battle of earth star trek

Star Trek: 10 Greatest Battles, Ranked

Star Trek is best known for its nuanced exploration of not only strange new worlds but huge science fiction ideas. But it's also had terrific battles.

The show   Star Trek   is best known for its nuanced exploration of not only strange new worlds but huge science fiction ideas. That said, it's also been host to some of the biggest battles ever depicted on film and television. Some of the biggest intergalactic wars in all of genre fiction have unfolded in the various iterations of the franchise over the last fifty years.

RELATED:  Star Trek: 10 Best Costumes, Ranked

Thousands of ships have clashed in huge battles for the fate of the galaxy. The outcome is not always certain, but the awe and wonder of each battle are always guaranteed.

10 Battle of Vulcan (Star Trek 2009)

One of the biggest battles in Star Trek history actually doesn't play out on screen. In the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek films from J.J. Abrams, the massive Romulan vessel Narada - one of the strongest ships in the entire Trek canon - attacks Vulcan.

A fleet of Starfleet ships goes to intercept it. When the Enterprise shows up - slowed up because Sulu left the parking brake on - the entire fleet has been reduced to debris. The Narada singlehandedly destroyed almost a dozen ships.

9 Battle for Deep Space Nine

The Klingons have been enemies, friends, and enemies again on Star Trek. One of those less friendly moments occurred in the fourth season premiere of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . At the time, shapeshifting Founders from the Dominion had infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant and the Klingons thought they had impersonated the Cardassian High Command.

Captain Sisko didn't think so and sheltered the Cardassians, setting off a huge battle between a Klingon fleet and the space station. The old Cardassian station held its own against the Klingons until Starfleet got there.

8 The Xindi War

Deep Space Nine pioneered long-form storytelling in Star Trek with the Dominion War, which lasted the balance of the series. But it never attempted what Star Trek: Enterprise did in its third season.

Though fans didn't warm to the show - and outright hated the finale - the third season featured a season-long arc with the Enterprise trying to defeat the Xindi. Every single episode - twenty-six at the time, which is double the normal length today - charted the crew's desperate attempt to stop the Xindi from unleashing a superweapon against Earth.

7 Battle of the Binary Stars

Star Trek took a long hiatus after the end of Enterprise in 2005. When the franchise returned to television on CBS All Access ( soon to be Paramount+ ) in 2018 with Star Trek: Discovery , it opened with a massive battle. Starfleet and the Klingons faced off in a huge battle involving dozens of ships at the Battle of the Binary Stars.

RELATED:  The 10 Weirdest Star Trek Guest Stars

This massive conflict rivaled anything Star Trek films or television shows had put on screen to that point in terms of sheer scale, even if it left some questions regarding canon.

6 The Battle of Cheron

One of the most significant battles in Star Trek history has never actually been seen on screen. It almost was, but the prequel series  Star Trek: Enterprise  ended before the show could reach the Romulan War. The Battle of Cheron is the decisive battle of the canonical war that led to the formation of the Federation.

This early war banded together Earth, Vulcan, the Tellerites, and the Andorians against the Romulans, who none of them ever actually saw. It's more proof that the Romulans are the greatest adversary of the Federation ( though that's debatable ).

5 Battle of Wolf 359

For a long time, the Battle of Wolf 359 was the battle in Star Trek history. The epic conflict at the heart of one of the greatest episodes in the history of Star Trek: The Next Generation , "The Best of Both Worlds," saw a fleet of 40 Starfleet ships take on a single Borg cube.

The cube, thanks in part to the assimilated Captain Picard, outright destroyed thirty-nine of the ships, killing over 11,000 people, including the wife of then Lt. Commander Benjamin Siko. The fleet struggled to recover.

4 Battle Against Control

Star Trek: Discovery featured an even bigger battle at the end of its second season. An out of control artificial intelligence called Control took control of the shadowy Section 31 and attempted to do bad, not good things to the galaxy.

A coalition of forces including the Discovery , the original U.S.S. Enterprise ( soon to be the centerpiece of the upcoming series Strange New Worlds ) and others combined to take on Control. The huge battle between Control ships and the allied forces ended with the Discovery cast forward far into the future.

3 Battle of Sector 001

It was hard to top the Battle of Wolf 359, though it didn't take long. The Borg returned for round two in the 1996 feature film Star Trek: First Contact . The film opened with a breathtaking battle between another solitary Borg cube and an even bigger Starfleet armada.

RELATED:  Marvel: 5 Alien Superheroes Who Would Fit In On The Starship Enterprise (& 5 That Wouldn't)

The Federation stepped up its game in the time between Wolf 359 and Sector 001. It developed a number of new ships - some of the coolest designs in Trek history - specifically to combat the Borg threat. All that work paid off in the end.

