I wrote this several years ago in a fit of fannish pedantry. Utterly useless, of course, but kind of fun (at least to me).
Star Trek Timeline
Every Star Trek series since the original has subtly, or not so subtly, shifted the historical assumptions underlying the Star Trek historical timeline. Even the movie series introduces different implications than the original series. This timeline is an attempt to show a conjectural Star Trek historical timeline that views the original series as canon, without regard to subsequent interpretations. There will be some borrowing of ideas from later series, but only as a means of filling out incomplete information. The following is an outline of the historical data from ST:TOS, followed by conjectures based on ST:TOS, and then the complete timeline chart.
The 20th Century
ST:TOS is quite sparse in describing the history bridging the gap between then and now. Most of what we know is implied in the characters and attitudes of the Enterprise crew, with a few mentions of historical people, events, and places scattered here and there. Still, there’s enough to build a rough conjecture. Of particular note are the mentions of events that alter the real-life timeline as it has already occurred. There are four:
- Gary Seven – In 1967, an alien species sent Agent Gary Seven to Earth to help humanity avoid nuclear war and other self-made calamities. Presumably his influence would have led to a more peaceful and advanced late 20th century than in real-life history. (“Assignment: Earth”)
- Methuselah – Akharin, Leonardo da Vinci, Brahms, Flint – whatever his name, he is an Immortal, having lived among humanity for thousands of years. McCoy thought that he was a human mutant, although it’s possible this was a ruse, and his true nature was something else entirely. His technology in ST:TOS was incredibly advanced, and it is reasonable to assume that he was always a few hundred years ahead of his time. It is difficult to decide what his role in alternate history may have been, although it is not hard to imagine him having a behind-the-scenes role in late 20th-century eugenics and space flight. (“Requiem for Methuselah”)
- Khan and the Eugenics Wars – It is never said whether Khan and those like him were the result of selective breeding or genetic engineering. Both are likely. Whatever their origins, these Augments (to borrow the term from ST:E) conquered a quarter of the globe, but were overthrown eventually. The Eugenics Wars were said to have happened sometime between 1967 and 2000. It is unknown whether Gary Seven was active during these events. Given that the immortal Flint seen in ST:TOS is driven by a desire for a perfect mate, it is reasonable to guess that he was a driving factor behind the Augments – he may have been trying to reproduce the conditions that produced his own mutation. (“Space Seed”)
- Early space flight – Khan’s Botany Bay, a DY-100 sleeper ship, must have been launched before 2000. Certainly it represents technology that never existed in real-life history. Its size, speed, hibernation units, and probably its power systems are all great leaps forward from what actually was available in that timeframe. It’s possible that the DY-100 was the result of a genius Augment and that the technology was lost after the Eugenics Wars. That’s unlikely, however, given the attitudes of the Enterprise crew when they find the Botany Bay: there’s the line about the sleeper ships being obsolete by 2018. That implies both that long-duration manned space flights were being launched prior to 2018 and that even better ships were available after that. The Nomad interstellar probe launched in 2002 also represents technology unavailable in real life. (“Space Seed” and “The Changeling”)
The death of Edith Keeler (“The Guardian at the Edge of Forever”), the abduction of native Americans by the Preservers (“The Paradise Syndrome”), and the events relating to a UFO encounter by Col. John Christopher (USAF) (“Return to Tomorrow”) do not enter into consideration, since they did not result in history unfolding differently in the Star Trek universe than in real life. All in all, Star Trek’s version of the 20th century seems a bit bloodier, but also more accomplished. Humans had by the end of the year 2000 made a good start towards exploring and colonizing the Solar System.
The 21st Century
Nomad (“The Changeling”) was launched in 2002 as an unmanned interstellar probe sent out “to seek out new life, and new civilizations.” There is no indication that it was warp-capable; it can be assumed that it was designed to operate for many years at a high sub-light acceleration. There were probably other probes of the sort. Voyager VI from ST:TMP was launched in 1999.
Humans probably had explored, if not colonized, much of the Solar System by mid-century. The fact that sleeper ships were obsolete by 2018 implies that something like the impulse drive in ST:TOS was available. In 2063, Zephram Cochrane of Alpha Centauri discovered what Kirk termed “the space warp,” presumably a faster-than-light warp drive (“Metamorphosis”). Two years later, the SS Valiant was launched, a manned deep space vessel whose wreckage was discovered by the USS Enterprise two hundred years later (“Where No Man Has Gone Before”). However, ST:TOS also mentions World War III. This may have been synonymous with the Eugenics Wars, but probably not. ST:TNG mentions that WWIII occurred in 2079, and was followed by the “Post-Atomic Horror” (ST:TNG “Encounter at Farpoint”), a period of disease, famine, and chaos. [Star Trek: First Contact moved this date back to 2053 – no doubt interference from time travelers has corrupted the timeline.] On more than one occasion, Spock laments the lack of historical records from Earth history, and it is implied he meant the 20th and 21st centuries. There is another point to consider. Kirk said “Zephram Cochrane of Alpha Centauri” in much the same tone as “Scott of the Antarctic” – a famous explorer linked with the place he explored. In real life, scientists are not test pilot/astronauts. If Cochrane was the leader of the first manned mission to Alpha Centauri (a four year trip at sub-light speed, though time dilation may have made the experience seem much shorter), how did he discover the space-warp? If Cochrane was a stay-at-home scientist, then in what way was he “of” Alpha Centauri?
