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Star Trek: The Difference Between the Federation and Starfleet

We know that Captains Kirk and Picard work for Starfleet. Or do they work for the United Federation of Planets? Which is it? What's the difference?

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After a long wait, the U.S.S. Enterprise has received a response from the planet Eminiar VII. They had hoped to contact the planet and establish diplomatic relations with the inhabitants in the star cluster. But the message they receive in return is simple: stay away.

When Kirk gets that reply, he intends to respects their wishes. But no sooner does he order the Enterprise to change course than a man arrives on the bridge and overrides Kirk. This moment must have shocked the first viewers of “A Taste of Armageddon” from the first season of The Original Series of Star Trek . After all, who could override the Captain on his own ship?

The answer is the United Federation of Planets, for whom the man, Ambassador Robert Fox (Gene Lyons), works. Although “A Taste of Armageddon” aired in 1967, the distinction between Starfleet and the Federation still confuses viewers today. So what is the difference between the Federation and Starfleet?

The simple answer is this: the United Federation of Planets is a galactic government founded by humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. By the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Federation contained over 150 member worlds. Starfleet is a branch of the Federation, devoted to exploration and defense. But the two organizations have a long and fascinating history that reveals a much more complex working relationship.

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How Starfleet Took Flight

In the earliest episodes of TOS , Kirk identified several different organizations as the source of his authority, including United Earth Space Probe Agency, Space Central, Star Service, and Spacefleet Command. The term Starfleet doesn’t show up until “Court Martial” in season one.

Starfleet’s primary mission is the one that Captains Kirk, Picard, and Pike describe at the start of their respective TV shows. Starfleet searches the galaxy for new forms of life and new civilizations, in the name of peace and the gaining of knowledge.

At least, that’s the idea. However, the various Star Trek shows and movies also feature a lot of shooting. That’s because Starfleet is responsible for the Federation’s military actions as well. The balance between peaceful exploration and military function has always been blurry in Star Trek history, as demonstrated in the franchise’s first two movies.

In Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the Enterprise spends all of its time investigating the V’Ger probe, a contemplative mission performed by a crew wearing pastel pajamas. For the sequel, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was pushed to the background and the studio brought in director Nicholas Meyer. Meyer saw Starfleet as a military organization, and thus shot the film like a submarine warfare movie and gave the crew more military-like uniforms.

The tonal differences between these two movies capture the tension at the heart of Star Trek . As much as the characters describe their mission in terms of peaceful exploration, the writers and directors haven’t always succeeded in making that look exciting. It’s much easier to give the characters standard adventures, in which they shoot laser guns and do two-handed chops onto the backs of aliens.

The prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise does a nice job working that tension into the show’s overall plot. Set 100 years before TOS , Enterprise follows Starfleet’s first deep space mission, aboard the Enterprise NX-01 , under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer. Although the mission began focused on exploration, starting with returning a waylaid Klingon back to Qo’noS, it soon became enmeshed in larger conflicts, especially the Xindi War. During that conflict, Starfleet served as Earth’s defense against the Xindi, which necessitated putting combat before exploration.

Founding the United Federation of Planets

While “A Taste of Armageddon” first introduced the world to the Federation, Star Trek: Enterprise traces the actual in-universe founding of the Federation. Initially, Earth learned about life on other planets after Vulcans noticed Zefram Cochrane take humanity’s first Warp-driven flight, as depicted in Star Trek: First Contact . From that event, dubbed First Contact Day, the Vulcans guided humanity’s first steps into deep space. But not every human liked that Vulcan oversight, especially not Captain Archer, who held the Vulcans responsible for problems in his father’s career.

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Things only grew worse when the NX-01 got involved in a conflict between the Vulcans and the Andorians, one that led humanity to meet Andoria’s other rival, the Tellarites. While the four species squabbled regularly, they came together during the Babel Crisis. The Romulan Star Empire used a drone disguised as an Andorian ship, hoping to put the four worlds at war with one another. Instead, Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, and Tellar worked together to dispel the Romulan threat, a project that led to talks of a Coalition of Planets.

The first Coalition conference included the four primary planets, as well as dignitaries from Denobula, Coridan, Ktaris, Rigel V, and others. An attack from the human terrorist group Terra Prime disrupted the Coalition conference, but the actions of Archer and his crew convinced the other planets to continue the talks. Six years later, the four primary planets formed the United Federation of Planets.

The Federation tends to be an aspirational organization. However, it must also be recognized as a political organization, which makes it attractive to schemers. Where Starfleet gets some terrible Admirals, the Federation can get weak leaders such as President Jaresh-Inyo, who is immediately overwhelmed by the Dominion war in Deep Space Nine . However, we have seen evidence of more competent Presidents, such as Laira Rillak on Discovery , whose work rebuilding the Federation has left her with no patience for Michael Burnham’s shenanigans.

To Boldly Imagine

So, the Federation and Starfleet aren’t exactly separate institutions. Rather, their mission and functions bleed into one another on a regular basis. It’s easy to see why newcomers get confused and longtime fans seem to use the terms interchangeably.

However, the Federation and Starfleet also represent Star Trek ‘s fundamentally optimistic worldview. Star Trek believes that humanity is fundamentally good, and that we can overcome racism, capitalism, sexism, homophobia, and all other forms of division to work together. And when we work together, we can go farther than we ever dreamed.

Simply put, the Federation shows us how we can come together, and Starfleet shows what we can accomplish, boldly going where no one has gone before.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

The History Of The United Federation Of Planets Explained

Star Trek: The Original Series  ( TOS ) premiered on television in 1966, and with it, Gene Roddenberry's vision was given a voice. The creator of  Star Trek imagined a future cured of hunger, poverty, racism, and all social ills. Free from the challenges of their infancy, the people of Earth were able to help form the United Federation of Planets (UFP) — a central government under which dozens of alien species could enjoy liberty and equality. 

While the history of the Federation would initially be used as world-building for  TOS , the franchise's enduring popularity has seen the story of the Federation stretch into more media than perhaps even Roddenberry could've imagined. Passing away in 1991, Roddenberry lived long enough to see  Trek  expand into six major motion pictures and the revival TV series  Star Trek: The Next Generation  ( TNG ). Two more series would follow before the beginning of the new millennium, the  TNG  crew would get their own big-screen adventures, and more series would follow in the late 2010s. And with each new story, the pages of the Federation's history keep turning. 

For more specifics on this interstellar government, keep reading for the history of the United Federation of Planets explained. 

The founding of the Federation

Not surprisingly, exploring the UFP's history unearths contradictory info. Different mentions of the UFP's founding in certain episodes and films don't line up perfectly, but we get about as definitive a picture of it as we can hope for in the  Star Trek: Enterprise  ( ENT ) season 3 finale "Zero Hour," when the future is revealed to Captain Archer (Scott Bakula), and he learns he'll be a speaker at the Federation's founding ceremony. 

While the number would grow much larger, only four races made up the Federation in the beginning — humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. That the Vulcans and Andorians were able to mend fences is nothing short of miraculous. The two races suffered an ugly rivalry, and viewers of  ENT  get to see quite a few examples during the series.

