<s>
In	O
the	O
fictional	O
universe	O
of	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
the	O
United	O
Federation	O
of	O
Planets	O
(	O
UFP	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
interstellar	O
government	O
with	O
which	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
space	O
force	O
Starfleet	B-Application
,	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
and	O
starships	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
are	O
affiliated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commonly	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
Federation	O
"	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
television	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
survival	O
,	O
success	O
,	O
and	O
growth	O
of	O
the	O
Federation	O
and	O
its	O
principles	O
of	O
freedom	O
have	O
become	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
franchise	O
's	O
central	O
themes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
franchise	O
focuses	O
on	O
Starfleet	B-Application
,	O
the	O
exploration	O
and	O
defence	O
arm	O
of	O
the	O
Federation	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
season	O
of	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
,	O
Captain	O
Kirk	O
had	O
said	O
the	O
Enterprises	O
authority	O
came	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
Earth	O
Space	O
Probe	O
Agency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
1966	O
,	O
Gene	O
L	O
.	O
Coon	O
was	O
hired	O
by	O
Gene	O
Roddenberry	O
as	O
a	O
writer	O
for	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actor	O
William	O
Shatner	O
credits	O
Coon	O
with	O
injecting	O
the	O
concepts	O
of	O
Starfleet	B-Application
,	O
Starfleet	B-Application
Command	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
Federation	O
of	O
Planets	O
into	O
the	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
writers	O
have	O
noted	O
that	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Treks	I-Operating_System
Federation	O
has	O
the	O
same	O
logistical	O
and	O
philosophical	O
difficulties	O
of	O
other	O
utopian	O
economic	O
and	O
political	O
schemes	O
that	O
make	O
it	O
seem	O
unrealistic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Screen	O
Rant	O
noted	O
the	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
:	O
The	O
Next	O
Generation	O
episode	O
"	O
First	O
Contact	O
"	O
for	O
exploring	O
the	O
United	O
Federation	O
of	O
Planets	O
and	O
how	O
it	O
sometimes	O
struggles	O
with	O
contact	O
with	O
aliens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
many	O
things	O
in	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
,	O
episodes	O
and	O
films	O
may	O
reference	O
entities	O
or	O
laws	O
within	O
the	O
Federation	O
,	O
but	O
viewers	O
are	O
never	O
given	O
a	O
broad	O
view	O
of	O
its	O
inner	O
workings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
timeline	O
of	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
Federation	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2161	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
:	O
Enterprise	O
but	O
before	O
those	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
series	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Federation	O
's	O
space	O
force	O
is	O
called	O
Starfleet	B-Application
,	O
and	O
,	O
although	O
most	O
of	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
depicts	O
peaceful	O
exploration	O
of	O
the	O
galaxy	O
,	O
Starfleet	B-Application
is	O
also	O
capable	O
of	O
considerable	O
military	O
might	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
Starfleet	B-Application
personnel	O
are	O
Federation	O
citizens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-citizens	O
can	O
join	O
Starfleet	B-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
process	O
is	O
more	O
difficult	O
,	O
as	O
with	O
all	O
non-Federation	O
races	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
32nd	O
century	O
setting	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
season	O
of	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
:	O
Discovery	O
,	O
the	O
Federation	O
had	O
undergone	O
a	O
near-total	O
collapse	O
precipitated	O
by	O
"	O
The	O
Burn	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
galaxy-wide	O
disaster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
fourth	O
season	O
,	O
the	O
Federation	O
is	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
rebuilding	O
itself	O
;	O
Starfleet	B-Application
Academy	O
is	O
reopened	O
,	O
new	O
shipbuilding	O
facilities	O
are	O
commissioned	O
,	O
and	O
many	O
former	O
member	O
worlds	O
such	O
as	O
Trill	O
,	O
Ni'Var	O
and	O
Earth	O
rejoin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
non-canon	O
sources	O
like	O
the	O
original	O
1975	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
Star	B-Application
Fleet	I-Application
Technical	O
Manual	O
,	O
Johnson	O
's	O
Worlds	O
of	O
the	O
Federation	O
,	O
and	O
roleplaying	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
Federation	O
's	O
five	O
founding	O
members	O
were	O
Earth	O
(	O
or	O
Terra	O
)	O
,	O
Vulcan	O
,	O
Tellar	O
,	O
Andor	O
,	O
and	O
Alpha	B-Application
Centauri	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
non-canon	O
works	O
assert	O
that	O
founding	O
member	O
Alpha	B-Application
Centauri	I-Application
is	O
home	O
to	O
a	O
human	O
race	O
(	O
transplanted	O
by	O
the	O
Preservers	O
from	O
classical	O
third-century	O
BC	O
Greece	O
)	O
known	O
as	O
,	O
variously	O
,	O
Centaurans	O
,	O
Centaurians	O
,	O
or	O
Centauri	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1980-to-2188	O
historical	O
guide	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
Spaceflight	O
Chronology	O
posits	O
the	O
Federation	O
as	O
being	O
incorporated	O
at	O
'	O
the	O
first	O
Babel	O
Interplanetary	O
Conference	O
 '	O
in	O
2087	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
books	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
Star	B-Application
Fleet	I-Application
Technical	O
Manual	O
and	O
the	O
novel	O
Articles	O
of	O
the	O
Federation	O
,	O
the	O
Federation	O
's	O
founding	O
document	O
is	O
the	O
Articles	O
of	O
Federation	O
.	O
</s>