The 22nd Century
Little is said in ST:TOS of the 22nd century. It seems to have been something of a golden age for humanity overall, although there were definite troubles. In 2119, Zephram Cochrane disappears in a spaceship. This implies that human technology and economy has progressed to the point where it would be possible for one old man to make off with a spaceship. The only named event during this century is the Earth-Romulan War (later chronologies peg this conflict from 2156-2160) (“Balance of Terror”). The war was fought with “primitive atomic weapons,” and no visual communications between Humans and Romulans occurred, though it seems likely this was the Romulans’ preference, rather than a lack of the necessary technology. Certainly Earth forces got a good look at the Romulans’ painted ships during this time. From the attitudes of the Enterprise crew during “Balance of Terror” as well as the vigilance of the Federation in the manning of the Neutral Zone outposts, this war must have been gruesome. Perhaps it was the first contact Humans had with a hostile species.
It is never specifically mentioned in ST:TOS, but most later chronologies give a date of 2161 as the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites are mentioned as founding members. Actually, there is an indication that Vulcan may not have been a founding member of the UFP. As a young officer, James T. Kirk is said to have participated in the “Vulcanian Expedition” (“Court Martial”). Why would Starfleet mount an expedition to a founding member of the Federation? Is it not more likely that this was a diplomatic mission to convince the reclusive Vulcans to join the Federation? That would also explain “Ambassador” Sarek. Units within a unified political entity usually don’t send ambassadors to each other. That is something sovereign nations do between themselves.
The 23rd Century
“The Cage”/ “The Menagerie” hints at some of the developments of the 23rd century. When they meet the illusory shipwreck survivors on Talos IV, the Enterprise crew claims that Humans are “on over 200 worlds” and that “the time barrier has been broken.” That implies the Federation has enjoyed explosive growth, and that much faster warp speeds are now available. No doubt this explains the construction of the Constitution-class deep space cruisers. If the Federation had colonies and outposts flung far and wide, something like a fast, self-sufficient policeman, explorer, diplomat, and researcher would be vital...particularly with potential threats from the Klingons and Romulans, and later the Gorn and Tholians. However, Kirk notes that the “wars between star systems no longer prevails in our part of the galaxy” (“A Taste of Armageddon”), meaning that the Federation has been a successful mechanism for maintaining peace within its reach. Certainly, no shooting war like the Romulan-Earth conflict is mentioned. On the other hand, the Enterprise certainly gets into its share of battles, and it seems that this is the common situation in Starfleet...for example, Captain Garth is said to have been the hero of the battle of Axanar.
Conjectures
ST:TOS leaves most questions about the future history of Humanity unanswered. The following is an attempt to create a more detailed timeline, and is based on the following conjectures:
- The “Rigel” mentioned several times in ST:TOS is actually “Rigil,” as in Rigil Kentauros, another name for Alpha Centauri. This is more astronomically believable, as Rigel is over 800 light years away. Even the warp speeds given in ST:TOS are too slow to allow Rigel to be a common starship destination and member of the Federation.
- Rigil II is only mentioned as a place where a cabaret exists in ST:TOS “Shore Leave.” Since it is the second planet from its sun, it may be a place like Mercury or Venus, requiring domes and other forms of artificial environments.
- Rigil IV is the home of the Chelon, the Rigellians shown in ST:TMP. They are evolved from a race of bi-pedal saber-toothed turtles. The Human Mr. Hengist in “A Wolf in the Fold” is from Rigil IV and says “Many people are. It’s not a crime.” This indicates that by ST:TOS, Rigil IV is a multi-cultural member of the Federation. Presumably, Chelon are found on many other worlds, too.
- Rigil VII is the home of the Kaylar warriors from “The Cage.” Presumably, if they are attacking Starfleet personnel in the 23rd century, the Kaylar have not joined the Federation, although obviously there is some contact with them. It can be conjectured that the Kaylar, while intellectually and technologically advanced, are biologically driven to aggression to a degree that radically hampers their civilization’s development, much to the dismay of their more advanced neighbors.
- Rigil X is the location of a massive trading post, the commercial heart of the Federation. This conjecture is based partly on the Rigel X trading center seen on ST:E, which from the episodes where it appears is obviously in easy reach of Earth.
- Rigil XII has a sparsely populated dilithium mining colony and little else. In ST:TOS, the miners were Human (“Mudd’s Women”).
- Rigil V is completely conjectural. It is the home of the Rigilians mentioned in “Journey to Babel.” The drug Spock recommends to McCoy as a means of speeding up Spock’s blood production so that he can give a transfusion to Sarek is described as being for Rigilians, who have a similar biology to Vulcans. These Rigilians may be conjectured as the same species called Rigellian in ST:E. Since no Rigilians appear among the delegates in “Journey to Babel” it may be conjectured that they are either not a major race of the Federation, or have no interest in the Coridan question, or perhaps are not a member of the Federation at all. Another intriguing possibility is that, given the stated similarity with the Vulcans, the Rigilians may be a “seeded” species of Sargon’s people. It is also a good guess that the Rigilians may have self-discipline and other mental aspects similar to Vulcans and Romulans.
