Federation-Klingon War of 2267

Federation-Klingon War of 2267
Belligerents:	United Federation of Planets vs. Klingon Empire
Date(s):	2267
Location(s):	Alpha Quadrant
Result:	Peace imposed on both sides by the Organians
Casualties:	various starships

The Federation-Klingon War of 2267 was a brief conflict fought between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire in 2267. It lasted mere days but nevertheless was perhaps the most important political event of the 23rd century, reshaping the politics of the galaxy. It was the result of the tensions built up during the Federation-Klingon Cold War. It resulted in the Organian Peace Treaty, after which both sides were forced to compete for the loyalty of systems in the newly established Federation-Klingon Neutral Zone using economic and technological incentives alone, or else the powerful Organian civilization would intervene.

Prelude

The Federation-Klingon Cold War

The Federation-Klingon border in 2256.

The United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire were the foremost superpowers of the 23rd century. They were the principle rivals for domination of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, locked in a Cold War by fear of mutual annihilation. Brief open conflicts had been fought in the 2240s and 2250s, such as the Battle of Donatu V in 2244, the Battle of Axanar in 2251 during a Four Years War, and the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257. By 2267 a devastating total war was seen as inevitable by both sides, and was desired by the leadership of the Klingon Empire.

The Romulan Star Empire's position

Klingon D7 class battlecruisers were supplied to the Romulans, and Romulan cloaking devices may have been supplied to the Klingons.

The Romulan Empire entered a tenuous alliance with the Klingon Empire at some point during this period, with both powers exchanging military technology from an unknown point in the Cold War. It is unknown whether this agreement was in place by 2267, or occurred after the war. Afterward, it was assumed the Klingon Empire and Romulan Star Empire would jointly attack the Federation together along a huge mutual front. Although initially allied, as the third power in a triangular struggle, the Romulans later hoped to play the other powers against one another, leading to eventual hostility and open conflict with the Klingon Empire by the Battle of Klach D'kel Brakt decades later.

Diplomatic efforts

Ambassador Robert Fox, who led negotiations.

A great deal of diplomatic effort was expended by the Federation to prevent the outbreak of war. Ambassador Robert Fox led peace efforts, even losing a staff member in an honor duel, to earn the respect of a Klingon diplomat. The diplomatic team took to wearing laser pistols and antique United States Army ceremonial swords to convey their seriousness and martial tradition to the contemptuous Klingon side, who only valued cultures willing to defend themselves. The neutral power Kraetia hosted talks. After it became clear that the Klingon Empire had no intention of peace, the diplomatic team valiantly stayed on in their post, knowing they would likely be tortured and executed, in order to buy time for the Federation to further prepare for war. They were rescued by Starfleet operatives on the order of the Federation President Kenneth Wescott.

History

Incidents prior to declaration of war

As tentions increased, both sides made efforts to prepare for war and secure strategic advantages.

Klingon infiltration

The Klingon Empire, or militaristic elements within, commissioned a program of placing surgically altered Klingon agents in key Starfleet positions, to assassinate or sabotage value targets. The Klingon infiltrator Kell was assigned to the USS Enterprise as ensign Jon Anderson, with a mission to assassinate James T. Kirk. (TOS - Errand of Vengeance novel: The Edge of the Sword)

Clash at Starbase 42

Dilithium was the key strategic resource of the Federation and Klingon Empire.

Many preliminary clashes prior to the war surrounded the securing of dilithium, the most important strategic resource in the galaxy, as it was very finite and starship travel was contingent on a steady supply. The Klingon Empire attacked Starbase 42 in an effort to secure dilithium on the planet below, but were driven off by stiff Starfleet resistance, including the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). During the battle, Klingon infiltrator Kell was killed, having turned his loyalty to the Starfleet crew who he had observed were honorable, quite unlike how they were characterized in Klingon propaganda. (TOS - Errand of Vengeance novel: River of Blood)

Clash in System 7348

Another attempt by the Klingon Empire to secure dilithium was the proxy conflict on planet 7348-II. A primitive offshoot of the Klingon species, perhaps a lost colony, existed on this planet. Council member Duras, hired Orion mercenaries to mine dilithium, which would have callously destroyed the planet and it's Klingonoid inhabitants. Later, he again attempted to secure dilithium, this time personally leading the mission. The USS Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk foiled both schemes. Duras was killed by Karel, brother of Kell, who had learned of Duras duplicity. (TOS - Errand of Vengeance novel: Killing Blow; TOS - Errand of Fury novel: Sacrifices of War)

Clash at Chandra IV

Some ninety years prior to the war, Starfleet had encountered a primative pre-warp culture on Chandra IV. They were nevertheless highly industrialized. Eight months prior to the war, they were occupied, enslaved, and their entire industrial capacity turned toward the manufacture of weapons for the Klingon Empire. As war became increasingly inevitable, the USS Enterprise was ordered to neutralise this Klingon advantage, and free the planet if possible. (TOS - Errand of Fury novel: Demands of Honor)

Declaration of war

Starfleet was informed of the outbreak of war via subspace radio on Stardare 3198.4.