2 The First Battle of Chin'toka

The Dominion War gradually became the narrative focus of Deep Space Nine  and led to an escalating series of battles. Many of these remain the greatest battles attempted on television, let alone in sci-fi at all. One of the biggest was the First Battle of Chin'toka.

This was the first effort by the allied forces of the Federation and Klingons to liberate Cardassian space from the Dominion. Hundreds of ships participated in the battle, and the allied forces were victorious, but it didn't lead to outright victory.

1 The Second Battle of Chin'toka

One of the reasons there needs to be another Deep Space Nine series is how realistic and sobering that show depicted warfare. The Dominion War was a slog, with huge victories and bitter defeats. The Second Battle of Chin'toka occurred after the allies made another effort to dislodge the Dominion from the Alpha Quadrant. This time, the allies had the Romulans on their side.

The Dominion had the Breen, who proved their lethality by destroying the Defiant in this battle. Ultimately, the allies won this battle and won the war.

NEXT:  Rick and Morty: 5 Star Trek Characters They Would Love (And 5 They Would Hate)

Ships of the Earth-Romulan War

UESN ship chart 2156-2160

The violent conflict of the alliance of United Earth (UE) and the Andorian Hegemony against the Romulan Star Empire, known today as the Earth-Romulan War (2156-2160), arose from an antagonistic first contact between the sides and a subsequent invasion of known space by Romulan forces. Until the conflicts with the Borg and the Dominion in the late 24th century, the war was the most destructive interstellar conflict involving Federation members.

Before hostilities started, the UE had enjoyed more than 50 years of economic growth and peaceful expansion and had established colonies on worlds up to 6 pc away from Sol. Humans had established friendly relations with the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. The only known threat was from Orion raiders, who had launched sporadic attacks against UE and Andorian colonies in the Libra Sector since the 2120s. When unidentified alien scout ships were detected near the Utopia, Mohannak, and Tlolu colonies starting in 2152, the United Earth Stellar Navy (UESN) responded with intensive surveys of neighboring systems to establish contact with the unknown race. Few people anticipated that these events would lead in March 2156 to a Romulan attack on UESN Stations Shen-shu and Yu-lei in the First Battle of Hell's Gate, which launched 4 years of war. After withstanding a furious assault against the UE's outer colonies, the UESN turned the tide in October 2157 by destroying a Romulan invasion fleet in the Battle of the Vela Gap. The UESN then launched a counterattack against Romulan-held systems, advanced deep into enemy territory, and forced the Romulans to sue for peace with the decisive Battle of Cheron in August 2160.

The effects of the war continue to be felt to this day. The victorious alliance became the basis of the United Federation of Planets, which was founded in 2161. The UESN became the nucleus of Starfleet, the Federation's exploratory and defensive organization. New technologies developed during the war allowed the confident young Federation to rapidly expand its influence across this part of the galaxy. After their defeat, the Romulans cut off all contact with the Federation and would remain in isolation for the coming century.

This Starfleet Museum history focuses on the starships in service with the UESN before and during the Earth-Romulan War. By today's standards, these ships were extremely primitive: many warships were massive, 500,000-ton dreadnoughts that required crews of over 1,000, took months to cross the average 5-ly gap between star systems, and were armed with laser cannons and warp-capable nuclear missiles. All ships were powered by deuterium fusion reactors until matter/antimatter reactors were introduced in 2157. Interstellar ship-to-ship communication was slow, with subspace transmitters and active sensors carried by only specially designed ships. Despite their limitations, the ships of the UESN were instrumental in defending Earth's colonies and defeating an implacable alien foe. These ships paved the way for a new era of interstellar peace and heralded a renaissance in starship design in the Federation.

Battle of Earth (Undine invasion)

• VisualEditor
• View history

The Battle of Earth was the opening conflict in the brief Undine invasion of the Beta Quadrant. Intended as a diversion for the allied Beta Quadrant forces, it resulted in the defeat of the Undine invasion force and the discovery of the Undine's true goal of the destruction of Qo'noS .

Jenolan Sphere Conference [ | ]

Undine attack [ | ], conclusion [ | ].

Following the defeat of the Undine impersonating E'genn , the Undine impersonating Eric Cooper made telepathic contact with Tuvok, who "reversed" the contact and uncovered the Undine attack on Qo'noS and the Undine plan to destroy the planet. Following this discovery, the allied Federation and Romulan Republic forces departed the Sol System for Qo'noS to repel the invasion.

