Starfleet
Starfleet was the deep space exploratory and defense service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Its principal functions included the advancement of Federation knowledge about the galaxy and its inhabitants, and knowledge  of wissenschaft (the systematic pursuit of all scholarly knowledge, not just science and technology). Starfleet's ancillary duties included  the defense of the Federation, and the facilitation of Federation diplomacy. 

As per its mandate of deep space exploration, its personnel were frequently brought into contact with cultures and sentient species whose existences were unknown to the Federation. Starfleet officers therefore acted as official representatives of the Federation in these cases. Starfleet vessels were also frequently used to ferry ambassadors on diplomatic missions. (; ; ; )

History of Starfleet

United Earth

Prior to 2161, Starfleet was the primary space exploration organization of United Earth in the early to mid-22nd century. The primary authority of Starfleet was referred to as either Starfleet Command or the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA), and was located at Starfleet Headquarters in the city of San Francisco, Earth.  ()

The primary purpose of Starfleet from its infancy was to "…seek out new life and new civilizations," and "…go boldly where no man has gone before." (This quote is attributed to Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive on Earth.)  ()

Some Starfleet personnel worked in conjunction with the United Earth Diplomatic Corps. ()

For a time, beginning in 2153, some Starfleet vessels began carrying detachments of MACOs, an Earth military service. This practice was a reaction to the devastating Xindi attack on Earth, and subsequent mission into the Delphic Expanse in response. The decision to carry these units was left up to individual starship captains, and was not a formal policy of Starfleet Command at the time. In 2154, Jonathan Archer advised the captain of , Hernandez, to ask for a squad of MACOs.  had MACO units assigned to its mission as late as 2161. ()

One of the primary projects of Starfleet was to develop a viable and fast interstellar engine that would allow Earth ships to practically cross vast distances in reasonably short time. Despite some allegations of interference – or at least, a refusal of assistance – from the Vulcans, Earth had made notable progress in developing the warp five engine by the 2150s. ()

Key officials overseeing the United Earth Starfleet included:
Admiral Maxwell Forrest
Admiral Daniel Leonard
Admiral Gardner
Commander 

Article 14, Section 31, of the original United Earth Starfleet Charter made allowances for certain rules to be bent during times of extraordinary threat. This clause was the seed for the rogue organization known as Section 31. Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was recruited to Section 31 as a young ensign. (; )

Federation
With the formation of the Federation in 2161, as per the Federation Charter, United Earth Starfleet, MACO and the deep space and defensive services of the other member worlds were folded into the authority of the Federation. (; ; )

Until as late as the 2290s, some Starfleet operations continued to fall at least partly under the jurisdiction of UESPA. By the mid-24th century, however, Starfleet operations were regulated solely by Starfleet Command, answering to the Federation President and the Federation Council. (; ; et al.)

Starfleet was infiltrated by members of a Romulan secret cabal within the Tal Shiar, known as the Zhat Vash. Under the command of Commodore Oh, the Attack on Mars took place in 2385, which led to the total ban on synths and all forms of artificial life enacted by the Federation Council. Five years later, Oh issued a black flag directive to Captain Alonzo Vandermeer of the , which led to the deaths of the Coppelius androids Beautiful Flower and Jana. ()

Following The Burn, the United Federation of Planets was reduced to 38 member worlds by 3189, from a maximum of 350 member worlds, but several Starfleet vessels and facilities were still in use. One such installation was a Federation Relay Station, administered for forty years by a non commissioned Federation Liaison officer named Aditya Sahil, who eventually encountered Michael Burnham and was commissioned as acting communications chief to aide her search both for the  and for the remnants of the Federation. ()

Representative species

Starfleet has always been a multiracial organization, composed of species from various worlds. Even though Starfleet was an organization representing United Earth, and later, the United Federation of Planets, it was not a requirement for Starfleet personnel to be Human, or later on, from a member species of the Federation. (; ) Non-Federation citizens could join Starfleet, but in order to do so, a command-level officer had to submit a letter of recommendation on behalf of the individuals in question. ()

As an example, in 2369, there were seventeen representatives from non-Federation planets serving on the . ()  

At times, Starfleet even allowed members from species that were its enemies to work as crew members, including the Klingon Worf during the  of the 2370s; Simon Tarses, who was part Romulan; and Seven of Nine, a liberated Borg drone. (; ; ) 

