In several TV episodes and films since its inception in the 1960s, Star Trek has used fictional legal constraints and consequences as a plot device both as a parable for contemporary society in the real world, and to explore the society and politics of the future.
[2] The details and application of these laws, and the ways in which these reflect real-world legal systems, are further examined in the Adventures in Law and Justice: Exploring big legal questions in everyday life by Bryan Horrigan and Star Trek Visions of Law and Justice edited by Robert Chaires and Bradley Chilton.
The former discusses the possibility of applying a comparison between law and a part of popular culture to the teaching of national and international law.
In Star Trek, the Federation is depicted as a utopian interplanetary federal republic stressing the importance of sentient rights, respect for life, and non-aggression.
A legislative, judiciary, and executive branch are present.