Farpoint Station
- Presidium-class-class]]
Farpoint Station is a planetary-based facility located on Deneb IV near the Federation-Breen border. Established in the wake of the Breen attack on Guardian Station, is a key strategic installation not only near Breen space but also near the Kzinti. It is a staging point for exploratory missions into the coreward Alpha Quadrant.
History
The First Farpoint Station
In 2364, the Federation Council was approached by the inhabitants of Deneb IV, the Bandi, with the offer of a planetary starbase built in record time. The advanced architecture of the station stood in stark contrast to the Bandi’s other buildings. This intrigued Starfleet Command so they assigned the newly commissioned U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard to investigate the station.
During the course of their investigation, the crew of the Enterprise discovered that Farpoint Station was actually an injured alien life form capable of changing its form that had been enslaved by the Bandi and forced to take the form of a planetary starbase. Picard ordered the Bandi to release the life form and renegotiated the building of a new starbase on Deneb IV, a base identical in configuration to the station the entity mimicked.
Farpoint Station 2.0
Construction on the new Farpoint Station began in early 2365 and would take a little over two years to complete, being declared fully operational in mid-2367. As would be the case with Deep Space Nine a few years later, Starfleet would have authority for running the station but it remained sovereign Bandi territory.
Over the next two decades, Farpoint Station became a staging post for deep space exploration missions beyond the edges of Federation space and became a hub of Starfleet activity in the region. The entry of the Breen into the Dominion War in the closing stages of that conflict, turned Farpoint Station into a key strategic outpost given its proximity to the Federation-Breen border. In the years that followed, it would serve as a key centre for intelligence on the Breen following their withdrawal at the close of the war.
The lack of activity along the Federation-Breen border since the end of the war, the synth attack on Mars combined with a reduction in Starfleet’s deep space exploration programme contributed to Starfleet’s decision to reduce its presence on Farpoint Station. The Starfleet presence on Deneb IV was gradually reduced until only a small garrison remained by 2390.
The Breen Resurgence
The Breen made a major reappearance on the galactic stage in 2399, launching an attack on Guardian Station in orbit of Barzan II. Breen activity along the Federation-Breen border increased once more, making the Deneb Sector an important strategic location once more. Within weeks, the Federation Council reached out to the Bandi, seeking to take command of Farpoint Station once more and expand their presence with the addition of a new orbital facility.
As negotiations with the Bandi drew to a close, Starfleet Command dispatched Rear Admiral Hayden to sign the new agreement handing command of Farpoint Station back to Starfleet.
Current Operations
With a new agreement signed, Starfleet moved quickly to increase their presence on Farpoint. A detachment from the Corps of Engineers was dispatched to begin upgrading the station's now outdated systems and reinforcing the planetary defenses. A second detachment was sent a few months later to begin construction on a new Presidium-class station over Deneb IV, to give the newly-designated Starbase 9 an orbital presence.