Star Force
Star Force
seal_star_force.jpg
Excellence outshining the stars
Headquarters Spiralis,
Concord
Years active -
Founder -
Notable members -
Major activities -
Rivals -

Specialty exploratory and diplomatic branch of the Galactic Concord Military meant to be the first contact with new life and new civilizations.

While units and whole divisions of the CDC and even Star Force report less than combat readiness, the Marines by their very nature must be ready for a state of war at all times. In these times of peace, they practice their battle talents with the only worthy opponents-each other.

Skirmishes have proven Star Force and the Concord Marines surprisingly effective after only a few years of organization.

Star Force is the pride of the Concord military,- its motto is ‘Excellence outshining the stars’ Thirty years ago, Star Force existed only as a plan in the mind of a few diplomats. Today, Star Force is the strongest naval force in the galaxy, patrolling all of explored space, from the heart of Old Space to the farthest systems of the Verge. The men and women of Star Force keep humanity safe from alien threats-and from itself.

While the Concord has plenty of funding to produce or procure state-of-the-art naval vessels, the pilots, engineers, crew, and commanders of those vessels give Star Force its edge. Star Force personnel exude a cool confidence when dealing with enemies. The officers of the Star Force have alloyed their unique strengths and their individual backgrounds to form the core of the stellar navy. Even though Star Force’s personnel numbers more than 4 million, it can afford to recruit only the best from an annual applicant pool larger than the size of its membership.

The selection process to attend the officers’ academies is even more intense. Five years of officer training produces ensigns honored to serve, and three Star Force academies prepare officers for service. Each Neutrality boasts an academy, but Vition Academy, on Concord itself, is considered the best of the best.

The most active branch of Star Force on the frontier is the Concord Survey Service, a scouting, surveying, and first contact organization. The CSS is devoted not just to patrolling the borders of human space, but to pushing beyond them into unknown and unsettled territory It frequently assists colonists on new worlds by maintaining supplies and communications, and it tracks the movement of pirates and outlaw vessels along the frontier. The CSS frequently hires independent explorers to visit new worlds or conduct geological surveys of promising planets.



Personnel


Starfleet personnel were organized, using a naval-derived rank structure, into a chain of command. (TNG: "A Matter Of Honor", etc.) Personnel were in either of two groups: enlisted personnel and officers. (TNG: "Family", etc) Some personnel formally committed to the service by taking the Starfleet oath.
Officers

In the 22nd century, Starfleet was a civilian organization acting as a successor to various Earth based space agencies such as NASA, the International Space Agency, and others. Its primary function was scientific development and exploration of space.

Starfleet officers functioned as commanders and directors of the service's operations at all levels. The most senior officers ranks were known as flag officer ranks. Officers holding these ranks functioned at the highest levels of command in the service. Flag officer ranks, in descending order of the chain of command, were as follows:

Fleet admiral
Admiral
Vice admiral
Rear admiral
Commodore

Sector commanders, the superintendent of Starfleet Academy, the Commander, Starfleet, the Starfleet chief of staff and chief of Starfleet Operations, and the commander in chief, were all flag officers. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; TNG: "Ménage à Troi", "The First Duty")

Below flag officer ranks were other officer ranks. Officers holding these ranks usually served in field command positions, such as commanding officers and senior staff on the service's vessels. These ranks, in descending order of the chain of command, were as follows:

Captain
Commander
Lieutenant commander
Lieutenant
Lieutenant junior grade
Ensign

Graduates of Starfleet Academy were commissioned to the rank of ensign, the most junior officer rank, and were promoted to higher ranks over the courses of their time in the service. Physicians who graduated from Starfleet Medical Academy in the 24th century were commissioned to the rank of lieutenant junior grade. (DS9: "Emissary", etc.)
Enlisted personnel

These personnel functioned under the command of the officers, usually serving aboard Starfleet vessels or other facilities. Instead of officers' training, enlisted personnel received basic training for whatever position they served in. (VOY: "Good Shepherd", et al.) The most junior enlisted rank was that of crewman. The service's enlisted rank structure, in descending order of the chain of command, was as follows:

Master chief petty officer
Senior chief petty officer
Chief petty officer
Petty officer
1st class
2nd class
3rd class
Crewman

The enlisted ranks above that of crewman were not commissioned officer ranks. To distinguish them from commissioned officer ranks, the term 'non-commissioned officer' was used. It was also common to refer to any enlisted Starfleet member in the generic title of "Crewman", while also substituting the terms "Specialist" and "Technician" when mentioning the said crewman in a log entry. (TOS: "Space Seed")

All enlisted personnel were subordinate to commissioned officers in the chain of command, however senior enlisted personnel were occasionally assigned junior officers as specialists and technicians. (TNG: "Clues")