Together, the four races officially founded the United Federation of Planets in 2161 in San Francisco. The exact date is a matter of some debate, as non-canonical sources give different dates for the founding. Probably the closest to being official is October 11, which is the date of a news article announcing the Federation's creation. The article was made for Captain Picard's (Patrick Stewart) family album in 1994's  Star Trek: Generations , but i t's never seen on screen . 

The Federation's principles

In 1996's  Star Trek: First Contact , we learn that at that point in  Trek's  history — the year 2373 — the Federation has grown significantly since its founding. Over 150 member worlds make up the UFP. Obviously, the Federation hasn't been shy about courting new members since its founding. But while the Federation can be welcoming, membership is far from automatic. 

In order to be considered for membership, the inhabitants of a potential member world need to achieve an impressive level of advanced technology, including developing warp technology. The planet's people must have achieved a certain level of political unity, including guaranteeing rights to all of its people. Societies tolerating prejudice based on things like gender and ethnicity have no place in the Federation. Any kind of formal social hierarchy, such as a caste system, will immediately disqualify a world from UFP membership.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  ( DS9 )   gives us clear examples of how a world can be denied by the Federation. In the beginning of the series, Bajor is on the brink of civil war — a signal that it's far from ready from membership. When the Bajorans briefly revive their ancient caste system of D'jarras  in the season 4 episode "Accession," that alone begins to convince the Federation they're wasting their time.

The Klingon War

Even before the Federation's founding, the Klingons are less than friendly with the people of Earth. Their early meetings as chronicled in  ENT are at best tense, often spilling over into violence. Almost a century after the founding of the Federation, the war-loving Klingons offer the UFP one of its direst challenges. 

In  Star Trek: Discovery 's second episode — "The Battle of the Binary Stars," set in 2256 — T'Kuvma (Chris Obi) uses the U.S.S.  Shenzhou 's discovery of the Klingons' sarcophagus ship as pretense to unite the divided Houses of the Empire against the Federation. Much of the following Federation-Klingon War happens off-screen while the  Discovery  is stranded in the Mirror Universe. By the time they return to  Trek 's prime universe, they learn that after a year of warfare, the Klingons occupy approximately 80 percent of the Federation. The war ends only after L'Rell (Mary Chieffo) uses the threat of a planet-killing bomb on Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld, to assume leadership of the Empire and halt the advance of its fleets. 

This wouldn't be the last conflict between the Federation and the Klingons. In 2267, war breaks out again in  TOS ' "Errand of Mercy," though it doesn't last long. In 2372, after decades of peace, the Klingons lay siege to the titular space station in  DS9 's "The Way of the Warrior," and open war breaks out later that year. The war ends the following year after the fleets of the Dominion drive the Klingons out of Cardassia.

The Federation and Section 31

In spite of its lofty principles, the Federation isn't beyond accepting the help of the clandestine Section 31 . Named for the section of the Starfleet Charter that sanctions the kind of extreme measures the organization employs, Section 31 predates the Federation. Its members are more than willing to commit crimes such as kidnapping, espionage, and murder as long as they benefit the Federation. Originally a key part of Starfleet Intelligence, Section 31 would later become an autonomous organization, which — while officially considered rogue and disavowed by the Federation — found little resistance from within the UFP.

Among the crew of the  Enterprise -NX-01, Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) is recruited into Section 31 before the events of  ENT and is brought back into the fold in the show's final season. Reed secretly hampers the Enterprise  crew's investigation into the kidnapping of Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley), who Section 31 is using to cure the Klingon Augment Virus. Later, in  Discovery 's second season, Section 31 unwittingly becomes a threat when its artificially intelligent threat assessment system — Control — goes wild, slaughtering every Section 31 member in the group's HQ before it's neutralized. 

By the time Section 31 first investigates  DS9's  Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) on suspicion of treason over a hundred years later, most of Starfleet's rank and file have no idea who they are. Under the leadership of Luther Sloan (William Sadler), Section 31 goes on to use the Federation's temporary alliance with the Romulan Empire to manipulate a mole agent onto the Empire's powerful Continuing Committee.  

The Federations and Klingons make peace at Khitomer

In the opening moments of 1991's  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , the Klingon moon of Praxis — the Empire's chief energy-production facility — is destroyed, polluting the ozone of Qo'noS. Needing more resources to combat the threat to his capital, the Klingon chancellor, Gorkon (David Warner), enters talks with Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in the hopes of ending the long cold war between the Klingons and the Federation.

Unfortunately, peace isn't a welcome proposition to everyone in the Alpha Quadrant. Rogue elements of the Klingon Empire, Romulan Empire, and the Federation conspire to assassinate Gorkon and kill the peace talks. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his medical officer, Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), are framed for Gorkon's murder, and the new chancellor — Gorkon's daughter Azetbur (Rosanna DeSoto) — agrees to meet with Federation representatives at the Khitomer Conference . With the combined efforts of the  Enterprise -A and the  Excelsior , the plot is uncovered, Kirk and McCoy are proven innocent, and the conference is a success.  

For close to a century, the Federation and Klingon Empire enjoy peace. While the Empire does away with the Khitomer Accords briefly in season 5 of  DS9 , it would soon renew them to join the UFP in their war against the Dominion.

Wars, conflicts, and crises

Throughout its history, the UFP faces a number of wars and conflicts involving its neighbors, though most of these events take place off-screen. Since viewers only hear about these incidents after the fact, we don't have a lot of hard information regarding the when or even the why. Perhaps the most significant of these is the Earth-Romulan War, which begins before the Federation's founding. In fact, the war proves to be one of the events that inspire the people of Earth, Tellar Prime, Vulcan, and Andoria to form the UFP. However, the Romulans would go on to play chess with the Federation in both combat and espionage for centuries to come.

First seen in  TNG , the Cardassians would also be a major rival to the Federation. By the time we meet them in  TNG 's "The Wounded," a peace treaty is newly established between the rivals after a war spanning two decades. While the two powers don't make war on each other again until the end of  DS9 's fifth season — by which time Cardassia has joined the Dominion — there's still espionage and isolated pockets of conflict between them.

The Borg tries to absorb the Federation

In  TNG 's "Q Who," the mischievous Q (John de Lancie) arranges a meeting between the  Enterprise- D and the Borg — a hive-like collective of cybernetic beings who assimilate other species into their collective, believing that with each new species it assimilates, the Borg come closer to perfection. And so in 2366 — in the  TNG  two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds" — the Borg come steaming into Federation space. They capture Picard and assimilate him, using his knowledge to combat the Federation. The crew of the  Enterprise  eventually rescues Picard and stops the Borg Cube but not before invading Borg destroy 39 Federation and Klingon warships at the Battle of Wolf 359 . 

The Borg return in  First Contact with a different plan. This time, the  Enterprise- E leads a fleet that destroys the attacking Borg Cube, but before its destruction, it ejects a sphere that travels back in time to the 21st century with the goal of assimilating Earth before its people can achieve warp capability, thereby stopping the Federation's founding. Thankfully, Picard and his crew are able to stop the Borg once more .

