"Freeze! Star Law!" by Kim Eastland (Dragon Magazine #87)

According to the Star Frontiers game glossary, the Star Law Rangers operate as an interstellar police force that "concentrates on finding Sathar agents, but also fights space pirates and other interstellar criminals." We also know that the Rangers have territorial areas of authority because in the history section we find that the Rangers "track the Sathar's agents from planet to planet and fight them on their own terms." Beyond that, there is little for an aspiring Star Frontiers game referee or player to consider when dealing with Star Law Forces. The purpose of this article is to fill in some large holes that exist about this intergalactic agency and its members.

Before proceeding any further, let's look at a few facts and assumptions that will help define law enforcement and military authorities in the Star Frontiers game.

• The peace of the Frontier region is maintained in space by the UPF Spacefleet (see the Star Frontiers Knight Hawks game). We assume that actual authority in deep space is in the hands of the Spacefleet and not Star Law.
• The defense of individual planets is the responsibility of their armies and militias. This is certainly true for civilized planets. Whether the armed forces are made up of volunteers, inductees, or mercenaries would depend upon the planetary government, its population and resources, etc. (in other words, the referee). It is safe to assume that matters of immediate local defense (riots, revolutions, massive pirate raids, etc.) usually fall under the authority of a planetary army and the space fleet is uses for orbital defense.
• Every large city will have its own police force to guard its citizenry and maintain law and order. Some planets might have police with wider territorial authority for countries, states, provinces, nations, or continents.
• Although the interstellar company most often referred to in the Star Frontiers game is the Pan-Galactic Corporation, the Knight Hawks Campaign Book notes that it is only one of a half-dozen similar mega-corp would want their own security forces to guard their property and interests, to investigate industrial espionage, etc. No one mega-corp security force would be trusted by any other to always stay within its corporate authority.
• In addition to the above, innumerable other law enforcement agencies would be at work: high-tech mercenaries hired by rich individuals as body guards, private investigative firms licensed to operate locally or planet-wide, and so forth.

As you might guess, the problem of interplanetary security is a big one. If the theft of a Pan-Galactic Executive Vice President's personal belongings occured, it would bring in Pan-Galactic's Security Force, any private firms the VP had employed, and (if notified) all planetary authorities. If the felon were loose on the planet, that might bring in all planetary investigators authorized to keep local peace. If certain major crimes were committed during the robbery, say the theft of a government shuttle for a getaway, the armed forces might now be involved.

However, if the fugitive leaves the planet and escapes into deep space, would the Spacefleet be involved? What happens if one of the possessions stolen was a device that would be of interest to a hostile alien race? Could a Port Loren beat cop try to arrest a Sathar in deep spece? Obviously, there must be a law enforcement agency with far-reaching powers and jurisdiction that can work with different local agencies while transcending their limitations. This is the job of Star Law.

The exact crimes and jurisdictional areas that Star Law would be involved with can be laid out by individual game referees. What is given here is a suggested organizational sturcture for Star Law. We hear a lot about the Rangers, a glamorous branch of Star Law, but in fact they are only one small part of a stellar agency dedicated to galactic peace.