Difference between revisions of "Four Years War (FASA)"

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By all accounts, the Four Years War began when several members of the High Council were pressured by more militant factions to initiate open hostilities against the Federation. This pressure, combined with the need for territorial expansion and conquest of additional resources, led to open warfare. Although an expansionist Federation was seen as a looming threat to the Empire, war was frequently postponed by a policy of aggressive expansion in areas of the Empire not near the Federation. As those campaigns dwindled, however, more militant Houses began to express their displeasure at the Chancellor's apparent cowardice.<ref group="Notes" name="KlingonTerms"/> The chancellor planned a bold offensive against the Federation, in the hope of mollifying those Houses and remaining in power. The goal was to seize and annex a large region of space controlled by the Federation, and then to turn the Empire's energies toward the Romulan Star Empire. The plan assumed that the Federation would surrender control over the disputed area, rather than enter a prolonged conflict, and that the war would be over in a matter of months with minimal casualties.<ref name="FASA2218A"/>
 
By all accounts, the Four Years War began when several members of the High Council were pressured by more militant factions to initiate open hostilities against the Federation. This pressure, combined with the need for territorial expansion and conquest of additional resources, led to open warfare. Although an expansionist Federation was seen as a looming threat to the Empire, war was frequently postponed by a policy of aggressive expansion in areas of the Empire not near the Federation. As those campaigns dwindled, however, more militant Houses began to express their displeasure at the Chancellor's apparent cowardice.<ref group="Notes" name="KlingonTerms"/> The chancellor planned a bold offensive against the Federation, in the hope of mollifying those Houses and remaining in power. The goal was to seize and annex a large region of space controlled by the Federation, and then to turn the Empire's energies toward the Romulan Star Empire. The plan assumed that the Federation would surrender control over the disputed area, rather than enter a prolonged conflict, and that the war would be over in a matter of months with minimal casualties.<ref name="FASA2218A"/>
 +
 +
==Preliminary Skirmishes==
 +
===Archanis IV===
 +
Starfleet maintained a medium-sized research outpost on [[Archanis IV]],<ref group="Notes" name="Archanis"/> an otherwise uninhabited Class K planet. The outpost had no extensive offensive or defensive weapons systems, aside from various personal sidearms, and patrols in the area were generally limited to an occasional [[Hale class|''Hale'']] or [[Bode class|''Bode'' class]] scout. On Stardate 2249.355 (21 December 2249), the [[U.S.S. Bohr|U.S.S. ''Bohr'']], while on standard patrol near the Archanis system, reported observing a Klingon task force consisting of three of the fairly new [[D-7 class]] ships in the area of unclaimed space between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Not expecting deliberate hostilities, the ''Bohr'' intercepted and tracked the Klingon group. This was a lure, as a second group of 20 ships moved into the Archanis system and attacked the research station. After knocking out the station's deflector shield with their shipboard disruptors, two companies of Klingon marines transported down, killing all 112 personnel with hand weapons.<ref name="FASA2218A"/>
 +
 +
===Buildup on the Border===
 +
  
 
  <nowiki>
 
  <nowiki>
 
II. Preliminary Skirmishes
 
II. Preliminary Skirmishes
−
A. Archanis IV massacre: 2249.355 (21 Dec)
 
 
B. Buildup on UFP border: 2250.025-055 (25 Jan - 24 Feb)
 
B. Buildup on UFP border: 2250.025-055 (25 Jan - 24 Feb)
  
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<ref name="NoteDating">"[[The Four Years War (FASA-2218A)|The Four Years War]]" referred to events by a FASA-specific dating standard called the "Reference Stardate." All dates in this article have been adapted from that notation into standard Gregorian calendar dates, which are then adjusted for errors in the baseline dates used as reference by the FASA authors. Working with a known, dated event (e.g., the launch of the [[Constitution class|''Constitution'' class]] starships), the other dates in the timeline can be adjusted accordingly. "The Four Years War" gives the launch of the ''Constitution'' class as Reference Stardate 1/8801.04, or 04 January 2188; this has been established on screen, however, as having occurred in 2245. As the exact month and date remain unstated in other sources, those remain the same, but the year is adjusted to 2245, giving a modified date of 04 January 2245. This can then be converted into the pre-[[Star Trek|TOS]] stardate system established in [[Star Trek (Film)|''Star Trek'' (2009)]], giving us a stardate of 2245.004. Using this as a baseline, all other dates in the FASA timeline can be similarly modified and converted.</ref>
 