In the Star Trek: Voyager   series finale, the Borg is severely crippled by a Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) of an alternate timeline who infects the collective with a pathogen that kills the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) . However, the presence of a Borg Cube in  Star Trek: Picard  lets us know that decades later, the collective still exists. 

The Maquis rebel against the Federation

You don't hear of many groups of Federation citizens wanting to leave it or rebel against it. That changes toward the end of  DS9 's second season. Among other things, the 2367 treaty between the Federation and Cardassia allows the latter to annex certain UFP worlds, and some of the UFP citizens on those worlds refuse to leave. Feeling forgotten by their own people and abused by the Cardassians, some UFP citizens join the Maquis — a paramilitary group waging guerrilla war on Cardassians in the demilitarized zone.

While the Maquis prefer to fight Cardassians, they do come in conflict with the Federation on a number of occasions. Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall) starts off as a recurring Starfleet officer on DS9  who eventually reveals himself to be a leader in the Maquis sent to infiltrate the space station. William Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) doppelganger, Thomas Riker, joins the Maquis and uses his "brother's" identity to steal the  Defiant  in  DS9 's third season, using it to assault Cardassian ships and outposts. However, the Maquis is all but wiped out in  DS9 's fifth season when the Dominion enters the Alpha Quadrant and drives the group to near extinction. 

The Dominion and the Federation go to war

Not long after the discovery of a stable wormhole near Bajor, the Federation faces its greatest military challenge — the Dominion. The Federation makes its first official contact with the Dominion in 2370 with the  DS9  season 2 finale "The Jem'Hadar." At first, the clash between the two powers is limited to smaller conflicts, but open war breaks out with the season 5 finale "Call to Arms."

The war is long and costly, with the Dominion finding powerful allies in Federation neighbors like the Cardassians and the enigmatic Breen. At first, the Federation and Klingon alliance seems doomed, but they're given an unexpected respite when the Prophets — powerful aliens living inside the wormhole — destroy the Dominion's reinforcement fleet on its way from the Gamma Quadrant. The Romulan Empire joins the UFP and Klingons, and the Dominion is finally defeated in the  DS9  series finale.

While there are other races who appear as minor members, the Dominion is made up primarily of three species. The Jem'Hadar are powerful and skilled soldiers kept in check with the addictive substance ketracel-white. Above them are the cunning Vorta, who are trained in the arts of diplomacy and strategy. Finally, there are the shape-shifting Changelings, also known as the Founders. The Founders created the Dominion to impose their order throughout the galaxy. Along with leading the Dominion, their shape-changing abilities allow them to more easily infiltrate the highest echelons of their enemies' hierarchies and attack them from within.

The Federation's principles are tested

The Dominion War put the Federation's principles to the test, and in some cases, its most hallowed heroes failed that test. 

Perhaps the most infamous example is Captain Sisko's complicity in the assassination of a Romulan senator in  DS9 's "In the Pale Moonlight." The Cardassan exile Garak (Andrew Robinson) fools Sisko into believing the purpose of bringing Senator Vreenak (Stephen McHattie) to DS9 is to convince him the Dominion is planning an attack on Romulus. In fact, Garak assassinates the senator and successfully frames the Dominion for the killing, bringing the Romulans into the war on the Federation's side. Though furious at Garak's crimes, Sisko keeps the truth to himself in order to win the war. 

Likewise, in 1998's  Star Trek: Insurrection , we see more examples of the Federation bending its rules because of pressure from its adversaries. Early in the film, we learn the UFP has accepted the Evora into the fold even though they barely meet the minimum requirements for Federation membership, precisely because the losses the UFP has suffered at the hands of the Dominion and the Borg. And as the rest of the film unfolds, it's clear the Federation would never have agreed to working with the deceptive and unethical Son'a if it weren't for the desperate straits in which it finds itself.

The Federation and the Romulan supernova

In the 2380s, the Romulan Empire — upon learning its sun will go supernova — reaches out to the Federation for help in evacuating its territory. At the behest of Jean-Luc Picard , now an admiral, and in spite of centuries of hostility and some of its member races threatening to leave, the Federation embarks on a massive rescue operation.

The evacuation ends tragically, however, after synthetic workers at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars — where the evacuation fleet is being built — go rogue, destroying the fleet and killing over 90,000 Federation citizens. In the wake of the attack, the Federation pulls out of the evacuation, and Admiral Picard resigns from Starfleet in protest. 

The evacuation attempt isn't the only solution attempted to save Romulus. Ambassador Spock theorizes he can create a black hole that will absorb the sun's energy, but Spock's arrival proves too late. Romulus is destroyed, killing everyone trapped on the planet.

The Federation bans A.I. lifeforms

The Federation's withdrawal from the Romulan evacuation isn't the only far-reaching consequence of the rogue synths' attack on Mars. After the deaths of so many of its citizens, the UFP bans all synthetic lifeforms. Beings like the late Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) — who sacrificed himself to save the  Enterprise  at the end of 2002's  Star Trek: Nemesis  – may no longer live in the UFP's borders or serve in Starfleet.

In  Picard , the titular hero discovers the attack that prompted the synthetic ban wasn't what it seemed. The Mars massacre was orchestrated by the Zhat Vash — a clandestine Romulan organization committed to wiping out all synthetic life because of their belief in the coming of a galactic apocalypse at the hands of synthetic beings.

In the season 1 finale of  Picard , Jean-Luc and his friends are able to uncover the Zhat Vash plot and stop the Romulans from destroying the synthetic homeworld of Coppelius. After the Zhat Vash's schemes are unveiled, the Federation ban on synthetic lifeforms is lifted.

The Kelvin Timeline

The destruction of Romulus directly leads to the creation of the so-called "Kelvin Timeline," in which the history of the Federation goes down different roads. 

In 2009's Star Trek , we see the birth of the Kelvin Timeline. After creating a black hole in an attempt to absorb the energy of the Romulan sun and save Romulus, Spock is confronted by the  Narada , a Romulan mining vessel captained by the vengeful Nero (Eric Bana) whose family died during the supernova. Both the  Narada  and Spock's ship are sucked into the black hole and sent back in time. The  Narada  appears in the year 2233 where it immediately destroys the U.S.S.  Kelvin  and, in doing so, creates a new timeline. 

Among some of the major differences between the Kelvin Timeline and the Prime Timeline is the destruction of Vulcan at Nero's hands. This alternate version of the Federation also proves to be much more focused on military threats, leading Starfleet to discover the exiled warlord Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) much earlier than in the Prime Timeline and blackmailing him into their service.

The Federation pays a high toll during the Temporal Wars

In order to stop the rogue A.I. threat assessment system Control from destroying all life in the galaxy, the crew of the  Discovery  jumps 900 years into the future to the 32nd century at the end of the show's second season. After reconnecting with the UFP of that time in season 3, they learn that one of the more important historical events of the last few centuries has been the Temporal War. 

