Starfleet currently [as of Stardate 50301.09] has 369 operational starbases spread over the Federation. Twenty-two more starbases are planned to be operational in the next five years. Starfleet currently possesses 45 250 000 personnel, with 8 954 operational starships. Starfleet annually completes training a further 10 000 officers and crew, with over 14 000 000 applications received each year for selection to Starfleet Academy.

Starfleet's charter is one of exploration, diplomacy, defence and logistics. Starfleet has a distance to encompass that takes even the latest starships months to cover at maximum cruising speed. Starfleet's resources cover every planet and colony within the Federation. Starfleet 's supplies also come from this great pool of resources, making it the most expansive and flexible agency in the Alpha or Beta quadrants.

Starfleet was formed by the remnants of the Earth fleet after the Romulan war of the 22nd Century, plus the addition of the Vulcan, Andorian, Alpha Centaurian and Tellarite fleets. Soon after its inception, Starfleet was based on Earth in the newly-constructed San Francisco headquarters. Starfleet soon used the combined technologies and knowledge of the founder members of the Federation to produce the first Federation starship: N.X.-01, U.S.S. Dauntless. The Dauntless was different from all starships that had come before her. The Dauntless utilised all of the leading technology available to make her an exploratory cruiser with state-of-the-art sensors, laboratories, diplomatic facilities for First Contact situations, advanced warp drive to cover the rapidly-increasing distances between federation colonies and defensive weaponry to protect Federation borders and dependants.

Once Starfleet had the Dauntless class of starship, it was able to make the first major moves into deeper space. The Daedalus class of starship was to follow as the Federation expanded it's members and it's size. Soon this was to lead to disaster with First Contact with the Klingons. The disastrous meeting lead to the destruction of the starship USS Ranger and the first clashes between Federation starships and starships from a race outside of the Federation. The Federation continued to grow, regardless of the Klingon bitterness. Starfleet had to improve the starship designs to compensate both for the increasing size of the Federation, and the increasing intensity of dangers discovered.

The late 2230s saw Starfleet producing one of the most famous starships in it's history: N.X. 1700, U.S.S. Constitution. 'Old Ironsides' now had a new contemporary in the form of 'Old Tritaniumsides'. The Constitution was fitted with fusion reactors in her old days, although by the 2240s these were replaced by a Matter/Anti-Matter reactor. Again, Starfleet fitted it's newest starship with the best of everything. The Constitution and the rest of the class soon distinguished themselves, particularly a starship named Enterprise.

The 2260s saw a fiery time for Starfleet. The Klingon situation came to a head and the Romulans once more came out from their seclusion. Fortunately, Starfleet training had produced captains such as James T. Kirk, who were able to deal with the manner in a cool, calm manner. The 60s proved to be a time of great discovery and revelation for Starfleet. 12 starbases were operational by this point, but many more were planned as Starfleet saw the need to bolster it's lines of communications, to aid in exploration and defence.

The 2280s were a troublesome decade. The Genesis Project brought shockwaves from all sides when it was revealled to the universe after it's detonation in the Mutara sector. U.S.S. Excelsior, the 'Great Experiment', was running far behind schedule with Transwarp drive proving more troublesome than successful. However, Starfleet was to discover that there was change in the air by the end of the decade, especially after the hostage situation on Nimbus III.

The final decade of the 23rd Century brought with it great change for the Federation and for Starfleet. 2291 saw the death of the Klingon Chancellor, Lorak. With his death came the first real chance for peace with the installation of Gorkon as Chancellor. Praxis exploded two years later, and with this dramatic explosion, the opportunity for peace presented itself and was firmly grasped by the new Ambassador Spock [although at the time he was still officially a Starfleet Captain]. Gorkon's assassination and the subsequent events exposed the prejudice and ingrained hatred that had crept into Starfleet over the decades. As a result, many changes were inaugurated in 2293, the fruits of which are now beginning to show. Various positions were eliminated, others created and the rules, regulations, structures and starships of Starfleet have undergone the biggest re-examination since the formation of Starfleet.

With the dawn of the 24th Century, Starfleet can now look ahead to new horizons and continue the old tradition in a new style 'To boldly go where no one has gone before'.