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STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc., also known as STARFLEET International (SFI), is a club for fans of the television and film series, Star Trek. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, SFI is the world's largest science fiction fan club, and it currently has approximately 4,000 members.
SFI is incorporated as a not-for profit corporation under the laws of the State of North Carolina, United States of America, and has been granted 501(c)(7) status by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The organisation derives its organisational structure from the fictional Starfleet organisation depicted in Star Trek, and within the organisation the name 'STARFLEET' is used exclusively to denote the fan movement, whilst 'Starfleet' refers to the fictional entity.
STARFLEET International places emphasis on community service, and encourages its chapters to take part in charitable fundraising activities and other public services.
The organisation has members worldwide, and splits the world into 20 regions, each with a coordinator who supervises activities in his or her own region. If members, usually living in geographical proximity, choose to form a group among themselves, they become a chapter of STARFLEET, taking the fictional form of a starship, space station or other vessel along the lines of those in Star Trek. Each member is given a fictional rank to show time in membersip and contribution to fan activities.
STARFLEET International organises a STARFLEET Academy, where SFI members can take exams related to Star Trek trivia and general knowledge, amongst other themes. It also has a sub-group, named the STARFLEET Marine Corps, made up of SFI members who prefer to role-play as military, rather than naval, personnel.
Among other publications, STARFLEET International produces a bi-monthly publication called The Communiqué, which all members receive.
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