An intensive examination of the first interstellar war of modern galactic history: The settlement of Qualor. The Rihannsu expansion into space. UESPA and the UESN. The “Forward” Policy. The Kursk Incident. Phantoms in the Vargot Expanse. Station Salem One. The Earth-Andor Alliance. Developing the antimatter reactor. The Battle of Hell’s Gate. Vulcan neutrality. Operation Milk Run. The Three-Phase Plan. The Minotaur Campaign. The Fireball Project. The Battle of Cheron. The Neutral Zone. The founding of the Federation.

Offered Third Term.

Prerequisite: History 114 and Politics 104. (3 credits)

(From the Starfleet Academy catalog, 2377-2378)

Introduction to the Course

Most courses addressing the History of the Federation tend to gloss over (or even ignore) a very important era of galactic history, the long and bloody war between the Humans (and their allies) and the Rihannsu, more widely known as the Romulans. Given recent events, most notably the conflict with the Dominion, the Earth-Romulan War is no longer the “Forgotten War.” But for a conflict that had such a great influence on the founding of the Federation, one would think that more attention would be paid to it.

This course is an intensive examination of the causes, conduct, and conclusion of the Earth-Romulan War, starting with the initial “phantom” contacts in the Vargot Expanse and the raid on Station Salem One to the war’s conclusion at the Battle of Cheron. We will also look at the internal political issues which Earth and Romulus faced, as well as the technological advances developed by the UESN during the war. Also discussed is the conflict’s direct effect on interstellar diplomatic relations, leading to the founding of the United Federation of Planets.

Author’s Note: This conjectural history is a work of fan fiction, based on a series of e-mail discusssions between myself and Masao Okazaki, author of the Starfleet Museum. Because these discussions took place before Star Trek: Enterprise or Star Trek: Nemesis were released, there are a number of major discontinuities between later canon Trek and these articles. In this case, I have elected to tell my own story based on my own ideas rather than slavishly adhere to what the writers consider to be canon. As a result, this story can not be considered canon by any stretch, but in my own not-so-humble opinion, I believe that this history is much more realistic and richer than that developed for Enterprise. Of course, ultimately it’s left up to the reader to make his own judgments.

Required Texts

• Gibson, Rei Toei. Eagles of War: A Short History of the Earth-Romulan War (2214)
• Haleakala-LoBrutto, Terise. The Romulan Way (2277)
• Robinson, Kim S. Birds of Prey: The Colonial Line. (2165)
• Carlson, Daniel. Genesis in Armageddon: A Revised View of the Earth-Romulan War (2371)

Course Requirements

• Nine 15-minute quizzes. Each quiz will cover one chapter of the primary course text. (22%)
• Three essay assignments, TBA. Due at the end of the fourth, eighth, and twelfth weeks of the term. (30%)
• Attendance of a guest lecture by Vice Admiral C. Lenbrow, Starfleet Intelligence, and expert on Romulan affairs. (10%)
• Final Exam (35%)
• Class participation may raise the final grade by as much as 3%. More than four unexcused absences will result in a failing grade.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: History and Background
  • The Humans
  • The Romulans
  • On the Road to War
• Chapter 3: Collision Course
  • Somewhere Out There
  • The Kursk Incident
  • Close Encounters of Another Kind
  • The Forward Policy
  • “Boom”
• Chapter 4: In the Iron Triangle
  • Station Salem One
  • Early Battles
  • The Outer Colonies
  • The Earth-Andor Alliance
  • Heating Up
  • A Defensive War
  • The Romulan Offensive: “At Hell’s Gate”
  • The Aftermath of Hell’s Gate
• Chapter 5: The Home Front
  • Alien Invasion!
  • A Government in Turmoil
  • Alliances
  • On the Firing Line
  • The Romulan Reaction
  • Onward!
• Chapter 6: Wartime Advancements
  • The Matter/Antimatter Reactor
  • Interstellar Communications
  • Sensors and Countermeasures
  • Starship Design
  • Logistics
  • Romulan Advancements
• Chapter 7: On the Offensive
  • “Delenda est Romulo”
  • Know Your Enemy
  • Stage One: The Minotaur Campaign
  • The Gamma Hydra Campaign: Operation “Sidestep”
  • The Andorian Counteroffensive
  • Scorched Earth
  • Stage Two: Operation “Pigeon Shoot”
• Chapter 8: Forcing a Truce
  • Stage Three: Operation “Steamroller”
  • One Last Gasp
  • The Battle of Cheron
  • The Final Drive
  • Negotiating a Truce
  • The Aftermath: Earth
  • The Aftermath: Romulus
  • Conclusion
• Chapter 9: Founding the Federation
  • The First Babel Conference
  • The Birth of the Federation
  • Starfleet
  • Bright Future
• Appendix
  • Timeline
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • Acknowledgements

Documents

• The Declaration of War
• The Treaty of Peace
• Developing the Matter/Antimatter Drive
• Gamma Hydra System Ion Storm
• Archer-class and Curran-class Patrol Cruisers
• After Action Reports: Battle of Hell’s Gate - Task Force 25
• After Action Reports: Battle of Cheron - Task Force 40
• Ships of the United Earth Stellar Navy, 2152-2161

Maps

• Map 1.1: The Romulan Neutral Zone in 2266
• Map 2.1: The Great Migration
• Map 2.2: Local Space in 2150
• Map 3.1: Local Space in 2155
• Map 4.1: The Battle of Station Salem One, 7 March 2156
• Map 4.2: The Romulan Offensive, 2156-2157
• Map 4.3: The Battle of Hell’s Gate, 21-23 October 2157
• Map 7.1: A Minotaur/Yorktown Mission
• Map 7.2: The Gamma Hydra Campaign
• Map 8.1: Local Space in 2160
• Map 8.2: The Battle of Cheron, 13 August 2160
• Map 8.3: The Neutral Zone
• Map 9.1: The Federation in 2161

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