citizen to achieve his full potential. While these last two may seem like the same thing, many cultures believe in personal liberty—the right of the individual to live free from fear or exploitation—while at the same time confining the individual's development to a given "caste" or other socio-economic subclass. Caste systems, for instance, often protect the rights of the individual and grant all members of every caste representation in the government, but do not permit members of one caste to rise beyond the limits of the caste into which they were born. These cultures often have a difficult time understanding why the Federation would reject them. These notions are covered in great detail in the Federation Constitution.

Rule of the Council

The Council is the Federation's legislative branch and as a result has the greatest impact on the daily lives of Federation citizens. Each member world sends a contingent of up to five representatives, formally known as "Councilors", to sit on the Council. Each world receives a single vote, regardless of how many representatives it sends, and the leader of each delegation— the individual who actually casts the vote—is that world's ambassador. Some worlds intentionally send three or five representatives to the Council, so each representative can weigh the issues, then vote on how to vote. The final vote represents a poll of the representatives, with the majority opinion holding sway. Other governments send only one ambassador with no fellow councilors and no staff. Still others maintain large offices in the buildings surrounding Federation Hall, from which hourly communications between delegation and homeworld dictate how the ambassador votes.

Voice of the Council

Every three years, the Council votes on a new speaker (though there is no restriction on the number of consecutive terms an individual may hold). The Speaker of the Federation Council has no legislative power, instead wielding considerable organizational power. First among equals, the speaker schedules debates, decides when a representative has spoken for his allotted time, and delays debates for given allotments of time. In most cases, the speaker's decisions can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote by the Council. This prevents the Speaker from abusing his power. It is possible for a Speaker to be removed from office after a vote of no confidence is called.

Powers of the Federation Council

The Council is the primary governing body of the Federation, with broad and sweeping powers. These powers can be expanded only by amending the Constitution, an arduous and lengthy process that prevents the Council from suddenly overstepping its bounds. The Council's responsibilities can be divided into several broad categories:

• PASS LEGISLATION: Any citizen may propose a law. This usually occurs at the planetary level, where the local legislative body debates the merit of the bill. If the planetary government considers the bill worthy, the planet's ambassador makes a formal proposition in Council. The President usually creates a subcommittee to evaluate the pros and cons of the law. The subcommittee researches the subject and presents its report to the Council, and the Council formally votes. As with most acts of the Council, a two-thirds majority is required for a bill to become a law. Legislation passed by the Council affects the entire Federation. Laws addressing a single planet's needs must be passed in that society's own legislative body.

• ELECT THE PRESIDENT: Every six years the Council elects a new President, by secret ballot, from among its ranks. Each President may serve only one term. Only members of the Council may vote, and only for another Council member. Any voting member can be nominated for the position, with no limit on the number of nominees possible. Voting takes place in a series of rounds, with each round eliminating roughly half of the nominees, until finally only two remain in the final round.

• RESOURCE ALLOCATION: Each year the Council receives an annual report from the Economics Council, detailing exactly what resources the Federation has available. The Federation Council then spends roughly one month working on the next yearly budget. Because the Federation's operation is neatly divided—between the various permanent subcommittees of the Council, Starfleet, and the Secretariat—into about 100 different departments, the process of determining which department gets how many resources is far less complex than might be expected.

• OVERSIGHT AND FACT-FINDING: Of the many other functions of the Council, only two more bear mentioning here. The Presidential Oversight Subcommittee monitors the professional activities of the President, ensuring he does not abuse his power. Activity on this committee is low, as most Federation Presidents have been entirely trustworthy men and women with the support of the Council behind them. No Federation President has ever been impeached. Many important agencies—such as Starfleet Intelligence and the Economics Council—have permanent oversight subcommittees on the Council as well, reviewing their performance to prevent abuse of power.

Lastly, the Council forms and dispatches hundreds of fact-finding committees throughout the year to worlds, colonies, outposts, stations, ships, and anywhere else something significant to a Council vote takes place. Each fact-finding committee reports directly to the Council.

Life in the Federation

For the majority of Federation citizens, the local planetary government has a greater impact on people's daily lives than the Council. While the Federation Council oversees the legislative agenda for the entire Federation, governance of individual worlds remains with local officials. For instance, on Andoria the Council of Clans regulates planetary trade, establishes food and drug safety regulations, enacts local laws and ordinances, and allocates resources to various committees, bureaucracies, and groups. If a visitor inadvertently insulted an Andorian and he demands retribution (in the traditional Andorian fashion—a duel), the visitor would appeal to the Council of Clans for immunity. Appeal to the Federation Council is possible, but in almost all instances it would defer to the local planetary authority. Of course, you could accept the duel! Unless local laws violate the Federation Constitution, the Council is reluctant to interfere.

Traveling in the Federation

One of the great benefits of Federation membership is free and unrestricted travel throughout all the UFP's member worlds.

If a Vulcan scientist wanted to journey from Vulcan to Andoria, he would have several options. He could usually charter passage on a Vulcan Science Academy vessel, if he worked for the Vulcan Science Academy, for instance. Alternatively, he could use one of the many Federation vessels that frequently travel from one world to another. The Federation Bureau of Tourism and Trade would sponsor his journey in this case. This vessel could be any one of a wide variety of ships—traders, science vessels, dedicated tourism ships. Very rarely, a Starfleet vessel might be made available, although in these cases there must be special circumstances.

While unlimited travel is a legal right of every Federation citizen, the Federation monitors visa applications and immigration. Some planets, such as Risa and some worlds in the Rigel system, carefully monitor the influx of tourists over the course of the year to prevent overloading their civilian infrastructure. A world can accommodate only so many visitors before strains on the public and private sector become too great.

Local planetary authorities supervise permanent immigration to their worlds, and some restrictions may apply (usually based on population density, environmental impact, and infrastructure capacity). Earth, to use a popular example, simply couldn't accommodate the sheer volume of citizens who would move there if they could. Some planets, such as those along the frontier, are less attractive as tourist destinations due to the unique problems these planets face.

The Federation Economy

The economy of the future is vastly different from that of previous centuries. The Federation meets the basic needs of the majority of its citizens, and few want for anything. Homelessness and starvation are horrors of the past. Greed is only a memory.

In earlier ages people worked for monetary gain, using the money they earned to buy goods and services. Disparate incomes led to a wide gap between what were called the "haves" and the "have-nots," with money (and greed) skewing the allocation of even the most basic resources. Each citizen of the Federation receives goods each according to his needs and is encouraged to provide for the Federation each according to his abilities. Traders ply the trade routes, selling wares from across the galaxy. Colonies produce the raw materials and agricultural goods the Federation needs. Merchants throughout the Federation—from Vulcan shopkeepers to Terran restaurateurs—provide their unique services to the general public. People are productive for productivity's sake, not because they are paid.

To handle interstellar trade, the Federation Constitution established the credit as the unit of exchange within the UFP, to determine the relative value of planetary economies and as a means of trading with other, non-Federation cultures. Most often, inside the Federation the credit simplifies the equation of the value of, for example, grain produced on Alpha Centauri and dilithium it imports. In this way, the credit serves as a stable unit of measure, allowing resources to move between worlds efficiently. Credits normally have a value tied to the local currency, set by the Federation Council. For example, on Vulcan the credit is worth 100 Vulcan rials.

Though intended for interstellar trade, there are times when Federation citizens require currency, and the credit fills that void. Although society provides for many basic needs, such as housing, food, and clothing, sometimes individuals want to acquire a memento of their visit to Risa, buy a tribble, or sample some of the local cuisine. Often, local proprietors expect payment for their work, particularly on non-Federation worlds. Although many worlds still use some form of local or regional currency—either out of tradition or because they have recently joined the UFP—some have abandoned coinage entirely in favor of the credit.

Federation computers keep track of credits electronically, making fraud and counterfeiting extremely difficult on anything but the most limited basis. Most starfaring races inside the Federation recognize the credit as the most stable and viable form of exchange in the quadrant. In this vein, the credit sees its widest use along the frontier and on worlds outside the Federation sphere of influence and tends to be more popular among reputable traders.

The Constitution of the United Federation of Planets

When the leaders of the live founding worlds met on Epsilon Eridani in 2161, they set about drafting a series of articles to define the structure of their new Federation. These articles, once ratified, became the Constitution of the UFP.

The Constitution both establishes the power and function of the government and guarantees the rights of the individual, as well as those of each member world. The entire governmental structure of the Federation is diagrammed in this document. There are twenty-seven original Articles:

• ARTICLES ONE AND TWO: Set forth the basic goals o! the Federation: to establish a coalition of worlds each relying upon the other to further the peace, prosperity, and continued expansion of knowledge of the whole.