It was also possible for an enlisted Starfleet member to be appointed as a department head, in which case they were designated the same authority as a fully commissioned officer, including staffs of both officers and enlisted under their command. (TNG: "The Wounded", "Redemption II", DS9: "Emissary", "The Ship")

In addition to their actual ranks, Starfleet enlisted personnel also held titles known as "rates" which were used to describe an occupational specialty. Some rates in use during the 23rd century were the rates of Yeoman and Engineer's mate. It was also possible for an enlisted crewman to hold a grade or class, such as John B. Watkins, who was an Engineer, Grade 4, as well as Tina Lawton, who was a Yeoman, 3rd Class. The use of rates continued into the 24th century, with Tal Celes holding the rating of Sensor analyst, Grade 3, while serving onboard the USS Voyager. (TOS: "Charlie X", "A Taste of Armageddon", "That Which Survives", VOY: "Good Shepherd").
The use of Starfleet rates was confined mainly to Star Trek: The Original Series, with "Yeoman" by far being the most commonly mentioned rate throughout the series. By the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation, little mention is made of enlisted rates, although through the development of the Miles O'Brien character, who was an expert in transporter technology, it is clear Starfleet still specialized enlisted personnel within certain career fields.

Uniforms


In the 22nd century, the same basic uniform was worn by all Starfleet officers, with differences in insignia and color-coded elements designed to distinguish rank and departmental function. Starfleet departments included Starfleet Operations and Starfleet Security. (ENT: "Broken Bow")

Starfleet personnel wore distinctive uniforms while on duty. These uniforms generally displayed the department color of the department/division the enlisted person or officer served in, and also the rank insignia.

Wearing a Starfleet uniform when not actually a member of Starfleet would put one at risk of being charged with impersonating a Starfleet officer. (DS9: "Chrysalis")

Uniform is the clothing worn for the purpose of displaying membership in an organization. In the military, the uniform also displays rank insignia and position as a form of non-verbal communication of authority and purpose between members of said organization.

The Planetary Union's standard-issue uniform[2] consists of a simple jacket, undershirt, and slacks suitable for the vast majority of humanoid species including Humans, Xelayans, and Moclans. Some species have highly unusual body shapes and are exempt from the uniform requirement, such as Gelatins and Unk's species. On rare occasions, species are permitted to modify or tailor the standard-issue uniform to fit their unique body type, such as the case of Lieutenant Tharl, who cut a hole into the stomach of jacket to accommodate his external feeding tube.[2]

Officers maintain several pairs of their uniform at any time.[2]

The standard duty uniform was a jacket and pants with raised striping encircling the shoulders, five stripes for men and four for women, and down the side seam of the jacket and pants (six stripes for all uniforms). The jacket featured a split cowl collar with a division-colored zipper closure running slightly diagonally from the center line of the jacket at the bottom to the right side of the collar. The pants featured front thigh pockets also with division-colored zippers, and an apparent front fly. The shoulders, knees, and elbows had distinct textured fabric sections. (DIS: "Battle at the Binary Stars")

Female crew members could choose between a standard uniform jacket with pants, or one worn with a miniskirt over matching high cut shorts, worn with black hose and boots. (DIS: "Brother", "Saints of Imperfection")

A sciences division uniform tunic with observable deltas on the flanks

Metallic Starfleet insignia were worn on the left breast. They featured a division insignia and rank pips carved into the badge; the reverse carried the wearer's name and serial number. (DIS: "Into the Forest I Go") The uniform included shin-high boots, with division-colored trim around the edges of the soles, and metallic division-colored Starfleet insignia boot clamps. (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello", et al.) This uniform was in use by at least 2239. (DIS: "Battle at the Binary Stars", ST: "The Brightest Star")

In this version, the jacket was Federation blue with division-colored striping and raised Starfleet insignia printed on the flanks of the jacket to the front of the division stripes, continuing onto the upper hip of the pants. The Starfleet insignias were also division-colored. There were at least three standard colors for the new uniform design: gold (command), copper (operations), and silver (sciences). (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello")

Divisions

Starfleet uniforms were classified by color among the command, sciences, and operations divisions. Occasionally, the uniforms were also broken down by department, while displaying rank insignia conspicuously. The color scheme had varied over time throughout Starfleet history, but the uniforms were designed for comfort even in the most extreme environments.

Positions are jobs assigned to officers onboard their designated vessel. Each position entails the involvement or leading of a specific department necessary to keep the ship and its services in check.

Admiralty: Purple
Adjutant: Gray
Command Level: Blue
Engineering Level: Orange
Science Level/Medical Bay: Green
Security Level: Red

Command

The command division was the head of Starfleet, with most of the ranking officers in Starfleet Command wearing these colors. Generally, this division was responsible for the administration of starships, starbases, and space stations.

Operations

The operations division was the backbone of Starfleet, encompassing the engineering, security, and support departments. This division was responsible for technological innovation and for maintaining and defending the Federation.

