Federation-Klingon Cold War

First Contact
In April 2151, humans made first contact with the Klingon Empire, when a ship containing Klaag, a Klingon on the run from the Suliban, crashlanded in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Klaag was shot by a local farmer, but survived to be treated by Dr. Phlox working for Starfleet Medical.

The Vulcans advised Starfleet Command to kill Klaag, but Admiral Maxwell Forrest decided that Captain Jonathan Archer and the newly launched Enterprise (NX-01) transport Klaag back to Qo'noS, in an attempt to establish relations with the Klingons.

Despite an attempt by the Suliban to capture Klaag, Enterprise manages to get Klaag back to Qo'noS, where he is able to complete his mission where the Klingon Chancellor draws blood from Klaag, which allows scientists to find data about the Suliban threat to the Empire encoded in his DNA. (ENT novelization: Broken Bow).

An Uneasy Peace (2151 to 2223)
Throughout the 2150s the Enterprise had several dealings with the Klingons. In 2152, the Enterprise stops the Klingons from bullying the inhabitants and hoarding deuterium from a mining colony. (ENT episode: "Marauders"). Later that year, Captain Archer stands trial for conspiring against the Empire on Narendra III. Archer is sentenced to life imprisonment to the dilithium mines on Rura Penthe. However, Archer is rescued by Subcommander T'Pol and the Enterprise crew. (ENT episode: "Judgment").

Between the 2160s and 2210s, contact between the new United Federation of Planets and the Empire is sporadic, as the Federation is more concerned with the aftermath of the Earth-Romulan War.

In 2218, the Federation decided to try and re-establish contact with the Klingons, and sent the USS Sentry to meet with Klingon representatives aboard the IKV Devisor. (TOS novel: World's Apart, Book 1: The Final Reflection). The meeting does not go well, however, and several weeks later the USS Ranger (NCC-315) is destroyed by Klingon forces while conducting a first contact mission to Agbar IV. (RPG: Star Trek: Roleplaying Game Starfleet Operations Manual)

Over the next 5 years the Klingons launch several sneak attacks on Federation starships, but the biggest and most daring sneak attack was on the Ardan IV colony. (RPG: Last Unicorn).

Rising Tensions (2223 to 2267)
Following the attack on Ardan IV, hostilities increased between the two powers, with more and more skirmishes every year. In 2228, the USS Bastion was engaged by five Klingon vessels near the Mutara Nebula. The Bastion manages to destroy all five vessels, but unfortunately, the ship explodes due to the extensive damage. (RPG: Star Trek: Roleplaying Game Starfleet Operations Manual)

In the 2230s and 2240s Klingon attacks on Federation colonies became more and more commonplace, with the attack on Omus II (2239) and Bandek's Planet (2241), the most vicious. (RPG: Star Trek: Roleplaying Game Starfleet Operations Manual)

The Battle of Donatu (2242)
The rising tensions between the Federation and the Empire reached boiling point in 2242, when the Klingons launched an attack on the Federation colony on Donatu V. Only one Federation starship was in the system at the time, the Icarus class USS Endeavor, which was on a resupply mission.

The Endeavor was quickly overwhelmed and boarded by the superior Klingon forces. Before the Endeavor was boarded, they managed to get a distress call to the USS Yorkshire, another Icarus class vessel. When the Yorkshire arrived in the Donatu system, the starship managed to inflict some damage on the Klingon fleet. As a result the Klingon commander ordered that the Endeavor 's crew be executed by flushing them into space out of airlocks, in the hopes that it would draw the Yorkshire into lowering their shields and transporting the victims aboard.

Things looked bleak for the two Federation starships, with Klingon reinforcements on the way, but the tide turned when Admiral Walter M. Jefferies arrived on the Constitution class prototype USS Constitution (NX-1700). Although the Constitution had no functional weapons systems, its deflector shields were much more powerful than the Yorkshire. So the two ships ran in tandem with the Yorkshire firing on the Klingon ships, and hiding in the Constitutions shields.

