Federation Membership
Membership in the United Federation of Planets has three tiers of involvement, with varying rights and responsibilities associated with each.
Full Membership
Planets with full membership enjoy the most rights, but also bear the most responsibilities.
Full member planets enjoy voting representation on the Federation Council and any other council on which they serve. A member may provide up to five representatives to the Federation (one ambassador and four vice-ambassadors), along with their respective staff. While each representative is addressed as "councilor", the ambassador leads and has final say over the delegation (operating under the authority of the member planet) and generally serves on the council with the most prestige; the vice-ambassadors sit on any other serving councils, attend fact-finding or diplomatic missions, or serve other envoy-related responsibilities in the ambassador's stead. If a member planet has no seat on any other council, they often choose to send one ambassador to represent their planet on the Federation Council.
Members may request financial support for any issue that attracts their attention, such as for projects that improve the economic or educational well-being of their planets. New trade routes or the provision of investment capital for the development projects are common requests and the disaster relief for catastrophes that may strike any Federation planet generally come with the Federation Council's largess. When a member planet suffers an economic collapse, whether due to a crisis or poor financial management, the UFP may assist in economically bailing them out and suggest measures and support that will reduce the likelihood of further financial difficulties.
The Federation's judicial system is open to all citizens and member worlds. The UFP maintains regional and sector courts and, in addition, an appellate process is guaranteed by the UFP Constitution, to help insure that the Federation courts reach fair and reviewed decisions. Appeals may go as far as the Interplanetary Supreme Court of Justice. The courts also hear disputes between member worlds and provide support to members on issues of local laws. The jurisdiction of the UFP extends primarily to interstellar law and the protections afforded to individuals by the Articles of the Federation. Member worlds have their own laws and judicial systems which retain their authority to resolve internal matters. Federation legal experts will only serve in advisory roles on matters concerning the domestic laws of a member planet.
The reputation of the UFP's Diplomatic Service extends far beyond the Federation borders. Member worlds can request diplomatic and cultural support from the UFP. The Federation Diplomatic Service serves to keep the different member worlds at peace with each other by helping to open lines of communication and settle disputes. Federation diplomats will aid planets in improving relations with nonmember worlds and even negotiate treaties and trade agreements on behalf of a planetary government. They provide arbitration services to resolve internal political disputes or conflicts with colonies. Although few members can claim to have joined for this benefit, those that take advantage of the UFP's diplomatic support find it extremely useful.
Star Fleet provides for the defense of member worlds. For some planets, especially because of their relative location to a given border, this is the foremost reason to join the UFP. The Security Council takes the defense of its member worlds very seriously; members can rely on Star Fleet to defend them against aggression.
Full Federation member worlds also pledge to provide mutual support to their fellow members. Each generously provides what it can to support the Federation and its many endeavors, with a minimum requirement as established by the Economic and Social Council, though any reasonable special requests made from the Federation or another member are generally not questioned nor provided with an expectation of repayment. One "resource" each member can expect to provide are citizens interested in serving the larger interplanetary community, either through service with Star Fleet or in areas of diplomatic, scientific, economic, or any other areas in which they might have expertise.
Associate Membership
Associate member worlds enjoy all of the privileges of a full member, except for voting. They may send a delegation with one ambassador and staff to represent the planet; this ambassador may sit on all council meetings, engage in periods of open debate without any required invitation, and provide for the consulate requirements of their residents. However, the associate member worlds must sit out all voting.
As associate members, they are also not required to provide any revenues to the Federation budget and most generally do not, since they do not have voting representation. They may request funding for any project, just as a full member can, but their lack of "buy-in" will be a factor in the decision. Additionally, in times of crisis or other need, the Federation may request revenues or other forms of support (such as resources or personnel) from associate members; while the associates cannot be forced to fulfill the request, any recalcitrance can be considered after the event, including up to dismissal from the Federation.
Most independent worlds that are extended membership into the United Federation of Planets will assume full membership, as they understand they will not be asked to provide any more than they can reasonably provide without overly taxing their own capabilities. However, there are reasons to accept only associate status. Some colonies, upon achieving independence, determine that providing even limited revenues to the Federation may financially put them back to a point before they had achieved that independence and may need additional time and effort to more fully develop their levels of self-support, before taking on the financial burden of full membership. Provisional members—those under a probationary review before acceptance into the Federation—are considered Associate Members for the length of the review period. They have all the advantages of the various forms of UFP assistance, including that of defense, until their application is fully vetted and accepted.
Trusteeships & Territories
There are a number of situations in which a given world might fall under the purview of the Federation (through the authority of the Trusteeship Council), without having representation as a full or associate member.
Colonies, as covered elsewhere, full under the support of either a "parent" planet (ex: Sauria), member state (ex: United Earth), or the larger Federation itself. In this case, representation is provided by that parent planet or member state, as if the colony were an on-world region.
Protectorates are worlds which the Federation has placed under the protection of Star Fleet, despite their non-member status. Often, protectorate worlds are those with pre-spacefaring indigenous populations and the protectorate status is aimed at preserving the Prime Directive, allowing the native culture to develop independently. In most cases, protectorates have not yet had first contact; as such, Star Fleet enforces a complete quarantine of the world and all researchers of the native culture do so under covert restrictions. However, there are cases where the indigenous culture has become aware of the space-faring universe around them; research and trade take place out in the open, but Star Fleet works to prevent exploitation of the culture.
Quarantine is another ruling that may be placed against a world for any number of reasons, including sickness, belligerence, or the general threat from the region or peoples inhabiting it. Just as with a protectorate, Star Fleet enforces a Federation standing law preventing any members or their citizens from violating the quarantine. Quarantines are not intended to be placed against a world within the Federation boundaries that seeks to remain neutral or uninvolved with the UFP, unless their actions or claims (of ownership or regions and/or other worlds) places them in conflict with the Federation.
All three types of territories (colonies, protectorates, and quarantined states) are overseen by the Trusteeship Council, which is filled by member states administering territories (usually colonies), members of the Security Council, and elected non-administering members. They consider reports on each of the territories, review petitions for relevant actions that pertain to those territories, and direct actions that will either benefit those territories or possibly impact their well-being.
Observers
As a means of diplomacy, non-member states may be provided seats within the Federation, Economic and Social, or Trusteeship Councils (but rarely, if ever, the Security Council) to observe the governance of the Federation and the mandates under its authority. When invited, and sometimes following a request, these observers may take part in the discussions and debates on a given subject, but they never have any right to take part in the final decision by vote.