- If interstellar probes were being launched around the turn of the 21st century, and long-range manned ships were available by mid-21st century, then humans may have reached Alpha Centauri (“Rigil”) at almost any time between 2010 and 2063. If the Rigilians of Rigil V were already operating an interstellar trading post at Rigil X, it seems reasonable that they either had warp drive or were close to it. Perhaps they were not a very expansive species, since they had not come to Earth. Or, more likely, they had been observing Earth for some time, and had come to the conclusion that Humans were nearly as barbaric as the Kaylar. At any rate, once peaceful relations had been established, Human scientists, engineers, artists, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and many others clamored for berths on the Human ships heading to Rigil. A Human colony was quickly established on Rigil V.
- The Rigilians of Rigil V, as mentioned above, were calm, logical, non-aggressive, slow to expand, but quick to make friends and intensely curious about other species. When they developed space flight, they quickly established cordial relations with the Chelon of Rigil IV, but failed utterly to get anywhere with the Kaylar of Rigil VII. The Rigilians created a trading post on Rigil X, inviting peaceful visits from any star-traveling species. One may assume that the Andorians, Tellarites, and Ithanites (the small, gold-skinned race seen in “Journey to Babel”) were among the visitors, and perhaps the Vulcans. Probably the Orions were also early visitors, although once the nature of the Orion Syndicate was understood, Orion ships would no doubt be either banned or heavily restricted. In a precursor to the Federation’s Prime Directive, the Rigilians would have gently, but firmly, banned their Human friends from traveling to Rigil X until they had achieved warp drive on their own.
- The Human colony on Rigil V would have been a utopia, populated with immigrants that were the most highly-talented individuals Earth could produce, mentored by the wise Rigilians. They would have rapidly advanced beyond armed conflict, poverty, and disease. In fact, a rift would soon develop between the colony and the home world. Earth, though rapidly advancing technologically, would still be gripped by political strife and tyranny of all kinds, with the subsequent wars, disease, poverty, and starvation. By mid-century, flights to Rigil from Earth would all but stop, and Rigil would cease sharing knowledge with Earth. The colonists would see Earth as backwards, obstinate, and potentially dangerous. Earth would see the colonists as having lost their culture, even their basic humanity, from contact with a supposedly-advanced species.
- Eventually, the Humans of Rigil V, the “Alpha Centaurans,” turned outwards to the galaxy rather than back to Earth. In 2063, Zephram Cochrane tested a Human-built warp drive, and travel, expansion, and first contacts proceeded rapidly from there. Humans had joined the galactic community, but Earth had not.
- In 2065, the SS Valiant was launched from Rigil, along with others in its class. These were the first Human-built deep space explorers. The Valiant is lost with all hands, but presumably the other ships are more successful. Human colonies are planted in nearby systems, and Human trade expands among other warp-capable species.
- In 2079, World War III and the Post-Atomic Horror shatter Earth society. Human colonies on Luna, Mars, and the moons of Jupiter look to the Alpha Centaurans to aid them. Zephram Cochrane himself is a noted figure in the relief efforts. Within a few years, Human culture on Earth is re-built. Most of the advancements made by the Alpha Centaurans take hold, but Earth also has an effect on its colonies. A new pride in Humanity takes hold, and the optimistic outlook seen in ST:TOS becomes dominant. United Earth begins building its own warp-capable ships.
- In the early 22nd century, Humans colonize many worlds, and become in some ways the dominant species of the region, not so much for their technology or cultural advancement, but for their energy and rapid expansion. Human success is tempered somewhat by military setbacks. Many regions of local space experience wars and low-level conflicts caused by competition for trade routes and colonizable worlds. Humans experience some success as peacemakers.
- In 2156, a new species afterwards known as the Romulans initiates first contact with Humans by attacking Rigil V with atomic weapons. The Alpha Centaurans are wiped out, and Rigilian civilization is shattered. Over the next four years, Earth leads the fight against the Romulans, successfully fending off attacks against Human colonies and driving the invaders back into their home space. In 2160, Earth negotiates (via sub-space radio) a peace treaty, establishing a neutral zone between the Romulan Star Empire and everybody else.
- In 2161, Earth and her allies in the war form the United Federation of Planets.
