MetaMetaMeta on the TableTableTable

In response to this week's metametameta prompt about jobs in canon (or rather, the prompt was probably inspired by this thought that's been bouncing around in my head for a while).

I want to talk about canon. About what used to be THE canon, back when the word "fandom" meant one thing and all fen knew what that was. (Not to say that there weren't other fandoms--but they weren't called that.) (Please, no wank about what was and wasn't "fandom." I'm using artistic hyperbole. Ignore the facts and try to enjoy the silly meta, mmmkay?)

Trek. Late 60's. Vietnam war, hippies, civil rights movement, the space program. Progressive era, and Star Trek tried to capture the greatest of its progressive ideals: multiracial equality, women as military officers (although Trek claimed to be non-military), tech beyond the dreams of geeks, medical advances that removed most diseases from human consideration, happy drugs growing wild in the fields, telepathy, exotic arts and music, benevolent aliens, space ships blasting each other with laserzap weapons.

So... who were the really powerful people in the Federation? ( The ones who had the most influence, of course. )