Major Known Races and Empires in the Milky Way
	United Federation of Planets
	Klingon Empire		(Status: Hostile Empire / WAR)
	Romulan Star Empire		(Status: Hostile Empire / WAR)
	The Ferengi Alliance		(Status: Neutral/Friendly Empire)
	The Borg Collective		(Status: Hostile Empire / WAR)
	The Dominion		(Status: Hostile Empire)
	Cardassian Union		(Status: Friendly Empire)
	Breen Confederacy		(Status: Neutral/Hostile Empire)
	Tholian Assembly		(Status: Neutral/Friendly Empire)

The United Federation of Planets was established approximately two hundred years ago, in 2161, and is a political, economic, and cultural alliance of 172 species spread across nine thousand light years in the Alpha and Beta quadrants of our galaxy, as well as a significant foothold into the Gamma quadrant. The Federation expands through peaceful exploration of the galaxy, and first contact with races and cultures of similar technological advancement to our own. Approximately three new members are admitted each decade. Planets or alliances within Federation space may decline to be members if they wish.

The main body of the Federation is located in the Saggitarius arm of our galaxy, approximately 30,000 light-years to the "south" of galactic center. On the "northeast" border is the Romulan Star Empire. To the "east-southeast" is the Klingon Empire. To the "northwest" is the Cardassian Union, and to the "west" is the Ferengi Alliance. Current exploration is primarily toward the north and southwest, as well as in Gamma quadrant, through the Bajoran wormhole.

The seat of the UFP government is on Terra, in the Sol system. The Federation is a constitutional republic, governed by a Council overseen by a President and Vice President. The UFP oversees all joint affairs of members, including transport to and from systems, exploration, defense, and all ambassadorial functions. Federation member worlds may also choose to exercise their rights to provide their own transport and commerce if they wish (and many do just that).

The Federation attempts to maintain peaceful relations with all empires and races in the galaxy, including those few races inside her borders. UFP membership is extended to a planet that has met the sentients rights standards once they have also met certain technological guidelines. It is the UFP's policy not to interfere with the natural development of a planet before it has reached these guidelines. Because of this, there are many worlds inside the UFP's borders that have either refused Federation membership or are unaware that the Federation exists.

UFP member worlds have complete control of their local systems and government, so long as they follow basic standards of sentients rights established by the Fundamental Martian Declarations. Defense and exploration is handled by the UFP Starfleet, which comprises some 22,000 interstellar craft, the majority of which are used for resource-gathering and transport between members. In time of war, it is Starfleet that coordinates the defense of both the Federation at large, and Federation member worlds in particular, both in space and on the ground.

The United Federation of Planets enjoys extensive trading, both internally between members and non-members, and externally with other races and cultures. The UFP also believes in the free flow of information, which has helped extend tremendous gains in technology despite the fact that these gains are soon copied by other, possibly hostile races. However, because of the rich cultural strength of the Federation and its economic strength and stability, many hostile races have sooner or later either allied with or joined the Federation to enjoy these benefits.

The Klingon Empire is centered on the world of Qo'noS, frequently referred to merely as the "Klingon Homeworld." It was founded some fifteen hundred years ago by Kahless the Unforgettable, who vanquished the tyrant emperor Molor and seized the empire himself, uniting all the Klingon peoples. The Empire then began a program of conquest and expansion that continues to this day. Planets within Klingon space are either conquered, or rendered subject worlds. Though somewhat ruthless, the Empire does develop their subject worlds to the technology level of their home systems.

The Klingon Empire is located "east" of the Federation, in the Beta Quadrant. It is "sorth" of the Romulan Star Empire, and occupies an area roughly a third of the size of the Federation. There was once a Neutral Zone between the Klingon Empire and the Federation established by the Organians; it was abolished by the Khitomer Accords in 2293. Klingons control their subject worlds through the use of Klingon Governors, who are given broad discretionary powers to subjugate local populations if necessary.

The Klingon Empire is governed by the Klingon High Council, which meets in the Great Hall of the First City of Qo'noS. The High Council is composed of some two dozen individuals from prominent families, lead by a Council Leader. The Council Leader serves for life, and is chosen according to a Rite of Succession presided over by an Arbiter of Succession.

First contact between the Federation and Klingon Empire took place in 2218, and resulted in nearly a century of hostilities. Both powers were at the brink of open war in 2267, when an advanced alien race imposed the Organian Peace Treaty. This ended the threat of open war, although a cold war continued for some time. The Empire allied with the Romulans against the Federation in 2268, gaining cloaking technology in the process, although this alliance did not last long. The Federation/Klingon cold war ended in 2293 when Qo'noS' moon Praxis exploded, leaving the Klingon Empire facing an ecological catastrophe if it did not accept aid from the more technologically-advanced Federation. Federation bravery and sacrifice at the Narendra III incident in 2344 won the grudging respect of the Klingon people, and paved the way for a greater union.