Timeline
| c.4000 BC | Akharin born in Mesopotamia. He discovers that he is effectively immortal, and begins a long life, in which he will be such historical figures as Methuselah, Solomon, Alexander the Great, Merlin, Leonardo da Vinci, Reginald Pollack, and Sten of Marcus II. (“Requiem for Methuselah”) |
| c.1000 BC | Reign of King Solomon in Israel – Solomon is actually a subsequent identity of the Immortal Akharin. (“Requiem for Methuselah”) |
| 336 BC | Alexander the Great (actually an identity of the Immortal Akharin) becomes king of Macedon. (“Requiem for Methuselah”) |
| c.500 | “Merlin” (actually an identity of the Immortal Akharin) active in the British Isles (“Requiem for Methuselah”) |
| c.1700 | Preservers kidnap and transport native Americans to a new world (“The Paradise Syndrome”) |
| 1868 | Johannes Brahms (actually an identity of the Immortal Akharin) achieves fame as a composer. (“Requiem for Methuselah”) |
| c.1950 | Immortal Akharin uses his vast knowledge and resources to further research into “improving humanity.” His goal is to recreate the conditions of his own mutation, producing a possible mate for him. (Conjecture) The experimental results become the Augments of the Eugenics Wars. (“Space Seed” – term “Augment” comes from ST:E) |
| 1967 | Agent Gary Seven arrives on Earth (“Assignment: Earth”) |
| c.1968 | Reginald Pollack (actually an identity of the Immortal Akharin) active and moderately famous as an artist in San Francisco. His reputation would grow enormously in subsequent decades. (“Requiem for Methuselah”) |
| 1992-1996 | Eugenics Wars on Earth; Khan Noonien Singh escapes in a DY-100 sleeper ship. (“Space Seed”). |
| 1999 | Voyager VI launched – falls “into a black hole” (ST:TMP) |
| c.2000 | Manned space flight reaches planets of the inner solar system. Sleeper ships are developed to reach worlds in the outer solar system. (Conjecture) |
| 2002 | Nomad interstellar probe is launched – it is intercepted by an unknown alien power (“The Changeling”) |
| 2009 | First manned Earth-Saturn mission launched, commanded by Sean Christopher. (“Return to Tomorrow”) |
| 2018 | Sleeper ships such as the DY-100 obsolete (“Space Seed”) |
| c. 2020 | Sub-light explorer vessels from Earth take advantage of time-dilation to reach Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentauros). First contact made with Rigilians. Alpha Centauri colony established on Rigil V under the tutelage of the Rigilians. (Conjecture) |
| 2030 | Zephram Cochrane born on the Alpha Centauri colony on Rigil V. (Location conjectural; date calculated from “Metamorphosis”) |
| 2063 | Zephram Cochrane of Alpha Centauri (the Human colony on Rigil V) discovers the space-warp (“Metamorphosis” – description of Alpha Centauri conjectural) |
| 2065 | SS Valiant launched on a deep-space exploration mission. It is lost with all hands. (“Where No Man Is Gone Before”) Valiant was one of a class of deep-space exploration vessels launched from Alpha Centauri. These ships made first contact with many of the races that would eventually help to found the United Federation of Planets. (Conjecture) |
| 2079 | WWIII on Earth results in 37 million deaths, followed by “Post-Atomic Horror.” (ST:TNG for date; “Bread and Circuses” for existence and death-toll of WWIII) Colonel Green was a leader of a tyrannical faction noted for bloodthirstiness during this timeframe. (“The Savage Curtain”) |
| 2080 | Beginning this year, a relief effort mounted from Alpha Centauri lifts Earth from the Post-Atomic Horror. Society and technology advances at an accelerated rate. Zephram Cochrane is instrumental in the relief efforts. A united humanity begins to take its place in galactic society. (Conjecture) |
| 2117 | Zephram Cochrane disappears at the age of 87. First contact with the Vulcans must have happened prior to this, because Zephram Cochrane later recognized Spock’s species. (“Metamorphosis”) |
| 2156-2160 | Earth-Romulan War. Romulan ships are seen to be painted with bird-of-prey images, but no ship-to-ship communications were ever established. Both sides used atomic weapons. Peace was finally negotiated by sub-space radio and the Neutral Zone established. (“Balance of Terror” – specific dates from ST:TNG) The war began with a sneak attack by the Romulans on Rigil V. The Alpha Centauran colony, as well as Rigilian civilization, was destroyed by atomic weapons. Earth suddenly found itself responsible for relief efforts to Rigil, as well as defending itself and several far-flung colonies and outposts against an aggressive, hostile species. Eventually, with the help of Rigilian survivors and allies such as the Andorians and Tellarites, the Romulans were pushed back into their own space. (Conjecture) |
| 2161 | United Federation of Planets founded (ST:TNG) |
| c.2170 | Daedalus-class explorers launched by the Federation. These become the workhorse exploration, colonization, and defense vessels of the early Federation. (Conjecture, based on mentions in ST:TNG “Power Play”) The USS Archon (“Return of the Archons”) was likely a Daedalus-class starship. |
| 2196 | Daedalus-class explorers decommissioned. (ST:TNG “Power Play”) |
| c.2200 | Famed artist Terra Nullus of Centaurus VII active. (Conjecture: Flint has an original, but unknown, lithograph of Terra Nullus of Centaurus VII in his home. This implies that Flint himself was Terra Nullus in a previous identity. It seems likely that Centaurus VII is another name for Rigil VII, which is the home of the Kaylar. This would explain the fact that Flint’s home is an exact replica of a Kaylar fortress [the same matte painting was used in both TOS episodes].) |
| 2245 | Constitution-class explorers launched (ST:TOS) |
| c.2250 | Romulan Star Empire begins a series of wars of conquest. (The Romulan Centurion mentions “dozens of campaigns” in “Balance of Terror.”) As the Federation remains unaware of Romulan activities until 2264, this expansion would have been on the opposite side of the Empire from the Federation. (Conjecture) |
| c.2260 | Vulcanian Expedition mounted by Starfleet. Participating is the USS Republic. Serving on board is a young officer named James T. Kirk. (“Court Martial”) This may have been a diplomatic initiative aimed at convincing Vulcan to join the Federation. This may have been the occasion of unsuccessfully offering T’Pau a seat on the Federation Council. Spock’s father Sarek, the ambassador from Vulcan to the Federation, may have used the successful negotiations as a last act before his (first) retirement. (Conjecture based on lines from “Journey to Babel” and “Amok Time”) |
