What is the Federation Charter?

October 12, 2021
October 12, 2021 Poison Toocool

What is the Federation Charter?

by Bodan Landar

Signed in 2161, the Charter of the United Federation of Planets is the founding document of the interplanetary alliance formed in that year by Andoria, Earth, Tellar and Vulcan. It lays out the principles and values upon which the Federation would be based and remains in effect more than two centuries later.

The charter veins: “We the life-forms of the United Federation of Planets,” and establishes that the purpose of the alliance is to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” and to “reaffirm faith in the fundamental rights of sentient beings” as well as “the dignity and worth of all life-forms.” It goes on to encourage justice, equal rights, and social progress among its member planets.

Signed in San Francisco by dignitaries of the era, including Captain Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise NX-01, the charter also sets out certain conditions for achieving membership, such as a unified world government and the rejection of caste-based discrimination. It also forbids any interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign power.

According to Chapter 16, Article 106 of the charter, Amendments require a formal proposal before the Federation Assembly, and require a two-thirds vote of approval from all full-status members, before which it comes into effect.

The First Amendment was passed in the mid-23rd century. This banned slavery and the slave-trade everywhere inside Federation space, and gave the Federation permission to do whatever it had to do to abolish slavery anywhere within their sphere of influence. This Amendment was introduced primarily in response to Orion slavery, after the Federation annexed a number of Orion Colonies and found slave-holding Orions within its borders.

The anniversary of the signing of the Articles of the Federation is now known as Federation Day, a patriotic holiday for the UFP.

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