When Coronado was cut off from the Milky Way Galaxy in April 2401, the United Federation of Planets was in a full-scale war with the Klingon Empire. As far as the crew of U.S.S. Coronado is concerned, this war was instigated by the Empire for reasons unknown and may well still be going on. When Coronado lost contact, the Federation seemed to be settling in for a long, long conflict.

The Empire maintains a military called the Klingon Defense Force. It is separate from Starfleet, but often operates in concert with it. This alliance has prospered for almost 25 years, since the Dominion War, in which the Empire was quite impressed with Starfleet's capabilities and dedication. Though there have been skirmishes between the two powers over minor issues now and again, relations are generally extremely cordial.

Klingons are warriors by nature and habit, and as such are not great merchants. Nevertheless, they do engage in trade, usually using independent merchant vessels or Federation-member merchants. Socially, technologically, and economically, they are behind both the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire.

The Romulan Star Empire had its beginnings nearly two millennia ago, when exile Vulcans, the last believers in pre-Reformation society, settled the twin planets the Federation later named "Romulus" and "Remus." In their native tongue, Romulans call themselves Rihanna and their two worlds, ch'Rihan and ch'Havran, are both worlds of great natural beauty. Because these transposed Vulcans predated the revolution in logic invented by Surak, they do not believe in logic and suppression of emotion. As a matter of fact, Rihanna are spirited, passionate people, the very antithesis of Vulcans. They also have a strong sense of history, and are politically and culturally motivated.

The Romulan Star Empire began a program of slow and steady expansion that continues to this day. The Empire covers an area about a quarter of the size of the Federation, located "east-northeast" of the Federation, in both Alpha and Beta quadrants. The "Romulan Neutral Zone," a no-man's-land about a light-year across, separates the two powers. Romulan member worlds are ruled with an iron fist, and have their indigenous governments replaced by Romulan ruling parties. Romulans give neither quarter nor compassion to their subject worlds.

The Romulan seat of power is centered on Romulus (ch'Rihan). It is a totalitarian government ruled by an individual called the Praetor, who is advised by an Imperial Senate. The government relies heavily upon its military and intelligence branches (the Tal Shiar) to maintain internal order. The Imperial Senate is "elected", and is controlled by a Proconsul. It is not known how much these elections may be secretly controlled by the Romulan government.

The Romulan Star Empire fought a war with Earth from 2156 to 2160. Though their individual ships were greatly inferior to Terra's, they vastly outnumbered the Terran vessels. After a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Cheron, they sued for peace via subspace radio. No human ever saw a Romulan face-to-face until 2266. Two years later the Romulan Star Empire established a formal alliance with the Klingon empire. They traded their cloaking technology in return for improved starship designs. The Romulans, however, regarded the Klingons as too barbaric to be trusted, and this alliance collapsed in a racial acrimony which endures to this day. In 2311 they entered a phase of extreme isolationism -- possibly due to internal civil war -- from which they emerged in 2366. The Romulan Star Empire was an important part of the alliance that ended the Dominion War; unfortunately, wartime alliances tended to break down at the end of that conflict, and the Federation relationship with the Romulans has been in a state of flux since. In 2400, the Empire was thrust into a civil war from which emerged the Rihannsu Star Republic.

When Coronado was cut off from the Milky Way Galaxy in April 2401, the United Federation of Planets was in a full-scale war with the Rihannsu Star Republic. As far as the crew of U.S.S. Coronado is concerned, this war was instigated by the Republic for reasons unknown and may well still be going on. When Coronado lost contact, the Federation seemed to be settling in for a long, long conflict.

Until recently, the Romulan Star Empire was slightly less advanced than the Federation technologically. However, their new Khellian class Warbird has more than closed the gap. Khellians are armed with plasma and graviton weapons, mount a phase cloaking device, and feature an artificial singularity-powered transwarp propulsion system. The movements of these highly advanced vessels are nearly impossible to track, and Starfleet still has not obtained a close sensor scan of one. In addition, it is not known just how many of these vessels exist. The combination is extremely worrisome, to say the least. Romulan cloaking technology has always given them a certain edge. Romulans also excel in war "by other means." They place a high premium on espionage and the sneak attack. They have been known to send agents into areas to engage in the destabilization of governments.

Romulan citizens are a paranoid and dominated lot, but most are extremely loyal to their Empire. Some dissidents exist; a few of these seek asylum in the Federation, although this is often a cover for spies. Despite the patriotism of the average citizen, there is a great Romulan fondness for things Vulcan, and there was recently a popular movement for reunification with Vulcan, which was sadly coopted by the military. This movement has gone underground and is popular with many young Romulans, who are interested in learning about logic and the teachings of Surak. At one time, this movement was being led or advised by Federation hero Ambassador Spock, but it is not known if he is still alive. This movement is more prevalent on Remus, the sister planet to Romulus. Romulans carefully regulate their shipping, and so are not as affluent as the Federation. However their blue Romulan Ale, though illegal, has become a very popular beverage in the Federation, and a great deal of wealth can be made by smuggling it.