• ARTICLE THREE: Establishes the rights of the individual. As the Constitution explains, these rights do not come from the Constitution, they come from the simple fact of individual existence. These rights cannot be given or taken away, but they can be oppressed or violated. The third article exists to ensure the Federation does not have the right to take its citizen's rights away. Article Three is similar in many ways to the United States of America's Bill of Rights.

• ARTICLE FOUR: Ensures the right of each world to govern itself. The greatest fear of many non-Federation cultures is that joining the Federation means giving up the culture's current sovereignty over itself, submitting, in essence, to the government of a foreign power. While a certain degree of this is, by nature, necessary, the Federation goes to great lengths to minimize this at all times. If a world meets the eligibility requirements and agrees with the principles of the Constitution, it is free to employ any form of government it wants. Arguably, some forms of government are better suited to the principles of the Federation than others; so far no member worlds employ autocratic dictatorships, and most worlds use some form of democratic representation. Some planets, after analyzing the Federation Constitution, adopt it as their own governmental form.

• ARTICLE FIVE: Permits all member worlds to petition the Federation Council for arbitration in matters of dispute. These must occur between member worlds; internal legal matters must be resolved by the governing world's own judiciary system. The Federation Council only makes recommendations; it has no judiciary power over the member worlds. If either party in a dispute rejects the recommendations of the Council, it may appeal to the Federation Judiciary Board. Appeals to the Board may ultimately result in review by the Federation Supreme Court, the ultimate judiciary authority in the Federation.

• ARTICLES SIX THROUGH FIFTEEN: Describe the function and power of the Federation Council and its legislative powers. These ten articles form the meat of the Constitution, setting forth voting powers of council members and establishing the different permanent cabinets. Article Thirteen, for example, establishes Earth as the seat of Federation government.

• ARTICLES SIXTEEN THROOGH NINETEEN: Establish the office of President of the Federation, as well as his bureaucratic under cabinet, the Secretariat. The President serves as chief diplomat, establishes foreign policy, and functions as commander-in-chief of Starfleet. This necessarily requires thousands of man-hours of work every day. The offices of the Secretariat perform this work, reporting directly to the President.

• ARTICLE TWENTY: Establishes Starfleet as the Federation's defense force and exploration fleet. This article names San Francisco as Starfleet Headquarters and establishes a subcabinet of fleet admirals to serve as Starfleet Command, reporting directly to the President.

• ARTICLES TWENTY-ONE THROUGH TWENTY THREE: Set forth the powers of the judiciary branch. Article Twenty-two, for instance, establishes the Federation Supreme Court as ultimate legal authority.

• ARTICLES TWENTY FOUR AND TWENTY FIVE: Set forth the rules for membership in the Federation, as detailed above.

• ARTICLE TWENTY SIX: Delineates the process by which a member world or some subgroup of its population can establish a colony. The Colonial Rights article, as it is known, explains in great detail the limited authority the Federation has over its colonies and the aid to which colonies have a right. It also states that colonies must undergo the same rigorous review period and criteria established in the previous two articles if they wish to become full members.

• ARTICLE TWENTY-SEVEN: Explains the processes necessary to amend the Constitution. It explicitly forbids any alteration of Articles Three and Four.

The Frontier

The frontier lies at the extreme boundary of the Federation's influence. Supplies and aid take longer to get to the frontier than anywhere else in the Federation. The frontier also lies closest to the Federation's enemies. Those governments, such as the Romulan Star Empire and Cardassian Union, typically view established colonies as staging points for potential invasion and new colonies as attempts to redraw interstellar boundaries. Yet the frontier also contains a large number of unexplored, unpopulated, and possibly inhabitable worlds. Because of these basic facts, the frontier is a harsher, more dangerous place. Federation colonies are both more numerous and more vulnerable.

Colonies

Colonies result from a number of factors. At any point in a planet's history, including the review period for Federation membership, some subset of the planet's population may desire to break off from the planet's governmental authority and form their own society. For some, it is a chance to start anew, far from perceived restrictions—a new beginning on worlds such as Cestus III, Caldos, or Deneva. For others, it is the chance to participate in some kind of social experiment, such as living the less technological lifestyle of Dr. Sandoval's colony on Omicron Ceti III. For still others, opportunity attracts them to even the harshest colony worlds—dilithium miners to Rigel XII, farmers to Coltar IV, or scientists to Omicron Theta.

The Federation and other powers willingly sponsor colonies. At any time, there are hundreds of extant Federation colonies, with roughly 10% of applications for Federation membership in a given year coming from colonial outposts. The UFP provides supplies, resources, advisors, and Starfleet protection. The Federation Bureau of Colonization must approve all prospective colonies. The Bureau assigns a survey team to examine the site, ensuring it meets the Bureau's requirements. The new site must not be on an inhabited world, must have sufficient resources to support a stable population, and must be relatively free of threat. If a group wanted to colonize an uninhabited world on which an Iconian gateway existed, the Bureau would turn the application down because of the possible risk to colony safety and Federation security (not to mention the scientific value).

For some people colonial life represents the best of two worlds. They gain some of the benefits of Federation life while benefiting from a higher degree of cultural and governmental freedom than might otherwise be possible as a full member. Most colonies start on moons or planets near the founding culture's homeworld. Occasionally, colonists desire to start completely anew, moving as far away from the parent homeworld as possible. Thus are frontier colonies born.

Colonial Life

Some long-established colonies, such as those on Mars, Rigel, and Deneva, are essentially member worlds, and life on these older colonies is indistinguishable from life on a member world. They enjoy a high degree of technological sophistication, such as replicators, a large, stable population, and local industry. On the stereotypical "rugged" colonies along the frontier, however, life is markedly different.

Colonists typically work hard for many of the things most Federation citizens take for granted, including their survival. Science outposts are often isolated and depend on supply shipments from the Federation. On farming and mining colonies, people work long hours to maintain their precarious existence. On some colonial outposts, replicators may be unavailable because they require phenomenal amounts of energy, and such basic requirements as food and water must be acquired through farming or supply shipments. Buildings may either be prefabricated structures or constructed locally using primitive techniques. Some colonies, by their nature, may be located in hostile environments or inhospitable worlds—underground pergium mines or penal colonies on barren rocks—requiring sophisticated life support. Governments typically range from appointed colony administrators (since small colonies cannot support large bureaucracies) to various political and social systems—democracy, socialism, Luddism, and so forth. At any time, a colony could suffer utter catastrophe, from a Borg attack on the Jouret IV colony to radiation-induced hyperaccelerated aging on Gamma Hydra IV, from famine on Tarsus IV to government collapse on Turkana IV.

Finally, life on a colony requires, more than anything else, reliance on oneself and one's fellow colonists. Colonies are often so remote that, it can take time for a starship to arrive. If a strange alien race shows up in orbit, it is often up to colonists to decide the best course of action, whether to negotiate or fight, then follow through. To participate in a colony a colonist needs the ability and willingness to stand on his own two feet.

The Frontier and Exploration

The frontier also provides limitless opportunities for exploration. Starfleet's mandate devotes fully half its resources to exploration. Federation starships, unlike their Romulan, Klingon, or Cardassian counterparts, are packed with exploratory technology. From advanced sensor arrays sophisticated enough to catalog a planet's flora and fauna to dozens of probes designed for everything from atmospheric survey to spectrographic isotope isolation, Starfleet's capacity for exploration is unrivalled in the galaxy.

But the "frontier" of exploration is not always the edge of the Federation. New discoveries await on even the oldest, best known Federation worlds. Where Starfleet concentrates its resources changes from era to era.

The Frontier in Star Trek: The Next Generation

During the 24th century, Starfleet devoted itself to exploring more fully those planets merely surveyed in the previous century. The Federation couldn't simply continue forward, crossing political boundaries for the sake of exploration. With the Romulans and Klingons thwarting outward expansion in the Beta Quadrant, Starfleet at first changed direction, exploring spinward until it ran into the Cardassians and Ferengi. In effect, the major powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants "bumped up" against each other, making further outward exploration difficult.

As a result, exploration during this era meant detailed surveys of planets and systems only cursorily reported on previously, if at all. Ships in the previous century often expanded the Federation's frontiers by hundreds of light-years at a time, without stopping to catalog all the planetary systems and other stellar phenomena they passed. Starfleet concentrated on filling in the gaps on its star charts. It seemed the frontier—represented by new worlds to explore and new civilizations to study—could be anywhere: the next planet, system, or sector.

