Over thousands of years, the human species of Earth grew from primitive hunter gatherers,
struggling for survival, to competing civilizations plundering the planet for resources.
Although many suffered throughout the years of tribalism and as the population focused
on attaining material wealth, conflict and competition also led to great technological
advancements, achieving space flight by the year 1961 of the common era.
Yet the 20th and 21st centuries also saw war, poverty, famine, and disease, with even the
wealthiest nations plagued with massive inequality between rich and poor.
As a result, the people of Earth fought countless minor conflicts as well as two world wars,
a Eugenics war and a third world war fought with nuclear weapons.
This was then followed by the post atomic horror, in which thousands affected by radiation
were purged by radical terrorists seeking to cast out the impure.
Though hundreds of millions were killed and much of their infrastructure lost, scientists
and scholars continued to advance human knowledge so that by 2063, Doctor Zefram Cochrane invented
warp technology, boarding his vessel the Phoenix to soar through space at lightspeed.
Detecting the use of a warp drive, Earth was soon visited by a peaceful alien species from
a relatively nearby system, who recognized this achievement as the last necessary step
to initiate First Contact and introduce them to the larger galactic community.
Evolving from common ancestors who travelled across the galaxy seeding worlds with their
dna, many of the species humanity encountered were bipedal humanoids, who appeared physically
similar to humans, but differed greatly in their cultures and internal biology.
Once a violent and aggressive people, the Vulcan species achieved peace and stability
through their powerful mental abilities, learning to suppress emotion and use logic to make
decisions.
Though outsiders often mocked Vulcans for being boring, cautious and slow to change,
their new attitudes brought them centuries of peace, great technological advancements
and a unified government who saw Earth as a potential ally rather than a target for
conquest.
Learning they were not alone in the universe, first contact led humanity into a scientific,
political and cultural revolution, with hunger, poverty, homelessness and inequality eliminated
in less than a century.
In 2103, Earth colonized Mars, and by 2150, the nations of the world unified into a single
government.
As this transition took place, a new World Economy formed, with currency eliminated in
favour of an egalitarian system where everyone’s basic needs were met by the government, allowing
them to focus exclusively on their passions and desires.
With the need for material wealth gone, the species became less greedy and more open to
new ideas, ushering in a new age of peace and cooperation.
Yet even before the nations of the world completed their unification, Starfleet Command was formed,
and given charge of the planet’s military and scientific research, aided by Starfleet
intelligence who gathered information from neighbours, allies and enemies.
However the efforts of their intelligence service were not always enough, and so they
sometimes relied on Section 31, a rogue espionage agency who did not officially exist, and so
were able to work outside the confines of the law.
With the population thriving, and Starfleet continuing to improve warp technolgy, the
United Earth Government was eager to explore beyond the solar system, but their Vulcan
allies exerted their influence to delay deep space missions, believing they were not yet
mature as a species and ready to face the dangers awaiting them.
Hoping to slow their progress, Vulcans held back much of their more advanced technology,
with their ships able to reach warp 7 while humans remained at warp 5.
Yet by 2151, humanity could no longer be held back, launching the Enterprise NX-01 on a
diplomatic mission to the Klingon Empire, after which they set out to explore uncharted
space and make first contact with alien lifeforms.
Led by the famous Captain Jonathan Archer, the voyage of the first Enterprise Crew was
fraught with mistakes, setbacks and perilous challenges.
But their continued perseverance allowed Earth’s reputation and influence to grow rapidly,
as Captain Archer became a conduit for peace between the Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites,
enemy species who previous spent years embroiled in terrible conflicts.
On Vulcan, the Enterprise crew exposed the corruption of their government, the High Command,
allowing for new, more open minded leadership to emerge.
While with the Andorians, Archer brought them peace both with the Vulcans, as well as the
Tellarites, even revealing a sinister plot to turn them against each other, perpetrated
by the Romulan Star Empire, a nearby superpower who feared the growing friendship between
these planets.
Taking advantage of the trust and respect they earned, Earth held a conference in 2155
to discuss the formation of a Coalition of Planets to defend against larger threats like
the Romulans.
Among the planets represented, there was Earth, Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, Denobula, Rigel, Coridan
and many others, but the talks were disrupted by a group of Xenophobic human terrorists
threatening to destroy Star Fleet headquarters.
Although they were swiftly defeated, the conference had to be postponed, and the negative impression
left on visiting species threatened to derail the idea of an alliance.
But only 1 year later, the original 4 worlds were brought back together, when the Romulan
Star Empire invaded Earth space.
Lasting until 2160, the Earth Romulan war should have easily been won by the superpower,
yet humanity did not stand alone, with the Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites joining
the conflict in their defence.
Through their combined efforts, the alliance won the critical Battle of Cheron, achieving
a victory which proved the benefits of cooperation, allowing for the formation of the United Federation
of Planets in 2161, to be governed by a elected President, and council comprised of representatives
from member worlds.
Though most of the great powers that emerged in the Alpha and Beta quadrants were led by
a single species that accrued power by destroying or subjugating their neighbours, member worlds
of the Federation joined voluntarily and remained semi-autonomous while also electing representatives
to speak in the central government.
Though they encouraged the idea of multiculturalism, all were required to operate within the confines
of the Federation Charter and constitution, which were based on the enlightened principals
of equality, liberty and peaceful coexistence.
Acting as head of state and government, the democratically elected President was in charge
of the military and foreign policy, while the Federation council passed, revoked and
amended laws, and the Supreme Court ensured the constitution was upheld.
Though the government was filled with people of varying species, the Federation government
was based out of Earth, as they were the main driving force behind this alliance.
When a new planet or system was being considered for membership, an investigation was launched
to ensure they met certain conditions.
These requirements, included having warp technology, a unified government, no slavery or caste
systems and a culture compatible with the values expressed in the Federation Charter.
After the defeat of the Star Empire in 2160 and the establishment of the Neutral Zone
border, the Romulans retreated into their space and remained in isolation for nearly
a century, allowing the Federation to expand rapidly.
Yet as this growth continued into the 23rd century, they came under threat from a species
of warriors whose entire culture revolved around attaining honour through combat and
conquest.
A brash and aggressive people, conflict became inevitable when the Klingon Empire learned
that the Federation was claiming system nearing their borders.
After a series of small skirmishes, the first Federation-Klingon war erupted from 2156-2157.
Although the Great Houses of the Klingon Empire were usually busy plotting against each other
for power, they now united to face the threat of the Federation, achieving many brutal military
victories throughout the conflict.
Yet just as the Klingons were poised to win the war, Starfleet launched a critical mission
to detonate a bomb within a volcano on the Klingon homeworld of Qonos, allowing an officer
to force the enemy into making peace.
Unfortunately, tensions remained high, and within a decade, the two powers were once
again on the verge of war, with the Klingons demanding the Federation withdraw from a number
of planets near their border.
Despite wanting to fight, the war was averted by the interference of the Organians, powerful
non-corporeal beings who negotiated the Treaty of Organia, establishing a border and neutral
zone.
Even so, Federation-Klingon relation remained poor over the years and almost certainly would
have led to another war, if not for a terrible tragedy in 2293, when over-mining caused the
Klingon moon of Praxis to explode.
This catastrophe forced the Empire to divert significant resources to deal with the environmental
aftermath, and so with their attention on other matters, the government agreed to participate
in formal negotiations with the Federation, resulting in the Khitomer Accords, which at
last established long term peace between them, and served as the first major step towards
what eventually became an alliance that brought decades of peace and stability to the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.