We don't know a lot of details about the war but — assuming it's the same war referenced throughout  ENT — it begins in the 29th century and involves multiple factions including the Cabal, the Na'Kuhl, and the Federation, among others. In  Discovery 's "Terra Firma, Part 1" we learn it also involved at least one Starfleet officer from a parallel reality. We also learn at least one faction, possibly more, sought out the Guardian of Forever — the sentient portal which transports Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to 20th century Earth in  TOS ' "The City on the Edge of Forever" — to use its abilities in the war. Not pleased with being used to spread destruction and death, the Guardian moves in secret from the unnamed planet upon which Starfleet first finds it to Dannus V.

While we don't know the extent of the war's casualties, it was bad enough for the Federation to outlaw all time travel without exception.

The Vulcans and the Romulans reunite

In the 23rd century during the two-part TNG  episode "Unification," Spock — now a Federation ambassador — disappears and is spotted on Romulus. While the UFP initially fears Spock has defected, it eventually comes to light that he's there to help a still-young movement with the goal of brining the Vulcans and Romulans back together as one people.

Sadly, Spock doesn't stay in the Prime timeline long enough to see it happen, but sometime between the 24th and 32nd centuries, his dream comes to fruition. Romulans return to Vulcan, and both people agree to acknowledge this rejoining by renaming the planet Ni'Var. A term coined by linguist Dorothy Jones who reportedly created the first Vulcan language, Ni'Var means "two form." Noted  Star Trek fanzine writer Claire Gabriel used the word for an unpublished novel which would later be renamed  The Thousandth Man . 

At some point before Discovery 's third season, Ni'Var leaves the Federation.  Discovery  season 3 implies the chief reason for their departure is their incorrect assumption that scientific experiments the UFP pressures them to perform are responsible for a galactic cataclysm. However, Ni'Var's President T'Rina (Tara Rosling) says it was one of many reasons. She doesn't get very specific, but it becomes clear that Ni'Var suffers from fierce divisions between three major factions — Vulcans, Romulans, and those with shared ancestry. 

The Burn fractures the Federation

After arriving in the 32nd century, Michael Burnham and the  Discovery  crew soon learn perhaps the most significant event to occur in the last 900 years is something known as the Burn. For reasons initially unknown, at some point in the late 31st century, almost all the dilithium in the galaxy stops working, causing the warp cores on an untold number of active space vessels to detonate. No one knows how many die, only that the number is somewhere in the millions. 

Along with the loss of life, the UFP becomes much smaller. With dilithium suddenly becoming perhaps the single most scarce and valuable resource in the galaxy, the Federation's ability to contact and protect its member planets is crippled. Fleet Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) says that at one point, the UFP had over 350 member planets. The Burn helps to chop that number down to around 38 by the 32nd century, though there are other worlds that  may  still consider themselves UFP members that Starfleet simply can't reach. Among those planets the UFP loses to the Burn are Trill and one of its founding members, Earth itself.

The Burn also helps make way for the rise of the Emerald Chain — a group of mercantile exchanges which fills the void the UFP leads behind, while at the same threatening planets with famine or worse if they don't bend the knee, and in some cases forcing people into slavery. 

The Federation goes to war with the Emerald Chain

At the end of  Discovery 's third season, Minister Osyraa (Janet Kidder) of the Emerald Chain captures the titular vessel in a desperate attempt to forge a union with the UFP. She uses the ship to be allowed into the protective shield of Starfleet's headquarters, later explaining she does it because she wouldn't be allowed in any other way.

In Starfleet headquarters, Osyraa negotiates with Admiral Vance to bring the UFP and the Emerald Chain together into one entity, arguing they can only survive that way. She's prepared an in-depth armistice, which includes rollbacks to Emerald Chain practices that go against the Federation charter such as slavery. Understandably suspicious at first, Vance eventually seems ready to give the document his seal of approval, but the sticking point proves to be Osyraa herself. Vance demands that — in order for the armistice to be more than an empty document — Osyraa must be tried for her crimes. 

Predictably, Osyraa refuses and attempts to leave with  Discovery  and her valuable spore drive. A heated starship battle ensues, with every ship at Starfleet HQ opening fire on the  Discovery . With help from  Discovery 's actual crew and a fleet of ships from Ni'Var, Michael Burnham kills Osyraa, the  Discovery returns to Starfleet's control, and Osyraa's warship the  Viridian  is destroyed. We have yet to see how the Emerald Chain will respond.

Solving the Burn begins to heal the Federation

Michael Burnham makes it her goal to figure out what caused the Burn in Discovery 's third season, believing the UFP can only begin to heal when that answer is found. From what we see in the season finale, Burnham is right. 

The Burn, surprisingly, is triggered by a young boy's trauma. By the later 31st century, the Kelpiens have joined the UFP. A Kelpien ship, the  Kh'ieth , travels into the Verubin Nebula to study a planet rich with dilithium, but crashes on the planet and is unable to leave or contact anyone outside the nebula. While there, the Kelpien scientist Doctor Issa gives birth to a young boy — Su'Kal. Somehow, because he is in utero on the planet and later born there, Su'Kal has some kind of connection with the dilithium and at the same time is immune to the radiation it produces. When his mother finally succumbs to radiation exposure and dies, Su'Kal's trauma — unbeknownst to him — causes a chain reaction through most of the galaxy's dilithium. After the  Discovery  crew finds the adult Su'Kal (Bill Irwin) and rescues him, they learn the truth.

As Burnham predicts, with both the secret of the Burn revealed and  Discovery 's spore drive at its disposal to help reconnect with the galaxy, the Federation begins to heal. By the end of  Discovery 's third season, the Trill have rejoined the UFP. While Ni'Var hasn't rejoined yet, we see President T'Rina has reopened regular diplomatic relations with the UFP.

Federation Stardate: 40487.7

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A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

Rise of the Federation

• 2.1 Characters
• 2.2 Starships and vehicles
• 4.1 Connections
• 4.2 External link

Summary [ ]

The novels focus on both the former crew of the Enterprise (NX-01) that was decomissioned following the end of the Earth-Romulan War , and their new colleagues and friends who they meet with their new assignments. The main settings are the USS Endeavour under the command of Captain T'Pol , and the USS Pioneer under the command of Captain Malcolm Reed , but we also follow Admiral Jonathan Archer trough his struggles to guide Starfleet and the Federation toward a unified, peaceful tomorrow despite the outside forces looking to destroy the fledgling alliance.

The antagonists include the Orion Syndicate under the leadership of the Three sisters , and other criminal elements who fear the lawful order and security imposed on the region by the Federation; the mysterious automated technology called the Ware and all who would exploit it; the Saurian tyrant named Maltuvis hell-bent on galactic conquer; and the shadowy organization Section 31 who would stop at nothing to protect the Federation even if it means destroying everything it stands for.

References [ ]

Characters [ ].

For a complete list of characters, see characters in Rise of the Federation .

Starships and vehicles [ ]

• USS Endeavour
• USS Pioneer
• USS Vol'Rala

Appendices [ ]

Connections [ ], external link [ ].