Additionally, contact between starship captains and Starfleet Command became, thanks to improved technology, much more frequent. Starfleet Command could advise on emerging situations, provide information more readily, and dispatch reinforcements more quickly and in greater numbers. As a result, starship crews became less isolated. Rather than as a group of individual, far-flung ships, Starfleet could act as a concerted whole.

Starfleet

Starfleet serves as the instrument of policy for the Federation, as well as safeguarding its borders and expanding the boundaries of knowledge through exploration and research. No other organization in the UFP embodies its principles of brotherhood and peace as Starfleet does. Serving among Starfleet's ranks is one of the highest aspirations for citizens (and many noncitizens) of the UFP.

Control over the fleet is centralized at Starfleet Command, located in San Francisco near the Federation Council hall. Because of the vast distances involved in space exploration, starship crews answer to their captain, who in turn reports to a fleet admiral, in order to coordinate operations and maintain cohesion. The Chief-in-Command of Starfleet oversees a staff of fleet admirals charged with various responsibilities ranging from a specific region of space to a related set of operations (such as exploration and research, or intelligence gathering). The C-in-C answers directly to the Federation President, though he is also answerable to the Federation Council.

Each Starfleet officer, from a lowly cadet to a fleet admiral, is expected to follow Starfleet regulations. While a starship crew may find itself two weeks' journey from the nearest starbase and have wide latitude in dealing with unexpected circumstances, it does not have carte blanche. Starfleet's regulations are meant to ensure a standard code of conduct, and serve as guidelines for how a Starfleet officer is expected to behave. The Starfleet Manual of General Orders and Regulations contains rules governing virtually every facet of starship operation, from manual checks of warp core efficiency and dilithium crystal degeneration to the behavior of flag officers during diplomatic dinners. These rules come in three types: General Orders, Orders, and Regulations. General Orders are broad, sweeping rules of primary importance to the continued functioning and security of Starfleet, the most famous of which is the Prime Directive. Orders cover more mundane operational rules, such as outlining a vessel's chain of command and establishing officer responsibilities aboard ship. Regulations detail specific codes of conduct and procedures, such as mandating the ship go to yellow alert when detecting an unidentified ship or establishing a weekly check of deuterium tanks. Violations of the Regulations could be met with a simple reprimand (for neglecting a Regulation) to a court-martial (for violations of a General Order).

The Function of Starflect

Starfleet's two basic functions, defense and exploration, manifest themselves in a wide variety of mission types. A given ship may, over the course of the year, undertake several of each mission type. Other ships serve for long periods in one mission posting—threat alert or deep-space exploration, for instance. Indeed, entire fleets are sometimes posted to a narrow category of duties because of the specific strengths of the fleet's ships—Starfleet's Extended Exploration fleet, for example, comprised mostly of Nova-class science ships. The basic mission types are listed below.

Exploration

In every era, exploration comprises the bulk of ship missions. Every ship in the fleet, in every era, over the course of a five-year tour of duty, adds immeasurably to the sum total of Federation knowledge of its own space and that of the frontier. Consider the discoveries made by the Enterprise over the course of two TV series. The Tholians, the Gorn, the Iconians, and over a dozen more races and countless planets and systems were encountered and explored by the Enterprise. Multiply that by the hundreds of ships in Starfleet, and you gain some notion of the role of exploration in Starfleet. Each ship is responsible for volumes of new information every year, yet at the same time Starfleet has explored only a tiny fraction of the galaxy. There are two broadly defined types of exploration mission:

DEEP-SPACE EXPLORATION: These missions involve cataloguing planetary systems, nebulae, black holes, and other stellar phenomena. A deep-space exploration mission might catalog the location of a planetary solar system. The number of planets, their types, locations, and number of moons, and any comets or asteroids would be filed for examination by Starfleet's Department of Astronomical Phenomena.

PLANETARY EXPLORATION: Starfleet's primary goal is the search for new worlds, life-forms, and civilizations. Once a noteworthy planet has been discovered, Starfleet dispatches a ship to explore its surface. Planetary missions begin with extensive sensor scans of the surface, cataloguing atmosphere, hydrosphere, geology, and abundance of plant life. Modern sensors can accumulate a wealth of information before an away team beams down. Often, after the sensor scans are completed and the planet's surface is fully mapped, survey teams are sent to examine the world more closely. This might mean traveling through the upper atmospheric layers of a gas giant in a shuttlecraft, or actually setting foot on the planet's soil. Most observation of intelligent life occurs during planetary missions. Extensively trained first contact teams can spend weeks studying a new species without their subjects' awareness. Warp-capable cultures, however, are usually contacted by the deep-space survey crews, since most warp-capable cultures are able to detect Starfleet warp signatures.

Defense

The second half of Starfleet's mission statement as set forth in the Federation Constitution, defense missions fall into one of four basic categories:

PATROL MISSIONS: These form the bulk of all nonexploration missions. Some areas of space contain known threats, others contain recently discovered species who may pose a threat. Patrol missions intentionally give Starfleet a high profile in these areas, to ensure hostile and potentially hostile species understand Starfleet's commitment to defense, and to maintain a ready defense force should any potentially hostile species attack.

THREAT ALERT MISSIONS: Patrols along currently hostile borders, such as the Romulan Neutral Zone or, in some eras, the Klingon border, and responses to acts of aggression against the Federation constitute threat alert missions. If a starbase or colony is attacked, a ship is dispatched on threat alert to respond.

TACTICAL MISSIONS: These missions almost always involve combat or the threat of combat. Federation lives or the lives of its allies are at stake and ships are required to defend against the aggressors. These include everything from the incursion of alien probes intentionally or unintentionally threatening the Federation to full-fledged war.

CONVOY AND ESCORT: Universally considered the most uneventful of defense missions, convoy and escort missions require a starship to follow along with a fleet of freighters or serve as hosts to important dignitaries on their way to an important diplomatic function. Despite the "babysitting" aspect of these kinds of mission, their completion is often vital, and starship crews remain on alert for potential threats. In the event of trouble, a starship's primary duty is to avoid danger and get its charges through safely.

Diplomacy

As instruments of Federation policy, starships and their crews are often called upon to handle diplomatic affairs, from attending state ceremonies such as the inauguration of a new leader to representing the Federation's position at an intergalactic conference, from negotiating peace treaties to simply demonstrating the Federation's concern. In this capacity, every starship serves as a floating embassy and every crewmember represents Starfleet.

FIRST CONTACT: Starfleet officers, in their capacity as explorers, are often the first to establish contact with a previously unknown species. In the case of prewarp societies, a first contact mission is meant to evaluate the culture secretly, so as not to contaminate the society's natural evolution. While this may seem a facet of exploration missions, because of the delicacy of such missions Starfleet considers it a matter of diplomacy. In the case of species already possessing warp drive capability, a first contact mission is intended to reveal the existence of life on other planets and welcome them into the interstellar family of nations.

INTERGALACTIC AFFAIRS: The bulk of diplomatic missions fall under this category—negotiating trade agreements, arbitrating local disputes, participating in diplomatic conferences, and demonstrating the Federation's interest as a neutral observer. These missions involve tact, courtesy, and a fine understanding of interstellar politics. Starship crews are often the first on the scene of emerging diplomatic situations and can be dispatched much more quickly than a mission from Earth. Starship captains often have wide latitude to represent the Federation's interests and are authorized to speak on behalf of the Federation.

Emergencies and Natural Disasters

Whenever a planet or system undergoes a cataclysmic upheaval—giant solar flares, geological or meteorological disturbances, potential asteroid impacts, outbreaks of disease or famine—Starfleet is called in. These kinds of mission include:

AID AND RELIEF: This mission profile involves any of a number of related solutions to planetwide disaster, such as transporting critical medical supplies to a world engulfed by plague, ferrying food to a world affected by famine, destroying approaching asteroids, and relieving tectonic stress using the ship's phasers.

EVACUATION: When a mission to provide relief fails or nothing can be done to save a planet, starships are called upon to evacuate as much of the population as possible. A flotilla of Starfleet's largest spaceships takes on hundreds or thousands of people and transports them to the nearest starbase or refugee world.

Scientific

Scientific missions are often considered as going hand in hand with exploration missions. What good is it to discover a new world if nothing is learned from its unique environment? What good is identifying a new class of pulsar without performing a spectrographic analysis? Scientific missions include:

EXPERIMENTATION: These missions involve testing new theories or new equipment. The starship and her crew host a visiting scientific team with the intention of putting their work to the test—trying a new warp field geometry, observing the collapse of a red giant star. Alternatively, the starship pays a call on a research station and serves as witness to a scientific experiment.