| c.2261 | A Constitution-class explorer, USS Intrepid, is crewed by Vulcans. (“The Immunity Syndrome” – date conjectural) This reflects both the growing importance of Vulcan to the Federation, and the lack of integration (at that time) of Vulcans within the larger Federation society. |
| c.2263 | Relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, never very good, deteriorate sharply over territorial disputes. Both sides begin to prepare for war. |
| 2264-2266 | ST:TOS |
| 2264 | The Romulan Star Empire field-tests its new weapon systems against Federation targets, in an attempt to discover if the time is right for a new war against the Federation. The tests prove that the Romulan technology, while impressive, is not enough to ensure victory, and war plans are shelved. (“Balance of Terror”) |
| 2264 | The Gorn initiate first contact with the Federation by wiping out the Cestus III outpost. Intervention by the USS Enterprise and the Metrons leads to a negotiated settlement of differences. |
| 2264 | War is declared between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets, but the Organian Peace Treaty is imposed before any battles can take place. (“Errand of Mercy”) |
| 2265 | The USS Enterprise engages in an inconclusive skirmish with Tholian forces. (“The Tholian Web”) |
| 2265 | The Federation discovers that the Romulans have entered into a technology-sharing partnership with the Klingons. The Romulans gain some D-7 cruisers (and the warp technology to go with them). If the Romulans believed this would give them the edge in a confrontation with the Federation, they soon reconsidered after the Federation acquired a Romulan cloaking device. (“The Enterprise Incident”) |
Strategic Analysis of the Star Trek Milieu
As with the Timeline analysis, this essay takes the original series of Star Trek (ST:TOS) as canon, overriding every subsequent version of Star Trek, although ideas from the later series and movies will be used to flesh out ideas and conjectures.
The United Federation of Planets
During the first season of ST:TOS, the controlling authority of the USS Enterprise was left a little vague. Various references were made to Starfleet Command, and at least one reference was made to UESPA (pronounced “you-spah”), which was meant to designate the United Earth Space Probe Agency. As the first season progressed, small details about the Star Trek universe began to be fleshed out. The UESPA concept was dropped, and the “home base” of the Enterprise was consistently referred to as Starfleet Command, which not only ran a series of Starbases that the Enterprise would occasionally visit, but also served as the administrative authority for the other twelve Constitution-class starships. Other Human spaceships were seen or mentioned from time to time, like the SS Antares in “Charlie X” or the passenger vessel Astral Queen in “Conscience of the King.” These do not appear to be part of Starfleet. A picture develops of a large private merchant fleet based on Earth and various colonies, carrying on the commerce of the Federation. Meanwhile, Starfleet has its magnificent starships that perform security, military, diplomatic, scientific, and exploratory missions.
As for the Federation itself, it is referred to by Kirk as “democratic,” consisting of the home worlds of several space-faring species allied in a voluntary, sovereign body. The only governmental structures mentioned are the Federation Council (the same body that T’Pau of Vulcan famously refused nomination to), various Federation Commissioners (like Nancy Hedrick in “Metamorphosis,” Nils Barris in “The Trouble With Tribbles,” and Farris from “The Galileo Seven”), and Ambassadors (like Robert Fox in “A Taste of Armageddon”). Membership in the Federation is left somewhat ambiguous. Numerous Human colonies are mentioned throughout ST:TOS, but it is not established whether or not these are Earth colonies, and it is Earth that is a member of the Federation, or whether some of the colonies have risen to the level of member world themselves. A mixture of statuses is probably the most likely scenario. As for non-Human members, “Journey to Babel” strongly implies that the Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, and Ithanites (the small gold-skinned race seen in that episode) are full Federation members, and the mention of the Vulcan-crewed USS Intrepid in “The Immunity Syndrome” conclusively establishes Vulcan’s status as a member world. The planet Ardana in “The Cloud Minders” is directly stated to be a member world of the Federation. Argelius (“Wolf in the Fold”) is not a member, but is allied with the Federation and is a valued port-of-call for Federation shipping. Some species mentioned, like the Rigelians, are not defined one way or the other as far as Federation membership is concerned.
However, it does seem to be the case that Humans dominate the membership of Starfleet, and no non-Human colony world is shown in ST:TOS, although several Human colonies are mentioned and shown. It is possible that many of the Human-looking characters and extras in ST:TOS were in fact aliens, given the large number of alien worlds featuring natives visually indistinguishable from Humans. Nevertheless, it may be safely assumed that Humans are the most representative species of the Federation.
A picture begins to develop of a vast and powerful wave spreading out from Earth into the galaxy. The Federation’s expanding core contains mature colonies, non-Human members incorporated into the commercial structure of the Federation, and enormous wealth. Farther out lie the frontier regions, which contain colonies of various sizes, alien trading partners who have not yet been brought into full membership, and outposts and mines of various types (for example, the “lithium cracking station” at Delta Vega seen in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” and the outpost at Cestus III seen in “Arena”). Beyond that lay the unexplored territories, where only independent scouts and Starfleet’s finest starships boldly go. Several conjectures about the strategic situation of the Federation are now possible.
