The Four Years War was a conflict between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire in the 23rd century, one of the few times the cold war between the two powers boiled over into open warfare. It was fought between 2241 and 2245. (FASA: The Four Years War*; Prelude to Axanar; Star Trek: Pendragon)
While an official declaration of war would not be issued until some time later, most historians agree that the Four Years War began on stardate 2241.03 when Klingon forces attacked the Federation outpost at Archanis IV, obliterating the colony and killing thousands of civilians in what would become known to history as the Archanis Massacre. (FASA: The Four Years War; Prelude to Axanar)
- FASA gives a much lower body count, stating that 112 Federation citizens were killed in the attack.
The First Battle of Axanar took place shortly thereafter, one of the few early Federation victories during the war. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy"; FASA: The Four Years War)
Other early engagements included battles at Coriana VI and Vesta. All were significant losses for Starfleet, which spent the first two years of the war on the defensive. (Prelude to Axanar)
On stardate 2243.3, the Klingons attacked the Inverness system and set up an ambush for responding starships at Inverness V. A total of 18 Starfleet vessels were lost that day, the most crushing blow yet for the Federation. (Prelude to Axanar)
After two years of near-constant defeat, Admiral Conrad Slater was forced to step down as Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet on stardate 2243.8. He was replaced by Admiral Marcus Ramirez. On his accession, Ramirez gave a stirring speech before the Federation Council which galvanized the fleet, and restored much needed confidence. Under Ramirez' leadership, new strategies were implemented and Starfleet began to make some gains against the Klingons. Ramirez also initiated new developments in starship and weapons technology. (Prelude to Axanar)
Stardate 2244.1 saw the launch of Operation Pegasus and the battle of Sigma III. It proved a turning point in the war, when Captain Garth's tactics won the day and earned the respect of the Klingons. After the success at Sigma III, Starfleet forces led by Garth and his fellow captains retook three systems in the next thirty days. (Prelude to Axanar*)
- According to Prelude, this took place at "Signus III," presumably a misspelling of Cygnus. Given the war's theatre of operations, the Sigma Ceti system is a much more likely location for the battle.
Starfleet began to pushed the Klingons back toward their own borders, ultimately leading to the Battle of Donatu V later in the year, which was considered "inconclusive." (TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles")
- That the Battle of Donatu V was part of the Four Years War is conjectural, but the timing makes it likely.
Around the same time that development on the new Constitution class ships experienced a setback, Starfleet Intelligence learned that the KDF were preparing to launch new ships of their own. (Prelude to Axanar)
Those new battlecruisers entered service in early 2245, and the Klingons began a renewed offensive, pushing towards the Axanar system in the heart of the Federation. (Prelude to Axanar)
The war culminated in the Second Battle of Axanar. During the engagement, Captain Garth used a Cochrane deceleration maneuver to defeat a superior Klingon force. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy")
- FASA places the Battle of Axanar at the beginning of the war, while other sources place it later. Prelude seems to indicate that it was one of the final battles, halting the Klingon advance for good. Given the multiple versions, it is possible that there was a smaller engagement at Axanar early in the war, with the major battle being the culmination, with Garth commanding different vessels during each.
During the 2250s, Federation historian John Gill researched and narrated a documentary about the war, featuring interviews with many of the significant participants. (Prelude to Axanar)
Veterans of the Four Years War[]
Starfleet[]
- Marcus Ramirez (Admiral, C-in-C)
- Sonya Alexander (Captain)
- Robert April (Captain)
- Helena Cain (Captain)
- Matthew Decker (Lt. Commander)
- Kelvar Garth (Captain)
- Stephen Garrovick (Captain)
- Philippa Georgiou (Commander)
- George Kirk (Commander)
- Gabriel Lorca (Lt. Commander)
- Mahirn (Captain)
- Alexander Marcus (Captain)
- Jose Mendez (Commander)
- Heihachiro Nogura (Captain)
- Richard Robau (Captain)
- Aaron Stone (Lieutenant)
- Trask (Captain)
- Samuel Travis (Captain)
Klingon Defense Force[]
- Kharn (Supreme Commander/Warlord)
- Kkorhetza
- Koord
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Background[]
Dating[]
- The Four Years war originates from the FASA RPG, based on lines from TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy". Most sources place the conflict in the early 2250s, assuming that Cadet Kirk's presence at the Axanar Peace Mission was immediately following the fabled Battle of Axanar. However, that timing does not take into account Kirk's line about the Garth's tactics in the battle being "required reading" during his time at the Academy, which would not have been the case if it was immediately prior to the Peace Mission.
- Later developments in canon, most notably the war depicted in Star Trek: Discovery's first season, would seem to preclude such a war happening in that time frame as well, since the UFP and the Klingons had had little to no contact for some time prior to the Battle of the Binary Stars in 2256. Lines in DSC: "The Vulcan Hello" about having almost no contact for "a hundred years" seemed to be ignored by the series thereafter, so Pendragon chooses to interpret that line liberally. "Over a decade" is still enough time to serve both the story and continuity.
- While many things about the lamentable Axanar project are best ignored, the original short film Prelude to Axanar is an excellent fan film. While some aspects are inconsistent with other interpretations of the Four Years War, the placement of the conflict during the early 2240s is one that Star Trek: Pendragon has adopted, giving ten years between the end of the war and the Axanar Peace Mission and allowing for a span of "no contact" to exist between the Federation and the Empire. In fact, the Peace Mission may be what drives T'Kuvma to his actions the following year.
Nature[]
- Various attempts have been made to reconcile the Four Years War with T'Kuvma's War. The easiest solution would be to simply ignore the FASA history, or to place them in alternate continuities. Other suggestions include:
- They were different names for the same conflict, or one was a very localized part of the other.
- The FYW was actually more a series of raids and skirmishes that occurred over a period of four years, rather than a full on interstellar conflict.
- The war involved renegade Klingons, or one particular faction, rather than the Great Houses and the Klingon High Council as seen in Discovery. It may have involved primarily the QuchHa' (non-ridged) Klingons, as opposed to the HemQuch (ridged) Klingons involved in T'Kuvma's war.
External links[]
- Four Years War article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Four Years War article at Star Trek Expanded Universe, the fanon and fanworks Star Trek wiki.