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Races strengths (of those that could join the Federation, or did)

deaftravis05deaftravis05 Member Posts: 4,885 Arc User
A discussion over in the Klingon forums has me thinking about other battlegrounds and the strengths of certain species that are or could be members of the Federation.

The Federation's greatest strength is its diversity. They have species that are scientists, warriors, diplomats, explorers and so on.

The Humans are explorers. A reckless, curious people that prizes information and honestly hates to be told "you're not ready". Extremely creative.

The Terralites are debaters, they challenge you to think and they challenge you to be honest. They're incredibly stubborn but are an honest species. Not really an exterior strength, but one that can be used to debate hot-button topics. Great for opposition parties.

The Vulcans are long lived, strong and logical. While they lean toward scientists, I would say their approaches makes them slow. They're best off as diplomats, judges and administration. They could be soldiers, but it's not a strength of theirs. However, still not a good idea to get into a fight with them.

The Bajorans are excellent fighters, stubborn and persistent. They make for great leaders because of passion and excellent soldiers.

The Andorians make for excellent troops, be they naval or army. Strong, agile and tough. They would be the Federation's military. It's a pity their species weren't really visible in the Dominion war.

The joined trills make for excellent diplomats and scientists. Un-joined trills could be considered on the same scale as humanity but with more drive and patience.

Betazoids - diplomats, psychologists.

Bolians - service workers. They... talk... a... lot...

I'm not really sure the other species stand out. The founders of the Federation really provided the diversity the Federation needed. The Betazoids, in my opinion, was probably the most contributing species to be added to the Federation after its founding.

The Ferengi would not really add to the Federation's diversity as its economy runs differently, however I believe that Nog's reforms could make the Ferengi a valuable member of the Federation in trade route developments, quartermasters and supply/demand issues, thus adding to the diplomatic arsenal of the Federation. Basically they'll be great at logistic support... if you keep an eye on them.

We know the Klingons eventually join the Federation, seemly around the 26th century. They would actually replace the Andorians as the backbone of the Federation's military. This has actually been the Federation's greatest weakness... not an aggressive military. The humans tend to lead the charge, but only after taking a humiliating bloody nose. The humans went to war against the romulans and one of the reasons for their 'aggressive and shocking' victory (in the eyes of the Vulcans) was because the humans wanted to prove themselves worthy of being an interstellar race. The Humans didn't go all out until Earth was attacked. After that, the Federation went after the Dominion with the intent of razing Cardassia Prime. Before that, it was a trench-war.

Their wars with the Klingons eventually reached an all out point after nearly 100 years of confrontations. Eventually the Federation got tired and prepared to invade.

You watch the Humans on the shows and they're the ones calling for reckless assaults and doing their best to pull it off. Klingons lives for battle and the Andorians just want to get into a brawl.

The Orions are manipulative, self-centred and have a taste for violence that makes the Klingons shudder (probably because it isn't honourable). While their homeworld falls within Federation territory, they're not members of the Federation and what exists as a government (if any) is actually at war with the Federation, although underground. Their history suggests that if they could climb out of their dark habits, they could be upstanding members of the Federation. They have the intelligence to be excellent diplomats with species that the Federation is wary of dealing with.

The Gorns are warriors, but that's from what we know of them. Not much is known of Gorn culture except that they live long and are extremely tough and difficult to kill.

The Lethians are a... defeated race that's just mercs really.

The Romulans are long lived, sneaky and patient. However they're a race that is gradually joining with the Vulcans. I suppose by the time the Federation covers the Alpha and Beta quadrants, the Romulans would be merged with the Vulcans.

Cardassians... hmmm, that's a toughie. They fell on hard times, but I suspect they're more like humans were and eventually will become like the Humans and Bajorans in the Federation.

Breens - not enough information. I seriously doubt they'll be members of the Federation, not for a long time. Humans hold LONG memories and won't forget the attack on Earth.



Thoughts?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • drtassadardrtassadar Member Posts: 82 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    I don't really have all that much to add, just that it's a very well thought out post.

    I wonder if the Romulans will really merge with the Vulcans though. With the rise of the Romulan Republic, it seems to me that they'll remain an independent faction, at least for a time. With D'Tan's claim that the Republic has left behind their devious ways though, I can't help but think that they're just emotional Vulcans.

    Gotta say too, that I don't think it would be good if the Orions or Ferengi joined the Federation. Those two peoples don't really fit the standards of behavior that other Federation members have traditionally had. Even the warlike Klingons have a sense of honor, but Ferengi and Orions are just greedy and manipulative, not something looked for in Federation members.

    With the example of people like Rom and Nog though, it may be possible for the Ferengi to join.
    "That was not Mozart laughing, Father... that was God. That was God laughing at me, through that... through that obscene giggle."
  • snoggymack22snoggymack22 Member Posts: 7,084 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Thoughts?