The following species have had their members working for Starfleet: 

Abdon's species ()
The species of an alien female ensign on the  ()
The species of an alien male ensign on the USS Alhambra ()
The species of an alien officer on the  ()
The species of an alien officer on the  ()
The species of another alien officer on the USS Enterprise-D ()
The species of an alien doctor on the  ()
The species of an alien helmsman on the  ()
The species of an alien officer on the  ()
The species of an alien bridge officer on the  ()
The species of an alien first officer on the USS Titan ()
The species of an alien first officer who served under Captain Shelby ()
Akoszonam ()
Alnschloss K'Bentayr's species ()
Andorians ()
Antarans ()
Arcturians ()
Argosians ()
Arkenites ()
Bajorans ()
Barzans ()
Benzites ()
Betazoids ()
Betelgeusians ()
Bolians ()
Boslics ()
Brunali ()
Caitians ()
Cardassians ()
Deltans ()
Edosians ()
Efrosians ()
Elaysians ()
Exocomps ()
Ferengi ()
Haliians ()
Hornish ()
Humans ()
K'normians ()
Kaelons ()
Kelpiens ()
Klingons ()
Kzinti ()
Lurian ()
Megazoids ()
Merp's species ()
Migleemo's species ()
Napeans ()

Nara's species ()
Orions ()
Osnullus ()
Pelians ()
Phylosians ()
Pon Darra's species ()
Rhaandarites ()
Rhomsew's species ()
Rigelians ()
Romulans ()
Rotciv ()
s ()
Schlerm ()
Soong-type android, Data ()
Tamarians ()
Tellarites ()
Tiburonians ()
Trill ()
Tyrellians ()
Vilix'pran's species ()
Volis' species ()
Vulcans ()
Worene's species ()
Zakdorn ()
Zaldans ()
Zaranites ()

In addition, the Arkarians provided baryon sweeps for Starfleet starships, and Bynars provided their technical services in upgrading the computers of Starfleet ships. () Starfleet also employed sentient artificial photonic lifeforms as holographic emergency personnel, such as the Emergency Medical Holographic programs. The El-Aurian Guinan provided her services as bartender on the Enterprise-D, while the Talaxian Neelix, the Ocampa Kes, the liberated Borg Seven of Nine, and the Brunali former Borg drone Icheb worked as crew members of the  during her voyage through the Delta Quadrant. (; ) 

Furthermore, the Denobulan Doctor Phlox served as chief medical officer aboard the  during the Interspecies Medical Exchange of the 22nd century. () At least two Pandronians had also been affiliated with Starfleet, to varying degrees: Honorary Commander Ari bn Bem, who briefly served as an independent observer aboard the USS Enterprise in 2270; and Shari yn Yem, who was employed by Starfleet as a drill instructor until 2381. (; )

Alternate timelines and realities
0718's species ()
The species of an alien cadet ()
The species of an alien communications officer on the  ()
The species of an alien crewman on the Enterprise ()
 The species of an alien torpedo bay cadet on the USS Enterprise ()
The species of an alien engineering officer on the USS Enterprise ()
The species of an alien operations crewmember on the USS Enterprise ()
The species of a bearded alien crewmember on the USS Enterprise ()
Bezos' species ()
Cardassians ()
Co-Co's species ()
's species ()
Jeanine's species ()
Jin's species ()
Keenser's species ()
Ktarian-Human hybrid, Naomi Wildman ()
's species ()
Moto's species ()
Satine's species ()
Shaku's species ()
Shazeer's species ()
Sir Olden's species ()
Syl's species ()
Teenaxi ()
Tyvanna's species ()
Wadjet's species ()
Xindi ()

Organization
Direct commanding authority over Starfleet was a power of the Federation President. (, ) 

In addition, the Federation Council, the Federation's legislature, often directly influenced the service's operations and even issued orders on occasion. () 

The day-to-day operations of the service were managed by Starfleet Command, under a commander in chief. ()

Commander in chief
The commander in chief oversaw the operations of the entire service, and reported directly to the Federation president. () 

In the late 2370s, the position of commander in chief was actually held by Federation President Jaresh-Inyo. (). 

