The Number of Different Races in the UFP

[Sionnach Glic]

Just doin' my job.

[Lt. Staplic]

though was it really necessariy since the Chakat has been removed again?

[Sionnach Glic]

Well the debate may continue on anyway. Though I'm not sure if anyone other than Blackstar was arguing that position. *shrug*

In any case, it keeps the forum a bit more tidy and ordered, which is what the new mod policy of splitting threads is intended to do.

[Lt. Staplic]

see, I thought it was this thread that tipped you off

[Tsukiyumi]

Well the debate may continue on anyway. Though I'm not sure if anyone other than Blackstar was arguing that position. *shrug*

If you want, I can swallow a bunch of advils, drink a pint of whiskey, and hit myself in the head with a hammer, then argue that position myself.

[Lt. Staplic]

but, you still might be able to use logic and abandon your position.

[Tsukiyumi]

Yeah, I figure I'd need to reduce my IQ by at least 110 points to argue that position properly.

[Lt. Staplic]

see I developed a function dietailing what you must do to be Blackstar:

f(x)=x-(x+2)

where x=your IQ

[Mikey]

Algebraic humor.

[Lt. Staplic]

I'm glad someone got that...I knew it would be over Mark's head...

[Harley Filben]

but back to the point at hand, you say the space is relativly small, but we're talking an area 8,000LY long on one axis, 3,000 on another and a guestimated 6,000-8,000 on the last. this is a huge space. 150 life supporting worlds is easy to fit into that space.

All I know about is Picard stating that Federation worlds are spread across 8000ly. People usually assume Federation can be approximated by a solid chunk of space with dimensions of that order of magnitude but there really is no justification for that. Cayenne is 7000km away from Paris yet if we assumed that France can be approximated as being by a 7000kmx5000km square we'd reach a conclusion that France is two times larger than Russia.
An even more extreme example would be Marshall Islands which stretch across 1000km which could lead us to assume their total surface area is on the order of million square kilometers when in reality it's merely 181km2.

As for the 150 figure Picard simply referred to them as "planets" and I remember both Sisko and Janeway talking about "over 100 worlds" in Federation. There was no mention of those planets being homeworlds.
Also are colonies owned directly by "Federal Government" or by individual "homeworlds"? If they are owned by individual homeworlds then how is the ownership of each new potential colony determined if it's discovered by a Federation ship?

[Mikey]

As to "ownership" of colonies; we've seen the Federation as an entity place colonies, which would therefore be UFP protectorates; presumably if an individual member world sponsored the colonization, then the colony would be that of the individual world only.

[Lt. Staplic]

well, my fed size numbers were based on some different non-canon maps I've seen, most notably being GK's. we know that the Federation is 8000x3000xsomething (canon facts, Picard once said the Federaton spans 8000LY, that's been interpreted as the largest distance between two Federation points by GK, and in another ep we know that the Federation extends from top of the galaxy to bottom whichis 3000LY) the something I averaged out a number on Gk's map it appears roughly 2,500 - 3,000 LY, others have 5-6 thousand, and the TM's have 8000LY diameter circles.

As for the colonies...the homeworld of the colony would probably inform the Federation about all it's colonies upon steady relations/acceptace into the Federation so as not to confuse the colonies for new Warp-Capable planets...If their Federation colonies, they probaby could become sovereign nations, but I don't see the Federation creating their own colonies, just like we don't see the UN creating it's own nations.

[Mikey]

We HAVE seen the Federation creating its own colonies. There's been all sorts of references to the E-D on colonizing or colonial support missions.

[Lt. Staplic]

oh, I must have forgotton those...in which case those could become sovereign nations, or they could simply be left as colonies, subbordinate areas, especially with how hard it is to get a Fed. Council seat...