    - I don't quite understand your Dominion War comment in regards to the Andorians. What's that got to do with anything?

    - Letheans just aren't fleshed out in the shows or the game.

    - You left out the Nausicaans.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • shpoksshpoks Member Posts: 6,967 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    We know the Klingons eventually join the Federation, seemly around the 26th century.

    My eternal nitpick. ;)

    No we don't know this. What has been seen is one fictional suposed future reality that may or may not happen based on the actions of any half-relevant character in the timeframe from ENT to the 26-th century.
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  • drtassadardrtassadar Member Posts: 82 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    - I don't quite understand your Dominion War comment in regards to the Andorians. What's that got to do with anything?

    I think he means that although the Andorians are a military-oriented race, they didn't appear at all during the Dominion War arc of the DS9 storyline.
    "That was not Mozart laughing, Father... that was God. That was God laughing at me, through that... through that obscene giggle."
  • zipagatzipagat Member Posts: 1,204 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    shpoks wrote: »
    My eternal nitpick. ;)

    No we don't know this. What has been seen is one fictional suposed future reality that may or may not happen based on the actions of any half-relevant character in the timeframe from ENT to the 26-th century.


    It would be a stupid thing for CBS to allow, not only would it make a lot of Klingon fans unhappy but it would effectively make all the lore and backstory of the Klingons that has been established since early TNG meaningless, Klingons would be reduced to another oh look they are in the Federation race.

    Plus it would be the loss of a major antagonist that has been around since TOS.
  • snoggymack22snoggymack22 Member Posts: 7,084 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    drtassadar wrote: »
    I think he means that although the Andorians are a military-oriented race, they didn't appear at all during the Dominion War arc of the DS9 storyline.

    Ahhh, ok.

    Sorry I get twitchy about the Dominion War. I loved DS9 and all, and that last season was a really great full season story arc.

    It's just sometimes this game and these forums seem to really hone in on that small bit of content, forgetting all other things.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • zipagatzipagat Member Posts: 1,204 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    - I don't quite understand your Dominion War comment in regards to the Andorians. What's that got to do with anything?

    - Letheans just aren't fleshed out in the shows or the game.

    - You left out the Nausicaans.


    Letheans make for good Undine hunters according to the path of 2409, they were the ones that first detected Undine infiltration on Qo'nos thanks to their telepathic abilities.
  • deaftravis05deaftravis05 Member Posts: 4,885 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    dang, I can't believe i forgot the Nausicaans...


    They're thugs and I don't think they will be members of the Federation. I also think they're not evolved enough... maybe in a thousand years or so.

    I did point out that the Orion's history can give them a chance to be Federation, but not for awhile.


    Klingons aren't political, honestly. Do I see them as stable members of the Federation? Well, there are members of the Klingon race working to that goal, but it is centuries away at the very least. The Federation lacks the 'balls' the Klingons have. However the Federation tends to think the situation (sometimes overthink) but once the Feds are on the move, holy TRIBBLE... they become unstoppable.

    I was disappointed that the Andorians weren't in the DS9 storylines much, but they didn't get fleshed out until Enterprise, so I'm not blaming anyone for that.
  • alexmakepeacealexmakepeace Member Posts: 10,633 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    I doubt the Ferengi will be joining the Federation's profitless society any time soon. It's not that they're plain old obsessed obsessed with profit--their religion is based around it. Unless someone is really good at proselytizing and has a missionary force rivaling Starfleet or the KDF, that's unlikely to change within this generation.

    Heh. Starfleet/KDF missionaries.
    "This is the SS Goodfaith on a religious mission."
    "What do you know about dying with honor? YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT DYING WITH HONOR!!!"
  • deaftravis05deaftravis05 Member Posts: 4,885 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    I doubt the Ferengi will be joining the Federation's profitless society any time soon. It's not that they're plain old obsessed obsessed with profit--their religion is based around it. Unless someone is really good at proselytizing and has a missionary force rivaling Starfleet or the KDF, that's unlikely to change within this generation.

    Heh. Starfleet/KDF missionaries.
    "This is the SS Goodfaith on a religious mission."
    "What do you know about dying with honor? YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT DYING WITH HONOR!!!"



    Well, look at Nog. He's not really obsessed with lathium. He's obsessed with making a deal that makes his bosses happy.

    Poor Chief O'Brian...
  • deaftravis05deaftravis05 Member Posts: 4,885 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Heh. Starfleet/KDF missionaries.
    "This is the SS Goodfaith on a religious mission."
    "What do you know about dying with honor? YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT DYING WITH HONOR!!!"