INVESTIGATION: At any given time, the many laboratories on board a starship engage in various inquiries related to the phenomena they encounter over their operational lifetime. A starship, by virtue of its extensive travels, encounters a wide variety of specimens (sometimes never before seen) and can gather a wealth of information across a broad spectrum, from a comparative study of primitive cultures to a detailed investigation into supernovae.

Divisions of Starfleet

Just as a starship, Starfleet Command is organized into various departments. Officers posted to a starship technically serve within the Department of Fleet Operations. Some departments serve in a purely organizational role, as with the Office of Fleet Operations, while others oversee various operations, such as Starfleet Intelligence and the Office of Planetary Exploration. Often, a mission objective transmitted from Starfleet Command originates from one of these departments. A starship dispatched to escort the Dolmen of Elas to a conference comes from the Starfleet Diplomatic Corps, while a mission to defend a mining colony from possible Ferengi attack comes from the Office of Strategic Operations.

THE JOINT CHIEFS: With its far-flung operations across vast distances of space, Starfleet is too large to be overseen by one person. The Joint Chiefs—comprised of the Chief-in-Command, Chief of Fleet Operations, Chief of Research and Exploration, Chief of Strategic Operations, and Chief of Interplanetary Affairs—represent the five major departments in Starfleet Command. Chosen from among Starfleet's most capable admirals, the Joint Chiefs are collectively responsible for setting policy and guiding operations.

FLEET OPERATIONS: The office of the chief of Fleet Operations manages the deployment and mission rosters of all ships in the fleet. Other departments task Fleet Operations with mission profiles, with Fleet Operations selecting the best ships for the missions. Starfleet organizes its ships into 27 separate fleets, with each assigned to a particular region of space and with its own numerical designation. The First Fleet, for instance, stationed at and around Alpha Centauri, protects Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, and the rest of sector 001. Each fleet is commanded by a fleet admiral, who oversees the ships under his command and serves as the linchpin between the fleet and Fleet Operations. Fleet Operations keeps track of the present locations of every ship in the fleet and can quickly ascertain which ship is available to respond to emergencies. Departments under the Office of Fleet Operations include Starbase Operations, the Judge Advocate General's office, and the Corps of Engineers.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS: while Fleet Operations manages the routine deployment of ships in large areas, Strategic Operations manages the planning of strategic defense. One of the smallest divisions of Starfleet, Strategic Operations is nonetheless the most vital in maintaining the defense of the Federation. This division draws up Starfleet's battle plans, conducts threat assessments, and reviews the fleet's preparedness for defense. It monitors emerging threats and, through the Strategic Planning Council, devises new tactics and strategies. Defense missions originate with the Strategic Operations office. Departments under the Office of Strategic Operations include the Strategic Planning Council and Starfleet Intelligence.

RESEARCH AND EXPLORATION: One of the most important divisions within Starfleet Command, this office supervises and coordinates the fleet's exploration efforts—from surveying newly discovered planets to studying the effects of warp fields on chroniton particles. Missions to explore a sector, survey a planet's surface, or study a black hole come from this department. It collates incoming information, reviews various discoveries, and prioritizes scientific endeavors. Departments under this office include Starfleet Medical, Planetary Science Operations, and Astronomical Science Operations.

INTERPLANETARY AFFAIRS: Responsible for coordinating Starfleet's diplomatic efforts, the Office of Interplanetary Affairs oversees first contact efforts, colonization programs, and interplanetary affairs. This office dispatches experts to attend diplomatic conferences, evaluates species for possible contact, instructs starship captains in negotiating strategies, and coordinates diplomatic responses with the Federation Council. Diplomatic missions ranging from establishing contact with the Malcorians to ferrying diplomats to Babel typically originate here. The office of Colonial Affairs, First Contact Division, and Starfleet's Diplomatic Corps fall under this division.

Tours of Duty: Serving in Starfleet

The most sought-after posting in Starfleet is an assignment to a starship. What more glamorous image is there than traveling the galaxy (even in the smallest class of starship), seeing what no one else has seen, going where no one has gone before? Yet Starfleet is more than state-of-the art spacecraft, and includes postings to starbases, Starfleet Command, scientific outposts, sensor arrays, and more. No matter where an officer is destined, he selects a particular branch, which loosely describes his duties.

Branches and Duties

Starfleet divides its operations into three basic categories—command, operations, and science. Members of Starfleet enjoy some latitude when moving between its branches. It is not unusual for an officer to transfer from the science division to command, or for a command officer to move into operations. Starfleet in the 23rd century identified these branches by a particular service uniform color—red for command, yellow for operations, and blue for science.

Command

Command personnel are responsible for the smooth operation and administration of people under their command, from science labs to management of the entire crew. While starship captains and starbase commanders are the most apparent members of this branch, command officers can be found throughout a facility's ranks. Officers involved in flight control (navigators, helmsmen) are also counted among the command ranks, because of their importance in guiding a starship, for example, while command officers in various departments coordinate activities and supervise smaller teams. Junior command officers report to the First Officer on matters related to the ship's smooth operation and coordinate with various department heads. For example, a command officer might supervise repairs on the main deflector array, contributing his organizational talents and reporting to both the First Officer and the Chief Engineer. Command personnel are trained in crisis management, diplomacy, leadership, and tactics. Positions include such well known areas as helm, navigation, flight control, first officer, and captain, along with lesser-known jobs such as quartermaster, strategic operations, and shuttlecraft pilot.

Science

From the science officer on the bridge to the lab technician belowdecks, Starfleet facilities are heavily staffed with science personnel. Every ship maintains several laboratories (and even the smallest vessel has at least one multipurpose lab) where vital experiments and investigations take place. In orbit over a newly discovered planet, for instance, plant surveys are handled by the botany lab, weather studies are conducted by the meteorology department, the chemistry lab conducts an analysis of everything from soil composition to atmospheric gas composition, and so forth. Starships and starbases include among their crews experts in the hard sciences (astronomers, chemists, geologists) and "soft" sciences (like the ship's historian and A&A [archaeology and anthropology] officer). The Chief Science Officer supervises all scientific efforts on board, prioritizes tasks, and interprets data for the captain. Individual scientists are often called in to advise the command staff on particular matters, as when an astrometrics officer advises on a wormhole's potential threats. The medical department, responsible for the health and well-being of the ship's crew, falls under the Chief Medical Officer, who holds equal rank with the Chief Science Officer. Science personnel are trained in at least one science, sensor use, computers, and deductive reasoning.

Operations

Responsible for the daily operation of the starship or starbase, members of the Ops branch repair and maintain equipment, provide security for ship and crew, and operate various critical systems. Operations is a catch-all for a wide range of duties.

ENGINEERS maintain the physical operation of ship or starbase. From the environmental controls to the warp core itself, the engineering crew diagnoses, maintains, and repairs every piece of equipment on board, making sure everything is ship-shape in Bristol fashion. Engineering duties range from structural engineering (maintaining the integrity of the hull) and servo systems (maintaining the operation of the ship's moving parts, such as the doors) to propulsion engineering (monitoring and operating the ship's warp and impulse drives) and various systems engineering (transporter, phaser, computer, and sensor specialists). Each engineer is assigned to a team, related to his area of expertise, and teams either collectively tackle complex problems or make repair calls where needed. The Chief Engineer, who reports directly to the commanding officer, supervises the engineering department.

SECURITY personnel guard the ship from threats both internal and external. Internal security includes responding to altercations on board, answering intruder alerts and boarding actions, beaming into potentially hostile landing zones, protecting dignitaries, and guarding prisoners in the brig. Security officers charged with defending against external threats man the ship's tactical systems—the phasers, photon torpedo bays, and deflector grids. While this function is traditionally thought of as the sole responsibility of the Chief Security Officer on the bridge, tactical experts staff each phaser array and deflector emitter, supervising and coordinating the ship's tactical response. The Chief Security Officer supervises both types of security officer.

Crew collectively known as OPERATIONS officers handle additional operation duties not included above. While an engineer keeps the transporters in tip-top working condition, transporter specialists actually operate the equipment. Each operations officer receives extensive training in one area of expertise, though they are capable of serving anywhere in a pinch. In the 24th century, an important position was added to the bridge crew—the Operations Manager. This position is responsible for monitoring a vessel's resources, as well as nominally overseeing all operations personnel on board. Positions generally relate to specific systems, such as computer ops, environmental ops, and transporter ops.