Sciences

The sciences division was the heart of Starfleet, composed of the exploratory, medical, and mental health departments.

Uniform undershirts

Undershirts come in both short sleeve and long sleeve variants. From what is seen, most officers (Gordon Malloy[4], Ed Mercer[5], Alara Kitan[6], Talla Keyali[7], Claire Finn[8]) favor the short sleeve undershirt, while Bortus wears the long sleeve undershirt.

Medical attire

Union medical personnel generally wear standard issue uniforms. In some cases, officers like Chief Medical Officer Claire Finn of the USS Orville wear medical lab coats over their undershirts while operating in Sick Bay. On away missions, however, Dr. Finn wears the standard issue uniform.[9]

Exceptions

Though the vast majority of Union Fleet personnel are humanoids, there are a number of races within the Union who have wildly different body shapes. As such, they are not expected to wear the standard issue uniform, or any clothing at all for that matter.

Armaments


Corona Laser Pistol is the standard issue side arm.

Corona Laser Rifle is the standard rifle for use in battle.

Bases and installations


Aside from its headquarters, located on Earth, the Federation's capital world, Starfleet also maintained installations throughout Federation territory.

Starbases

Starbases were facilities set aside for resupply of the service's vessels and the relaxation of vessel crews, were maintained in all sectors of Federation space. In addition, the service also maintained facilities beyond Federation territory. The most well-known of these is Deep Space 9, in the Alpha Quadrant. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Shipyards

The service also maintained a number of shipyards at which it constructed its vessels and designed and tested new vessels and vessel types. Among the most famous of these shipyards were:

The Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, located in orbit around Mars
The San Francisco Fleet Yards, located in orbit around Earth
The Beta Antares Ship Yards, located in the Antares sector

Training facilities

Apart from Starfleet Academy, the service also maintained several training facilities for both officers and enlisted personnel. These included a number of Academy annexes, located in different systems. Known annexes were Starfleet Academy (Beta Aquilae II), Starfleet Academy (Beta Ursae Minor II), and Starfleet Academy (Psi Upsilon III). (TNG: "Eye of the Beholder") The service also maintained at least one testing facility to evaluate prospective Starfleet Academy undergraduates for admission into the academy. This facility was located on the planet Relva VII. (TNG: "Coming of Age")

Starfleet Academy also had a training program for enlisted personnel. (TNG: "The Drumhead"; DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations") In addition, at least one other such facility was located on Mars, known as the Starfleet Technical Services Academy. (TNG: "Eye of the Beholder")

Vessels


The single most important asset that Starfleet possessed, apart from its personnel, was its vast number of vessels.

Starships

The backbone of Starfleet's operations were its starships. These vessels, all warp-capable, were capable of supporting and providing the ability and resources to carry out all of the service's mandates: exploration, the defense of the Federation, the transport of supplies and resources, and providing emergency medical care. A large range of starship classes existed. Some were multi-purpose and other were designed for a specific use. By the 24th century, Starfleet's mandates stated that no warships, or ships designed purely for defensive purposes, would be built, but an exception was made when the threat of the Dominion became evident.

The most famous ship of pre-Federation Starfleet was the NX-class Enterprise NX-01. That ship was the first to be equipped with the Warp 5 engine, and made first contact with over thirty species. Under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer, Enterprise established Earth as an interstellar power after negotiating treaties between the Vulcans and Andorians in 2152, saving the galaxy from the Sphere-Builders and the Xindi in 2154, uncovering the lost teachings of Surak on Vulcan and preventing a Vulcan invasion of Andoria later in 2154, helping to instigate a cultural and political coup d'état against the dictatorial Vulcan head of state Administrator V'Las, and facilitating peace talks between the Andorians and Tellarites following a series of attacks on both races in late 2154. (ENT: "Broken Bow", "Cease Fire", "Zero Hour", "The Forge", "Awakening", "Kir'Shara", "Babel One")

The United Earth Starfleet also built the NX-class Columbia, launching that ship in late 2154, with at least two more NX-class ships on the drawing board. (ENT: "Fortunate Son", "Home", "Affliction")

The United Earth Starfleet did not have any jurisdiction over what happened aboard vessels operating in the Earth Cargo Service. That responsibility remained in the hands of the Earth Cargo Authority. (ENT: "Fortunate Son", "Horizon")

By 2257, there were seven thousand active ships in Starfleet. (DIS: "Perpetual Infinity")

Other vessels

Aside from its starships, the service also operated other vessels. Among these were several types of shuttlecraft, which were typically used to transport personnel over relatively short distances, such as from a starship orbiting a planet down to the planet's surface. (ENT: "Chosen Realm", et al.)

Starfleet shuttlecraft of the 23rd and 24th centuries also were equipped with limited warp capability, allowing transport of personnel within a range of several light years from the starship. (VOY: "Initiations", "Tsunkatse", "Good Shepherd")

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