Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257

"What are you looking for? More territory? Conditional surrender? Your people won't even make demands, why? How does this war end?"
"It doesn't. Klingons have tasted your blood. Conquer us...or we will never relent."

— Katrina Cornwell and L'Rell, 2257

The Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257 was a conflict fought between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire.

This conflict was also known as T'Kuvma's War. (STO website: Unveiled: The 15th Anniversary Starship Bundle)

History

Background

Following the formation of the Federation in the year 2161, the Klingons saw them as an opponent by the 2220s decade and were close to going to war. However, the two powers did not engage in direct contact with each other for the next century. The first time the Federation and Klingon Empire fought was at Donatu V in 2245. However, it was a stalemate and inconclusive battle. Despite that stalemate, the Klingons were able to launch a raid on Doctari Alpha. In all these encounters, no one in the Federation had seen a Klingon since Captain Jonathan Archer's mission to Qo'noS and the Empire in the 2150s. (TOS movie, novelization & comic adaptation: The Undiscovered Country}}; DSC episode: "The Vulcan Hello"; ENT episodes: "Broken Bow", "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"; TOS episode: "The Trouble with Tribbles")

During this time, T'Kuvma, leader of his house, planned to unite the Empire, the 24 Great houses and it's High Council by focusing their attention on their common enemy: the Federation. Using his flagship, the Sarcophagus, T'Kuvma equipped his house's fleet with cloaking devices. (DSC episode: "The Vulcan Hello")

2256

"(in Klingonese) They are coming. Atom by atom, they will coil around us and take all that we are. There is one way to confront this threat. By reuniting the twenty-four warring houses of our own empire. We have forgotten the Unforgettable, the last to unify our tribes: Kahless. Together, under one creed, remain Klingon! That is why we light our beacon this day. To assemble our people. To lock arms against those whose fatal greeting is... (in English) we come in peace."

—T'Kuvma's speech to his followers

To start this war against the Federation, T'Kuvma and his followers took the Sarcophagus to the edge of Federation space. Once there, they disabled an interstellar relay in order to lure a Starfleet vessel to the area. In May of 2256, the USS Shenzhou under Captain Philippa Georgiou went to investigate the relay. There, the Shenzhou's XO, Commander Michael Burnham, examined the relay, but discovered that it had been disabled by the Klingons. After Burnham accidentally killed the Torchbearer Rejac, T'Kuvma decided to light the Beacon of Kahless and summon the 24 Great Houses' leaders and the High Council. During this time, Burnham attempted to give the Klingons a "Vulcan Hello" by firing on them first. Burnham was then accused of mutiny by Georgiou and sent to the brig. Following the arrival of the Great House's leaders, Georgiou attempted to apologize for the incident. However, T'Kuvma insisted that the Federation was lying, about coming in peace. A Federation fleet under Admiral Brett Anderson arrived to assist with the situation. (DSC episodes: "The Vulcan Hello", "Battle at the Binary Stars")

Opening battles

Main page: Battle of the Binary Stars

Thus, T'Kuvma opened fire on the Shenzhou and both fleets fought each other. Anderson was then able to establish a dialogue with T'Kuvma, but T'Kuvma used this moment to have a cleave ship destroy Anderson's flagship, the USS Europa, and demonstrate his fleet's ability to cloak themselves. More Klingons arrived and destroyed more Starfleet vessels. At this moment, T'Kuvma told the Great House's leaders to return home and proclaim that the Empire would fight united against its enemies. (DSC episodes: "The Vulcan Hello", "Battle at the Binary Stars")

Captain Georgiou and Burnham then attempted to capture T'Kuvma, but Georgiou and T'Kuvma were killed. Despite leaving the Empire without a leader and the Sarcophagus adrift, the Federation and Klingon Empire continued fighting each other for the next six months. By November of that year, over 8,186 Federation citizens had been killed in the war. (DSC episodes: "Battle at the Binary Stars", "Context Is for Kings")

During this time, Captain Gabriel Lorca of USS Buran had been replace by his Terran counterpart from a parallel universe. Posing as his counterpart, Lorca was able to pass himself off as a Starfleet officer. After Lorca survived the self-destruction of the Buran, he was given permission by Starfleet to break its rules in order to win the war. Both Lorca and Starfleet then coerced Lieutenant Paul Stamets' and Straal's research into the USS Discovery's experimental Spore drive. Lorca also used his war power to enlist the services of Michael Burnham, despite the charges levied against her for her mutiny, and added her to his crew, first as a specialist, then later as a science officer. The Discovery was then able to win several victories against the Klingons thanks to the use of a Tardigrade, Ripper. (DSC episodes: "Context Is for Kings", "Choose Your Pain", "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry")