Rank and Responsibility

The chain of command establishes clear lines of authority and responsibility. Each level in the chain of command answers to the level above it. Because of the unexpected situations a Starfleet crew may encounter, Starfleet encourages flexibility in the chain of command. What does that mean? Ideas or solutions can come from any quarter, and even the most junior officer may find himself handling a vital assignment.

Ranks in Starfleet

Flag officers administer the larger operations of Starfleet. Their duties stretch beyond the running of a single ship. Commodores, for instance, often work from starbases in areas with large local contingents of Starfleet vessels, serving somewhat as regional commanders. Fleet captains, vice admirals, and admirals direct the various branches of Starfleet. Some direct the operations of entire fleets, usually doing so from the command chair of a given ship. Fleet admirals run Starfleet itself from positions within Starfleet Command.

FLAG OFFICERS
Fleet Admiral
Admiral
Vice Admiral
Fleet Captain*

• Sometimes referred to as Rear Admiral.

Line officers carry out the orders of the flag officers. They direct the daily operation of starships, starbases, and other Starfleet facilities.

LINE OFFICERS
Captain
Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Junior Grade (J.G.)
Ensign

Commanding Officer

On a starship, starbase, or other Starfleet installation, the commanding officer is the person in charge. This person often holds the rank of commander or higher, though on smaller installations the commanding officer can rank as low as lieutenant. On starships, no matter their size, the commanding officer is traditionally called Captain, no matter his true rank. The commanding officer takes responsibility for the operation of his starship or starbase and the behavior and performance of his crew.

First Officer

The First Officer, also known as the Executive Officer, is the commanding officer's right hand. When the captain leaves the bridge, the First Officer takes over command in his absence. First Officers often accompany the captain on important away missions, though to safeguard the captain they usually lead missions off-ship. Typically responsible for routine operations such as maintaining duty rosters and supervising the department heads, the XO maintains the most visible presence on board a starship or starbase. Many crewmembers never see the captain in a given week, but often see their department heads conferring with the First Officer. First Officers usually hold the rank of commander, though there have been instances of captains serving as executive officers to other captains.

Senior Officers

Senior officers supervise various departments and include positions such as Chief Medical Officer, Chief Engineer, and Chief Science Officer. These officers oversee activities falling within their departments, determining things such as duty rosters and mission assignments. These department heads report directly to the commanding officer and first officer, and ensure that orders are carried out efficiently.

A Day in the Life

Life on board a starship or starbase involves routine. Everyone, from the captain to the ensign on deck 34, has a schedule outlining his duties for the day. Starfleet officers have tasks to accomplish according to a deadline, to keep things running in an orderly fashion. A look at the duty roster for Lieutenant Commander Alex Gonzalez, Chief Engineer on the U.S.S. Resolute, provides a good idea of a day in the life of a Starfleet officer.

0700	End Sleep Period
0730	Breakfast
0800	Begin Duty—Alpha Watch
0900	Daily Department Review
0930	Scheduled Servicing: Ablative Armor
1000	Senior Staff Meeting: Warp Drive Maintenance Schedule
1130	Tactical Defense Division: Review Phaser Enhancements
1200	Meal Break (Captain MacKenzie)
1300	Prepare Maintenance Schedule: Stardate 51266
1400	Supervise Shuttlecraft Maintenance: Ensigns J. Vittetow and Z. Vittetow
1600	End Alpha Watch
1615	Review: Sensor Performance
1800	Evening Meal (Lt. Cmdr. Ivari)
2300	Begin Sleep Period

This is essentially a "to do" list for Alex Gonzalez, a list of things Alex must do on this particular stardate. The duty roster is regimented to manage his time effectively and ensure that he gets to everything on his list. The language is a bit formal because each officer's daily schedule is part of his daily report and the ship's log. It is a combination of elements both personal and professional, set by Alex and his superior officer.

For example, Lieutenant Commander Gonzalez's day begins at 7:00 a.m., with breakfast scheduled for 7:30. Although his schedule lists 7:00 a.m. as his time to wake up, this is something Alex chooses for himself (it's not as though the first officer cares what time Alex wakes up); this is the time he chooses to awaken, and when he likes breakfast. While his schedule says "0730 Breakfast", it's not a rule. He doesn't sit alone in his quarters with a knife and fork waiting for a bell to ring so he can start eating. He can eat and get ready in any order; the entry simply denotes how he spent his time during that hour. Similarly, although his schedule lists 2300 hours as his bed time, this is simply the time Alex generally goes to bed. He also chooses to review sensor performance logs in his off-duty time and schedules dinner for himself with Lieutenant Commander Ivari.

His professional day is less about his personal choices and more about the responsibilities of his job. After breakfast, Alex reports for his duty shift at 0800 hours. This is the time when he begins his work day, established by the crew's duty roster. The duty roster is usually developed by Alex's supervisor, the First Officer, who logs the report. Work on a starship is broken down into three shifts, each eight hours long, referred to as Alpha, Beta, and Gamma watches. During extended periods of critical performance, the shifts are usually shortened to four six-hour shifts to relieve stress on the crew.

Alex begins his duty shift by spending an hour reviewing the ship's status and answering questions or handling problems. Afterward (0900 hours) he holds a staff meeting in which he debriefs everyone in his department on the ship's status and their duties. This is typically brief, since everyone usually knows what their jobs for the day are, but if someone's going to be assigned a new task, he learns about it at this meeting. This is also the place where any unforeseen difficulties can be discussed and clarifications can be made. At 0930 hours Alex supervises an inspection of the Resolute's ablative armor, something mandated by Starfleet regulations. Afterward, at 1 000 hours, he meets with the other senior staff members, where they discuss issues that might impact the other departments. Alex, for instance, informs everyone that his crew plans on performing the monthly warp drive maintenance, which means running on impulse power for a few hours.

After the meeting, Alex talks with one of the many teams on his staff, the Tactical Defense Division. These junior officers are responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Resolute's shipboard weapons systems. Alex has made a note to talk to them about the performance of the phasers and projected modifications to enhance their effectiveness. Afterward, he'll have lunch with the Resolute's captain, Matthew MacKenzie (scheduled by Captain MacKenzie).

And so on through the day until the end of Alex's duty roster and a return to his personal schedule.

Starships

The amazing personal technology of the 23rd and 24th centuries pales in comparison to the technological wonders found on starships. Able to traverse the galaxy at many times the speed of light, starships play a crucial role in most Star Trek series. Crews use them not only for traveling great distances but also for performing critical aspects of their assigned missions. For example, ship sensors can detect minute particles and energy fluctuations from lightyears away, enabling the crew to study stellar phenomena and planetary anomalies from a safe distance. In most series, the crew's starship stands out as the most important mission resource; it not only provides the means of transport to faroff galaxies, but also serves as the crew's base of operations and place of sanctuary while they're there.

Technology

Although every starship differs from the others in the fleet, they all share certain technologies and systems in common. Every ship has transporters, replicators, shields, and other useful types of technology. While a system on one ship may have greater power or versatility than the same system on another ship, both systems function similarly, use the same components, and depend on the same scientific principles.

Operations Systems

Starfleet refers to the main systems aboard starships as operations systems. Operations systems help the crewmembers perform basic functions such as piloting the ship, detecting other ships, commanding the crew, and going on away missions.

The Bridge

The bridge serves as the center of operations aboard every starship. From the bridge the captain commands the vessel and oversees every aspect of its operations. Assisting the captain, chief officers—called the bridge crew—help keep the vessel operating smoothly and efficiently.

Depending on the size and purpose of a starship, its bridge can range in size from a small cockpit to a large command center. Regardless of size, the bridge houses the instrumentation to control virtually all of the ship's functions. A typical bridge has the following instruments and controls.

Captain's Chair

The central feature of the bridge is the captain's chair, also known as the command station. When on duty, the captain (or other commanding officer) sits here, receiving reports from his staff and issuing appropriate orders. On some bridges, such as that of the Galaxy-class explorer, other important officers such as the First Officer, Second Officer, and ship's counselor occupy seats near the captain's chair, but the captain's chair stands out as the largest and most prominent. The arms of the captain's chair contain the command station—miniaturized control panels and displays that allow the captain to monitor and assume control of any system on the ship. The First Officer may also have access to the command station on some ships, or use an auxiliary station of his own.

Duty Stations

Complementing the command station, several duty stations are located at other points around the bridge. The bridge crew occupy these stations and control various operations of the ship. Each station has a control panel (see sidebar next page) specialized for its particular function. The number and nature of duty stations on a ship depends on the type of ship and its primary mission profile. The most common ones include flight control, communications, engineering, environmental control, operations management, science, and tactical.