• Rise of the Federation article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
• 3 Lamarr class

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Published Mar 25, 2014

NOW AVAILABLE: Tower of Babel

"The United Federation of Planets has weathered its first major crisis, but its growing pains are just beginning. Admiral Jonathan Archer hopes to bring the diverse inhabitants of the powerful and prosperous Rigel system into the Federation, jump-starting the young nation’s growth and stabilizing a key sector of space. Archer and the Federation’s top diplomats journey to the planetoid Babel to debate Rigel’s admission . . . but a looming presidential race heats up the ideological divide within the young nation, jeopardizing the talks and threatening to undo the fragile unity Archer has worked so hard to preserve. "Meanwhile, the sinister Orion Syndicate recruits new allies of its own, seeking to beat the Federation at its own game. Determined to keep Rigel out of the union, they help a hostile Rigelian faction capture sensitive state secrets along with Starfleet hostages, including a young officer with a vital destiny. Captain Malcolm Reed, Captain T’Pol, and their courageous crews must now brave the wonders and dangers of Rigel’s many worlds to track down the captives before the system is plunged into all-out war."

Star Trek: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel costs $7.99. Visit SimonandSchuster.com or Amazon.com to purchase the book.

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Star Trek: Enterprise

A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the ... Read all A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation. A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

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Episodes 98

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• Ensign Billy

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• Ensign Walsh …
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• Trivia Admiral Forrest is named after DeForest Kelley , the late Star Trek (1966) actor who played Leonard H. McCoy. Similarly, Commander Williams and Admiral Leonard from the pilot Broken Bow, Part 1 (2001) are named after series stars William Shatner (James T. Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Spock). T.J. Hooker (1982) : Big Foot (1982) also had a character with the last name Forrest. That show had numerous references & stars from the Star Trek franchise, the most well known of which was William Shatner from the original TV series.
• Goofs Whenever the video signal is being lost, instead of pixelating, as a digital signal would, the picture shows analog "snow," which would be unheard of by that era.

Commander Tucker : You aren't saying much tonight. Don't tell me you're still upset about me and Amanda.

Subcommander T'Pol : I'm not upset.

Commander Tucker : Sure sounds like it.

Subcommander T'Pol : You're mistaken.

Commander Tucker : Why would a few neuropressure sessions between me and a MACO be such a big deal. Unless...

Subcommander T'Pol : Unless what?

Commander Tucker : Unless you're a little jealous.

Subcommander T'Pol : I don't experience jealousy.

Commander Tucker : You're doing a pretty fair imitation of it.

Subcommander T'Pol : I am not, in any way, jealous of you and Corporal Cole.

Commander Tucker : You know, your voice is tensing up. That's a dead giveaway.

Subcommander T'Pol : I didn't know you were an expert in vocal inflections.

Commander Tucker : I don't need to be an expert to read you. Come on, admit it. You're a little jealous.

Subcommander T'Pol : Are you implying that I'm attracted to you?

Commander Tucker : That kind of goes along with the assumption, doesn't it?

• Crazy credits The opening credits video footage of the Sojourner rover approaching the "Yogi" rock, taken by the Mars Pathfinder lander, make Star Trek: Enterprise the first television show or movie in history to use footage taken on another planet.
• Alternate versions The Region 1 DVD release of Season 3 modifies the opening credits of the first three episodes of the season to say "Star Trek: Enterprise" instead of "Enterprise", in order to be consistent with the rest of the season.
• Connections Featured in How William Shatner Changed the World (2005)

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How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order

Every star trek movie in chronological order, to me, william shatner’s movie star trek v is great comfort food.

• Star Trek's timeline is a complex tapestry that spans over a thousand years, filled with time travel and alternate realities.
• Star Trek: Enterprise chronicles the pioneering voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer, setting the stage for the United Federation of Planets.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine continue the legacy of the original series, shaping the 24th century era.

Star Trek has been one of the premiere science fiction franchises in the world for nearly 60 years, spanning over a dozen TV series consisting of 900+ episodes, and 13 feature films with more on the way. Star Trek' s Prime Timeline now encompasses a thousand years of the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet seeking out strange new worlds, and boldly going where no one has gone before in the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 32nd centuries.

Star Trek has rarely told its stories in a straight, chronological line; time travel tropes, alternate realities, and massive jumps into the future are all commonplace. Star Trek is a multiverse of myriad realities, including an alternate Mirror Universe. The Star Trek timeline is a rich tapestry of compelling characters and science fiction parables - and it's still going strong.

Here is a definitive guide to Star Trek' s timeline, primarily centering on the Prime Universe's Star Trek TV series and feature films in chronological order, including the alternate Kelvin Timeline of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies where noted.

An Untitled Star Trek Origin movie reportedly set "decades before" J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) is in development, and may end up preceding this entire chronology.

The Star Trek TV franchise has existed for 57 years and consists of 12 shows (and counting). Here's how to watch them all in timeline order.

28 Star Trek: Enterprise

(2151-2155).

Star Trek: Enterprise is, chronologically, the first Star Trek series in the timeline (although technically the 6th produced) chronicling the pioneering 22nd-century voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 Enterprise. Archer's Enterprise is Starfleet's first Warp 5-capable starship, which allowed the NX-01 to make pivotal First Contact missions and lay the groundwork for the creation of the United Federation of Planets. Star Trek: Enterprise 's 4 seasons only depict the first few years of Archer's 10-year saga that ends with the first Captain of the Enterprise helping to found the Federation in 2161.

Star Trek: Enterprise

*Availability in US

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27 Star Trek: The Original Series - "The Cage"

"The Cage" is the original Star Trek pilot that was rejected by NBC. However, "The Cage" is a canonical story set 2 years before Star Trek: Discovery season 1 and 12 years before Star Trek: The Original Series . Set in 2254, "The Cage" sees Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and the USS Enterprise lured to Talos IV, where Pike is held captive the planet's illusion-casting inhabitants. Star Trek: The Original Series turned "The Cage" into a two-part episode titled "The Menagerie", and "The Cage" also laid the foundation for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

26 Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 and 2

(2256-2258).

Star Trek: Discovery begins with a disastrous meeting between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire in 2256, which leads to a long, bloody war that nearly cost the Federation its soul. Centering on Commander Micheal Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Discovery deals with the personal prices of war, as well as the themes of redemption and empathy.

Star Trek: Discovery season 1 depicted the Klingon War, while Discovery season 2 brought in USS Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). When faced with a genocidal artificial intelligence called Control, the crew of the USS Discovery realize the only way to save all organic life in the universe would be to jump to the 32nd century, permanently leaving Star Trek: Discovery' s original 23rd century era behind.

Star Trek: Discovery season 1 also ventured to the 23rd century MIrror Universe for a multi-episode arc.

Star Trek: Discovery

25 star trek, (kelvin timeline 2233/kelvin timeline 2258/2387).

Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek is a reboot that spawns the alternate reality known as the Kelvin Timeline. Star Trek 's main story is set in 2258 of the parallel reality , but the film's branching timeline is made possible by the supernova of the Romulan sun in 2387 in the Prime Universe, which Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is unable to prevent.

The Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) time travels back to 2233, and his attack on the USS Kelvin ignites an all-new reality that changes the lives of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the USS Enterprise. After Kirk and the Enterprise defeat Nero, they set forth into the great unknown of their new reality.

In the Kelvin Timeline, Kirk and his friends become the crew of the USS Enterprise roughly 7 years before Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew take command of the Enterprise in Star Trek 's Prime Universe.

Star Trek (2009)

24 star trek into darkness, (kelvin timeline 2259).

Set a year after Star Trek 's events, Star Trek Into Darkness sees the crew of the Starship Enterprise take on Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose life has also been massively altered in the Kelvin Timeline. Rather than being discovered by the Enterprise in 2267, Khan's derelict ship was discovered much earlier by Starfleet's Section 31, led by the corrupt Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller). Marcus attempts to use Khan to militarize Starfleet and wage war with the Klingons, but Captain Kirk and the Enterprise defeat both Marcus and Khan.

Star Trek Into Darkness remakes and reverses key elements of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , which takes place 26 years later in the Prime Timeline.

Star Trek Into Darkness

With 13 entries in the Star Trek movie series from 1979-2006, there are a couple of ways to watch the films chronologically.

23 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

(2259-onward).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds begins in 2259, months after Star Trek: Discovery season 2, with Captain Christopher Pike leading the Starship Enterprise on all-new missions of exploration. Strange New Worlds sets the stage for what will eventually become Star Trek: The Original Series , with young versions of Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), Scotty (Martin Quinn), and even Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) serving on the Enterprise.

Although Pike's tragic future of being horribly disfigured is inevitable, Strange New Worlds fills in the years before Kirk takes over as Captain of the Enterprise with optimism and an anything-goes attitude. Strange New Worlds ' deftness in adapting to different genres, from comedy, to action, to Star Trek 's first musical episode , makes the episodic series the purest Star Trek show in years.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

22 star trek beyond, (kelvin timeline 2263).

Back in the alternate Kelvin Timeline and 3 years into their five-year mission of exploration , the crew of the Starship Enterprise are attacked by the mysterious Krall (Idris Elba). Krall's mechanized drone army destroys the Enterprise, stranding Captain Kirk and his captured crew on the planet Altamid. Kirk and his friends escape with the help of their new ally, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), and they defeat Krall before he destroys Starfleet's USS Yorktown space station. At the end of Star Trek Beyond , Captain Kirk takes command of the new USS Enterprise-A.

Star Trek Beyond is dedicated to Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin, who passed away in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Star Trek Beyond

21 star trek: the original series, (2266-2269).

The Star Trek show that started it all, Star Trek: The Original Series chronicles the first three years of Captain James T. Kirk and the USS Enterprise's historic five-year mission of exploration, starting in 2266. The original Star Trek is an all-time classic, establishing the core tropes of the franchise, from starships, to beaming down to planets, to the unbreakable three-way friendship between Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley). Star Trek: The Original Series would not only be emulated by every other Star Trek that followed, but it would also become an enduring part of pop culture.

Star Trek: The Original Series

20 star trek: the animated series, (2269-2270).

While Star Trek: The Original Series was unceremoniously canceled after its third season, the show would go on to become a phenomenon in syndication. The first hint that Star Trek would outlive its somewhat humble beginnings was Star Trek: The Animated Series , an Emmy-winning cartoon that aimed for a family-friendly vibe without sacrificing what made the live-action original Star Trek work. Star Trek: The Animated Series is essentially the fourth season of Star Trek: The Original Series , and its status as canon has been made official by its numerous references in Star Trek on Paramount+'s shows .

Gene Roddenberry did not consider Star Trek: The Animated Series to be official canon, which made the cartoon apocryphal for decades.

19 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the first feature film that launched Star Trek as a successful movie franchise . Set in the 2270s, years after the USS Enterprise's five-year mission ended, Admiral James T. Kirk takes command of his starship once more and reunites his crew to intercept a threat to Earth. Star Trek: The Motion Picture reunited the entire cast of Star Trek: The Original Serie s for a ponderously-paced adventure that had the virtue of dazzling visual effects . But Star Trek: The Motion Picture proved the human adventure was, indeed, just beginning.

18 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, still widely considered the gold standard of Star Trek films, picks up Admiral Kirk's saga in 2285. A sequel to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed", Admiral Kirk faces a midlife crisis just as his old enemy, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricado Montalban) steals both the USS Reliant and the Genesis Device super weapon to seek revenge on Kirk. Star Trek II ends with the sacrifice and death of Spock, but opens the door for the Vulcan's resurrection and much more.

17 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Set immediately after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock finds Admiral Kirk and friends stealing the USS Enterprise in an effort to save Spock's katra - his soul - after the wily Vulcan transferred it to Dr. McCoy just before his death. The crew would eventually save Spock, but at great cost; Kirk would not only lose his son, David Marcus (Merritt Burrick) , to a Klingon attack, but the Starship Enterprise is destroyed to prevent it from falling into Klingon hands. Thankfully, Kirk succeeds in bringing back Spock.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is the first film directed by Leonard Nimoy.

16 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

(2286/1986).

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Hom e takes place in 2286 , months after Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . Or, at least, the 23rd century bookends of the movie do. The bulk of Star Trek IV is set in 1986 San Francisco, where Admiral Kirk and the former crew of the USS Enterprise time travel in order to find two humpback whales to bring back to the future in order to save Earth. A delightful, fish-out-of-water, time travel romp, Star Trek IV proved a Star Trek movie doesn't need action, violence, and death to be a mainstream success.

Kirk is demoted to Captain and given command of the USS Enterprise-A at the conclusion of Star Trek IV.

15 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Directed by William Shatner, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier begins with the malfunctioning USS Enterprise-A less than a year out of space dock . But Captain Kirk and crew are still called into action when a mysterious Vulcan named Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) takes a group of diplomats hostage, demanding a starship in exchange for their release. Sybok would be revealed as Spock's half-brother who seeks God on the fabled planet Sha Ka Ree. When "God" (George Murdock) turns out to be a malevolent alien, Sybok sacrifices himself so that Kirk and Spock can destroy the false Almighty.

William Shatner's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a comforting watch with enjoyable banter, a compelling villain in Sybok, and good intentions.

14 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is set in 2293 when the Klingon moon Praxis' explosion leaves the Klingon Empire in dire financial straits. But a conspiracy within the Federation, the Romulans, and Klingons seek to prevent peace, and Captain Kirk is framed for the assassination of Klingon High Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) . Star Trek VI is the final voyage of Captain Kirk's USS Enterprise crew, and its Klingon-centric story sets the stage for the future friendship between the Klingons and the Federation in Star Trek: The Next Generation .

