United Federation of Planets

==Exploration and Defense==
[[File:Starfleet command emblem.png|thumb|Starfleet emblem (24th century)]]
:''Main article: [[Starfleet]]''
Starfleet was the deep-space exploratory and defensive service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Its principal functions were the advancement of Federation knowledge about the galaxy, the advancement of Federation knowledge of science and technology, and the defense of the Federation. In addition, it also played a significant diplomatic role. As per its mandate of deep-space exploration, its personnel were frequently brought into contact with cultures and sentient species whose existences were previously unknown to the Federation. Federation Starfleet officers therefore acted as official representatives of the Federation in these cases. Also, Federation Starfleet vessels were frequently used to ferry ambassadors on diplomatic missions. ({{TNG|The Last Outpost}}; {{TOS|Journey to Babel}}; {{ENT|United}}; {{ENT|Babel One}})
{{bginfo|The Federation has never been shown to have a standing army. Captain Picard stated that "Starfleet is not a military organization, its purpose is exploration" in {{TNG|Peak Performance}}, despite Starfleet using military ranks and procedures and always appearing as the Federation's first line of defense.|Although few attempts were made to canonically establish the exact nature of the Federation, the writing staff of {{s|4}} were eager to clarify this. "''We are always trying to push, to see what you can get away with, what you can't, what you can say about the Federation,''" explained [[Ira Steven Behr]]. "''Is it military? Not military? [[Rick Berman]] felt very strongly that it is basically a trading alliance. So [...] now the viewers know [that]. A lot of people think of the Federation in basically military terms, but that's not really what it is.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 46)|[[Hilary J. Bader]] was thinking about the Federation when the idea for the [[DS9 Season 3]] episode {{e|Explorers}} occurred to her. "''I was talking with friends about the fact that the Federation is based on ships,''" she recalled. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'', p. 236)}}