The Ferengi built their entire culture on pursuit of wealth. They are always looking for ways of earning money and rarely turn down a business opportunity -- legal or otherwise. They remained a mystery until regular contact was established about thirty years ago. Since then, they have become a regular feature wherever money is to be made in the Federation. Though highly intelligent, there are almost no Ferengi scientists, and no formal schooling in their culture. Business lessons are handed down from father to son. Almost any technological advancement that Ferengi have benefitted from has been bought or traded for from other cultures.

Ferengi have an odd honor system. They feel that cheating and stealing are acts of cunning, and that anyone who was a victim of their scams was not smart enough to protect themselves from them. The Ferengi are considered ugly by almost all cultures in the Federation, but these traits give them many advantages. Their oversized ears give them very acute hearing, and their four-lobed brains are non-psionic enough to give them psionic resistance. This gives them protection against mental attacks, especially telepathic probing. This is a definate advantage for Ferengi, especially when cutting business deals with telepathic races such as Betazoids.

The Ferengi Alliance is less a political alliance than an economic one, and they make no attempt to gain political control of the other species and worlds with which they trade. Ferengi maps of their Alliance now show clear inroads into Federation space where they have trading partners, for instance. Federation ships may cross the borders of Ferengi space at will, and several Ferengi trading partners inside the Alliance have requested Federation membership.

One of the major political entities of the Delta Quadrant is the Borg Collective. The Borg are a race of cybernetic humanoids linked together to form a mass-mind; any ship maintains subspace links to the mass-mind on the Borg Homeworld. They were first encountered in 2365, and unbeknownst to all had been raiding Romulan outposts for at least a year previously. They returned two years later, and one ship nearly destroyed the Federation after obliterating a large Starfleet armada at the Battle of Wolf 359. They returned in 2373 to make a second attempt, an attempt which was barely repulsed in Earth orbit. Since then, there have been no major attempts to assimilate Earth, but there have been numerous incursions into Federation space by Borg vessels of various sizes, including full sized cubes and the smaller scouts and gunships.

In 2368 a smaller Borg scoutship was found crashed on the surface of a moon in the Argolis Cluster. The only surviving Borg, dubbed "Hugh," was going to be used as a vector for an invasive program designed to destroy the Borg cybernetic mass-mind. However, it was argued that this would be tantamount to genocide, and Hugh was released, though not unaffected by the concept of individuality. There have also been a few cases of Borg being freed from the collective consciousness and regaining their individuality.

In 2395, following a wave of Borg attacks through Alpha quadrant, Starfleet determined the location of the Borg homeworld and pursued the departing cubes through their transwarp conduits. These vessels were able to do significant damage to the Borg homeworld before being forced back through the conduits to Federation space. Unfortunately, the damage was apparently repairable, because Borg activity resumed in 2397, with a new wave of Borg attacks that were eventually repulsed.

Given that the Borg Collective is driven by the need to assimilate other races, it seems virtually certain that they will be in contact with the Federation again. How far the concept of individuality will spread is open to conjecture. In addition, it is not known if the damage done to their homeworld will have a significant impact on them. One way or another, though, they will no doubt be back, and harder to stop than before...

When Coronado was cut off from the Milky Way Galaxy in April 2401, the Borg were beginning what appeared to be a full-scale invasion of the United Federation of Planets. As far as the crew of U.S.S. Coronado is concerned, this invasion may very well still be going on... the Federation was defending itself, but was under attack by the Klingons and Romulans at the same time. It might be better for us if we can't return... we may find that the Federation has fallen...

There are a number of political entities in the Gamma Quadrant, but the one which poses the greatest threat to the Federation is the Dominion. The Federation fought an extended war with the Dominion, which ended in 2376. Until then, the Dominion was composed of a number of species, such as the Vorta, the Karemma, and the Jem'Hadar, a warrior race and tactically the most dangerous. The Jem'Hadar were dominated by beings called the Founders, genetically engineered them to be dependent on a substance which only the Founders can provide called Ketracel White. Few Jem'Hadar had ever seen a Founder, who proved to be a race of shape-shifters. However, few of these beings survived the Dominion War and the disease that ran rampant through their population in 2375.

The Founders have a fanatical hatred of all non-shape-shifting races, whom they call "Solids," and have encouraged their Jem'Hadar minions to attack through the wormhole from the Gamma Quadrant (until that wormhole was closed by the "Prophets") and from bases in Cardassian territory. These attacks soon escalated into a full-fledged war against the Federation and Klingon Empire. The Romulan Star Empire, at first neutral in the hostilities, later came into the war on the Klingon/Federation side. The Allied forces eventually drove the Dominion back into the Gamma quadrant and occupied Cardassia, ending the two-year war in 2375. The wormhole was later reopened to commerce.

