| Name | United Planets |
| Founded | 21st century |
| Purpose | Space exploration • Technological advancement • Peaceful cooperation |
| Challenges | Complex political and social questions • Navigating interstellar diplomacy • Ensuring a better future for all sentient species |
| Territories | |
| Achievements | Developed faster-than-light travel • Mastered fusion power • Advanced artificial intelligence |
| Headquarters |
The United Planets (UP) is the governing body of an interstellar federation encompassing humanity and numerous alien civilizations across the Milky Way galaxy. Formed in the early 21st century, the UP has rapidly expanded human presence and influence beyond Earth, establishing permanent settlements on Luna, Mars, and the moons of the outer planets through advancements in faster-than-light travel, fusion power, and artificial intelligence.
The origins of the United Planets can be traced to the late 20th century, when a shift away from Cold War geopolitics and the "Space Race" between America and the Soviet Union paved the way for greater international cooperation in space exploration. The United Nations Space Agency (UNSA) was formed in 1985, pooling resources and talent from around the world. This laid the groundwork for the Outer Space Treaty of 1998, which banned the militarization of space and envisioned a future of peaceful scientific collaboration.
In the 2010s, as the UNSA developed breakthroughs in warp drive, antimatter propulsion, and self-sustaining habitats, the decision was made to transition from an ad-hoc consortium to a fully fledged interplanetary governing body. The United Planets was officially ratified in 2025, with representatives from nations across Earth as well as newly established lunar and Martian colonies. Over the following decades, the UP rapidly expanded its reach, using its advanced technologies to establish outposts and settlements on the Asteroid Belt, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and eventually beyond the solar system.
One of the United Planets' greatest challenges and achievements has been navigating first contact and diplomacy with intelligent alien civilizations. The UP's first major encounter occurred in 2038, when an advanced robotic probe of unknown origin was discovered in the Kuiper Belt. After years of study and attempts at communication, the probe's builders - a species of enigmatic, crystalline entities - finally made direct contact. This opened the door to a new era of interstellar diplomacy, as the UP sought to integrate these aliens, known as the Selenar, into the growing federation.
In the decades since, the UP has made contact with dozens of other sapient species, from the insectoid Zygons to the gas giant-dwelling Jovians to the enigmatic Reapers from deep space. While not all first encounters have been peaceful, the UP has generally pursued a path of cautious cooperation, trading technology and cultural knowledge. However, tensions and mistrust remain, and the UP faces ongoing challenges in governing a multi-species alliance with differing values, priorities and ideologies.
The rapid technological progress spurred by the United Planets has dramatically transformed human (and alien) society. Faster-than-light travel has shrunk the galaxy, making interstellar migration and resource-sharing commonplace. Fusion power, nanotechnology, and advanced robotics have largely eliminated scarcity, poverty, and manual labor, ushering in a post-scarcity, highly automated civilization. With basic needs met, many humans and aliens have turned their focus to scientific research, artistic expression, and exploration of the cosmos.
However, this techno-utopian vision is not without its challenges. The immense wealth and power of the UP has led to concerns about centralized control and loss of individual/cultural identity. Questions of artificial general intelligence, transhumanism, and the rights of uploaded consciousness and synthetic lifeforms remain hotly debated. And as the UP expands its reach, it faces growing threats from rogue states, alien separatist movements, and mysterious extradimensional entities that seek to disrupt the fragile web of interstellar cooperation.
As the 22nd century dawns, the United Planets stands at a crossroads. It has succeeded in uniting much of known space under a banner of peace, scientific discovery, and technological mastery. But new crises and philosophical divides loom on the horizon. Can the UP find a sustainable path forward that balances the interests of its diverse member species? Will it be able to adapt to the rapidly changing social and existential challenges of the space age? The fate of not just humanity, but the entire Milky Way, may rest on the choices made by the leaders of this vast interstellar federation.