In November, the Klingons attacked Corvan II's colony and dilithium mines. At the time, Corvan II supplied nearly 40% of the dilithium for Starfleet. However, the Discovery was able to destroy the Klingons' forces. Three weeks later, Discovery used its drive to break the Klingon supply line at Benzar and rout an attack through the Ophiucus system. Starfleet started to build spore drive units in a secret facility on Earth, while directing every ship, colony and starbase to search for more Tardigrades. However, the damage that sustained usage of Ripper inflicted against the tardigrade ultimately drove Burnham, Paul Stamets and Cadet Sylvia Tilly to seek out an alternative method, which led to Stamets injecting himself with DNA from Ripper, despite this being in violation of the laws against genetic experimentation. After making a successful jump with Stamets as their guide, Michael Burnham and Tilly were granted permission to release Ripper. (DSC episodes: "Choose Your Pain", "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad")

During this time, Commander Kol of the House of Kor then took command of the Sarcophagus away from Voq, who had been T'Kuvma's protege and appointed successor, and equipped his forces with its cloaking device. Kol then became a general and established a new ruling council. However, in December, House of D'Ghor and Mo'Kai secretly approached Vulcan to discuss a potential alliance with the Federation after they were ousted by Kol. However, Ambassador Sarek sustained wounds in a terrorist attack by logic extremists and Admiral Katrina Cornwell decided to take his place on Cancri IV in the negotiations. However, it was revealed to be a ruse by Kol and the Admiral was captured. More of the Great Houses joined Kol and the USS Gagarin was destroyed. However, the Klingon L'Rell, one of T'Kuvma's most trusted followers and the lover of Voq, secretly approached Cornwell during her captivity and collaborated with the human woman to help her escape and desert the Empire, having lost faith in what its leadership had become under the rule of Kol. (DSC episodes: "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry", "Lethe", "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum")

Discovery was then sent to Pahvo, so that they could use the Pahvans' crystal transmitter to find the Klingons' cloaked ships. However, the Pahvans, in a misguided attempt to help bring harmony between the two warring powers, transmitted a signal to Kol's flagship, the Sarcophagus. The crew of Discovery were then able to board the Sarcophagus, rescue Admiral Cornwell from captivity and plant beacons to penetrate the cloaking device's field, taking L'Rell prisoner in the process. Using the spore drive, Discovery was able to gather enough data to complete an algorithm which would counteract the cloaking technology, and then destroyed the Sarcophagus, killing Koh. Starfleet then asked for the algorithm's information, but Discovery was unable deliver it. When Discovery attempted to use the spore drive to jump to Starbase 46, the Discovery then found itself in the mirror universe, a parallel dimension where the known galaxy was held beneath the oppressive heel of the Terran Empire, a xenophobic regime that humanity had founded for the purpose of galactic conquest. Unbeknownst to Starfleet or the Discovery crew, the commanding officer, Gabriel Lorca did this intentionally in order to return to his universe, trapping the ship and its crew, who found themselves and their efforts embroiled with a coup d'eat that Lorca launched to seize control over the Terran Empire, resulting in the demise of the doppelgänger Lorca while his former crew escaped from the alternate reality. (DSC episodes: "Into the Forest I Go", "Despite Yourself")

2257

Nine months into the war and well into 2257, the Klingons were divided and leaderless with the separate demises of both T'Kuvma and Kol. Each house was attacking different parts of the Federation. Starfleet also believed that Discovery had been destroyed by the Klingons, but it was actually the ISS Discovery. The Klingons attacked Kelfour VI, Starbase 22, Starbase 12, Starbase 19, Nivalla, Septra, Iridin, and captured Starbase 1.

The USS Discovery — now commanded by acting Captain Saru — then returned to their universe and reunited with Starfleet forces under the leadership of Cornwell and Sarek, who joined them in journeying to Starbase 1, only to discover that House D'Ghor had taken the station. The Klingons were then in position to strike Earth and after a discussion with L'Rell, the imprisoned Klingon told Katrina Cornwell that unless the Federation conquered them, her people would never relent. Thus, the Federation Council were forced adopt deposed Terran Empress, Philippa Georgiou's plan to attack Qo'nos. Thus, Georgiou agreed to pose as her counterpart and lead the Discovery to the Qo'nos' subterranean caverns. In truth, Georgiou was allowed to plant a hydro bomb in a volcano in order to cripple the Klingons. However, Burnham and the Discovery's crew rejected such a violation of Starfleet's founding values and rallied in support for Michael Burnham when she threatened Cornwell with mutiny. Burnham subsequently stopped Georgiou and the hydro bomb's detonator was then given to L'Rell. With this bomb, L'Rell was then able to force the High Council under her control, assuming the title of High Chancellor and ordering the Great House to recall their forces and end the war, with both sides signing an armstice.(DSC episodes: "The War Without, The War Within", "Will You Take My Hand?")

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Aftermath

The Federation and Klingon would be at a stalemate for the next 10 years until 2267. (TOS episode: "Errand of Mercy")

Appendices

External link

Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.