By 2399, command had reverted to a commissioned officer, Admiral Kirsten Clancy. () 

In 3189, the position of Starfleet Commander in Chief was held by Charles Vance. ()

Starfleet Command 
This was the service's operational authority. Senior positions included the Commander, Starfleet, the chief of staff and the chief of Starfleet Operations. (; ; )

Sector commands
These oversaw operations of the service within sectors of Federation space. There were at least 23 sector commands. Sector commanders reported to Starfleet Command, and commanding officers of service vessels operating within these sectors reported to them.  Starbases and outposts located in the sector likewise fell under the sector admiral's command.  (, )

Operational forces
While Starfleet often operated ships individually on solo missions, ships were also organized into larger fleets, most often during times of war.  Fleets usually consisted of several hundred ships and were typically commanded by a vice admiral, although it appears to have been standard form to refer to a vice admiral in command of a fleet as a "fleet admiral", regardless of their actual rank. ()Vice admirals who have been referred to as "fleet admiral", apparently through virtue of their position, include admirals Alynna Nechayev and Shanthi
During the Dominion War, Starfleet operated a number of fleets, some of which, such as the Ninth Fleet, were combined allied fleets containing ships from both Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Force.  Within fleets were various units known as attack wings (or tactical wings), often commanded by an admiral, or even a senior Captain.  Captain  was one such junior officer to command a tactical wing, commanding the Seventh Tactical Wing after being promoted to the position by Admiral William Ross. It was standard practice for a tactical wing commander to be assigned an adjutant. ()

In some cases, for temporary or ad hoc missions, Starfleet vessels could be formed into battle groups.  Star Fleet Battle Group Omega was one such formation, created to stop a Reman attack on Earth.  In the 23rd century, temporary forces of this nature were known simply as "attack forces" and commanded by a commodore.  By the 24th century, the term task force had become more common to describe smaller starship groups of this nature. (, , )

Starfleet Academy

Starfleet Academy was a facility maintained by the service for the training of its officers. Prospective officers received extensive training at this facility, for a period of four years. Undergraduates attending the facility were called midshipmen in the 23rd century, and cadets in the 24th century. Successful graduates were commissioned as Federation Starfleet officers. (;)

Branches and agencies
There were a number of branches and agencies that assisted Starfleet Command in the running of the service.

Judge Advocate General
Office of the Inspector General
Spaceframe Development
Starfleet Administration
Starfleet Advanced Technologies
Starfleet Bureau of Information
Starfleet Cartography
Starfleet Corps of Engineers
Starfleet Diplomatic Corps
Exploratory Division
Starfleet Intelligence
Department of Internal Affairs
Starfleet Materiel Supply Command
Starfleet Medical
Division 14
Starfleet Medical Academy
Starfleet Mission Operations
Starfleet Operational Support Services
Starfleet Operations
Administrative Operations
Starfleet Orbital Operations
Starfleet Research
Starfleet Shipyards Operations
Starfleet Science
Starfleet Security
Stellar Imaging Division
Starfleet Tactical

Personnel
Starfleet personnel were organized, using a naval-derived rank structure, into a chain of command. (, etc.) Personnel were in either of two groups: enlisted personnel and officers. (, etc) 

Some personnel formally committed to the service by taking the Starfleet oath.

Officers
In the 22nd century, Starfleet was a civilian organization acting as a successor to various Earth based space agencies such as NASA, the International Space Agency, and others. Its primary function was scientific development and exploration of space.

Starfleet officers functioned as commanders and directors of the service's operations at all levels. The most senior officers ranks were known as flag officer ranks. Officers holding these ranks functioned at the highest levels of command in the service. Flag officer ranks, in descending order of the chain of command, were as follows:

Fleet admiral
Admiral
Vice admiral
Rear admiral
Commodore

Sector commanders, the superintendent of Starfleet Academy, the Commander, Starfleet, the Starfleet chief of staff and chief of Starfleet Operations, and the commander in chief, were all flag officers. (; ; ; )

Below flag officer ranks were other officer ranks. Officers holding these ranks usually served in field command positions, such as commanding officers and senior staff on the service's vessels. These ranks, in descending order of the chain of command, were as follows:

Captain
Commander
Lieutenant commander
Lieutenant
Lieutenant junior grade
Ensign

Graduates of Starfleet Academy were commissioned to the rank of ensign, the most junior officer rank, and were promoted to higher ranks over the courses of their time in the service. Physicians who graduated from Starfleet Medical Academy in the 24th century were commissioned to the rank of lieutenant junior grade. (, etc.)

