Starfleet facts for kids
In the amazing made-up world of Star Trek shows, books, and video games, Starfleet is a special group. Its main job is to explore space.
From the 22nd Century (that's the 2100s) all the way to the 25th Century, Starfleet is part of the United Federation of Planets. This is a big group of friendly planets with intelligent life. Planets like Earth and Vulcan are members.
People in Starfleet come from many different planets and are from many different species. While Starfleet's main goal is peaceful space exploration, it also helps protect the Federation planets.
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What Starfleet Does: Exploring New Worlds
In the TV show Star Trek: Enterprise, which takes place in the 22nd Century, Starfleet starts as Earth's space program. Their motto is "to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."
Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew on the starship "Enterprise" travel far into space. They meet new alien species and do important scientific research.
In the year 2161, Earth joins the United Federation of Planets. The Federation then makes Starfleet its official space exploration service.
Life as a Starfleet Officer
Starfleet officers have ranks, much like a Naval force on Earth. They follow a clear Chain of Command, which means everyone knows who to report to. But Starfleet is not a military group; it's mostly about peace.
All Starfleet officers must follow a very important rule called the Prime Directive. This rule says they cannot interfere with how a less developed society grows. It means they can't change a planet's natural progress.
Future Starfleet officers train at Starfleet Academy, which is in San Francisco. Once they graduate, Starfleet Command, located on Earth, gives them their missions and orders.
Starfleet's Amazing Starships
Starfleet uses special space vessels called starships to explore the galaxy. The USS Enterprise is the most famous starship. There have been several ships named Enterprise in Starfleet, from the 22nd to at least the 24th Century.
One of the most well-known Starfleet captains is James T. Kirk, from the original Star Trek TV show. Another famous captain is Jean-Luc Picard, who commanded the USS Enterprise-D.
Starships are very large. They can carry hundreds, or even over a thousand, crew members. They are built for scientific research. They also have weapons like phasers and photon torpedoes to defend the Federation if needed.
These ships can travel much faster than the speed of light. They do this using a special engine called warp drive.
See also
In Spanish: Flota Estelar para niños
