Independent/Unaligned

Not every planet, species or government was affiliated with one of the major powers in the quadrants. Pre-warp civilizations that fell within the Federation were protected from contact until they had developed sufficiently to qualify for first contact. There were many species/governments that chose to remain independent and some planets had no unified government to declare allegiance.   Even though a planet might not be allied with the Federation, the Federation has numerous trade agreements and cultural exchange programs available. Non-Federation citizens could even apply to Starfleet with a letter of recommendation from an existing ranking Starfleet officer.