13 Star Trek: Section 31

Star Trek: Section 31 , which stars Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, is Star Trek 's first movie made for streaming on Paramount+. While the story of Section 31 is top-secret, the movie is a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, taking place after Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou exited the 32nd century . Georgiou reappears in the "lost era" of Star Trek 's early 24th century , although there could be more time travel involved in Star Trek: Section 31 as Philippa confronts the sins of her own past.

Star Trek: Section 31

12 star trek: the next generation, (2364-2370).

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the pillar and foundation of Star Trek 's popular 24th-century era . TNG follows the voyages of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise-D. TNG is Star Trek to an entire generation of fans, and the series produced some of the greatest Star Trek episodes of all-time . Expanding the universe and canon in myriad ways, and nominated for a Best Dramatic Series Emmy, Star Trek: The Next Generation was a massive hit in first-run syndication and solidified Star Trek as an A-list franchise for most of the 1990s.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

11 star trek: deep space nine, (2369-2375).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would break new ground for the Star Trek franchise in more ways than one. DS9 starred Avery Brooks as Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko, the first Black actor to lead a Star Trek series. Taking command of a former Cardassian space station Starfleet renamed Deep Space Nine, Sisko would interact with a vast cavalcade of characters that would deepen the Star Trek universe in countless ways. Culminating with the epic Dominion War saga that reshaped the galaxy, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a fundamentally important part of the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine began as a spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation and carried on in syndication after TNG jumped to feature films.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

10 star trek: voyager, (2371-2378).

Star Trek: Voyager was the flagship series of the United Paramount Network (UPN), and continues the 24th-century era of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but with a twist: Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the USS Voyager were stranded in the uncharted Delta Quadrant. Voyager's seven-year journey home created a new generation of fans (girls and women, especially) and saw the introduction of numerous new alien species and characters, as well as the return of the Borg. Voyager ended with Janeway, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), the Doctor (Robert Picardo), and its other characters as bona fide Star Trek icons.

Star Trek: Voyager

9 star trek generations, (2371/2293).

Star Trek Generations ' main story takes place in 2371, months after the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, Star Trek Generations begins with a prologue set in 2293 where Captain James T. Kirk is believed to be killed during the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise-B. Kirk survives within the interdimensional Nexus, where he meets Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who is out to stop a madman named Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying the Veridian star system.

Kirk and Picard's team-up defeats Soran but results in Kirk's tragic death . Meanwhile, a Klingon plot leads to the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D. Star Trek Generations was a successful transition by TNG to feature films so that the 24th century era of Star Trek continued on television and in movie theaters.

• the wrath of khan

Star Trek Expands Lore Surrounding Mysterious Tholians, Revealing Direct Link to the Gods

• Tholians, once mysterious, now have direct ties to the gods in Star Trek #21, deepening their enigmatic lore even further.
• Bright Eyes, a Tholian, sits on the council of gods in the Pleroma, revealing a surprising power on the part of their people.
• The Tholians continue to be alien and powerful, with connections to the Temporal Cold War and intriguing linguistic barriers.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #21!

The Tholians are one of the Star Trek franchise’s most mysterious aliens, and now the surrounding lore has deepened, as they are given a direct connection to the gods. The Tholians have only made a handful of on-screen appearances, and Star Trek #21 muddies the waters around these enigmatic aliens even further, revealing one of them sits on the council of gods living in the Pleroma.

Star Trek #21 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Megan Levens. After entering the Pleroma, Captain Sisko is met by an assembly of gods, including Trelane, Charlie Evans and the Guardian of Forever. A Tholian sits on the council too. It is revealed to be “Bright Eyes,” the Tholian who debuted during Star Trek: Year Five, which chronicled the events of the last year of Kirk’s mission. Nearly a century later, Bright Eyes is now a god-like being.

Furthermore, Bright Eyes represents the Tholian Assembly on this council.

The Tholians Are a Vastly Underrated Star Trek Race

The tholians are even more alien than the klingons or the romulans.

The original Star Trek series introduced a number of hostile aliens, including the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Tholians. Debuting during the show’s third season, the decidedly alien Tholians captured the attention of fans . The Tholians were name checked several times throughout the franchise before returning in Star Trek: Enterprise’s second season. This appearance made them even more mysterious, giving them links to the Temporal Cold War story. A later appearance in the show’s fourth season cleared up nothing about the Tholians, despite actually showing one up-close for the first time.

From their first appearance in The Tholian Web onward, Star Trek has made it clear the Tholians are not only mysterious, but powerful as well.

From their first appearance in “The Tholian Web” onward, Star Trek has made it clear the Tholians are not only mysterious, but powerful as well. Their ships are capable of spinning energy webs around other vessels, creating a hard to escape trap. The Tholian language continues to give the Federation’s Universal Translator a fit, centuries after first contact. Finally, giving the Tholians some connection to the Temporal Cold War heightened the mystery. Their exact role in the conflict was never revealed: they could have been pawns like Jonathan Archer, but the implication was they were more than bit players.

Star Trek Confirms the Most Feared Species in the Galaxy & It'll Blow Your Mind

The Star Trek franchise is full of terrifying species, but as revealed in issue 19 of IDW's new ongoing, there is one that inspires the most fear.

The Tholians Have Something Every Other Star Trek Race Has--Even Humans

Why do the tholians have a direct link to the gods.

Star Trek #21 deepens the mystery of the Tholians. The text piece, made to resemble a Starfleet briefing, reveals Bright Eyes represents the Tholian Assembly. This is the name the Tholians have given themselves, and if they have a representative on the council of gods in the Pleroma, this means they are much more powerful than fans first thought. Even though Star Trek has not depicted the Tholians as god-like beings, these enigmatic aliens have at least a direct connection to the gods, something other hostile races such as the Klingons and the Borg lack.

Star Trek #21 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

Get a Closer Look at the Star Trek Enterprise Model

The starship model used in filming underwent an extensive conservation

On  Star Trek,  a TV series that aired in the late 1960s, more than 400 crew members explored the galaxy aboard the USS  Enterprise,  which had a length of 947 feet and weighed 190,000 tons. In actuality, the starship was an 11-foot-long model made of poplar wood and vacu-formed plastic.

Film of the model appeared in all 79 episode of the original series (broadcast from 1966–69), and the model was donated to the National Air and Space Museum by Paramount Studios in 1974.  Forty years later, the Museum undertook a two-year project to restore the  Enterprise  to how it looked during the filming of the 1967 episode "The Trouble with Tribbles"—the last known modification of the ship during the show's production. Today the Enterprise is displayed in the Museum's location in DC.

Let's take a closer look at the model.

During filming, the model balanced on a single-point stand attached to a geared head made to hold heavy cameras—insufficient support for such a large model. Today, the model rests upon two stanchions built by Museum staff. 

Learn more about this artifact on the  Star Trek  starship  Enterprise  Studio Model Conservation page . 

This article is from the Spring 2024 issue of  Air & Space Quarterly , the National Air and Space Museum's signature magazine that explores topics in aviation and space, from the earliest moments of flight to today.  Explore the full issue.

Want to receive ad-free hard-copies of  Air & Space Quarterly ?  Join the Museum's National Air and Space Society to subscribe.

