Star Trek: The Founders Of The United Federation Of Planets, Explained

In the world of Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek," the bulk of the galaxy is overseen by an off-screen mega-bureaucracy called the United Federation of Planets, or just the Federation for short. The Federation is sort of like a supra-UN that binds hundreds of civilized, technologically advanced planets in a widespread and benevolent pact of mutual aid. "Star Trek" is meant to take place in a post-scarcity society, and that's largely because so many planets are finally able to properly reallocate their resources (faster-than-light Starfleet vessels, transporters, and replicator assure proper distribution). Starfleet is the regimented space navy that the Federation employs to engage in missions of exploration, study, and delivery. 

The concepts of "the Federation" and "Starfleet," however, took a while to fully form on "Star Trek." In the episode "Tomorrow is Yesterday" (January 26, 1967), Captain Kirk (William Shatner) refers to his organization as the United Earth Space Probe Agency. It wouldn't be until "A Taste of Armageddon" (February 23, 1967) that the term "the Federation" would be used for the first time. By the time "Journey to Babel" aired (on November 17, 1967), the concept of the Federation would solidify; that episode saw a gaggle of Federation ambassadors gathering to discuss the inclusion of a new world into their ranks. The organization was even given its own flag.

Within the mythos of "Star Trek," the Federation was initially founded in the year 2161 by Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, and Tellar. Humans and Vulcans are common on "Star Trek," but for laypeople, Andorians are the blue-skinned aliens with white hair and antennae, while Tellarites are a hoofed species known for their cantankerous attitudes. The actual formation of the Federation — pictured above — was featured in the series finale of "Star Trek: Enterprise," called "These Are the Voyages..." (May 13, 2005). 

To remind readers, "Star Trek: Enterprise" took place a century before the events of the original "Star Trek" TV show and followed the adventures of the very first Earth ship every to go on a long-term mission. It was set at a time before a lot of known Trek lore had been established; there weren't any shields on starships, for instance, nor were transporters safe for human use. Vitally, there was no Prime Directive yet either, and the Federation hadn't been formed. One of the goals of "Enterprise" was to dramatize the years leading up to the foundation of the Federation. 

Those dramatic efforts, sadly, were stymied by the show's cancelation after only four seasons. The Federation-founding finale of "Enterprise" was rushed as a result. 

"Enterprise" established a timeline of early Trek events. Humans first came into contact with Vulcans in 2063, after a devastating span of world war. A human named Zefram Cochran invented the first faster-than-light vessel during this time, which was what eventually attracted Vulcans to Earth (as seen in the movie "Star Trek: First Contact"). "Enterprise" established that Vulcans came to Earth, post-First Contact, to oversee our planet's postwar reconstruction, and to make sure humans were truly ready for long-term space travel in a galaxy populated by aliens. It took many, many decades, and a lot of Earth citizens began to resent Vulcans for keeping us from traveling into the stars, but eventually humans became a part of the galactic community.

The first ship, the Enterprise, was launched with a human in command (Captain John Archer, played by Scott Bakula) and a Vulcan officer on the bridge (T'Pol, played by Jolene Blalock). Because of their lengthy and close relationship, humans and Vulcans would form a diplomatic bond, making them key figures in the formation of the Enterprise. 

Vulcans, as most Trekkies know, are long-lived aliens who have devoted themselves to emotionless logic. Vulcans are capable of feeling emotions, but have been abiding by their devotion to logic for many, many generations, making most of them cold and controlled. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was the first Vulcan Trekkies ever met, of course, but there have been dozens of Vulcan characters since. 

"Enterprise" also made major players of the Andorians, a species that was only rarely glimpsed on the original "Star Trek," and hardly ever appeared in the 1990s-era Trek shows. Andoria is said to be a very cold world, and Andorians live in warmer, underground caves. "Enterprise" depicted the Andorians as militant and aggressive, mostly represented in the personage of General Shran (Jeffrey Combs), a member of the Andorian Imperial Guard. It would be Captain Archer's evolving relationship with Shran that would eventually involve Andorians in the formation of the nascent Federation. It also helped that some humans resented Vulcans, and that Andorians never trusted them. Who says mutual glory cannot come from a spark of spite?

Less is known about the Tellarites, who have only appeared sporadically throughout "Star Trek" and usually only as background characters. They were in two episodes of the original series, and then didn't have notable roles again until eight episodes of "Enterprise." They were redesigned for the newer show, sporting hairy bodies, pig-like snouts, and, occasionally, tusks. They were depicted as clever and stubborn traders. "Enterprise" depicted their diets, ships, and attitudes. On the animated series "Star Trek: Prodigy," one of the main characters, Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) was a Tellarite. 

There has been no explicit canonical dramatization as to why the Tellarites came to join the Vulcans, humans, and Andorians as one of the founding species of the Federation. But one can infer from the events of "Enterprise," and from some intergalactic war treaties, that they became close with Earth quite quickly.