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Law in Star Trek refers to the legal procedures and proceses as seen in the Star Trek fictional universe. Since its inception in the 1960s, Star Trek has explored two types of law which appear in the series and film incarnations. Military law is influenced by the actual Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) ^[1] while civil law is modeled after the the United States legal system.^[2] Star Trek: The Original Series dealt only with military law in the form of court martials, while later series and films showed how civilian law appears in the Star Trek universe ^[3] Image File history File links Crystal_128_clock. ... Star Trek is an American science-fiction franchise spanning six television series, ten feature films, hundreds of novels, computer and video games, and other fan stories. ... A fictional universe is a cohesive imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction. ... Military law is a distinct legal system to which members of armed forces are subject. ... The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the foundation of military law in the United States. ... Civil law has at least three meanings. ... The United States Constitution, the supreme law of the land The United States Reports, the official reporter of the Supreme Court of the United States The law of the United States was originally largely derived from the common law of the system of English law, which was in force at... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ...

Federation Law

The Law of the United Federation of Planets is investigated in several episodes of Star Trek and resembles a democratic legal system, the type today seen in such countries as the United States and the United Kingdom. There are several rights afforded to citizens of the Federation among which are: This article or section may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ...

• The Seventh Guarantee: The right of a person to not be held to bear witness towards themself. ("The Drumhead")

• Trial law also permits several rights ("Court Martial"), among them:

1. The right to face an accuser
2. The right to counsel
3. The right to cross examination
4. The right to examine any evidence brought before a court

• Military law of the Starfleet contains some additional rights such as:

1. The right to challenge any member of a miltary board if the accussed feels that they may harbor a predujiced attitude towards thier case
2. The right to consent to any Starfleet member appointed to head a military board or appointed as the prosecution.

Starfleet Command In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet is the paramilitary defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration force of the United Federation of Planets (UFP) with – as of the late 24th century – hundreds of starships and starbases at its disposal. ...

Starfleet Judge Advocate General Corps

A 23rd century Starfleet Court Martial

The main legal body seen in Star Trek is the Starfeet JAG Corps, responsible for legal matters and issue affecting membrs of the Starfleet. Starfleet JAG officers were first seen as early as the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series wth JAG members seen in most of the other series and at least one motion picture.^[4] To date, confirmed JAG members include: Image File history File links StarTrekTrial. ... Image File history File links StarTrekTrial. ... There are other articles with similar names; see JAG (disambiguation). ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...

• Lieutenant Areel Shaw prosecutes Captain James T. Kirk in his 2267 court-martial for alleged negligence in the death of Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney. ^[2]
• Captain Phillippa Louvois presides over a hearing that rules that Lieutenant Commander Data is not Starfleet property.^[5]
• Rear Admiral Bennett arranges for Richard Bashir's incarceration – and his son's, Julian Bashir, retention of a Starfleet commission – as punishment for the genetic enhancements done to Julian revealed. ^[6]

A JAG hearing is seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to decide whether Lieutenant Commander Worf should be extradited to the Klingon Empire following the destruction of a Klingon civilian transport. ^[7] Lieutenant is a commissioned rank of the Starfleet in the fictional universe of Star Trek. ... Captain is a commissioned rank of the Starfleet in the fictional universe of Star Trek. ... James Tiberius Kirk (2233 - 2293/2371), played by William Shatner, was the leading character in the original Star Trek series and the films based on it. ... A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ... Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned rank of the Starfleet in the fictional universe of Star Trek. ... Captain is a commissioned rank of the Starfleet in the fictional universe of Star Trek. ... Data, portrayed by Brent Spiner, is a character in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... Rear Admiral is a commissioned rank of the Starfleet in the fictional universe of Star Trek. ... Dr. Julian Subatoi Bashir (played by Alexander Siddig) is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... An iconic image of genetic engineering; this autoluminograph from 1986 of a glowing transgenic tobacco plant bearing the luciferase gene of the firefly, illustrating the possibilities of genetic engineering. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Worf (Klingon: worIv) is a Klingon Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... Klingons (Klingon: tlhIngan) are a warrior race in the fictional Star Trek universe. ...

The loss of a starship automatically leads to a JAG court-martial^[5]. Such courts-martial were held following the loss of the USS Pegasus^[8] and USS Stargazer^[5]. The Pegasus half-embedded in an asteroid after the phasing cloak malfunctioned The USS Pegasus (NCC-53847) is an Oberth class starship in the fictional Star Trek universe and appears in Star Trek: The Next Generations The Pegasus. The vessel was named for Greek mythologys famous winged horse... The USS Stargazer, NCC-2893, is a Federation starship in the fictional universe of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ...