The Federation is vast in scale compared with the Klingon and Romulan empires. Whereas the two empires methodically incorporate neighboring systems into their nation, the Federation explores widely, opening trade routes, founding colonies, and accepting new members without much regard to distances. Thus, there may be large numbers of ‘unused’ systems between built-up sectors of the Federation. It is also important to note that Starfleet’s Prime Directive causes a situation where large numbers of less-developed systems are relatively ignored and isolated, even though they may be well within the Federation’s territory (e.g., Capella, as seen in “Friday’s Child,” and Neural in “A Private Little War”). This is perhaps the explanation of how the Orion Syndicate (seen in “Journey to Babel”) is able to operate within Federation space. By keeping a low profile and hiding in the “rural” systems of the Federation, pirates and criminals would have a chance to flourish.
One possible way for the Federation to go about its business would be to have a vast fleet of military ships, continually pressing outwards, holding and securing new systems and sectors. ST:TOS clearly shows that this is not the case. In fact, no Federation military capability is shown at all, apart from the mighty starships and the outposts along the Romulan Neutral Zone. The mentality shown in the existence of the Prime Directive implies a consciously non-exploitive stance on the part of the Federation. They explore and trade, but do not conquer or enslave. “Devil in the Dark” perhaps shows the best example that this is so. The Horta slew several Humans and threatened thousands more, and the miners were determined to exterminate the threat, but when they learned the Horta was intelligent, and that the mining activities had destroyed hundreds of Horta eggs, they were horrified. All thoughts of revenge were instantly banished, and a friendly, mutually-beneficial relationship was established very quickly.
Given these attitudes, it is clear that most Federation military capability is of the local defense type. Power projection is simply not a priority. There is one important exception. Due to the far-flung geometry of the Federation, it is militarily and economically vital to have secure trade routes. Thus, the importance of such space-securing missions as the ones to Eminiar (“A Taste of Armageddon”), Melkotia (“Spectre of the Gun”), and the importance of Argelius as an open port (“Wolf in the Fold”). Furthermore, there must be provision made for the small outposts and colonies on the furthest reaches of the Federation frontier that cannot adequately defend themselves. This is where the starship comes in.
“We’re the only policeman out here,” says Kirk in “Arena.” The Constitution-class starships (“There are only twelve like her in the fleet,” Kirk says to Colonel Christopher in “Return to Tomorrow”) are the pride of the Federation. They are not only the first line of defense, but the finest explorers, diplomats, scientists, and explorers the Federation can bring to bear. They are very well-defended, very heavily-armed, and very fast. They are fully capable of suppressing raiders and pirates on their own, and for full-scale military missions, they become flagships, backed up by the fastest classes of smaller Starfleet vessels. The Constitution-class is seen as a threat by both the Klingons and Romulans. Both fear the power-projection possibilities of these starships. Both suspect that they are targets of Federation avarice. In the case of the Klingons, this may be accurate (Kor in “Errand of Mercy” accuses the Federation of stifling Klingon trade, and Kirk does not deny it).
One further point: In ST:TOS, we see the Constitution-class roster take a beating. The Intrepid is eaten by a space amoeba. The Constellation is destroyed in battle against the Doomsday Machine. Defiant (“The Tholian Web”) is lost with all hands through a subspace rupture. The Excalibur is destroyed during the disastrous M-5 exercise. Farragut (“Obsession”) and Lexington (“The Ultimate Computer”) are described as heavily damaged, and Exeter (“The Omega Glory”) loses her entire crew (though it is likely it was soon returned to duty). In the novelization of ST1, Gene Roddenberry (probably ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster) mentions that Kirk’s fame is due to his having returned the Enterprise from its initial five-year mission “relatively intact.” This implies that all the other twelve Constitution-class starships were pretty much destroyed in this timeframe. If the ships were not replaced, that would indicate a dangerous weakening of the Federation’s defense strength, but the movies seem to indicate that this did not occur. ST1 shows a radically-refit Enterprise, far superior in every way to her old self. ST2 introduces the Reliant, presumably a light cruiser to back up the Constitution-class heavy cruisers. ST3 shows both a dedicated science vessel, the USS Grissom, and the battleship USS Excelsior. The Federation would seem to remain well-defended.
The Klingon Empire
Despite the fact that the Klingon Empire was the major antagonist to the Federation during the Original Series, information on them is rather scanty. A lot of the motifs and ideas about the Klingons developed in subsequent series and movies first appeared in the episode “Mirror, Mirror” … and were originally meant to describe the alternate Federation, not the Klingon Empire. The agonizer and promotion-by-assassination come to mind (although Kang did use an agonizer in “Day of the Dove” – the same prop was used in the earlier “Mirror, Mirror”).
The first mention and appearance of the Klingons was in “Errand of Mercy” (the Klingon D-7 would not appear on-screen until “Elaan of Troyius,” although the Romulan version would appear earlier in “The Enterprise Incident”). Star Trek’s first Klingon villain, Commander Kor, was dedicated, urbane, thoughtful, and cheerfully violent. His subordinates seemed rather craven and subdued. These Klingons were a far cry from the warrior-barbarians portrayed in Star Trek III and subsequent series. Later Klingons seem to be inspired more by stereotypical Vikings and Larry Niven’s Kzinti. In “Errand of Mercy,” the Klingons were much simpler. The Empire was a military dictatorship, and a totalitarian one, too, much like the Soviet Union of the sixties. Kor mentioned that the Klingons were strong because they functioned as a unified force, united by constant surveillance, even surveillance of commanders like himself. Kirk mentioned that the typical Klingon modus operandi was to subjugate a planet and convert its population into slaves of the Empire, brutally controlling their activities and suppressing their culture. As for the impending war with the Federation, Kor makes the case that the Federation has stifled their trade and contested Klingon control of several territories (whether this refers to individual systems or entire star sectors is unclear). Federation interests are never explained, although it is likely that the Klingons were viewed as a security threat to the Federation itself and to its trading partners, to put it mildly.