Enlisted personnel
These personnel functioned under the command of the officers, usually serving aboard Starfleet vessels or other facilities. Instead of officers' training, enlisted personnel received basic training for whatever position they served in. (, et al.) The most junior enlisted rank was that of crewman. The service's enlisted rank structure, in descending order of the chain of command, was as follows:

Master chief petty officer
Senior chief petty officer
Chief petty officer
Petty officer
1st class
2nd class
3rd class
Crewman

The enlisted ranks above that of crewman were not commissioned officer ranks. To distinguish them from commissioned officer ranks, the term 'non-commissioned officer' was used. It was also common to refer to any enlisted Starfleet member in the generic title of "Crewman", while also substituting the terms "Specialist" and "Technician" when mentioning the said crewman in a log entry. ()  

All enlisted personnel were subordinate to commissioned officers in the chain of command, however senior enlisted personnel were occasionally assigned junior officers as specialists and technicians. ()    

It was also possible for an enlisted Starfleet member to be appointed as a department head, in which case they were designated the same authority as a fully commissioned officer, including staffs of both officers and enlisted under their command. (, )  

In addition to their actual ranks, Starfleet enlisted personnel also held titles known as "rates" which were used to describe an occupational specialty.  Some rates in use during the 23rd century were the rates of Yeoman and Engineer's mate.  It was also possible for an enlisted crewman to hold a grade or class, such as John B. Watkins, who was an Engineer, Grade 4, as well as Tina Lawton, who was a Yeoman, 3rd Class.  The use of rates continued into the 24th century, with Tal Celes holding the rating of Sensor analyst, Grade 3, while serving onboard the . (, )

Career Progression 
Career advancement within Starfleet was very much up to the individual Starfleet member, based on their own personal motivations, career plans, and future goals. Although there were certain promotions and assignments, such as that of starship commander, which were considered highly prestigious and competitive, in most cases a Starfleet member advanced through their career by requesting certain assignments in their particular field of interest. In the case of starship duty, a Starfleet member would "sign on" to a particular starship, with some ships having long waiting lists for those wishing to serve. (, )

Starfleet members who committed serious errors or infractions while on duty could be reprimanded, and oftentimes this would prevent advancement into higher postings or promotion to senior ranks. Such was the case of Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney, who was sent to the bottom of the promotion list after leaving a circuit open to an atomic matter pile. ()

Officers could also refuse promotion, as was often the case of starship captains, as well as department level commanders onboard larger vessels, who felt that promotion to higher rank, or transfer to a lesser-known ship, would be less beneficial to their careers. William T. Riker, who eventually served as captain of the , had turned down three previous promotion offers to captain smaller vessels. ()

In the 23rd century, a procedure existed that if a Starfleet Admiral took command of a single starship, they would revert to the rank of Captain, displacing the current Captain who then reverted to the rank of Commander. By 2285, this practice appears to have no longer been in place, given that when Admiral James T. Kirk assumed command of the USS Enterprise, he continued to be addressed as an Admiral and wear a flag officer's uniform, this having not been the case when he similarly had assumed command of the same ship in the 2270s. (, )

By the 24th century, Starfleet allowed some career fields to "set their own pace" and if an officer wished, they could remain in a lower rank and position for decades.  Jean-Luc Picard witnessed this in an alternate timeline where, with no career goal, he had remained a lieutenant junior grade and assistant astrophysics officer apparently for over forty years.  Starfleet enlisted positions could also be used by civilians wishing to gain practical space experience, without any thought of promotion or advancement, such as in the case of Crewman Mortimer Harren. (, )

Promotions of junior officers onboard starships was often based on the availability of open positions, such as that of duty operations officer, which allowed a qualified ensign to assume the rank of lieutenant. On some starships, lieutenants so promoted were permitted to have their own quarters. ()

Uniforms
In the 22nd century, the same basic uniform was worn by all Starfleet officers, with differences in insignia and color-coded elements designed to distinguish rank and departmental function. Starfleet departments included Starfleet Operations and Starfleet Security. ()

Starfleet personnel wore distinctive uniforms while on duty. These uniforms generally displayed the department color of the department/division the enlisted person or officer served in, and also the rank insignia.

Wearing a Starfleet uniform when not actually a member of Starfleet would put one at risk of being charged with impersonating a Starfleet officer. ()

Bases and installations
Aside from its headquarters, located on Earth, the Federation's capital world, Starfleet also maintained installations throughout Federation territory.

