star trek - Did the Klingons join the Federation?

In "Samaritan Snare", there's an interesting exchange between Wesley Crusher and Captain Picard:

PICARD: Several friends and I were on leave at Farspace Starbase Earhart. It was little more than a galactic outpost in those days.

WESLEY: Was this before the Klingons joined the Federation?

PICARD: That's right.

But in other instances, it is pretty clear that the Klingons aren't full members of the Federation. They still refer to the Empire, have their own ships, and seem to be a separate polity.

For example, in "The Defector",

PICARD: Cancel red alert. Mister Worf, will you extend the appreciation of the Federation and my personal gratitude to the Klingons.

So what gives? What exactly is the relationship between the Klingons and the Federation in the TNG era?

Answer

The Klingon Empire appears to have been intended to be a member of the Federation in TNG; however, in Season 3 the writers ret-conned that idea to allow them to be aggressors again.

This is a screen capture from Season 1 showing a United Federation of Planets logo on a Klingon bridge. enter image description here

Other than this screen grab, and the conversation cited by the OP, it was never firmly established what level of Federation "Membership" the Klingons had, and so it was very easy to again make them into aggressors.

More evidence is given here in the writers guide:
Star Trek - The Next Generation - Writer/Director's Guide (PDF)

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