As for the second issue, what I am proposing, not just in the campaign that I am co-creating, but to many of my Star Trek viewing friends, and now you, is that the composition of Star Fleet and its general organization, has become somewhat misaligned with its core missions and the strategic/geo-interstellar reality which faces it. This is particularly true with regard to the defense of the UFP and its interests.
While it has been long demonstrated that Star Fleet, and the Federation it serves, has somewhat less in common with its rivals amongst the other major powers than the others do between themselves; one of its core functions (if not THE core function) is to provide for the common defense of the Fed at all times. Even during the wild and wooly golden age of exploration of TOS and the early movies, Star Fleet always stood ever vigilant, ready to defend the sovereignty of the UFP at every turn.
One theme in the campaign I am working on is the perception by many officers as well as civilians that Star Fleet priorities have drifted quite a bit over the years, partly due to long years of comparative tranquility and stability, the absence of an active peer competitor, and the continual lure of ever more worlds and wonders to explore out in the universe. (Not to mention a touch of benign arrogance) This marginalization of Star Fleet's defensive capability had begun to show itself during the early skirmishes with the Cardassian Union, but really hit home during the Borg incursions and later Dominion War. The tremendous loss of life, and the near annilation of the UFP by these respective threats reiteraited the need for a far more balanced fleet capability that had been lost over the years. Star Fleet responded by not casting off its more combat-efficent designs at the end of the fighting, but instead continued to incorporate them into the Fleet structure in increasing numbers, though not to the exclusion of more 'traditional' designs.
Thus while the crews of Explorers such as the Galaxys, Intrepids ect. would have a fairly similar mission profile to what they had been accustomed, they would be increasingly joined, esp in Federation space lanes, by more defensive ships such as the Akira's, Steamrunner, Sabre ect. In times of peace, these ships would serve as border sentinels, patrol the interior lanes of the UFP, and serve in Contingency Fleets, as well as the less aggresive functions of diplomatic service and limited exploration/research. The varied and widespread threats that a debilitated post-war Starfleet has been subjected to means that these ships never want for tense, exciting missions.
Certain ships have come to (or will) have unique roles. Defiant/Avenger ships have slowed in production, with not a few in an active-reserve role. Those still on full active duty are often assigned to key systems or installations, to serve as a potent addition to fixed defenses. Nova surveyors, the first real replacements for the Oberths in many years, perform missions similar to those of larger explorers, but close to/within UFP space.
Runabouts, though too small for truly independent usage, have made excellent couriers, as well as light utility and transport craft for Star Bases and ground installations (which is what they are really made for). In many ways, they are the work horses of the new Fleet, and virtually no sector of Federation space is without a few dozen of them at any time.
Sovereigns, as befitting the premier ships of Star Fleet, have come to straddle both worlds; but in keeping with Star Fleet's ultimately benign aims, are viewed and utilized as explorers first. Just as often, however, one of these grand ships could be seen heading up a joint Federation-Klingon venture in the Beta Quadrant, or serving as Flagship of a Star Fleet task force in the Cardassian DMZ.
While some officers in my campaign setting have expressed alarm at an increasingly 'militant' Star Fleet, the majority see it as a recognization that the Fleet had been neglectful of its first duty, and feel that correction of this oversight does not inevitably entail compromising the beliefs which Star Fleet had been founded upon. Only time (and my group) will be able to determine if these two groups will become reconciled in the near future, or if the rift between them will grow into something bigger.
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