Battle with the IKS Hakask

Before the war ended, the USS Intrepid fought the IKS Hakask at Regulus. The Klingons captured Captain Suvuk and subjected him to mind-sifter torture. Suvuk escaped, melted down the Hakask impulse drive, disabled their warp drive, downloaded their computer to logic-solids that he brought with him, and returned to the Intrepid in a Klingon shuttlecraft. (TOS - Rihannsu novel: My Enemy, My Ally)

Battle in the Kalinora Sector

Two Klingon battlecruisers destroyed a Starfleet hospital ship in the Kalinora sector, claiming that it was on a spying mission. One of the passengers killed was the wife of Starfleet Captain Androvar Drake. He pursued the ships, and managed to destroy one of them. When the Organians ended the war, Drake blamed Kirk for getting them involved and preventing him from taking his revenge. (TOS novel: The Ashes of Eden)

Battle of Organia

Klingon invasion forces on Organia.

The USS Enterprise faces Klingon battlecruisers.

Ayelborne appears before the Klingon High Council to force peace.

The decisive event of the war, was the mission of Captain James T Kirk to the planet Organia. This was also one of the most important events in galactic history. Both the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire were forced to accept peace terms by a more powerful near-omnipotent civilization that threatened to immobilize their weapon and starships, if they continued to fight.

The planet Organia occupied an important strategic position, resulting in both sides seeking to control it. The Klingon Empire arrived and occupied Organia. The mission culminated when Captain James T. Kirk, who had fought against Kor, son of Rynar, the occupying governor, to secure the planet, was prevented from continuing his efforts by the native Organians. The Organians, previously thought to be a primitive civilization, revealed they were in fact highly advanced non-corporeal life forms, and immobilized the military of both the Federation and Klingon Empire, all throughout known space. They chided both sides for wanting a war that would lead to planetary devastation across the galaxy.

The Organians then imposed the Organian Peace Treaty on both sides. The Organian representative appeared simultaneously on Earth and Qo'noS as an illusion in the President of the Federation's office, and Klingon High Council chamber. Their ultimatum was that hostility should cease, or the military of both powers would be immobilized indefinitely. (TOS episode: "Errand of Mercy", TOS - Errand of Fury novels: Seeds of Rage, Demands of Honor, Sacrifices of War, ST - Klingons - Blood Will Tell comic: "Against Their Nature")

Cease fire

A cease fire was in effect prior to the official signing of the treaty. During this period, an incident occurred on the Federation mining colony of Angrena which resulted in a reprimand for Kirk and execution for Klingon Commander Kring. (TOS - Star Trek: The Manga - Uchu comic: "Art of War")

Aftermath

The Federation Neutral Zone in 2291.

In the wake of the omnipotent Organians imposing peace on the two superpowers, the Federation and Klingon Empire were forced to compete in purely developmental terms to win disputed planets. Diplomatic, philosophical, economic and technological arguments were employed to win planets in the newly established Federation-Klingon Neutral Zone between their space. Nevertheless, the Klingon Empire surreptitiously supplied munitions and encouraged proxy wars on these planets, seeking to replace their regimes with sympathetic leaders.

By the 2270s, the Treaty was increasingly flaunted, or ignored, or pushed to it's legal limits by individual Klingon commanders, who often took it upon themselves to engage in hostile individual actions.

At some later point, it seems that the Organians stepped away from the enforcement of the treaty, as the two powers were able to fight a brief war 100 years later, in the 24th century, albeit by this point the two superpowers had entered a fragile friendship with each other, so the Treaty may have no longer been needed. This is because the Treaty of Organia was in many respects superseded by the Khitomer Accords after the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C) was destroyed in battle defending the Klingon colony at Narendra III from a Romulan attack, proving the Federation's honor and bravery in the eyes of many Klingons.

External link

• Federation-Klingon War of 2267 article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.