Klingons also appear in “The Trouble With Tribbles,” “Friday’s Child,” “Elaan of Troyius,” “A Private Little War,” “Day of the Dove,” and, in a way, “The Savage Curtain” (Kahless the Unforgettable was more of a projection of Kirk’s thoughts and emotions than a real Klingon). None of these episodes add much to our understanding of the Klingons. They even contradict each other on the little information they do give. Koloth says that Klingons do not include females in their starship crews. Kang’s crew includes females.
Nevertheless, there is enough information to create a rough conjecture of the strategic qualities of the Klingon Empire. The Klingon Empire is indeed a military dictatorship, where the warriors are trained, drilled, and indoctrinated, as well as absolutely controlled. However, the Federation often finds Klingon ships acting almost independently. This is due to the unique nature of the Klingon military.
Klingon starships can be analogized to Earth privateers during the Age of Sail. Starship captains are outfitted at the expense of the Empire, and are then expected to bring back glory and loot, preferably both. How they get it is left to the discretion of the captain.
Invasion of a planet is a larger enterprise, and is done in the name of the Empire by a Commander or General.
Klingon agents (as seen in “The Trouble With Tribbles,” “Friday’s Child,” “A Private Little War,” and hinted at in “Elaan of Troyius”) are ruthless and resourceful, and probably report to the central imperial authority rather than a local captain or governor, since their missions as seen seem more strategic than tactical.
A picture begins to develop of a Klingon Empire based on fortified colonies – fortresses, really – that serve much the same role as the Caribbean islands served in the Age of Sail. They are power-projection points, bases for raiding and further expansion, and also centers of profit that funnel resources and riches back to the homeworld. This conjecture has some resonance with one of the original inspirations for Star Trek, the stories of Horatio Hornblower. Hornblower was a British sea captain who would often find himself engaged with his nation’s enemies in the colonial areas of Earth. The Spanish and French were usually depicted as strong, even valiant, enemies, but deficient in humanitarianism or civilized behavior compared to the British, as epitomized by Hornblower. This is almost exactly the relationship of Kirk and the Federation to the Klingons in Star Trek.
A few further conjectures are possible. Like the Federation, the Klingons find it useful to have their space fleet composed of very large, very fast ships capable of independent operations. The D-7 deep space cruiser is a nasty piece of work, capable of planetary bombardment, independent piracy, and even battling Federation starships. Furthermore, the Federation finds it incredibly difficult to get anywhere diplomatically with the Klingons. When Federation ambassadors complain about Klingon ships engaging in border raids, their Klingon counterparts simply shrug and say “So what? Catch them and destroy them yourselves … if you can.” If the Federation sends punitive expeditions into Klingon space, however, they gleefully respond with full mobilization. It was something of this sort that led to the actual outbreak of war during “Errand of Mercy.”
The Romulan Star Empire
We have something for the Romulans that we don’t have for the Klingons – a map. Unfortunately, the meaning of the map is a little murky.
Scale, for one thing. How wide is the Neutral Zone? The map shows stars within the grid pattern. Does each square equal one or two light-years? There is a certain appeal to that. That would make the Neutral Zone about 2/3 of a light year wide, perhaps the maximum detection range of sensors at the time of the Earth-Romulan War.
Contraindication – the Romulan warbird is clearly stated as traveling at sub-light speeds. This implies that the Romulan Star Empire is just that … an empire consisting of one star system, ringed around its edges by the watchful Federation. This may in fact be what Paul Schneider, the writer of “Balance of Terror,” had in mind, although it doesn’t make much sense in light of either subsequent appearance of the Romulans (“The Deadly Years” and “The Enterprise Incident”). On the other hand, just because the warbird happened to be traveling at sub-light speeds during “Balance of Terror” doesn’t mean that it lacked warp drive. In fact, the warbird clearly sported nacelles that bear a strong resemblance to standard warp engines as seen on Federation and Klingon vessels.
So, the larger scale for the map seems to be the more likely alternative.
This totally leaves out the three-dimensional problem. How tall is the Neutral Zone relative to the two dimensions shown on the map?
The stars labeled Romulus and “Romii” (Rom II, I think more likely) look to be less than 10 light years from the Neutral Zone, making the Romulan Star Empire seem rather small in extent … much less extensive than the Federation, which is certainly hundreds of light years across.
It may be the case that the “far end” of the Romulan Star Empire is much more extensive than the area bordering the Federation. Assuming that Earth was winning the war when the truce was made (a logical assumption, given that the Romulans would not likely agree to stop fighting if they were clearly winning), the Human forces may have driven deep into Romulan territory, thus the relative closeness of the Neutral Zone to the Romulan home systems. This idea is supported by the reference of the Romulans during “Balance of Terror” to “dozens of campaigns,” while on the other side, the Federation had heard or seen nothing of the Romulans since the war. The Romulans were probably busy building up their empire far away from prying Federation eyes. These campaigns must have been particularly ruthless – no word, image, survivor, or even rumor of them ever reached back to the Federation (or, perhaps, simply no word ever was contained in intelligence dispatches to the Enterprise – a Romulan agent in Starfleet at work, perhaps?).