More disturbing, however, was the news that Changelings infiltrated the governments and militaries of several Alpha and Beta Quadrant races, including the Federation. It was unclear just how far this infiltration went, or whether it was being used strictly for intelligence, or for political destabilization. In fact, it is not known if this infiltration ended when the Dominion War did in 2375, or continues into the present day. Given the long view that the Founders tend to take on events, it is quite probable that they continue in their highly placed roles in their new socities, biding their time...

The Jem'Hadar were created by the Founders of the Dominion, the Changelings. Their role is that of the shock troops and scourge of the Dominion. Usually, if a Dominion world violates the rules set up for it, the result is a visit by the Jem'Hadar. What ensues is devastation, massacre, and destruction of the planet and population. They have an uncanny ability to turn invisible to the naked eye at will, but can be seen by instruments that pick up other ranges of lightwaves. The Jem'Hadar have multiple ship types, including small assault fighters and cruisers, and battleships which can deploy a planet-wrecking weapon of mass destruction.

The Vorta are the administrators, ambassadors, and governors of the Dominion. They are also the overseers of the Jem'Hadar. Like the Jem'Hadar, the Vorta are genetically engineered. Both species are engineered to believe and taught that the Founders are gods. Another important race in the Dominion are the Karemma, who are primarily traders. It is not known if there is a Dominion species that specializes in research or science.

The Cardassian Union is less than a quarter the size of the Federation, and is located to the "west." The Cardassians were once a peaceful, spiritual people, but Cardassia Prime was and is resource-poor, and starving citizens put the military into power. It began a program of conquest which continued well into the 2370s, and which enjoyed great popular support, since it brought in food, technology, and wealth.

Cardassia is a straightforward military dictatorship. It is governed by the Nine Military Orders. The Ninth, or "Obsidian Order," provides intelligence and espionage services. The Cardassian Union began a brutal but low-level conflict with the Federation in 2350. An uneasy truce was reached in 2366. This truce held until the Cardassians joined the Dominion in 2373.

The Cardassian Union was a full-fledged member of the Dominion for two years, and operated as a virtual puppet-state of that body. The Dominion War lasted until 2375, until the Federation/Klingon/Romulan alliance was successful in driving the entrenched Dominion forces from the region and occupying Cardassia. That occupation lasted for seven years until the Cardassians were once again allowed to govern themselves. Currently, the Cardassians are at peace with their neighbors, but only time will tell if this will continue to be the case.

Cardassians behave like Klingons without honor and nobility, like Romulans without subtly and finesse. They freely use rape, torture, and mind control as instruments of policy. Most actions, even trade, cover war by other means. Though technologically quite inferior to most of the other major powers in the Alpha and Beta quadrants, it is probable that there are not a few Cardassians who have been scheming to resume their place as a great power...

To this day, 25 years after their participation in the Dominion War, very little is known about the Breen. They exploded out of their space and despite the very short amount of time they were involved in the war, had a significant impact. Their "energy dissipator" weapons, in particular, were of grave concern to the Romulan and Federation sides of the conflict until a way was found to defend against them. Breen starships are partially to fully alive, and are armed with torpedo-like weaponry in addition to the energy dissipators. Overall, Breen technology is on par with the Federation.

The location and extent of Breen space is a bit nebulous. It is known that they have significant holdings in Beta Quadrant, but it is not currently known where their homeworld is. Breen do not participate in trade and except for their involvement in the Dominion War, are studiously neutral in galactic affairs. To this day, it is not known why they became involved in the war at all. The Breen homeworld is alternately described as an arctic wasteland and a temperate paradise. No reliable witness has been there. Rumors about this mysterious race will no doubt abound for some time into the future...

The Tholian Assembly is located "north" of the Klingon Empire, on the "northeast" border with the Federation. The Tholians are crystalline beings with a hive mind who live under conditions of extreme heat and pressure. Their ships are capable of spinning a kind of force field web that can cocoon a starship and then disable it. Tholians are hostile, territorial, and punctual to a fault. However, they have shown little interest in expansion. Their technology is inferior to that of the Federation, and they would be no match for the Federation in an all-out war.

However, the Federation has never been willing to launch such a war, and so border raids and sneak attacks by the Tholians remain common. In particular, the Tholians seem to prefer to strike when the Federation or Klingon Empire are distracted by other problems, such as the Borg or the Dominion. It is possible that the Tholians may become a force to be reckoned with in the near future. Tholians sometimes engage in trade, when it suits them. They produce a silk that is highly valued in the Federation, as well as very fine tractor beam and shield technology.

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