Federation: Difference between revisions

The '''Federation''', formerly the '''Federation of Star Systems''', is the oldest of the three major [[:Category:Factions|factions]] in the galaxy, the other two being the [[Empire]] and the [[Alliance]]. The planet [[Sol/Earth|Earth]] ([[Sol]]), birthplace of humankind, is the historic former capital of the Federation and regarded as the centre of human-inhabited space. The Federation loosely lies between the Alliance and the Empire on the galactic map. The Federation's current capital Olympus Village is on planet [[Mars]].

The Third World War saw this exploration expenditure dragged back again and it wasn't until the very end of the 21st century that colonies on Mars and the Moon became truly permanent and viable.

After the war, the dominant power was the United States of the Americas, and as the remaining other countries joined it over the next few decades, it was renamed the Federation of the United States and later "The Federation" as the implied reference to one of the pre-war powers was a block to the remaining countries joining it. It had a constitution and laws derived from the earlier powers, but much simplified.<ref>Tourist Spot 0165 beacon near Earth</ref>

Many different factors changed humanity’s outlook after that. The rise of the corporations, the discovery of the first fossils on Mars, and the explosive exploration triggered by the invention of the hyperdrive by Li Qin Jao and others in the 22nd century, first by unmanned probes, then with manned craft, overtaking the generation ships sent in the previous decades. Despite the huge dangers involved, a massive land-grab followed, fuelled by the voracious corporations.<ref name="FedFounding">[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/5597abc79657bab1445913c2 The Founding of the Federation - GalNet]</ref>

It wasn’t until some of the ecological excesses of these early colonists became apparent over a century later that Earth took its first steps, founding the Federation and becoming the colossal entity it is now, creating some order in what had become an unruly free-for-all.<ref name="FedFounding"/>

In 2242 the Federation Accord was created outlining certain rights and responsibilities for members, uniting many of the new colonies, by force in some cases. After a short conflict the Taylor Colony in [[Tau Ceti]] (which had been ignoring Earth's demands to stop killing the native wildlife to near extinction levels over a period of approximately 20 years) became the first signatory outside the Sol system. Sol and Tau Ceti were soon joined by [[Delta Pavonis]], [[Altair]], and [[Beta Hydri]], and these five systems are today regarded as the founding members of the Federation. The name of the Federation was also changed at this time to the "Federation of Star Systems", but the name didn’t stick and quickly returned to just the Federation.<ref name="FedFounding"/>

From that point the Federation provided a stable framework to facilitate the further expansion of humanity to ever more distant star systems but not all colonies wanted a part of this. A distant early colony, formed by a band of political idealists as far from Earth as they could manage, in the system of [[Achenar]] would eventually spark another defining moment for the Federation and indeed humanity as a whole.<ref name="FedFounding"/>

However, corporate loyalty oils the machine, and Federation space is a battleground of commerce. Commercial organisations compete as aggressively as the law will allow for the time and attention of the Federal citizen, who goes through life bombarded by advertising.

Corruption is not unusual – individuals defend it shamelessly when caught as ‘getting one over the system’. Social class is only determined between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. There is a lot of poverty about, as well as conspicuous wealth.

The huge gross domestic product (GDP) of the Federation economy funds a large, well-equipped Federal Navy which projects its values and influence.

Culturally the Federation is tolerant of some things (like religions) but utterly intolerant of drug-taking, political activism, and certain cultures. A great many things are illegal, like slavery, cloning and certain narcotics.

Federal law is based on an agreed Constitution. People have rights and freedoms, enshrined by this agreement. Local ‘State’ law prohibits other trafficking to a greater or lesser degree. Things like ship-based weapons, personal weapons, other milder drugs and alcohol are banned in some systems.

The media drives a culture of celebrity. Top ranking politicians, social commentators, entertainers and super-rich all command a great deal of media attention. This provides a massive distraction for the populace, to the extent that foreign wars conducted by the Federation on their behalf get little media attention. This has gone on for many hundreds of years, and there is no sign of it changing.<ref>[http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2 Newsletter #22]</ref>

[[File:Zachary Hudson.png|thumb|200px|Zachary Hudson, the current Federal President]]

The [[President of the Federation]] is the elected head of state and head of government of the Federation. Presidents are elected for an eight year term, but face an automatic "vote of no confidence" after four years. If the incumbent President wins the vote, they are allowed to complete their full term, but the incumbent loses the vote, a new Presidential election is called. Presidents select and appoint a Vice President to serve as Acting President in the event that the President is unable to lead. The current Federal President is [[Zachary Hudson]], and his Vice President is [[Brad Mitchell]].

When the leader of one of the Federation's two main political parties, the Liberal Party and the Republican Party, is elected President, then the leader of the other party automatically becomes [[Shadow President]]. The Shadow President has no authority in the sitting President's administration, but he or she is often at the top of their party's list to run for the Presidency during an election. The current Shadow President is [[Felicia Winters]].

Federal Congress is made up of 500 Congressmen (the term for both men and women). They sit in Congress, in Olympus Village on [[Mars]] – which replaced its location in Washington DC early in the 3rd millennium. Congressmen are expected to attend in person to vote.

Anyone can run for election to Federal Congress. They do not need to be backed by a political party or minor faction, but it helps. There are two major parties: the Liberals and the Republicans. Corporations generally do push (and fund) their chosen candidates or parties (e.g. Hudson), as do other special interest groups. Like the President, Congressmen are elected for an eight year term, with a "vote of no confidence" after four years. If the vote of no confidence succeeds then a full election takes place. A Congressman (or President) cannot serve multiple consecutive terms, though a Congressman can (and often does) become President immediately after a term as a Congressman.

Every Federation system has representation at the Congress, but generally a Congressman represents multiple systems, except a few (like Sol) that have more than one Congressional representative, based loosely on historic population. Phenomenal growth in the outer systems has meant that they have little representation in Congress, and there is frequent discussion about creating many new Congressmen to address this balance, but the various power blocks realise it will change the balance of power away from the core systems, the very people who would have to vote it through – so many agree it is unlikely to happen in the near future.

Congressmen do not change when their system's controlling minor faction changes, and serve until their term is up, but their life could become difficult, so they might resign, triggering a local election.<ref name="FedGovt">[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=225156 Governments and politics in Elite Dangerous] by Michael Brookes</ref>

==Key systems==

* [[Sol]] - origin system of humanity, including the species' original homeworld, [[Sol/Earth|Earth]] (Sol 3), and the Federation's current economic and political centre, [[Mars]] (Sol 4), with the capitol itself located in the metropolis of Olympus Village. Founding system.

* [[Tau Ceti]] - Taylor Colony (Tau Ceti 2) was home to the first extraterrestrial biosphere encountered by humanity, and played a central role in the founding of the Federation. More recently, it was the birthplace and childhood home of Shadow President [[Felicia Winters]]. Founding system.

==Faction information==

===Ranks===

===Faction ships===

===Permits===

===Associated minor factions===

==Trivia==

*Originally, the Federation government was intended to feature three main political parties: Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians. By the time Elite Dangerous launched, this had been changed to just two political parties, the Liberals and Republicans.<ref name="FedGovt"/>