A cross between NASA, the British Antarctic Survey, HMS Endurance and the Royal Navy, Starfleet is the exploratory, diplomatic, colonial and defensive arm of the Federation. The primary mission of Starfleet is to seek out new life, new civilisations and planets to colonise. With the ever-expanding population of the United Federation of Planets comes a need for planets to live on plus resources to power and feed the people. Exploration serves the purpose of gaining new knowledge, new friends and also surveying for the following colony ships.

Based in San Francisco on Earth, Starfleet has a fleet of over 1200 starships spread over seven fleets, which in turn are sub-divided into task groups and those which operate on a solo basis attached to those fleets. In addition, over one hundred starbases extend the supply and communication lines across the Federation, enabling starships to conduct their deep space missions. A fleet of Starfleet Auxiliary vessels supplement these starbases, allowing starships to journey far beyond the borders of the Federation.

Starfleet has many componant divisions including: Starfleet Operations, Starfleet Medical, Starfleet Corps. of Engineering, Starfleet Security, Starfleet Intelligence and many others. Each element has an admiral in command, as well as their own office - all co-ordinated from Starfleet Headquarters. Starfleet answers to the Federation President and the Federation Council. Leading Starfleet is the Starfleet Commander-in-Chief. The Commander Starfleet - or CinC - liaises with the Federation President and the council. There are seven Fleet Admirals, all in command of their respective fleets. The starbases and space stations scattered across the Federation are commanded by Commodores and Rear Admirals, extending the authority of Starfleet Headquarters to the final frontier.

As an organisation of peaceful exploration and diplomacy, Starfleet rewards academic achievement, diplomatic success and new discoveries. Unlike a military organisation, Starfleet sees the use of force as a failure in diplomacy, the last resort, a most distastful one at that. many members of the Federation have experienced warfare in all of its dreadful forms. None wish to experience it again. For centuries, humans engaged in war to resolve their differences, acquire resources and strike out against those they did not understand or like. Meanwhile the people starved and suffered from terrible diseases as resources were wasted on fighting. It was only after Earth was almost sterilised in the Third World War of the 21st Century that the human race finally realised the futility of war.

With diplomatic relations with the Klingons fully established after the Khitomer Accords were signed on Stardate 9529, Starfleet began to remodel itself ready for the new century. Older starships were retired and new designs were prototyped. Tension with the Romulans soon stalled the process, but with the recent Tomed Incident having 'cleared the air', the major shipyards such as those at San Francisco, Copernicus, Utopia Planitia, Vulcan, Andoria and Starbase 134 are now working in earnest as the review of Starfleet continues. From stembolts to starships - all of Starfleet is changing, to face the new challenges of the new Century.