Category:Starfleet Facilities

Starfleet facilities come in a number of forms, ranging from the massive spacedocks that orbit major worlds to deep space outposts to minor planetary facilities.

Types of Commands

This section describes some of the command structures that Starfleet facilities are organized into. These terms have some overlap with the specific facility types described in the next section (in particular with the term "starbase"), but it is useful to think of them in separate terms to remember that stations of the same class might be used for different roles and that some commands include multiple facilities.

Starbase

A starbase is the largest level of facility command in Starfleet, referring to the senior command in a sector or sub-sector. A starbase is the central hub for command and control for a large area of space, and so it is based either from a surface installation or a major space station. Often, starbases have both ground and orbital facilities, with total crews in the hundreds of thousands. Starbase 375 is an example of a starbase that is only located on one station, while Starbase Bravo is an example of a starbase that has both orbital and ground facilities. Starships not assigned to a particular task force take orders from the starbase in their sector.

Outpost

Outposts are smaller commands located near the borders of Federation space, where they serve to monitor and defend a section of space. The Sierra Outposts are an example of this type of command; they were established shortly after the Earth-Romulan War and focus entirely on surveilling and defending the Federation-Romulan border. The Sierra Outposts report to Starbase 39-Sierra, the anchor of the Sierra Sector defenses, the name of the sector and the bases referring to the Earth Starfleet code-name for that section of the border. Some outposts have mission profiles other than defense: Outpost Seran T-1 is a research station where the dilithium crystal chamber for the USS Enterprise-D was designed. In this case, that outpost reported directly to the Advanced Starship Design Bureau rather than a sector's starbase. It was designated an outpost both because of its remote location and to conceal the nature of its mission.

Deep Space Station

Deep Space Stations (the most famous example being Deep Space 9) come in two forms: stations outside of Federation space (such as Deep Space 9 itself, when first established) and space stations positioned outside of planetary systems (such as Deep Space Station K-7). They range in purpose depending on their location, but are often used as staging points for Starfleet's exploratory vessels. The current Starbase 38 was originally designated Deep Space 38 until Barzan II became a member of the Federation, while Deep Space 9 retained its original designation due to the high degree of name recognition with that designation earned during the Dominion War.

Science Station / Research Station

Science and research stations are located all over the Federation, conducting research that is too dangerous to be conducted in populated areas or which requires specific microgravity conditions. These tend to be smaller facilities, often with entirely civilian crews even if they report in some way to Starfleet. They are often disconnected from their local sector's command structure. An example is Research Station Tango-Sierra, which is in the Sierra system but does not report to Starbase 39-Sierra, but instead directly to Starfleet Medical. Regula I itself is an example of a station under civilian leadership, even though the station itself was built, maintained, and supplied by Starfleet.

Shipyard/Fleet Yard

Deep Space Station

Spaceborne Facilities

Spacedock

Spacedocks are the largest type of spaceborne facility, with the capability to house, build, and maintain dozens of starships at a time. These facilities typically have crews of fifty thousand or more and integrate all of the functions of smaller stations into one massive frame. Originally, Earth Spacedock was the only facility of type, but now there are dozens of these facilities spread across Federation space, in the Spacedock, Aurora, and Guardian classes. They are so named because of the feature all stations of this type share: a massive spacedock facility that provides protection against radiation and debris for ships docked within.

Starbase

As mentioned above, this term can mean either the sum total of stations and planetary facilities in a single system under one umbrella command (such as Starbase 1 being the command under which all stations in the Sol system fall) or to a large space station capable of coordinating the efforts of an entire sector. Starbase 375 is an example of a starbase located entirely on one station of the starbase-type, while Starbase Bravo includes both a spacedock and shore facilities. There are hundreds of starbases spread across the Federation.

Deep Space Station

Outpost

Drydock

Relay Station

Planetary Facilities