Starbases

Starbases were facilities set aside for resupply of the service's vessels and the relaxation of vessel crews, were maintained in all sectors of Federation space. In addition, the service also maintained facilities beyond Federation territory. The most well-known of these is Deep Space 9, in the Alpha Quadrant. ()

Shipyards

The service also maintained a number of shipyards at which it constructed its vessels and designed and tested new vessels and vessel types. Among the most famous of these shipyards were:

The Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, located in orbit around Mars
The San Francisco Fleet Yards, located in orbit around Earth
The Beta Antares Ship Yards, located in the Antares sector

(; ; )

Training facilities

Apart from Starfleet Academy, the service also maintained several training facilities for both officers and enlisted personnel. These included a number of Academy annexes, located in different systems. Known annexes were Starfleet Academy (Beta Aquilae II), Starfleet Academy (Beta Ursae Minor II), and Starfleet Academy (Psi Upsilon III). () 

The service also maintained at least one testing facility to evaluate prospective Starfleet Academy undergraduates for admission into the academy. This facility was located on the planet Relva VII. ()

Starfleet Academy also had a training program for enlisted personnel. (; ) 

In addition, at least one other such facility was located on Mars, known as the Starfleet Technical Services Academy. ()

Vessels
The single most important asset that Starfleet possessed, apart from its personnel, was its vast number of vessels.

Starships

The backbone of Starfleet's operations were its starships. These vessels, all warp-capable, were capable of supporting and providing the ability and resources to carry out all of the service's mandates: exploration, the defense of the Federation, the transport of supplies and resources, and providing emergency medical care. A large range of starship classes existed. Some were multi-purpose and other were designed for a specific use.  By the 24th century, Starfleet's mandates stated that no warships, or ships designed purely for defensive purposes, would be built, but an exception was made when the threat of the Dominion became evident. 

The most famous ship of pre-Federation Starfleet was the  . That ship was the first to be equipped with the Warp 5 engine, and made first contact with over thirty species. Under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer, Enterprise established Earth as an interstellar power after negotiating treaties between the Vulcans and Andorians in 2152, saving the galaxy from the Sphere-Builders and the Xindi in 2154, uncovering the lost teachings of Surak on Vulcan and preventing a Vulcan invasion of Andoria later in 2154, helping to instigate a cultural and political coup d'état against the dictatorial Vulcan head of state Administrator V'Las, and facilitating peace talks between the Andorians and Tellarites following a series of attacks on both races in late 2154. (, , )

The United Earth Starfleet also built the NX-class Columbia, launching that ship in late 2154, with at least two more NX-class ships on the drawing board. ()

The United Earth Starfleet did not have any jurisdiction over what happened aboard vessels operating in the Earth Cargo Service. That responsibility remained in the hands of the Earth Cargo Authority. ()

By 2257, there were seven thousand active ships in Starfleet. ()

The  was historically one of the service's most important starship classes. Starships of this class were the service's front line vessels in the 23rd century, designed for long-term exploratory missions lasting five Earth years. The most storied of these vessels was the  under the command of Captain James Tiberius Kirk. During his historic tour of duty as captain, countless new civilizations, planets, and anomalies were studied. (; )

In the late 2260s to early 2270s, the Constitution-class starships underwent a major refit program. The actual refitting took eighteen months of work and essentially a new vessel was built onto the bones of the old, replacing virtually every major system. These upgraded refit Constitutions provided a bridge in capability until the next class of modern Starfleet cruiser could take their place at the forefront of galactic exploration, diplomacy, and conflict. Thus, the Constitution-class continued in service for a further twenty years.

The  was initially constructed during the early 2280s at Starfleet's San Francisco Fleet Yards orbiting Earth. ( dedication plaque) Starfleet had high hopes for the first ship of this class, the prototype , which was equipped with transwarp drive, and was regarded as that century's "Great Experiment." () 

Despite the failure of the "Great Experiment," Starfleet forged ahead with employing the Excelsior design. After remaining in Earth Spacedock until at least 2287, the prototype Excelsior was subsequently recommissioned for active service by 2290. In 2293, the Excelsior design was given greater notoriety when Starfleet passed on the name of a legacy. The launch of the  opened the door for the Excelsior class to become one of the most widely used designs in all of Starfleet, a design lasting well into the late 24th century. (; ;  – )