COMMUNICATIONS: On 23rd-century ships, communications systems merit their own station. The Communications Officer uses this station to broadcast and receive transmissions, translate alien languages with the universal translator, transmit through interference, and so forth. In the 24th century, the Operations Manager or other officers perform this duty from their own stations.

ENGINEERING: The Chief Engineer usually oversees his department from the Engineering section of the ship, but sometimes the captain requires his presence on the bridge. In those situations, he uses the Engineering station on the bridge to monitor the performance of the propulsion systems, calibrate systems, evaluate the ship's status, and so forth.

ENVIRONMENTAL: Although life support and other environmental controls are highly automated, with multiple redundant backups to prevent failure and withstand sabotage, environmental systems occasionally require crew maintenance and manual control. A crewmember manning the environmental station can reroute energy to the life support systems, shut down life support in key areas of the ship, isolate contaminants within certain locations, and vent radiation or other toxins from the starship.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT: Usually referred to simply as "Ops." this station allows the Ops Officer to manage and allocate the ship's resources, particularly power. During crises, the Ops officer evaluates power requirements for different systems and functions and allocates power to them according to the captain's orders and the mission priorities. When necessary, the Ops station also allows the manager to schedule the use of other limited resources, such as laboratory and holodeck time, and to perform other minor duties such as communications.

SCIENCE: More common on 23rd-century ships than on later vessels, the Science station controls the sensors and access to the library computer. The science station also allows the Science Officer to gather and correlate data from the ship's laboratories. In combat or crisis situations, the Science station provides backup for Flight Control and Tactical.

TACTICAL: The largest duty station on many ships, Tactical controls the ship's defensive and offensive systems. With its controls the Tactical Officer (often also the Chief Security Officer) can detect, identify, and track other starships and external threats. The station also enables the Tactical Officer to raise, lower, and monitor the shields; and configure and fire weapons. The Tactical station uses a sophisticated computer and sensor suite known as the Threat Assessment/Tracking/Targeting System (TA/T/TS) to assist the Tactical Officer with these duties and if necessary can tie into other sensors and communications systems. The Tactical station also allows the Tactical and/or Chief Security Officer to monitor internal sensors, dispatch security teams to handle on-board threats, and regulate other aspects of the ship's internal security.

Other Bridge Features

Most bridges also include the following features:

VIEWSCREEN: While small ships, such as Danube-class runabouts, get by with a simple viewport over the cockpit, larger vessels usually mount a viewscreen. Any bridge officer can display data, transmissions, or an external view from any angle around the ship on the viewscreen. Under normal circumstances, the viewscreen shows a forward view so the crew can see where the ship is heading.

CAPTAIN'S READY ROOM: On many ships the captain can use a special office, called a "ready room," located next to the bridge. The ready room provides a secure environment for holding meetings, conducting research, receiving fleet orders, formulating strategies, or simply finding a moment to rest.

CONFERENCE ROOM: Many ships also have a conference or meeting room opposite the ready room. The captain meets with the crew and visiting dignitaries here to plan operations and discuss the ship's missions.

Computer Systems

Every starship maintains one or more computer cores, each able to handle the vessel's entire computational needs. A computer core contains hundreds or thousands of isolinear chips (or, in the 23rd century, duotronic circuits). One isolinear chip can store 2.15 kiloquads of data, enabling the ship's computer to contain trillions of pages of text and data. As crewmembers gather data via the sensors and other systems, the computer automatically adds more information to its records, increasing its database every nanosecond.

Powerful and sophisticated, a ship's computers can almost run the ship by themselves in noncrisis situations. But they are neither artificially intelligent nor infallible. The ship's computers can only do what the crew programs them to do and thus cannot exercise reliable judgment in complex situations involving ethical matters or priority evaluations.

A computer cannot anticipate the wants and desires of the crew or individual crewmembers. For example, the computer does not automatically alert the captain about unauthorized use of the transporter; if someone wants that information, he has to specifically request it from the computer (though he may request the computer to make periodic reports). Starfleet engineers do program computers to alert the crew to some situations, such as failure of life support or the approach of obviously dangerous external phenomena. But since crewmembers can always check the computer to gain the information they want, there's no need to inundate them with myriad reports about routine functions. That's the purpose of the computer—to monitor systems and log reports so the crewmembers can look at this information if it becomes important.

Crewmembers interface with the computer via the Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS). LCARS allows them to access the computer by speech—a simple spoken command prompts the appropriate response from the computer—or via control panels.

The computer transmits data between duty stations, control panels, and its cores via the optical data network (ODN). This network of multiply redundant, multiplexed optical monocrystal microfibers is one of the ship's most important systems. If attacks damage or destroy the ODN, the crew may have difficulty accessing the computer (and thus controlling the ship).

Control Panels

At every duty station, and in most corridors, quarters, and other rooms aboard a starship, there are control panels for crewmembers' use in accessing the computer and performing their duties. Consisting of multilayer flat-screen technology, a control panel uses sophisticated data management tools to provide information and controls to the user in a graphical format. Crewmembers use control panels by pressing the appropriate areas on the panel. A user can customize almost all control panels, arranging the graphical interface to suit his individual preferences. After programming a configuration into the computer, a crewmember can call it up at any time with a spoken command.

Flight Control Systems

The primary purpose of a starship is to carry its crew and passengers from one destination to the next. Flight control systems exist to make sure the ship gets to where it's going via the safest and quickest routes.

Flight Control Station

The Flight Control Officer uses the Flight Control station on the bridge (also referred to as the "conn") to pilot the ship and control the ship's sensors. In the 23rd century, Starfleet divided these functions between a helmsman's station and a navigator's station. Linked to the ship's sophisticated navigation computer and navigational sensors, the conn allows the Flight Control Officer to chart a course from one point to another, access the propulsion systems, engage in offensive or evasive maneuvers, and configure sensors and review the collected data. In routine situations, the navigational computer actually does most of the piloting, but there's no substitute for a human pilot when crises arise.

Navigational Deflector

Colliding with space debris when traveling at warp speeds can prove catastrophic to a starship and its crew. To avoid such mishaps, all warp-capable ships carry one or more navigational deflectors. A navigational deflector emits a series of shieldlike waves of energy which "push" small objects out of the ship's path. The deflector works in conjunction with the long-range sensors and is mounted directly in front of them so it doesn't interfere with their functions.

A ship's crew can also use the navigational deflector to project a wide variety of electromagnetic and subspace energies, such as verteron particles or tachyon streams. Using the navigational deflector in this manner has saved ships from destruction and provided tactical advantages on numerous occasions.

Inertial Damping Field

The inertial forces generated by accelerating to impulse or warp speeds would destroy everyone and everything aboard a ship were it not for the inertial damping fields (IDFs) generated aboard starships. The IDF generates a counterforce that keeps the occupants of the ship safe during hazardous maneuvering or sudden impacts. But some changes in speed, vector, or acceleration (such as those occurring in combat situations) occur too quickly for the IDF to neutralize completely.

Sensors

Starships come equipped with dozens of different types of sensors that function as its "eyes and ears." They detect thousands of substances and phenomena, ranging from subspace variations to asteroid fields and approaching starships. As such they are crucial to almost all mission profiles, particularly those focusing on scientific or military pursuits. But sensors cannot detect everything at once; that would require too much computing power. For example, sensors used by Starfleet do not routinely monitor some 15,000 known substances and phenomena, but the crew can reprogram the sensors to detect and monitor these whenever the necessity arises. Sensors come in three basic types: long-range, lateral, and navigational.

Long-range sensors work at a range of five lightyears (for high-resolution scans) or approximately 12-17 light-years (for medium- to low-resolution scans). They cover a 45° arc forward of the ship. Long-range sensors function at superluminal speed, propagating at warp 9.9997 (slightly slower than subspace radio). They can detect solid objects, gravimetric and energy phenomena, subspace emissions, thermal images, neutrino images, and variations or fluctuations within any occurrence.

Lateral sensors are located along the sides of a ship in multiple "pallets." They detect objects in all directions around a vessel, but only up to a range of approximately one light-year. As such, they are of little use when traveling at warp velocities. At impulse speeds, lateral sensors facilitate scientific research; during combat situations, they allow the ship to locate and track enemy vessels. The standard Starfleet lateral sensor pallet includes EM scanners, subspace imagers, thermal sensors, and several other detectors. If needed, a crewmember can replace a standard pallet with a more specialized version for a specific mission.

