Federation Day

Flag of the United Federation of Planets

In a short 139 years, this day on the calendar will be known as Federation Day. In the Star Trek universe, Federation Day celebrates the signing of the Charter of the United Federation of Planets by representatives of four worlds* on October 11, 2161, in San Francisco.

Even though this storied event is “future history,” Federation Day is worth celebrating in 2022. The Federation is an interstellar organization, the exploration and defense arm of which is called Starfleet, whose most famous vessel is the U.S.S. Enterprise. In the 56 years since Star Trek first brought the Enterprise and her crew to our television screens, the Federation and its exploits have become embedded in our collective imagination. The reasons are simple. Star Trek frequently offers good, often allegorical, storytelling, compelling and memorable characters, and great science fiction that’s based, to the extent possible, in real-world science which makes it all the more approachable, maybe even plausible. 

Put in contemporary terms, the United Federation of Planets is a political, cultural, and mutual defense alliance among many worlds which celebrates diversity, democracy, and respect for all living things. Politically, it is a sort of an upgraded, and far more functional, United States of the Galaxy, which isn’t surprising since it was conceived in the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War. A basic conceit of the show was the Federation (USA) is good, the Klingons and Romulans (USSR) are bad. The construct of the Federation therefore allowed for stories which spoke to contemporary audiences. 

Deeper than this mindset, though, is Star Trek’s vision of a future that is inherently optimistic—rare, if not unique in a science fiction genre prone to dystopian storytelling. Most importantly, the human characters in Star Trek are our descendants. The Federation itself is the clearest expression that our best instincts (our “better angels” as Abraham Lincoln, who had a memorable cameo in Star Trek, put it) can—and in the Star Trek universe, will—win out. But the virtues of this optimism do not benefit the future alone. The Federation is Star Trek’s greatest gift to those of us in the 21st Century, as it sets forth two promises about our future selves. 

First, the Federation is a promise that we humans will finally overcome the petty tribalism, bigotry, aggression, and ignorance that are so ascendant at this moment in our history. Authoritarianism and dystopia may loom over us now, but they need not win the day. In Star Trek’s “future history,” we will come together, not merely tolerating our differences, but celebrating and recognizing them as essential to our prosperity. In short, we will grow up as a species. We will eventually become better versions of ourselves, and thereby build a better version of society. 

This maturity, in turn, will allow us to build a respectful, peaceful, stable, mutually-beneficial alliance, a multi-cultural, multi-species democracy with other—very different—species as we explore the galaxy. This is not a utopia (although to 21st Century eyes it certainly leans that way), but it is better than our collective state today and like us, the Federation strives and sometimes struggles to live up to its ideals.

So even though we have 139 years to wait for that signing ceremony in San Francisco, it’s worth celebrating Federation Day a bit early. If we can embrace the principles on which the fictional Federation is based, perhaps we can roll back dystopia and arrive at our better future ahead of schedule.

*Nerds will want to know: Andor, Earth, Tellar, Vulcan will be the founding members of the Federation.