In the 24th century, the Excelsior design was gradually replaced as the service's front-line vessel class by the . Primarily designed at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, this class was the most technologically sophisticated in the history of the service. () 

Vessels of this class were the largest in size of any ever produced in Federation history, and became well-known, both within and outside of the Federation, for their capabilities in both scientific inquiry and exploration. (; ) 

The most recognized vessel of this class was the , commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. ()

Due to continual advancements in design, the Galaxy-class vessels were eventually replaced by those of the . This class featured innovations in weapons, warp propulsion, and computer processing power. The most noteworthy vessel in this class was the , again commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. ()

Another very well known class was the . This class was older than the Sovereign-class, but more advanced than the Galaxy-class. The Intrepid-class proved itself many times beyond what was expected of it when a ship of this class, the , commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway, was cast nearly seventy thousand light years away from Federation space, deep into the unexplored Delta Quadrant, in 2371. The ship supported Captain Janeway and her crew through dangers never before encountered by a Starfleet crew, and successfully returned to Federation space in 2378. For those seven years, the ship had no access to any kind of Starfleet supplies or maintenance whatsoever. ()

Other noteworthy starship classes were the , the , the , the , and the experimental . The Defiant- and Prometheus-classes were primarily designed for tactical operations. (; ) 

The Olympic-class was designed to be used as mobile emergency medical centers. (; )

Starfleet starships had navigational lights, red on the port (left) and green on the starboard (right), fitted to the hull. These have been seen on vessels from the late 2100s through to the late 2300s. (; , , )

Other vessels
Aside from its starships, the service also operated other vessels. Among these were several types of shuttlecraft, which were typically used to transport personnel over relatively short distances, such as from a starship orbiting a planet down to the planet's surface. (, et al.)

Starfleet shuttlecraft of the 23rd and 24th centuries also were equipped with limited warp capability, allowing transport of personnel within a range of several light years from the starship. ()

Time vessels

Interventions by Starfleet of the 29th century into the 24th century revealed vessels that the service used in that time. In this century, Starfleet had yet another mandate: to safeguard the timeline. Thus it operated vessels that were able to routinely traverse through time. These vessels were called timeships. 

Classes of these vessels included the  and the Model HB-88.

General Orders and Regulations
The service maintained a set of regulations, known as General Orders and Regulations. These governed all aspects of service operations and covered all possible situations it was thought that personnel might encounter, from protocol to situations of first contact with unknown species. 

The most important of these was termed General Order Number One, but was more commonly referred to as the Prime Directive. 

Not all of the general orders and regulations were intended for general personnel knowledge. At least one, known as the Omega Directive, was a top secret of the highest order, and was known only to officers ranking captain or any flag officer rank. This was due to the extreme sensitivity and danger posed by the subject the directive dealt with. ()

Appendices

See also
Starfleet insignia
Starfleet ranks
Starfleet personnel
Starfleet uniforms
Starfleet captains
Starfleet flag officers
Starfleet yearbook
Federation starships
Federation starship classes
Federation shuttlecraft
Federation shuttlecraft classes
Federation Naval Patrol
Merchant Marines
Starfleet Mission Control
NX test program

Background information
The first episode whose production incorporated the terms "Starfleet" and "Starfleet Command" was . However, the final draft and a revised final draft of that episode's script (dated 26 and  respectively) used the term "Galactic Command" instead of "Starfleet Command". By comparison, the term "Starfleet" was extensively used in the final draft script of "The Menagerie" (issued in October 1966). In terms of air date too, that name as well as "Starfleet Command" debuted in  (which aired ), though the term "Star Service" and "Spacefleet Command" were later used in  (broadcast on 29 September 1966) and  (aired ) respectively, prior to the initial airing of "Court Martial" (on ). Another early variant of the organization's name was "Space Central" in , which preceded all those episodes in both airing and production order (broadcast on ).

Additional early nomenclature used to describe Starfleet included: Space Command in  and , and Space Service in .