Dialogue reveals that a court-martial may be convened in the absence of any JAG officers by three presiding command-level officers.^[2]

One aspect of Starfleet legal procedure which is hardly explored is the concept of Captain's Mast. Only on two occasions, over a 30 year period, is a brief mention made of this and then, only in action and not by name. The first is when Captain Kirk solely addresses the group of bar fighters from "The Trouble with Tribbles" and then orders punishment of confinement to quarters. The second occurence happens years later where Ira Graves possesses Data^[9] and Captan Picard, thinking Data is behaving in an insubordinate way, states that he can punish data by "using discipline. There were also minor references in Deep Space Nine and Voyager to Captain's Mast type punishments, usually when Benjamin Sisko and Katherine Janeway would order someone put in the brig or confined to quarters in response to a discipline infraction. In episode of Voyager, Janeway actually demotes Tom Paris to the rank of Ensign: something that a CO in a real world Captain's Mast would not have the authority to do (this is easily explained by Voyager being in the Gamma Quadrant and janeway may have been acting under emergency legal authority) ^[10] Nonjudicial punishment of US military personnel is authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. ... The Trouble with Tribbles is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast on December 29, 1967 and repeated June 21, 1968. ... In general, data consist of propositions that reflect reality. ... Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is a Starfleet officer and the main character of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway Kathryn Janeway, (Born: May 20 in Indiana, year 2332) a character in the fictional Star Trek universe played by Kate Mulgrew, was the captain of the USS Voyager (2371-2378) in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. ... The Brig Lady Washington For other uses, see Brig (disambiguation). ... Thomas Eugene Paris is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe who served aboard the USS Voyager (NCC-74656) as helmsman and pilot, with the rank of lieutenant. ...

Non-Federation Legal Systems

The legal systems of the Klingon Empire, Cardassian Union, and Romulan Empire are all explored through the Star Trek's development. Of the three, the Romulan system actually closest resembles Federation Law with rights of the accussed to make a statement before sentence and right to counsel ("TOS The Enterprise Incident"). Cardassian Law states a person is guilty before they go to trial (DS9 "Tribunal") and Klingon Law revolves around trial by combat (DS9 "The Way of the Warrior") but with a formal trial procedure in place as well (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). This page is about the race. ... In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Cardassian Union is the formal name of the Cardassian civilization in the Alpha Quadrant. ... Introduction The Romulans, a fictional race in the Star Trek universe, are descended from Vulcans and are characterized as being deceitful, cunning, and treacherous. ... The Enterprise Incident is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast September 27, 1968 and repeated December 27, 1968. ... A tribunal is a generic term for any body acting judicially, whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. ... A judicial duel portrayed in a facsimile from the Cérémonies des Gages des Batailles, a manuscript of the fifteenth century in the National Library of Paris. ... The Way of the Warrior is the title of a two-part episode from the fourth season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Paramount Pictures, 1991; see also 1991 in film) is the sixth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ...

Cardassian legal system

A Cardassian Court of the 24th century

In the Cardassian legal trials are entirely a formality and only have a ceremonial function. The verdict is determined long before the actual trial is held. The person prosecuted learns what he or she allegedly committed at the trial. ^[11] Image File history File links CardasCourt. ... Image File history File links CardasCourt. ...

Klingon law

In the fictional Star Trek universe, Klingon law is that law code which is used in the Klingon Empire. A large proportion of what we know of the Klingon law code comes from the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, in which an assassination trial is witnessed, and the Deep Space Nine episode, The House of Quark, in which Quark accidentally kills a Klingon. It should be noted that over a century elapsed between the dates of these two events, however, and some evolution of the system may have occurred in that period. Star Trek is an American science-fiction franchise spanning six television series, ten feature films, hundreds of novels, computer and video games, and other fan stories. ... Klingons (Klingon: tlhIngan) are a warrior race in the fictional Star Trek universe. ... Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Paramount Pictures, 1991; see also 1991 in film) is the sixth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Quark, son of Keldar and Ishka, is a fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, played by Armin Shimerman. ...

The Klingon law code is rather similar to that of the Federation, with a few key differences: This article or section may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ...