What ultimately happened to the USS Discovery in the 'Star Trek: Discovery' series finale?

Strangely, the Star Trek: Discovery ship's far-future fate was revealed in 2018 'Short Trek' episode 'Calypso'.

What happens to Discovery at the end of season 5?

How is the uss discovery sentient.

• What happens next?
• What is Zora's final mission?

Over five seasons of "Star Trek: Discoverywe got to know Michael Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery, but the show's final scene is reserved for its eponymous starship. In the series finale " Life, Itself ", self-aware computer Zora fires up the spore drive for the final time to embark on one last mission. 

We still have no idea why she's given a top-secret Red Directive to wait indefinitely at these particular coordinates, but a 2018 " Short Trek " episode "Calypso" has already revealed the next stage of her journey. Here's what's in store for Zora and Discovery a millennium down the line — watch out for spoilers. (And if you need a refresher on all things Trek, check out our Star Trek streaming guide for how to watch nearly every series on Paramount Plus .)

Paramount+ Essential (ads): $5.99 /mo Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (no ads): $11.99 /mo

Catch up on the adventures of Michael Burnham and the crew of the Discovery on Paramount+. As the home of Star Trek, signing up means you'll also get access to an enormous library of other Star Trek shows and movies.

Several decades after the Discovery crew tracked down the Progenitor technology — long enough for Admiral Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker to see their son, Leto, rise to the rank of Starfleet captain — the ship is assigned one final mission.

Burnham arrives on the bridge to give the ship's sentient computer, Zora (voiced by Annabelle Wallis), her briefing. "I'm going to bring you to a set of coordinates in deep space," explains the admiral. "Then me and your crew will leave. After that, you wait."

"For what?" Zora asks, but she doesn't get a definitive answer. 

"This is a Red Directive; we both know how transparent those are," replies Burnham, referring to the beyond-classified instructions that have become the mysterious Dr. Kovich's stock-in-trade. "I did hear a word in passing," the admiral adds. "'Craft'. I'm not sure if that's a person or a vessel or…"

That word will prove to be important, but as Burnham correctly predicts, she'll be long gone when Zora finds out what it means.

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After this emotional farewell, Discovery is waved off by an armada of Starfleet vessels and a few bars of Alexander Courage's iconic " Star Trek " theme. Then, Zora fires up the spore drive and jumps away to her mystery destination. 

Related: Star Trek: Discovery is at an end: Here are 5 things season 5 needed to fix

Starships often come to feel like characters in their own right, but never has this been as true as it is for Discovery.

Zora is much more than some glorified Siri or Alexa substitute, thanks to Discovery's 23rd century computer merging with hundreds of thousands of years of data collected by an ancient alien Sphere. Discovery was protecting this precious information when it jumped forward to 3189. 

The newly created super-computer gradually develops sentience, emotions and a personality, and decides to name herself Zora (which means "dawn" in several Alpha Quadrant languages). She's eventually recognized as a lifeform in her own right, and awarded the rank of Specialist by Starfleet.

What happens next? And what does it have to do with 'craft'?

Not a lot. For around 1,000 years, Zora sits and waits at the designated coordinates, getting some "alone time" inside some kind of interstellar storm cloud. Then she runs into an escape pod with a sole occupant — a man who calls himself Craft. 

This "reluctant" soldier (played by Aldis Hodge) hails from Alcor IV, and has spent the last decade at war with the V'draysh, which — based on comments from criminal boss Zareh in " Discovery" season 3 — appears to be a Pidgin word for the Federation. (This may explain why the enemy vessel Craft has commandeered contains an extensive collection of Earth cartoons from "the long ago".)

During their time together, Zora introduces Craft to tacos, the concept of Tuesday, and her favorite movie, 1957 Audrey Hepburn/Fred Astaire rom-com "Funny Face." She falls in love with the visitor, but he ultimately departs in the hope of finding his wife and son. She refuses to give him a lift home in Discovery, however, reasoning that she has to maintain position to complete her mission.

All this was revealed in 2018 "Short Trek" episode "Calypso", though back then — before season 2 had aired — we had no idea that Discovery would depart for the 32nd century, that the Sphere data would help Discovery's computer evolve into Zora, or that Burnham (then a science officer) would be promoted to captain. These days "Calypso" makes a lot more sense. 

So what exactly is Zora's final mission?

Beyond waiting for a long, long time, that remains unclear. But, seeing as her mission has top secret Red Directive status, it's pretty much certain that Dr Kovich — now revealed to be Temporal Agent Daniels of " Star Trek: Enterprise " fame — has a plan for Zora, and that her bumping into Craft is no accident. 

But whoever she encounters next, it's sure to have major ramifications for the galaxy — and perhaps beyond. Burnham promised a "new beginning" for Zora when she eventually comes back. Who knows what that might mean…

All five seasons of 'Star Trek: Discovery' and the 'Calypso' 'Short Trek' are now available to stream on Paramount Plus. To find out where to stream every other Star Trek movie and show, check out our Star Trek streaming guide .

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Richard's love affair with outer space started when he saw the original "Star Wars" on TV aged four, and he spent much of the ’90s watching "Star Trek”, "Babylon 5” and “The X-Files" with his mum. After studying physics at university, he became a journalist, swapped science fact for science fiction, and hit the jackpot when he joined the team at SFX, the UK's biggest sci-fi and fantasy magazine. He liked it so much he stayed there for 12 years, four of them as editor. 

He's since gone freelance and passes his time writing about "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and superheroes for the likes of SFX, Total Film, TechRadar and GamesRadar+. He has met five Doctors, two Starfleet captains and one Luke Skywalker, and once sat in the cockpit of "Red Dwarf"'s Starbug.  

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Federation shuttlecraft

List of named Federation shuttlecraft .

• 1 USS Cerritos
• 2 USS Defiant (NX-74205)
• 3 USS Discovery
• 4 USS Discovery -A
• 5 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
• 6 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (alternate reality)
• 7 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
• 8 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
• 9 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
• 10 USS Kelvin
• 11 USS Protostar
• 12 USS Titan
• 13 USS Titan -A
• 14 USS Vancouver
• 15 USS Voyager
• 16 Miscellaneous
• 17 Unnamed and unnumbered
• 18.1 Background information
• 18.2 External link

USS Cerritos [ ]

Uss defiant (nx-74205) [ ], uss discovery [ ], uss discovery -a [ ], uss enterprise (ncc-1701) [ ], uss enterprise (ncc-1701) (alternate reality) [ ], uss enterprise (ncc-1701-a) [ ], uss enterprise (ncc-1701-d) [ ], uss enterprise (ncc-1701-e) [ ], uss kelvin [ ], uss protostar [ ], uss titan [ ], uss titan -a [ ], uss vancouver [ ], uss voyager [ ], miscellaneous [ ], unnamed and unnumbered [ ].

• See : Unnamed Federation shuttles

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Multiple concept sketches of Federation shuttles designed for Star Trek Beyond can be seen at Trekcore. [1] [2]

External link [ ]

• Federation shuttlecraft at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)