Starfleet Headquarters
Starfleet Headquarters is the administrative centre of Starfleet Command located in San Francisco, California, on Earth. Sharing grounds with Starfleet Academy, it encompasses territory adjacent to and even within the city of San Francisco, on either side of the Golden Gate passage into San Francisco Bay. The main building was constructed from lunar rock, as recognition of the organisation's purpose and aims.
Starfleet Headquarters features prominently in the life of every Starfleet officer, as all must pass through its doors at least once during their careers; when receiving their first assignment after graduation. Officers are regularly called back to Headquarters for hearings, evaluations and to receive critical new orders or significant promotions, such as when they are officially offered command of their first starship. The vast majority of Starfleet's Admirals also work from within the Starfleet Headquarters complex, thus creating a strong concentration of power in one location.
By necessity, security is very tight within the complex, and Starfleet Security has a large presence on the grounds. The complex contains many secure areas, with zones encompassing either specific rooms or an entire building and the surrounding grounds. Secure areas have many restrictions not just on the personnel permitted access, but also on the devices permitted to be carried; devices such as holo-imagers for example are not allowed within these zones, and in some the carrying and use of tricorders and phasers is restricted to Starfleet Security and command-level officers only.
The Starfleet Headquarters complex is also the home of Starfleet Medical Headquarters and the Tucker Memorial Building; the home of Starfleet's Corps of Engineers.
The portraits of notable Starfleet officers are placed within Headquarters, including those of Captains James T. Kirk, Hikaru Sulu, and Jean-Luc Picard.
Contents
History
The sprawling complex was originally built as the headquarters of the Earth Starfleet in the early 22nd century, on what was previously a portion of Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Marin County, overlooking Horseshoe Bay. After the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161, it continued to serve as the command centre of the Federation Starfleet. By the 2270s, the headquarters had expanded to the Presidio, an ancient military post on the southern side of the Golden Gate, where it included an air tram station. By the 24th century, the complex had expanded until it occupied land on both sides of the bay. The term 'Starfleet Headquarters' can interchangeably be used to refer to the entire complex of buildings, or to the primary structure within which much of Starfleet Command's top-level decision making is held.
In 2364, Starfleet Headquarters was infiltrated by the Parasites, who seized control of many of Starfleet Command's high-ranking admirals until Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander William T. Riker of the Enterprise exposed the conspiracy and killed the parasite spawnmother.
In 2372, Starfleet Headquarters was at the centre of an attempted coup organised by Admiral James Leyton, who replaced many key officers at Headquarters with those loyal to him in an attempt to place the Federation under martial law and take over the functions of the government. He planed on ruling the Federation from Headquarters, but his plans were exposed, and he turned himself in to Starfleet Security for court-martial.
In late 2375, during the Dominion War, Starfleet Headquarters was attacked by the Breen. Buildings were badly damaged, including the historic Golden Gate Bridge, and many people were killed. Though security had been considerably heightened during Captain Benjamin Sisko's term as Chief of Starfleet Security on Earth in 2372, security on the site was once again increased following the attack, and Earth was never left with less than five starships for in-system defence. By 2376, the city had been restored to its original appearance, and security procedures began to relax, though it would take some time before they would approach the levels that were maintained previous to the war.
Facilities and Annexes
Starfleet Headquarters maintains numerous facilities and buildings not just in San Francisco, but also in other cities around Earth. These extra facilities are referred to as 'Annexes'; numerous annexes also exist on other worlds in the Federation. These are usually either specialist research sites, or remote sites designated to carry out de-centralised functions for specific fleets operating distantly to the core of Starfleet.
San Francisco Facilities
Earth Annexes
The annex on Earth which has gained the most repute is the Starfleet Communications Research Centre in Hong Kong. The Centre was used as the base for the Pathfinder Project which was successful in making contact with the starship Voyager whilst it was stranded in the Delta Quadrant.
Extra-Solar Annexes
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after the Breen attack of 2375 |