Navigational sensors link with the navigational computer and conn station to chart a starship's course through space. Optimized to detect navigational markers such as chronometric relays, navigation beacons, pulsars, quasars, and other objects programmed into the ship's computer, nav sensors make it easy for the Flight Control Officer to stay on course and monitor the ship's progress.

Probes

Sometimes sensors malfunction or prove otherwise incapable of fulfilling all of a ship's data requirements. In these situations, ships can deploy probes-automated sensor platforms-to study an area or phenomena. Ships often employ probes to perform standard surveys of planets and sectors, approach hazardous objects or energy fields, or simply extend the ship's sensory capacity.

Probes fly and maneuver independently of the ship, using microfusion reactor engines (for impulse speeds) or warp sustainer engines (to maintain a warp field if the ship deploys them moving at warp speed). A ship can control a probe remotely. Ships deploy probes using torpedo launchers, so most probes resemble standard torpedoes in size and shape (typically about 2 meters long, .75 meters wide).

Starfleet uses nine standard classes of probe, and other species employ similar types. These include short-range EM scanning probes, planetary probes able to orbit a body for up to three months, and warp-capable long-range probes.

Separation Systems

Some starships have the ability to separate a part of themselves from the main body of the ship. On Starfleet vessels, separation usually occurs between saucer and body. By disengaging a complex, redundant series of locks, the crew can separate the saucer from the engineering hull. The crew remaining in the hull uses an auxiliary or "battle" bridge to control that part of the ship. The saucer uses its own impulse engines to move; but lacking a warp propulsion system, it does not have the power to travel at warp speeds or operate many power-intensive systems, including shields.

Tractor Beams

Starships use tractor beams—superimposed subspace/graviton force beams—to manipulate objects outside of the ship (most commonly done to assist shuttlecraft landings). By creating and manipulating spatial stress around an object, a tractor beam can pull it closer, push it away, hold it in place, tow it along, or sometimes even tear it apart. The beam's effective range depends on the distance and mass of the target object. Although normally considered an operations system, a tractor beam has many combat applications, so the Tactical Officer usually controls it during battle.

Transporters

A ship's transporters allow the crew to "beam" persons or objects from place to place by converting their matter to energy, then rematerializing them at the destination point. A subspace carrier wave transmits the energy stream and ensures the proper reassembly. The wave also carries a transporter ID trace, a computer log of the entire process, in case anything goes wrong during the process.

Transporting something takes about five seconds using Federation technology or similar systems. A transporter cannot beam through deflector shields, cloaks, or high levels of matter or energy interference.

Transporters come in three types: personnel, emergency, and cargo. Personnel transporters demonstrate a range of 40,000 kilometers and function at a quantum resolution, allowing them to transport living beings safely. Emergency transporters have a range of 15,000 kilometers and can only transport personnel from a ship. Cargo transporters work at a molecular level and cannot transport living beings. They have an effective range of 40,000 kilometers. The ranges for 23rd-century transporters show greater limitations: 26,000, 13,000, and 26,000 kilometers, respectively.

Regardless of its type, a transporter contains five main subsystems in addition to the control station used to operate and monitor the system. When the transport begins, the molecular imaging scanners in the transport pad analyze the transportee and tie in with the ship's sensors to locate the destination or target. Next, the energizing and transition coils dematerialize the transportee and later reconstitute him at the destination point, using an annular confinement beam (ACB) to create the spatial matrix for dematerialization. Other fields keep the transportee's energy pattern locked inside the ACB.

The transporter holds the transportee's energy pattern in the pattern buffer, a magnetic holding tank, until beam-out begins (microseconds after the Doppler compensators adjust for relative motion between ship and destination). A Federation transporter can hold a pattern in the buffer for up to seven minutes before degradation (with resulting harm to the subject) occurs; some other species' buffers reveal a shorter safety margin. Degradation can range from transporter psychosis (a treatable condition causing hallucinations and delusions) to bodily harm to the subject.

While the pattern is in the buffer, the transporter biofilters scan it for all known bacteriological and viral agents and eliminate them from the pattern if detected. Because the biofilters cannot detect unknown agents, transporters cannot always prevent accidental contamination of the ship. Other filters prevent the ship from transporting dangerous objects, such as primed explosives, aboard. Once the filters complete their task, the emitter and receiver arrays on the ship's hull complete the process by transmitting (or receiving) the energy stream.

Most transports represent routine affairs posing minimal danger to the subject (especially when beaming between two transporter pads). But interference, sabotage, and any number of other situations can risk malfunctions and jeopardize transport. Transporter mishaps can result in failure to rematerialize the subject fully or properly, possibly killing the subject or destroying the cargo. Other errors include rematerializing at the wrong destination (possibly inside a solid object, also fatal to the subject), fusing transported individuals or components, and creating temporal and/or dimensional shifts.

Replicators

Closely related to transporters, replicators allow the crew to instantly create food, spare parts, and other useful objects such as clothing and tools. Their technology has revolutionized starship and colony life, allowing Starfleet to undertake longer and deeper missions without worrying about supply and logistical problems. Most ships carry industrial replicators (small and large) as well as food replicators, which are located throughout the ship.

Replicators dematerialize a sterilized, organic particulate suspension supplemented by recycled waste products and transform it into the desired food or object via established materialization patterns. Since they depend on preprogrammed patterns, they cannot vary what they create; every plate of potatoes a food replicator creates looks and tastes identical. Crewmembers can program new patterns if necessary.

Replicators suffer from four other significant limitations. Because of data capacity, they function only at the molecular level. This means they can't produce living things, and single-bit reproduction errors sometimes occur. Second, the replicator requires greater amounts of energy to replicate large and complex objects. Third, replicators possess safety interlocks preventing the creation of dangerous objects such as explosives (though in an emergency this feature can be overridden). Fourth, replicators cannot create certain objects, or cannot create them safely. The most prominent example of this occurrence involves latinum, which explains why many civilizations use it as a medium of exchange. Similarly, some medicines and complex compounds defy replication; the single-bit errors occurring at quantum levels render them inert or similarly useless.

Power and Propulsion Systems

Starships contain several systems designed to propel them through space at superluminal speed. These systems also generate the massive amounts of power needed to operate their drives and other shipboard systems. Most ships include both warp and impulse drives.

Warp Propulsion System

The main propulsion and power generation system for most starships is called the warp propulsion system, or warp drive. The warp drive works by combining matter and antimatter under controlled conditions, allowing the system to tap the annihilation reaction for energy. A warp drive includes three primary subsystems: the matter/antimatter reaction assembly, the power transfer conduits, and the warp nacelles.

The matter/antimatter reaction assembly, or warp core, typically arranged as a column (or, in the 23rd century, a horizontal structure), uses reactant injectors to inject matter (deuterium) in one end and antimatter (anti-deuterium) in the other end. Magnetic suspension keeps the antimatter and matter from contacting each other until the proper moment. Magnetic constriction segments align the matter and antimatter streams, forcing them into the matter/antimatter reaction chamber (M/ARC).

The M/ARC contains a crystal of dilithium, the only substance known to science which does not react with antimatter when exposed to a high-frequency electromagnetic field. In the 23rd century, dilithium crystals degraded with use, thus requiring periodic replacement. Scientists developed recrystalization techniques in 2286 and greatly extended the usable life of dilithium crystals.

Inside the crystal, matter and antimatter streams collide and annihilate each other. The crystal channels the resulting plasma, directing it into power transfer conduits (PTCs). The PTCs carry the plasma to the warp nacelles, where a plasma injector system feeds it into the warp field coils. The coils create nested subspace fields. By shifting the fields' frequencies, the nacelles generate propulsion at speeds faster than light. As of 2377, Starfleet vessels can achieve maximum speeds of Warp 9.982.

Because the warp propulsion system is so crucial to the functioning of a starship and so potentially dangerous, it includes numerous safety features. The engineering crew performs routine maintenance on it every day and can shut it down for major repairs or to replace the dilithium crystal. An extensive network of access tubes and conduits honeycombs the sections of the ship containing the warp propulsion system, allowing the crew to reach any problem area easily. In the event of a warp core breach, the engineers can eject the core and save the ship from deadly radiation.

Ships rarely engage in combat at warp speed. Not only is maneuvering at such high velocities dangerous, but only warp-propelled torpedoes function properly at translight speeds. Instead, ships usually drop to impulse speeds when engaging in combat.

Impulse Drive

Starships don't always need to travel at warp speeds. When conditions warrant—when passing through a solar system or engaging in combat, for example—they use impulse drives. Impulse drives employ large fusion reactors to propel the ship forward. Like the warp drive, impulse drives can also supply power to the rest of the ship, but in lesser amounts.