• Klingon law provides that both the prosecution and the defence present their cases simultaneously.
• Klingon law provides for some key rights:
  • If the head of a house kills the head of another house honourably, he has the right to marry his victim's widow and thereby become the leader of that house as well, in a ritual called bIreqtal. ^{[citation needed]}
  • If a member of a house is killed dishonourably, another member of that house may swear to blood revenge, allowing that house member to kill the murderer of their kin (it is unclear what limits exist on which house member this must be); this is a legal right called bortaS DIb, the "Right of Vengeance".
• Murder is a capital offence under Klingon law.
• Assassination is also a capital offence under Klingon law.
• A Klingon who allows him or herself to be captured in battle and doesn't attempt to escape or fight his or her way free dishonors themselves and his or her family for three generations.("Birthright part I" Star Trek TNG Season 6)
• As in Federation law, the captain of a starship is responsible for the actions of his crew. If a member of a crew is not able to be located for prosecution, the captain may be prosecuted in his stead.
• In Klingon law, a Klingon's family is responsible for his or her actions, and the family is responsible for the individual's acts. If a family member commits treason, the family will be dishonored for generations. One of the most well known examples is when the Klingon government accused Mogh, father of Worf, of collusion with the Romulans. Because of Klingon law, Worf and his brother Kurn were also guilty of Mogh's act under Klingon law. It actually was Duras' father who committed the treason, but if that had been revealed, at the time it would have caused civil war. Worf then accepted discommendation for over a year to protect the Empire, and to stay alive long enough to right that wrong.

Worf (Klingon: worIv) is a Klingon Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... Romulans are a fictional alien species in the Star Trek universe. ... In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Kurn is the Klingon brother of Worf. ... In the fictional Star Trek universe, Discommendation is a declaration by the Klingon High Council that an individual Klingon and his family are dishonored. ...

Q legal system

The Q are omnipotent beings who live in an extradimensional plane of existence. Any Q has the power to travel in time, or between parallel universes lesurely or destroy entire star systems with a snap of fingers. Q legal systems implications can affect entire races and they can be sentenced to cease to exist from time.^[12] However this conduct was found to be unacceptable and Q was punished for living a mortal life among humans. His sentence was later pardoned.^[13] However, same Q trialled the entire human race as he did on first episode on the last one.^[14] Q's own son is also sentenced to live the rest of his life as a mortal amoeba but his punishment was lowered to the "second worst thing", living as a mortal human. Q managed to negotiate a deal to watch over the boy for all eternity.^[15] Omnipotence (literally, all power) is power with no limits or inexhaustible, in other words, unlimited power. ...

Capital punishment is been exercised by the Q on rare occasions as it happened to amandas Q parents.^[16] However Q are not allowed to die unless sentenced to death by the continuum. ^[17]

Ferengi legal system

Ferengi culture and legal system is based entirely on commerce, and the 285 Rules of Acquisition comprise the sacred code on which all of Ferengi society is based. In addition, Ferengi law strictly forbids women from earning profit, leaving the homeworld, or even wearing clothes. ^[18] Ferengi on Star Trek: The Next Generation The Ferengi are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the Star Trek universe. ... The Rules of Acquisition, in the fictional Star Trek universe, are a set of guidelines intended to ensure the profitability of businesses owned by the ultra-capitalist Ferengi. ...

Edo legal system

The Edo, inhabitants of Rubicun III, live in a virtual utopia. There is no crime in Rubicun III and anyone violating a crime no matter how minor it may be is punished with capital punishment.^[19] Left panel (The Earthly Paradise, Garden of Eden), from Hieronymus Boschs The Garden of Earthly Delights. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...

Argrathl legal system

The Argrathl legal system has trials. But for more serious crimes people sentenced to prison are not sent to an actual prison, instead the memories of being in prison in the sentenced length are added to the criminals mind in a matter of hours. ^[20]

Banea legal system

The Banea legal system has trials. If prosecuted with murder, the criminal is forced to continiously live the memories of the person he/she murdered for the rest of his/her life with constant time intervals.^[21]

References

The Drumhead was the 95th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and also the 21st episode of the shows 4th season. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Court Martial is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Paramount Pictures, 1986; see also 1986 in film) is the fourth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... Michael Okuda is an graphic designer who is best known for his work on Star Trek. ... The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future is an encyclopedia of all things related to Star Trek. ... The Measure of a Man is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation first broadcast in 1989. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Doctor Bashir, I Presume? features a familiar face from Star Trek: Voyager: Robert Picardo. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Rules of Engagement is the title of a fourth season episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... The Pegasus is a seventh season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The Schizoid Man is an episode from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The Omega Directive is a Voyager episode centered around the fictional Omega Directive. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... Tribunal is the penultimate episode in the second season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Encounter at Farpoint was the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Déjà Q is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation first broadcast on February 5, 1990. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... All Good Things. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Q2 was an episode broadcast of the seventh season of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, first airing in the winter of 2001. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... True Q is a season 6 episode of Star Trek:The Next Generation Synopsis A young intern is assigned to the Enterprise and strange things start happening - is there a connection? And just what is Q up to? Spoiler warning: The Enterprise has received an intern from Starfleet Academy, Amanda... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... Family Business is the 23nd episode in the third season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Justice is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, first broadcast November 9, 1987. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Eechar, Miles OBriens cellmate. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Ex Post Facto is the eighth episode of the television series Star Trek: Voyager. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ...

External links

• Judge Advocate General article at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki.