- Created By: Jay P. Hailey and Political tradition.
- Number of Members: Millions of Voters.
- Nature of Members: Federation citizens of active political persuasion who agree with the Progressive platform.
- Organization: Similar in most ways to the Conservative Party, although wih more local variations. The Progressive party makes a point of being a coalition party and trying to include lots of smaller special interest parties.
- Game Role: To provide a viable voice for the "gentlebeing" peace, love and exploration head of Star Trek in a political sense.
- World Role: To allow people who agree with the Progressive stance to voice their views in a collective way.
- Relative Influence: Large. They can influence policy and high office holders at the top levels of the Federation and therefore politics and stellar relations across known space.
- Public or Secret?: Very public.
- Publicly Stated Goal: To advance the philosophy of the Federation in action in the galaxy.
- Relative Wealth: Large, More than any other political party.
- Group advantages: Large numbers of supporters. Contacts at the top levels of the UFP government and several others.
- Contacts: Office holders and politicians of all stripes across the Federation and at all levels of power.
- Special Abilities: Contacts in the high levels of government can advance actions or decisions faster than otherwise might be possible. Sometimes favors may be available but these are rare and often frowned upon by other more idealistic citizens.
- Group disadvantages: The Progressive party isn't going anywhere and so can't dodge or hide. It's carefully observed to prevent illegal or scandalous behavior.
- Who belongs: Voting citizens of the UFP who agree with the Progressive stance.
- Those who favor them: People who believe that the Federation should represent a more advanced and evolved form of social organization, pacifists, idealists.
- Those opposed to them: Hawks, gun bunnies, people who evince a more cynical point of view.
- Area of Operation: The UFP
- Headquarters Location: Various the Terran progressive Party's HQ is in Geneva, Switzerland, next to Earth Dome.
- Public Face: Idealistic followers of a Utopian dream.
- Notable Members: Gene Roddenberry: founder of the party
Ambassador Sarek: The famous Vulcan Ambassador is rumored to be a Progressive, but claims only to support the logical stance on any issue.
President Jaresh-Inyo:, the current incumbent is a moderate Progressive.
- History of the Group: Soon after the founding of the Federation, an immediate conflict started between the hawks, people who believed a strong defense was necessary to prevent another event like the Romulan War. People on Earth feared a resurgence of the militarism they blamed for the wars and disasters of the 20th and 21st century. The Federation was designed to allow a peaceful stellar co-existence. Many people on Earth felt that earth's society and the Federation represent a state of social existence that supersedes warlike behavior and the necessity for militarism.
This party also leans heavily on the Vulcan concept of IDIC and inclusiveness of people who are different, they are the ones who support exploration and aggressive science and exploration missions for Starfleet and prefer a Starfleet that is an instrument of science and diplomacy.
The balance of political power has shifted several times usually with the Progressives on the winning side of it, playing the incumbent party and fighting off the conservative point of view until war threatened.
The Constitution class starship project was a Progressive sponsored initiative, the Saladin class destroyers and Federation class Dreadnoughts, based on the technology base of the Constitution were Conservative responses to this.
The Galaxy class starship project is a Progressive statement about what Starfleet should be. The accompanying New Orleans class frigates were the Conservative response. The new perimeter response classes of ships (the Akira, Norway, Saber, Steamrunner, Sovereign etc classes) are the Conservative view of Starfleet. The Intrepid class is the Progressive response.
The Progressive and Conservative parties are not the only parties in the UFP, which I see as borrowing more from the Parliamentary style of government. But they are the 800 pound gorillas of Federation politics.
Epiphany Trek
I don't see monolithic political parties that span the Federation, mainly because politics is local. However the attitude of the Progressive Party as presented does represent an attitude within the Federation Council and on various Federation Worlds. I do not see the Federation as a big country. Rather I see the Federation as something different.
The Federation is a meta government. It is a body that handles relations between states that agree to have said relations so handled. It is not a projection of the Nation State, the Untied States writ large with the planets standing in for the states of the Union. The Federation is not a Federal organization.
It is something new. It's an interstellar club. If I join a club, and I am a member of several, that club has a charter that defines what the club is about, and the limits of the club. The Federation has such a charter.
Joe Federation doesn't even consider himself "Joe Federation". He is Joe Earth, or Joe Vulcan, or Joe Teller. Joe Federation is not likely to ever come in contact with anyone that is a direct agent of the Federation.
Tip O'Neil said, "All politics are local." I take that to heart.