[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of Star Trek: The Original Series.]
In the episode “A Taste of Armageddon,” an ambassador of the United Federation of Planets refers to “Federation Central.” We already know there is a Space Central, which I have deduced is short for Federation Space Central (q.v.), so it stands to reason that Federation Central is likewise short for the same. Rather than trying to retrofit the Classic Star Trek Universe with a makeshift organizational hierarchy incorporating all the terms ever used or pretending that certain terms were a slip of the tongue, I think it is useful to role-players and probably more in the spirit of the original screenwriters’ intentions to interpret these terms in the original context in which they were used. In both cases, Space Central and Federation Central were mentioned in reference to a governmental authority, which we may assume is the United Federation of Planets. For the purposes of the episodes in which they were mentioned, they are effectively interchangeable whether by accident or design (and I tend to think the former). Therefore, Space Central and Federation Central are synonymous with Federation Space Central, the government of the Federation, and each Federation world of a certain population size has its own planetary Space Central, e.g. Earth Space Central, Vulcan Space Central, etc. (q.v.). The U.F.P. is, after all, a federation, so each member world capable of self-governing within the bounds of Federation law would have its sovereignty respected and protected.
Star Fleet is, of course, the combined service of the Federation, and Star Fleet Command is Star Fleet’s central authority and headquarters, answerable to the civilian government of the Federation, Federation Space Central (its governing body being the Federation Council — as first mentioned in the episode “Amok Time” — and whose members represent and are elected by the member worlds).
Thus:
United Federation of Planets
- Federation Council (governing body)
- Federation Space Central (civilian government)
- Star Fleet Command (combined service authority)
- Star Fleet (combined service)
It’s all nice and simple. Alas, what are we to make of “Space Command,” “Star Fleet Control,” and the “United Earth Space Probe Agency”?
Space Command, mentioned in the episode “Court Martial,” was probably meant to be Star Fleet Command, and since I don’t recall it being used subsequently, I’ll assume the terms are synonymous.
Curiously, Star Fleet Control and United Earth Space Probe Agency were both mentioned in the episode “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” although the latter was first mentioned in “Charlie X.” Star Fleet Control is almost certainly an alternate term for Star Fleet Command, but where then does that place the UESPA in the scheme of things? We know that certain starships, possibly most, in Star Fleet had single species crews. The Intrepid was notable for being crewed entirely by Vulcans, whereas the Enterprise was depicted as being crewed by humans with the exception of a single crewman of mixed Vulcan/human parentage. Is it possible that the Federation member worlds had their own service divisions within Star Fleet, each perhaps descended from the planetary space administrations from the time of their admission to the Federation? Earth, Vulcan, and every other member world would each have its own Star Fleet division. Or perhaps the designations are a formality that have no basis in anything but tradition. This bears further consideration.