The Romulans in “Balance of Terror” had a warbird that seemed quite a bit smaller than the Enterprise, based on its general configuration and the cramped nature of the bridge. Also, “Balance of Terror” was an homage to The Enemy Below, a destroyer vs. submarine thriller, so it may be supposed that the warbird (a “submarine”) was much smaller than the Enterprise (a “destroyer” by metaphor, or a “heavy cruiser” in Roddenberry’s description in the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture). The warbird didn’t seem any faster than the Enterprise at sublight speeds. Its cloaking device was a technology the Federation did not have, though there were certain drawbacks. It was apparent the Enterprise could track it, but the cloak defeated the Enterprise’s weapon targeting (although again, the Enterprise could, and did, hit the warbird by firing at its estimated position). Another drawback to the cloaking device was that the warbird’s own sensors were virtually blinded by it. The warbird in “Balance of Terror” was armed with a plasma weapon that was more destructive than any weapon on board the Enterprise, but the plasma bolt could be out-run, and had a limited range. The only other weapon seen during the episode was a simple atomic bomb.
It was supposed by Spock that the Romulans were testing both their new ship design and the Federation’s resolve. Since the Romulans did not renew the war at that time, presumably they decided one or more aspects of their design was lacking.
In the next appearance of the Romulans, “The Deadly Years,” several Romulan warbirds attack the Enterprise. Thus, the general spaceframe of the warbird must have been approved for mass production at some point. Notably absent is the plasma weapon. The warbirds attacked with what seem to be standard phasers. (I will ignore the improbabilities of a fight with energy weapons being conducted at faster-than-light speeds.) The point is the Romulans appear to have changed their tactics somewhat. Before, they attempted to send one ship, invisibly, to attack with a devastating strike at close range. Later, they attempted a more conventional ranged attack, using numbers to counterbalance the greater size of their enemy. This seemed an effective strategy, since the Enterprise was clearly in grave danger, and only Kirk’s ruse saved the ship.
Nevertheless, in their next appearance (“The Enterprise Incident”), the Romulans have radically changed their military strategy. They used starships of Klingon design, much closer in size and capabilities to the Constitution-class vessels. It can be assumed that building, crewing, and maintaining a large D-7 is a more expensive proposition than a native-design warbird, so the conclusion is that the Romulans have abandoned the “swarm” strategy seen in “The Deadly Years.” In fact, they seem to have gone in some ways back to their original thought: use the cloaking device to close with the enemy and deliver an unavoidable, shattering blow. The three Romulan D-7s surrounding the Enterprise in this episode were, from the actions and attitudes of all involved, obviously more than a match for the Federation starship. Mr. Scott’s bluster about “taking as many of you with us as we can” may have been pure bluff, or it may have been an indication that even three D-7s couldn’t be expected to defeat the Enterprise without receiving damaging return fire. It should be noted that the cloaking device seen in “The Enterprise Incident” was much more powerful than the one seen in “Balance of Terror.” These Romulan ships were able to sneak up on the Enterprise while traveling at warp, and were completely undetectable until they decloaked. That would have been a devastating tactical advantage for the Romulans if it had been allowed to stand.
There are two further likely conjectures.
One, the Romulans may have required a larger ship, such as the D-7, to power the improved cloaking device. Not having experience in creating such vessels, they turned to the Klingons for assistance. Two, it is likely the Klingons had already made overtures to the Romulans, since the Klingons were preparing for war with the Federation until the Organians put a stop to the violence. From the Klingon perspective, alliance with the Romulans would be worth almost any price once the shooting started. Since the war in fact did not take place, the Klingons probably hastily reconsidered their dealings with the Romulans.
The Romulans do not appear in ST:TOS after “The Enterprise Incident.” Subsequent series and movies depict the Romulan/Federation relationship as almost static all the way to the Dominion War. The Romulans hate and distrust the Federation, while simultaneously viewing Federation targets with avarice. The Federation, meanwhile, is wary of the Romulans, but is perfectly willing to leave them alone. This seems an unlikely state of affairs. The Romulans have from the start been described as reclusive, while the Federation is anything but. Surely after their re-appearance on the galactic scene in “Balance of Terror,” the Romulans would have had their ears talked off by Federation diplomatic transmissions, overtures, and other attempts at getting them to “open up.” The Federation would also no doubt quickly move to explore territory in danger from Romulan expansion attempts, contacting and warning any races encountered. The Romulans would take a very dim view of such interference in their affairs. Barring intercession from the Organians or some other outside force, it seems likely that the Romulans, towards the end of Captain Kirk’s five-year mission, would be truly out for Federation blood. If such a war did not take place, something must have happened between the end of ST:TOS and ST1, but what that might be is a matter for pure conjecture. Perhaps the likeliest possibility is that the Klingons attacked the Romulans. After all, the Klingons had readied their empire for war against the Federation until the Organians appeared. It would be a shame to waste all that preparation….