Does the Federation employee civilians

[Cameron Garcia]

I just happened to return to Trek BBS, and I was wondering if the Federation had their own version of the American Civil Service System, and yet we do not see anyone who is a civilian in the work force, except for a few notable characters. In all honesty I would say that the Federation needs civilians, everything from Guards/Security, teachers, botanists, folks in the physical and medical sciences, engineers to develop and design new high tech gadgets to the civilian clerk who works in a starbase to the physicians, nurses, and medical technicians working aboard Star Ships.

The problem with trying to write for a TV program is this... Money, and a star to fill in these jobs. So we have a few token individuals, Guinan who is not from Earth, Dr. Phlox, and those countless red shirted security officers who get killed on duty, but are not in command. I think that there is a Federation Civil Service system in place, and it will be there to help and serve the Federation.

 

[NCC-73515]

Keiko was a botanist and school teacher

 

[Spot261]

We see a lot of civilians in such roles, half the TOS/TNG episodes made involved the crew aiding some scientist, ambassador, governor, whatever.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

There's also Ben from Lower Decks and Mot and his barber team on the Enterprise-D. The example of Keiko suggests -- quite plausibly -- that many of the (life-)sciences personnel on Starfleet vessels and bases are civilian rather than commissioned Starfleet.

 

[Qonundrum]

The bartenders and wait staff?

 

[Mage]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but why wouldn't the Federation employ citizens? Maybe OP is mixing up Starfleet and UFP?

 

[Tim Thomason]

Every series (until Thursday!) has been set on a Starfleet posting with a mostly Starfleet crew. DS9 was a joint Starfleet/Bajoran Militia crew.

But even so, we see civilians. Kirk dealt with bureaucrats and administrators constantly. Picard had many civilians in his ship (although not senior staff). Jake became a civilian reporter. Janeway placed Seven in a senior role without giving her any sort of field or provisional commission. T'Pol spent a season as a civilian first officer (although this was pre-Federation).

If we had a series set on, say, a Federation embassy, we'd see 90% civilians at work, with the occasional Starfleet guard.

 

[The Wormhole]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but why wouldn't the Federation employ citizens? Maybe OP is mixing up Starfleet and UFP?

In which case, we have seen evidence of civilians employed by Starfleet. The Ten-Forward staff most notably. And IIRC, Kyle Riker was a civilian employed by Starfleet. Arguably Neelix, Kes and Seven of Nine would also count as civilians employed by Starfleet.

 

[Spot261]

The question seems to be answered.

 

[Finn]

All those people we see in the background, not wearing uniforms are likely citizens...

Weird question, I think. Trillions across the Federation sitting around at home while the few serve in Starfleet....?? no

 

[Henoch]

Trillions

Probably more likely in the 100 billion range, tops.

 

[Kor]

And then there were all those people walking around Starfleet headquarters in skimpy togas in TMP.

Kor

 

[DonIago]

Project Genesis was developed by civilians who were given access to Starfleet resources.

 

[NCC-73515]

The terraformers in the crystal intelligence episode, the anthropologists in Who Watches the Watchers, the astronomers on the Amargosa observatory, the doctor who killed the crystalline entity,...

 

[Vger23]

And then there were all those people walking around Starfleet headquarters in skimpy togas in TMP.

Kor

Probably just a bunch of dirty New Humans.

 

[Tim Thomason]

And then there were all those people walking around Starfleet headquarters in skimpy togas in TMP.

Kor

Those are official Starfleet counselors.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

What government, from international level down to local level (excepting perhaps some military dictatorships), doesn't have civil servants? What government (other than perhaps a military dictatorship) could function without civil servants?

Of course, whether those civil servants are hired based on a formal Merit System, or by pure nepotism, or somewhere in between, varies from one government to another.

 

[The Wormhole]

What government, from international level down to local level (excepting perhaps some military dictatorships), doesn't have civil servants? What government (other than perhaps a military dictatorship) could function without civil servants?

What If...
The Federation is in fact a military dictatorship? I mean, aside from Robocop from Trek XI, we've never seen civilian law enforcement in the Federation, only Starfleet.
#shitsstirringnow

 

[DonIago]

Even if all of the law enforcement was Starfleet that wouldn't make it a dictatorship. We know there's a Federation Council as shown in TVH and established previously.

 

[Mister Spock]

We've seen civilian personnel working on Starfleet projects before. Doctor Stubbs in Evolution, Doctor Brahms in Galaxy's Child and Doctor Daystrom in The Ultimate Computer being the most notable examples.

Presumably the various service staff we see - the stewards in The Undiscovered Country, the waiters in Ten Forward etc - are also civilians. I like to imagine they were basically working their passage somewhere, a bit like signing aboard as merchant sailors. Starfleet will give them a lift to whatever colony or planet they're travelling to, so long as they don't mind serving drinks or mopping floors until then.