The Federation? Definitely not. Starfleet, which is the quasi-military wing of the Federation? Arguably yes, since it does emphasize authority and unquestioning adherence to the rules (See General Order Number 1).
I wouldn’t go so far as to say starfleet requires unquestioned adherence to authority. IIRC there is a scene or two in TNG where Picard/Riker/etc explicitly say they do not want crew that don’t question orders. That crew should be able to refuse orders they believe to be unjustifyable.
But beyond that, there are numerous occasions where people violate the prime directive and get away with it. So the authority of starfleet is not absolute, and is able to be questioned/disobeyed in some circumstances.
Is the federation authoritarian?
The Federation? Definitely not. Starfleet, which is the quasi-military wing of the Federation? Arguably yes, since it does emphasize authority and unquestioning adherence to the rules (See General Order Number 1).
I wouldn’t go so far as to say starfleet requires unquestioned adherence to authority. IIRC there is a scene or two in TNG where Picard/Riker/etc explicitly say they do not want crew that don’t question orders. That crew should be able to refuse orders they believe to be unjustifyable.
But beyond that, there are numerous occasions where people violate the prime directive and get away with it. So the authority of starfleet is not absolute, and is able to be questioned/disobeyed in some circumstances.