<ref name="NoteDating">"[[The Four Years War (FASA-2218A)|The Four Years War]]" referred to events by a FASA-specific dating standard called the "Reference Stardate." All dates in this article have been adapted from that notation into standard Gregorian calendar dates, which are then adjusted for errors in the baseline dates used as reference by the FASA authors. Working with a known, dated event (e.g., the launch of the [[Constitution class|''Constitution'' class]] starships), the other dates in the timeline can be adjusted accordingly. "The Four Years War" gives the launch of the ''Constitution'' class as Reference Stardate 1/8801.04, or 04 January 2188; this has been established on screen, however, as having occurred in 2245. As the exact month and date remain unstated in other sources, those remain the same, but the year is adjusted to 2245, giving a modified date of 04 January 2245. This can then be converted into the pre-[[Star Trek|TOS]] stardate system established in [[Star Trek (Film)|''Star Trek'' (2009)]], giving us a stardate of 2245.004. Using this as a baseline, all other dates in the FASA timeline can be similarly modified and converted.</ref>
 
<ref name="KlingonTerms">"[[The Four Years War (FASA-2218A)|The Four Years War]]" refers to "family lines" and the "Emperor" when discussing Klingon politics. These terms have been replaced with "Houses" and "Chancellor," to reflect the terminology and political makeup of the Klingons as established on screen in ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]], [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]],'' and ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]].''</ref>
 
<ref name="KlingonTerms">"[[The Four Years War (FASA-2218A)|The Four Years War]]" refers to "family lines" and the "Emperor" when discussing Klingon politics. These terms have been replaced with "Houses" and "Chancellor," to reflect the terminology and political makeup of the Klingons as established on screen in ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]], [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]],'' and ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]].''</ref>
 +
<ref name="Archanis">Although spelled consistently as Arcanis throughout "[[The Four Years War (FASA-2218A)|The Four Years War]]," the spelling has been modified to Archanis, to bring it into alignment with the spelling used on screen in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]].''</ref>
 
</references>
 
</references>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references>
 
<references>
−
<ref name="FASA2218A">"[[The Four Years War (FASA-2218A)|The Four Years War]]." ''[[Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game]],'' Supplement 2218A. Game. 1985. FASA.</ref>
+
<ref name="FASA2218A">"[[The Four Years War (FASA-2218A)|The Four Years War]]." ''[[Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game]],'' Supplement 2218A. Game. 1986. FASA.</ref>
 
<ref name="ENT01">"[[Broken Bow (Episode)|Broken Bow]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Enterprise]],'' Episodes 01-02. Film. 26 September 2001.</ref>
 
<ref name="ENT01">"[[Broken Bow (Episode)|Broken Bow]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Enterprise]],'' Episodes 01-02. Film. 26 September 2001.</ref>
 
<ref name="ENT15">"[[Sleeping Dogs (Episode)|Sleeping Dogs]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Enterprise]],'' Episode 15. Film. 30 January 2002.</ref>
 
<ref name="ENT15">"[[Sleeping Dogs (Episode)|Sleeping Dogs]]." ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Enterprise]],'' Episode 15. Film. 30 January 2002.</ref>

Revision as of 12:11, 26 August 2014

The Four Years War, as it later came to be known, was a mid-23rd century conflict between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. The war began with the Battle of Axanar on Stardate 2251.241 (29 August 2251),[Notes 1] and lasted until the Treaty of Axanar was signed on Stardate 2255.164 (13 June 2255), for a span of nearly 46 months.[1]

Background

Following the Romulan War and the founding of the Federation, the new nation's early years were characterized by consistent territorial expansion, as well as technological and cultural growth as warp-driven ships traveling among the Federation's member worlds. Peace again became paramount within the Federation. Resultingly, on Stardate 2193.12 (December 2193), the Federation Council rejected appropriations for a new generation of starships,[1] believing that the existing designs would continue to suit them well into the future. Coupled with the monumental failure of a later ship design, resulted in an obsolete, 46-year-old destroyer class serving as the Federation's first line of defense during an incident with the Klingons in 2208.[1]