Ships calculate impulse speeds as a percentage of c (the speed of light). Most impulse drives allow speeds of .1 to .75 c, but the most advanced models can propel a ship at speeds up to .95 c. Starfleet refers to .25 c as "full impulse," since faster rates usually warrant traveling at warp speed instead. Only emergencies prompt captains to order higher impulse velocities.

Auxiliary and Emergency Power

Most ships maintain two backup power systems: auxiliary and emergency power. The crew uses these systems to counteract losses of power from the warp and impulse engines, or to improve the performance of shields and other systems during combat. Additionally, some systems, such as phasers and cloaking devices, rely on individual power supplies called batteries to provide enough power for short-term use in the event of shipwide power failure.

Electroplasma System

An extensive network of microwave power transmission guides, called the electroplasma system (EPS), connects to the warp and impulse drives. The EPS taps the engines for the power needed to run the rest of the ship; if it suffers damage or interference, some or all of the ship's systems may lose power.

Tactical Systems

Ship designers include tactical systems, such as shields and torpedoes, aboard most vessels, included those designated for civilian use. Though few vessels require as much armament as an explorer or battle cruiser, most ships need shields and at least one small beam weapon for self-defense or utilitarian purposes.

Beam Weapons

In most battles, starships rely primarily on beam weapons for offense. Beam weapons such as phasers and disruptors create powerful bolts of energy with great destructive potential. Although they have greater physical limitations than missiles (shorter range and the inability to be used at warp speed), beam weapons offer more tactical options and greater precision than torpedoes.

Phasers

Starfleet vessels mount phasers as their primary beam weapons. Although phasers lack the raw power of disrupters, they can fire in multiple modes and are far more versatile, making them perfect for an organization devoted to exploration and discovery rather than warfare. Phasers channel energy through emitters organized into arrays (or, in the 23rd century, into banks). These generate the energy beam and use an autophaser interlock linked to the targeting systems to ensure accurate firing. Phasers typically range in type from I to X, though recent breakthroughs have allowed Starfleet to install Type XI and XII phasers on its starships. In the 23rd century, the most powerful phaser is the Type VII, or the Type VIII as of 2284.

Disruptors

The Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians, among others, prefer disruptors to phasers. Disruptors use microscopic quantities of antimatter to generate powerful bolts of plasma. They cause more damage than a similar model of phaser but lack the phaser's versatility and utility as a tool. Disruptors reveal distinct energy signatures, making it easy to distinguish them from phasers in most circumstances.

Missiles

Most capital ships also carry missile weapons, called torpedoes. Starfleet and similar agencies normally employ two different types of torpedoes. The photon torpedo, which is the most common, creates a controlled matter/antimatter explosion to inflict tremendous damage to the target. The quantum torpedo, which is relatively new and much rarer, releases energy from a zero-point vacuum domain to create an explosion roughly twice as powerful as that of a photon torpedo. Several other types of torpedoes, such as the devastating plasma torpedo fielded by the Romulans, also exist in the Star Trek universe.

All torpedoes have much longer ranges than beam weapons; and they cause more damage than most ship-based beams. On the other hand, crews cannot fire torpedoes with as much precision, and enemy ships can evade or counteract them more easily than energy beams.

Deflector Shields

Deflector shields provide a ship's primary defense. Every ship maintains four shields: forward, starboard, aft, and port. When a crew activates a ship's shields, the shield generators create fields of highly focused spatial distortion, which the external shield grid conforms to the hull. The field concentrates at points of impact to repel damaging force. But even when a shield functions properly, the impact of the blast may jolt the vessel and cause minor structural damage. When a shield deflects attacks of excessive force, it eventually collapses and leaves the ship vulnerable to further attack.

Besides strength, shields demonstrate five additional properties: appearance, geometry, harmonics, modulation frequency, and polarity. By altering, modulating, or reconfiguring these properties, the crew can create a wide range of effects, such as temporarily strengthening the shields, hiding the ship from primitive sensors, or breaking tractor beams.

Personnel Systems

Starships contain many different systems to ensure the comfort and safety of their crews. Keeping the crew active, healthy, and in good morale improves the ship's performance.

Quarters

Starfleet vessels contain large and relatively luxurious quarters for even the lowest-ranking crewmen (23rd-century ships maintain cruder, more utilitarian accommodations). Typical quarters include a living area, sleeping area, bathroom/shower facility, and a food replicator. Crewmembers can configure and decorate their quarters as they like.

Life Support

Life support systems perform the crucial task of maintaining a habitable environment aboard ship. Life support functions stabilize not only pressure and atmosphere, but also temperature, humidity, and gravity. Ships have multiple redundant life support systems, including emergency life support modules and shelters that allow time for evacuation when all other systems fail.

A ship carries large amounts of breathing gases needed for life support, replenishing them when it docks. Additionally, atmospheric processors throughout a vessel recycle waste gases (typically carbon dioxide) to supplement the supply of fresh oxygen. Parallel atmospheric processors operating on 96-hour duty cycles ensure the system never breaks down.

On most Starfleet ships, life support systems maintain an atmosphere similar to a Class M planet, with a nitrogen-oxygen mix of gases. The crew can isolate a small percentage of quarters to support other environments, such as Classes H, K, or L Outside of their quarters, nonoxygen breathers must use personal life support devices to keep from suffocating.

The life support systems also maintain gravity inside the ship via networks of graviton-emitting stators or emitter blocks. This system provides crewmembers with a definable "up" and "down", regardless of the position of the vessel relative to a planet or other large celestial body.

Medical Facilities (Sickbay)

Starfleet vessels equip and maintain one or more medical centers, often referred to as "sickbays." A typical sickbay includes a medical clinic for routine examinations and minor treatments, an intensive care unit, and one or more research laboratories. The doctors and nurses in sickbay can treat minor illnesses and injuries, including broken bones, in just a few minutes using advanced medical technologies and treatments. More serious injuries or ailments may require surgery, drug or nanite therapy, or other sophisticated procedures.

A sickbay's ICU contains two or more biobeds, beds equipped with sophisticated sensors allowing medical personnel to obtain up-to-the-second data on a patient's condition. Larger ICUs may also contain one or more units doctors can seal off with force fields to create sterile environments.

If a crewmember requires surgery, doctors can attach a surgical support frame (SSF) to his biobed. An SSF contains advanced medical and biological sensors, a bioregenerative field generator, and equipment able to assist the doctor with surgery. The SSF can perform many routine procedures, such as administering drugs or anesthetics without supervision. It can also erect a force field around the biobed to create a sterile surgical environment.

Recreation

There's more to life than work, even aboard a starship. Rest and recreation are essential for the crew to improve their efficiency and maintain high morale. But the crew of a starship can't go on shore leave every weekend, so starships provide many forms of recreation aboard ship, including lounges, rec halls, gymnasiums, and other facilities.

Holodecks

The most advanced recreation facility aboard Starfleet vessels is the holodeck. These special chambers are equipped with holoemitters, special sensors, miniaturized tractor beams, and replicators to simulate almost any environment, setting, or situation. Complicated scenarios require detailed holoprogramming, but crewmembers can recreate basic situations by issuing verbal commands.

With its tractor beams and replicators, a holodeck creates objects and people ("puppets") indistinguishable from the real thing. But because they are made of "holodeck matter," these simulacra disintegrate if removed from the confines of the holodeck. Creating a holographic representation of a specific person without permission constitutes both a crime and a breach of ethics in most societies.

Users interact with a holodeck simulation at all levels—they see it, hear it, touch it. They can get in fights with holodeck characters and end up bruised and battered, fall into a holographic sea and get wet, or encounter holographic people so realistic they might develop a passion for them. Though generally safe and reliable, holodecks occasionally malfunction. On at least one occasion, a malfunction is known to have created a sentient hologram, giving rise to various moral, ethical, and technical quandaries.

Crewmembers use holodecks not only for recreation but also for training, exercise, and many other purposes. Thanks to the holodeck, a crewmember can spend his shipboard free time learning to drive Altairan dune-skimmers, recreating great battles of history, or practicing Mok'hara against holographic opponents. Safety overrides prevent a holodeck user from suffering any real harm, but if the safety protocols are deactivated or damaged, a hologram can injure or kill.

Most species having sufficient technological advancement employ holodeck technology. Romulan ships have holodecks similar to those of Starfleet, while Klingons prefer to use their 'decks mainly for combat training and tactical simulations. The Ferengi make a healthy profit by selling or leasing holonovels ranging from intellectually stimulating to salaciously titillating.