The United Federation of Planets was the backbone of the Star Trek universe, and its founding worlds were committed to the same ideals despite being very different. As seen in the events of Star Trek: Enterprise, the founding of the Federation in the 22nd century completely changed the Alpha Quadrant, and its legacy continued well into the 32nd century as well. Its four founding planets each represented the best of what was possible, and they contributed their cultural uniqueness to the further exploration of the galaxy through a mutual agreement of peace. Though they were quite different, their differences actually made them stronger.
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When the Earth-Romulan War broke out in 2156, it was eventually won by Earth after an alliance was formed between the principal worlds that would eventually make up the Federation. Less than a decade later in the Star Trek timeline in the year 2161, the United Federation of Planets would be officially founded. The Federation allowed each world that ed to remain autonomous, but their inclusion bound them to a specific set of standards that involved the pursuit of peace for all sentient life in the galaxy. Though the Federation's expansion was rocky, its success was largely due to the planets that helped form the original core of the UFP.
Tellar Prime
Tellar Prime was the homeworld of the Tellarites, a race of pig-like beings that were relatively short in stature compared to their human counterparts. First seen in one of the best Star Trek: The Original Series episodes, season 2, episode 10, "Journey to Babel", the hardheaded Tellarites had actually been part of the Federation from the very beginning and brought their stubborn nature with them into discussions. Renowned for their ability to argue, Tellarites made early negotiations difficult when founding the Federation, but their willfulness also came with unflinching loyalty which was their greatest asset.
The planet achieved warp capability sometime during Earth's 20th century, and they were seen helping a Vulcan crew after they had crashed on Earth in the 1950s in Star Trek: Enterprise, season 2, episode 2, "Carbon Creek". Though they were on friendly with the Vulcans in the 2150s, they had actually been engaged in lengthy conflicts with the Andorians, whom they generally hated. One of the Star Trek franchise's many wars brought them together though when a Romulan attack on the Babel conference clinched the Tellarite delegation's desire for peace with the Andorians. The former enemies would come together to form one half of the Federation.
Andoria
The icy moon of Andoria was home to the blue-skinned Andorians whose most defining features were their shock of white hair and long antennae. While their debut in the franchise came in the TOS episode "Journey to Babel", they had long been a part of the Star Trek timeline and their militaristic mindset made them the most violent founding of the Federation. Cunning and ruthless, the Andorians were known for their commitment to honor above all else, though they were capable of great deception if necessary. Proving the overwhelming importance of the Federation, even the Andorians were able to put aside their weapons to help found it.
Though they were not the strongest alien species in Star Trek, the Andorians made up for their physical shortcomings with incredible endurance and resistance to weather phenomena. Throughout the 2150s, the Andorians had repeated with the Vulcans and humans and even had a few violent scuffles with both on numerous occasions. Above all, they despised the Tellarites whom they fought constantly over territory in their quadrant of space, but were they willing to negotiate by participating in the Babel Conference. The Romulan attack on the Babel Conference brought the Andorians and Tellarites together, and their settlement led to the lasting peace that the Federation was founded on.
Vulcan
By far the most familiar alien species in the Star Trek franchise, the Vulcans were there alongside the humans from the very beginning of interstellar travel. Though the Ferengi accidentally beat the Vulcans to Earth by a decade, the pointy-eared and logic-obsessed aliens made first with Earth during the events of "Carbon Creek" in the 1950s by accidentally crashing in Pennsylvania. However, the Vulcans officially made first with humans following Zefram Cochrane's initial warp journey in 1996's Star Trek: First . With the Vulcan's guiding logic, the Federation was given solid footing, and they helped unite the disparate worlds.
The Vulcan fleet of the 2150s was one of the most powerful of the founding worlds of the Federation, but they were reticent to use military might to solve problems. Repeated conflicts with the warlike Andorians resulted in increased tensions between the races in the 2150s, but Vulcan logic ultimately won out, and they were brought together by a common enemy. Even if humans resented Vulcans for first , and the Tellarites chafed against their condescending logic, Vulcan helped guide the three other founding worlds of the Federation during the trying attacks on the Babel Conference by the Romulans.
Earth
Though the Star Trek franchise focused on many of the races that lived within the Alpha Quadrant, the denizens of Earth were always the central focus of the story. Humans had entered into the world of intergalactic discovery when Zefram Cochrane discovered warp travel in 2063, and first with the Vulcans earned the humans their most trusted alien ally. Unlike other species in Star Trek that were defined by a singular feature, humans were much more diverse than their counterparts and represented a wider range of possibilities and emotional attitudes. Vulcans were logical and Tellarites were stubborn, but humans could be all of those things and more.
While the number of ships in Starfleet would grow over time, the early days of Earth's space force had them at a severe disadvantage to races like the Andorians. Humans were always on friendly with the Vulcans, and somewhat friendly with the Tellarites, but major conflicts with the Andorians made them a major obstacle to an alliance. Nevertheless, notable humans like Captain Jonathan Archer continuously held out for peace, and his ship the Enterprise became an important battleground for the foundation of the Federation during the Earth-Romulan War. Naive though they might have been, humans were the heart of Star Trek's Federation.