Military
The extent to which Starfleet may be considered a military organization is somewhat questionable. Nicholas Meyer remarked of Starfleet's militarism, "It existed to some extent in the [original] television series but Gene Roddenberry was very adamant that the Starfleet was not a military or a militaristic operation [....] I thought it was at least as militaristic as, say, the Coast Guard." (audio commentary, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD) Meyer also wrote about these ideological differences in his autobiographical book The View from the Bridge. Therein, he recalled, "[Roddenberry] was emphatic that Starfleet was not a military organization but something akin to the Coast Guard. This struck me as manifestly absurd, for what were Kirk's adventures but a species of gunboat diplomacy wherein the Federation (read America, read the Anglo-Saxons) was always right and aliens were – in Kipling's queasy phrase – 'lesser breeds'? Yes, there was lip service to minority participation, but it was clear who was driving the boat." (The View from the Bridge, hardcover ed., p. 81) On another instance, Meyer observed that, beginning with  (which Meyer himself directed), later Star Trek productions placed more emphasis on the militaristic perspective of Starfleet than the original series had. (audio commentary, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD) However, in , Roddenberry was determined to downplay the more militaristic aspects of Starfleet. (Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission, p. 36) Those who were uncomfortable about Starfleet being depicted in a militaristic fashion in Star Trek II included not only Roddenberry but also Uhura actress Nichelle Nichols. In her book Beyond Uhura (hardcover ed., p. 248), she stated, "Portraying Starfleet as a military organization flew in the face of everything Star Trek stood for [....] At one point I forcefully but tactfully reminded Meyer and Harve [Bennet] that Starfleet was the philosophical descendant of NASA, not the Air Force."

Regardless of Roddenberry's non-militaristic intent, it had been abundantly obvious that he did pattern his Starfleet, both in organization and in traditions, after the real world, militaristic United States Navy (The Making of Star Trek, p. 112, et al.; These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One, 1st ed, pp. 28-29; see also in this respect: Aircraft carrier & Federation starship class naming conventions), something he, the World War II USAAF veteran, reaffirmed in a later 1973 radio interview where he had declared that he had always been "fascinated by the Navy".   Incidentally, Roddenberry's right hand on the Original Series, Robert Justman, and who had helped him to beef out the Starfleet concept, had served in the US Navy during the war.

A line included in the script for  but not in the actual film was to have established that Starfleet was under civilian control, such that certain interstellar choices (for instance, whether to aid the Klingon Empire in avoiding economic collapse or to hamper the Empire, eventually causing them to become subservient to Starfleet) were entirely political rather than military decisions.

Ronald D. Moore commented, "I've always felt that Starfleet is the military / exploratory / scientific arm of the UFP."  However, the Federation has never been shown to have a standing army. In , Captain Picard states, "Starfleet is not a military organization, its purpose is exploration.". Moore also explicitly compared it to a military: "Say Starfleet isn't the military all you want, it fails the duck test – looks like, walks like, sounds like, etc." 

Remarking on a Starfleet JAG getting involved with a civilian case with Richard Bashir, Moore said, "Starfleet is more than just a military entity and seems to have police and/or judicial functions." 

Writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof tackled the theme of militarization head on in . "After what happened to , after Earth gets attacked, would Starfleet say, 'well, we dodged that bullet, back to exploration?' Or would they say 'we have to prepare ourselves if this ever happens again.' What would a more militarized Starfleet look like? Ultimately, the story would be about that, and for the soul of Starfleet."

Size
Regarding the quantity of starships Starfleet had in use in the late 2370s, Moore commented, "I wouldn't be surprised if Starfleet had 30,000 ships or so."  This was based on reasoning that the  has a registry of NCC-42296 while the  is NCC-74656.

During Operation Return, Starfleet attempted to prevent the Dominion from bringing down the minefield, which would have allowed 2,800 ships to come through the wormhole, which would allow for a Dominion total victory. This would indicate that, at that time of the war, the forces of both sides were about equal, the true size of the Dominion forces was much larger than Starfleet.

Doctor Zimmerman claimed that there were 675 EMH Mark I instances active in Starfleet before they were taken off duty during the Dominion War. ()

According to Control, Starfleet consisted of approximately seven thousand active ships in service during the mid-2250s. ()

Trivia
A developmental note, handwritten by Jeri Taylor and dated , concerned Starfleet's role in . It read, "Messages to Starfleet – one way." (Star Trek: Voyager - A Vision of the Future, p. 175)

In the reference book Beyond the Final Frontier (p. 381), critics Mark Jones and Lance Parkin made an observation about how Starfleet was depicted in ; they commented, "The sense of Starfleet being made up of pioneering, rather cocky test pilots is something that the show could use more of."

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