    I would love to see more of that in Star Trek, Klingons being missionaries.
  • shevetshevet Member Posts: 1,667 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    drtassadar wrote: »
    I think he means that although the Andorians are a military-oriented race, they didn't appear at all during the Dominion War arc of the DS9 storyline.
    We were washing our hair! And then we had to take the cat down to the vet.
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  • angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,016 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    drtassadar wrote: »
    I think he means that although the Andorians are a military-oriented race, they didn't appear at all during the Dominion War arc of the DS9 storyline.

    Why should they? The Andorians are members of the UFP, their people serve aboard Starfleet vessels. There are no "Andorian Warships" anymore by the time of the dominion war, save for maybe a planetary guard. Member worlds do not field militaries anymore, one of the basic conepts of the united federation of planets is that Starfleet absorbs all member worlds militaries so no world is autonomous enough to break away from the federation and wage wars on it's own. And Starfleet on the other hand, incorporates the expertise of all of it's member worlds, the ships are designed in a way that they can stand in for warships, if needed.

    @ OP: (The Bolians are supposed to wear the "hat" of medical technology. They are supposed to have superior surgery technology and as such are able to provide/treat intelligence agents to infiltrate other groups. Although the shows sort off render that obsolete by showing that every Starfleet doctor can completely transform your genetic and skeletal structure in about half an hour :D) EDIT: In fact, I lied :D It seems that this was never part of canon and I took it from another source, my bad.
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
    "No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
    "A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
    "That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
  • deaftravis05deaftravis05 Member Posts: 4,885 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    I didn't say Andorian warships, but when you see officers wandering Ds9, they're Klingon, Romulan, Human, Vulcan... Bajoran... where's the Andorian?
  • peregryperegry Member Posts: 102 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Left out a couple obscure Federation member races:

    Medusans - While probably isolationist compared to most other Federation members, they bring a genuinely unique perspective as an ancient, non-corporeal species, and are noted for their navigation abilities and their powerful telepathic skills. In STO, you'd think Medusans would start being one of the most trusted members of the Federation, as you know they can't be replaced by Undine. Non-Canon sources have Medusans having special quarters on board Galaxy Class vessels. I'd actually like to see STO touch on them, as unlike most non-corporeals in Star Trek, they aren't god-like and so instead of being "puny mortals" they were merely a truly alien species.


    Caitians - Not as familiar with them, so I'll let others comment.
  • deaftravis05deaftravis05 Member Posts: 4,885 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    I'm just talking about the ones that are strongly canon
  • angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,016 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    The Medusans are hard-canon, although it was never said they were going to become members of the UFP if I remember correctly. But I would like to see a non-corporal species in the game. They could make use of some android body to interact with humanoids. A few years ago (2001 ?) there was a space based RTS game called "Conquest: Frontier wars" which featured a race of non-corporal beings called "Caelaron". Their starships where basically large crystals which housed a "cloud" of crewmen embedded into a high tech hull and they were able to transfer into mechanical bodies to interact and/or fight.
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
    "No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
    "A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
    "That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
  • peregryperegry Member Posts: 102 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Both Medusans and Caitians are hard canon. Medusans appeared in TOS episode "Is There No Truth in Beauty" and Caitians have appeared in the background of multiple Star Trek movies, often in full Starfleet uniforms (which is a pretty solid indication of being a Federation member).

    While its not hard canon the Medusans are a Federation member race, its pretty much considered that in the secondary canon. From listing them as Federation members in "Worlds of the Federation" to multiple citations of them as Fed members in various novels, if Cryptic put Medusans in as Federation members, nobody would bat an eye.

    Actually, I don't think an android body would be necessary. The thing that drives other species insane is what a Medusan "looks" like as a non-corporeal species made up of electromagnetc energy. This could be masked with a portable holographic emitter pretty easily, and allow them to project a "humanoid" appearance to more easily interact with the humanoid centric design of the Federation.
  • deaftravis05deaftravis05 Member Posts: 4,885 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Strong canon means, to me anyways, fleshed out
  • angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,016 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Of course are Caitians hard canon as well, they appeared not only in background shots but also in TAS which is considered hard canon as well since the DVD release (there was an official statement on startrek.com). But aside from the being UFP members we really don't know a single thing about them, it would be the same with the Medusans.

    Like I said, I wouldn't care if they join the UFP in STO canon. But I think I would prefer a mechanical body over a holoprojector, since the projection would only mask the entity, yet I can imagine that it wouldn't be that easy for a Medusan to just "float" around humanoid enviroments. The mechanical body would contain the entity and let it interact with it's surroundings and it would be safer for everyone around it as well. We know how fragile holograms are if the plot demands it. One strange glimmer of radiation and everyone kills themselves :P A robot body however would contain the Medusan, evenif it was deactivated.
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
    "No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
    "A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
    "That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
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