There was no victor at the battle, the Klingons withdrew, and the Yorkshire and the Constitution were severely damaged, while the Endeavor was lost. While the Federation considered the matter over, the Klingons viewed this as a focal point of hatred against the Federation, and begin plotting their revenge. (TOS novels: Errand of Vengeance, Book 1: Killing Blow and, Book 2: River of Blood; and Errand of Fury, Book 1: Seeds of Rage).

The Cold War (2242 to 2267)
The Battle of Donatu came as a wake-up call to the Federation, as they began to realise that the Klingons were a serious threat to them. Although the Constitution class was to be a flagship for science and exploration, Starfleet began to work on weapons upgrades for this class, as well as developing new classes of starship that would defend the Federation, including the Saladin class destroyers and Surya class frigates.

Similarly, the Klingons were working on upgrading and improving their own military, with the introduction of the Klolode class (or D7 class), a rival to Starfleet's Constitution class.

Skirmishes between the two powers were still common place throughout the 2240s and 2250s, most notably in October 2246 when an attack on the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), under the command of Captain Robert April, by Commander Kor, delayed urgently needed supplies reaching Tarsus IV, resulting in the death of 4,000 colonists at the hands of Governor Kodos. (TOS short story: Enterprise Logs, "Though Hell Should Bar the Way").

Despite the tensions between the two powers, both signed the Seldonis IV Conventions regarding the treatment of prisoners of war in 2248.

In 2251, a rare early example of the two powers working together begins. The Klingons have exiled many M'tachtar prisoners to an uninhabited planet in the Klingon Neutral Zone. In a secret agreement with Starfleet, both a Federation starship and a Klingon warship are to check the planet sporadically. The first starship to do so is the USS Republic (NCC-1371), under the command of Captain Rollin Bannock. The Republic delivered forcefield barriers and surveillance equipment to the planet. (TOS novel: My Brother's Keeper, Book 1: Republic and, Book 3: Enterprise).

Mutual hatred and fear of the Federation, led the Klingons to found a colony on Chal in 2253, along with the Romulan Star Empire. The inhabitants of Chal were genetically engineered to survive the aftermath of any war, and flurish in total destruction. (TOS novel: The Ashes of Eden).

In 2265, the Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, proceeds to the prison planet of the M'tachtar with Admiral Ellen Mangione aboard. On the planet the landing party is ambushed and the M'tachtar manage to take control of the Enterprise. Qadar, leader of the M'tachtar, has half of the crew beamed down to the prison planet, and then sets course for Qo'noS to meet with Emperor Grannoch.

Captain Kirk and a small party manages to escape from the Enterprise and are rescued by the IKS Doj, under the command of Commander Kang. Kang allows Kirk an hour to regain control of the Enterprise, which he succeeds with, and the M'tachtar are returned to Qo'noS for execution. (TOS novel: My Brother's Keeper, Book 3: Enterprise).

Prelude to War (2267)
Tensions between the Federation and the Empire had been continually rising for over 44 years, and by late-2266, early-2267 war was deemed to be only months away. Klingon agents had infiltrated many Starfleet starships and installations, and even had an operative at Starfleet Command itself.

By the end of 2266, Ambassador Robert Fox had all but given up negotiating with the Klingons, as a stalemate had been reached. Fox warned Admiral Robert H. Justman and Lieutenant West that war was seven months away.

More to come.

Friends and Foes (2267 to 2284)
Details from "Errand of Mercy", "Friday's Child" and First Strike, The Case of the Colonist's Corpse, "The Trouble with Tribbles", "Day of the Dove", Treaty's Law and Rings of Tautee.

Pawns of the Gods (2285)
Details from The Wormhole Connection, The Only Good Klingon, Errand of War, and Deadly Allies.

The Genesis Incident (2285)
Details from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Target: Kirk (2286 to 2293)
Details from second DC Comic TOS series, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and In the Name of Honor.

Aftermath of Praxis and the Undiscovered Country (2293 to 2344)
Details from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, The Ashes of Eden, The Last Roundup.

Debt of Honor (2344 to 2372)
Details from TNG

The Way of the Warrior (2372 to 2373)
Details from DS9 Seasons 4 and 5