Convert Starfleet Operations
Starfleet landing parties occasionally enter planetary societies covertly, to observe. Sometimes these missions go wrong as on stardate 3156.2, when Sulu was attacked by the Lawgivers on planet Beta III. On stardate 5031.3, Kirk and Spock were captured by Romulans, while on a secret assignment to procure a cloaking device. Jean Luc Picard led an expedition to infiltrate a Cardassian base on 46357.4, but was caught and subjected to torture by Gul Madred. Tuvok, worked undercover within the Maquis for a while on Chakotay's ship.

Family Policy
In the early days of space exploration, Starfleet officers had to leave their families behind for years on end since no provision had been made for them on starships. As the vessels increased in size, Starfleet encouraged whole communities to go out into space so families could stay together.

Prime Directive, The
Starfleet General Order Number One prohibits crews from interfering with the normal development of any society or culture they may encounter during their travels. It even states that Starfleet personnel are, if necessary, expendable in the upholding of this principle. Examples of violation would include altering a balance of power within a group of aliens or providing sophisticated technology to a people who have not yet reached that level of achievement.

Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command is the nerve centre of Starfleet. It is located at San Francisco on Earth and is the operating authority for the interstellar scientific, exploratory and defensive agency of the United Federation of Planets. A subspace radio communications network keeps it in touch with its starships but on distant frontiers captains are expected to use discretionary powers. The Academy, where all young officers train, is located at Starfleet Command and many of the fleet's starships are designed there.

Starfleet Emergency Procedures Record
Starships are placed on varying levels of alert depending upon how dangerous their captain judges the situation. Extreme jeopardy courses the ship to be placed on red alert and all crew members must report to their duty stations, immediately. If the destruction of the ship is imminent, the crew will be ordered to evacuate in escape pods.

Starfleet Training
The rigours of life in Starfleet demand an extensive training programme. The syllabus includes emphasis on physical fitness, team work, self discipline and the ability to follow orders, in addition to the students' chosen academic pursuits.