Final answer:
The 'federation ship' and the 'Captain' in the context of the references provided are metaphorical representations. The ship can symbolize a spiritual community or the state of a nation, while the Captain represents a guiding figure like a savior, or in the case of Whitman's poem, President Abraham Lincoln.
Step-by-step explanation:
The references provided are from various poems and hymns that metaphorically use the term federation ship to describe a group or community led by a guiding figure or entity. In the context of these lines, the 'federation ship' could be interpreted as the 'old ship of Zion', symbolizing a spiritual community or church. The 'Captain' of this ship is a savior figure, metaphorically guiding players on this spiritual journey.
The line 'O Captain! my Captain!' originates from Walt Whitman's poem, which is an elegy to Abraham Lincoln. In this poem, the ship is a metaphor for the state of the Union and the Captain is a symbol for President Lincoln. The passage describes the end of a difficult journey (the Civil War) and the death of the Captain (Lincoln).