Federation relations with the Klingons were strained from the start,[1] owing in no small measure to their many rough early contacts with the United Earth Starfleet in the mid-22nd century.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] On Stardate 2208.122 (02 May 2208), the U.S.S. Sentry made contact with a personal, warp-capable shuttle near Gamma Demetrius. When the pilot of the shuttle was granted temporary political asylum, the Klingon warship Devisor exchanged fire with the Sentry before departing, vowing to return and wreak havoc on the Federation. On Stardate 2217.063 (04 March 2217), a Klingon vessel, which was modified to transmit a Federation scout identification signal, seized the U.S.S. Flying Fortress, a slow but heavily-armed prototype transport. The tactic allowed for a sneak attack that destroyed the Flying Fortress bridge, killing all command personnel and rendering weapons systems inoperative. A Federation anti-piracy task force soon forced the Klingons to release their tractor beam, however, and the Flying Fortress—and its experimental new deflector systems—was returned to Federation control. Notably, there was a period of remarkable inactivity along the border between the two powers from 2239 to 2244; this was believed by Starfleet strategists to be a result of another war being fought by the Klingons on their borders furthest from Federation space.[1]

In Massed Fleets, Admiral Samuel Shepherd, the commanding admiral of Starfleet prior to the Four Years War, wrote that, following the Romulan War, "high officials in the Federation felt certain that another war would not occur quickly. Once installations were complete along the Romulan border, the future role of [Starfleet] seemed limited to navigational and simple law enforcement duties. As a result, appropriations ... were cut sharply. Funds for research and development permitted only modest technological improvements. Funds for new construction allowed only for the replacement of vessels no longer safe for use." This policy continued until Stardate 2205.051 (20 February 2205), when the expensive and ill-fated Tritium class entered service. The first starship designed with three warp nacelles, the design sought to disprove Zefram Cochrane's original warp theories, which held that no more than two warp nacelles could be used on a single ship, as imbalances in the warp fields generated would nullify the drive's effect. The engineers responsible—and several flag-rank officers in Starfleet Engineering Command—disagreed with Cochrane, and believed that the third nacelle would dramatically increase maximum operating performance. A total of six Tritium class ships were constructed before the project was terminated.[1] It would be several decades before a three-nacelled starship design could be made to work successfully.[10]

In Stardate 2214.08 (August 2214), the Terra-Return League was formed on Benecia Colony. The group's goal, as described in their Proclamation, was to end the Federation's policy of expansion and have all Humans return to the Sol System. Believing that mankind had gone deep into space and still had not solved many of humanity's basic problems, the group felt that resources were being exploited and abused on an interstellar level, and that there was room enough in the Sol System, now that several planets and moons had been terraformed. Further, the group called for the disbanding of the Federation, and a strictly isolationist view for humanity. By the time of the Babel Conference of Stardate 2234.01 (January 2234), the Terra-Return League represented a respectable and vocal minority, and officially raised the question of dissolving the Federation. When the question failed to pass, the League was disbanded.[1]

Adding to the dissatisfaction with the Federation Council was the Scandal of Archimedes. In Stardate 2227.09 (September 2227), Th'allt, an Andorian colony world very close to several Tellarite trading worlds, claimed harassment by particularly exploitative Tellarite traders. The situation, code-named "Archimedes" by Starfleet, was ignored at first and later badly mismanaged by the Bureau of Interstellar Commerce. The situation became critical in Stardate 2229.01 (January 2229), when a substantial task force of Starfleet vessels under the command of Andorian Admiral Hathari conducted "fleet maneuvers" near Th'allt, encircling the system with a protective blockade, firing on Tellarite-registered trading ships. The crisis illustrated the shortcomings of the Federation's complex and occasionally ineffective bureaucracy.[1]

By all accounts, the Four Years War began when several members of the High Council were pressured by more militant factions to initiate open hostilities against the Federation. This pressure, combined with the need for territorial expansion and conquest of additional resources, led to open warfare. Although an expansionist Federation was seen as a looming threat to the Empire, war was frequently postponed by a policy of aggressive expansion in areas of the Empire not near the Federation. As those campaigns dwindled, however, more militant Houses began to express their displeasure at the Chancellor's apparent cowardice.[Notes 2] The chancellor planned a bold offensive against the Federation, in the hope of mollifying those Houses and remaining in power. The goal was to seize and annex a large region of space controlled by the Federation, and then to turn the Empire's energies toward the Romulan Star Empire. The plan assumed that the Federation would surrender control over the disputed area, rather than enter a prolonged conflict, and that the war would be over in a matter of months with minimal casualties.[1]

Preliminary Skirmishes

Archanis IV

Starfleet maintained a medium-sized research outpost on Archanis IV,[Notes 3] an otherwise uninhabited Class K planet. The outpost had no extensive offensive or defensive weapons systems, aside from various personal sidearms, and patrols in the area were generally limited to an occasional Hale or Bode class scout. On Stardate 2249.355 (21 December 2249), the U.S.S. Bohr, while on standard patrol near the Archanis system, reported observing a Klingon task force consisting of three of the fairly new D-7 class ships in the area of unclaimed space between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Not expecting deliberate hostilities, the Bohr intercepted and tracked the Klingon group. This was a lure, as a second group of 20 ships moved into the Archanis system and attacked the research station. After knocking out the station's deflector shield with their shipboard disruptors, two companies of Klingon marines transported down, killing all 112 personnel with hand weapons.[1]

Buildup on the Border

II. Preliminary Skirmishes
B. Buildup on UFP border: 2250.025-055 (25 Jan - 24 Feb)

III. War Begins
A. Battle of Axanar: 2251.241 (29 Aug)
B. Declaration of War: 2251.272 (29 Sep)
C. Second Battle of Axanar: 2251.273 (30 Sep)
D. Battle of Andromeda: 2251.10 (Oct)
E. Robert April retires: 2252.01 (Jan)
F. Romulan incursion: 2252.041 (10 Feb)
G. Laxala Incident: 2252.04 (Apr)
H. Battle of GR-1 & Assault of Nozseca: 2252.05 (May)
I. Attack of Convoy Y-16Z: 2252.07 (Jul)
J. Constitution class reassigned: 2253.03 (Mar)

IV. Taking the Offensive
A. Defense of Rudgur III: 2253.03 (Mar)
B. Battle of Kesse: 2253.10 (Oct)
C. Attack on Zal Vhros occurs, highlighting Klingon frustration in fighting UFP: 2254.02 (Feb)
D. Battle of Thranstor: 2254.04 (Apr)
E. Engagement for Argelian Approaches: 2254.05 (May)

V. War's End
A. Capture of Admiral Komex: 2254.340 (06 Dec)
B. Operation Argus Redoubt: 2255.079 (20 Mar)

VI. Axanar Peace Mission & Aftermath
A. Convened Stardate 2258.132 (12 May)
B. Treaty signed Stardate 2258.164 (13 Jun)
C. Borders redefined
D. Starfleet drawdown: many classes decommissioned/destroyed
E. Starbases 12 & 27 completed

Sidebar: ship classes in service during war

Notes

  1. ↑ "The Four Years War" referred to events by a FASA-specific dating standard called the "Reference Stardate." All dates in this article have been adapted from that notation into standard Gregorian calendar dates, which are then adjusted for errors in the baseline dates used as reference by the FASA authors. Working with a known, dated event (e.g., the launch of the Constitution class starships), the other dates in the timeline can be adjusted accordingly. "The Four Years War" gives the launch of the Constitution class as Reference Stardate 1/8801.04, or 04 January 2188; this has been established on screen, however, as having occurred in 2245. As the exact month and date remain unstated in other sources, those remain the same, but the year is adjusted to 2245, giving a modified date of 04 January 2245. This can then be converted into the pre-TOS stardate system established in Star Trek (2009), giving us a stardate of 2245.004. Using this as a baseline, all other dates in the FASA timeline can be similarly modified and converted.
  2. ↑ "The Four Years War" refers to "family lines" and the "Emperor" when discussing Klingon politics. These terms have been replaced with "Houses" and "Chancellor," to reflect the terminology and political makeup of the Klingons as established on screen in Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
  3. ↑ Although spelled consistently as Arcanis throughout "The Four Years War," the spelling has been modified to Archanis, to bring it into alignment with the spelling used on screen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "The Four Years War." Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game, Supplement 2218A. Game. 1986. FASA.
  2. ↑ "Broken Bow." Enterprise, Episodes 01-02. Film. 26 September 2001.
  3. ↑ "Sleeping Dogs." Enterprise, Episode 15. Film. 30 January 2002.
  4. ↑ "Judgment." Enterprise, Episode 45. Film. 09 April 2003.
  5. ↑ "The Expanse." Enterprise, Episode 52. Film. 21 May 2003.
  6. ↑ "Borderland." Star Trek: Enterprise, Episode 80. Film. 29 October 2004.
  7. ↑ "The Augments." Star Trek: Enterprise, Episode 82. Film. 12 November 2004.
  8. ↑ "Affliction." Star Trek: Enterprise, Episode 91. Film. 18 February 2005.
  9. ↑ "Divergence." Star Trek: Enterprise, Episode 92. Film. 25 February 2005.
  10. ↑ "Star Fleet Technical Manual." Star Trek. Book. 1975. Ballantine.
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