Written by Dan Carlson

The Road to War

Many Romulan strength values are only approximate, based on units observed in the combat zone, intelligence gathered by various UESN assets, and additional estimates of Romulan industrial capacity and projected vessel deployments.

Bibliography

Primary sources and historical surveys.

• Anderson, J. What is Our Name? . (2366)
• Arthur, G. The Seige of Qualor . (2159)
• Barclay, Robert J., Jr. Close Quarters: San Francisco Cruisers in the UESN . (2163)
• Belav-Sha. A Diary of the Seige of Vradpest . (Translation, 2166)
• Chang, Justin. Tin Cans: The San Francisco Defense . (2158)
• Czikath, H. The Road to Romulus . (2162)
• Fraser, G. Antimatter, The Ultimate Mirror . (2142)
• Fredrickson, Lee. Hunter, Prey: The Front Lines of the Earth-Romulan War . (2163)
• George, Micheal. The Ships of the U.E. Stellar Navy. Eighth Edition . (2160)
• Gibson, Rei Toei. Eagles of War: A Short History of the Earth-Romulan War . (2214)
• Grotak, M. The Wall . (Translation, 2174)
• Haleakala-LoBrutto, Terise. The Romulan Way . (2277)
• L’shek, Pta. The Secret Diplomatic History of the Earth-Romulan War . (2316)
• Manfela, S. Alien Invasion! A Colonist’s Journal During the Seige of Qualor . (2169)
• Okazaki, M. U.E. Small Combatants, Including Light Cruisers, Missile Boats, and the Orbital Navy: An Illustrated Design History . (2209)
• Pohan-McClintock, Tyo. The First Stellar War . (2165)
• Robinson, Kim S. Birds of Prey: The Colonial Line . (2165)
• Seldon, Hari. My War With the Romulans . (2159)
• Suh, J. The Romulan War: Forty Years Later . (2201)
• T’ummerik, Glorious Victory . (Unknown)
• Xiu-feng, Samson Zhang. Vol 4. Galactic Diplomacy: The Earth-Romulan War and the Birth of the Federation . (2331)
• Yader, U. From Qualor to Cheron . (2161)

Additional Articles (Unpublished)

• Axek, L. Causes of the Earth-Romulan War: An Exploration of the Military Bureaucracy . Starfleet Academy, 2168.
• Baloo, C. The Vulcan-Romulan War . Alpha Quadrant Institute of Technology, 2370.
• Carlson, D. Romulan warp capabilities . Washington and Lee University, 2376. OFFLINE
• Carlson, D. and Okazaki, M. Interstellar text correspondence. 2375-77.
• Datalore, I. Of Vulcans and Romulans . University of Canada, 2266. OFFLINE
• Federation Security Council 107/743. The Romulan/Klingon Alliance . 23 June 2268. OFFLINE
• Izzoti, A. Lost Races of the Original Series: The Andorians . 16 February 2369.
• Kennedy, G. Daystrom Institute Technical Library Catalogue of Lifeforms: The Romulans . 27 October 2300.
• Laurence, P. The Daedalus Class, Antimatter Reactors, and the Photon Torpedo . University of Deneva, 2377. OFFLINE
• Mosaa, O. The Earth-Romulan War . 27 October 2320.
• Niazi, M. Minutes of the 5th, 6th, 8th, and 10th meetings of the Qualor Governor’s Council. 2156-2157.
• Okazaki, M. Starfleet Museum online, vol 3. Ships of the Earth-Romulan War . 2375.
• Oice, B.R. Space-Based Munitions: The Hydrogen Bomb and the Photon Torpedo . University of Delaware, 2201. OFFLINE
• Pemberton, T. 3D Constructs . 14 May 2377.
• Rkam, M. Diplomatic Analysis of the Romulan Star Empire . 9 October 2374.
• Schneider, B. Warp Drive and Romulan History . PhD thesis, University of Siegen, 2304.
• Starfleet Corps of Engineers 1-47. Development of the Antimatter Weapons . 2 July 2235. OFFLINE
• Starfleet Diplomatic Corps 23/692. Strange Relations: Romulans and Vulcans . (2380)
• Thomsa, P. The Nature of Antimatter . Columbia University, 2134.
• Toast, M. FTL vs. Non-FTL Ships: Tactics or Turkey Shoot? . University of Andor, 2148. OFFLINE
• Naifed, T. Defiant. The United Earth Charter . Starfleet Academy, 2165. OFFLINE
• UE Stellar Navy, Commander-in-Chief Qualor Sector. Combat Readiness Assessments. Annual reports 2155-2161.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Masao Okazaki for providing the impetus for writing this article in the first place. His excellent articles on the ships of the Earth-Romulan War gave me the foundation upon which to build my story. Furthermore, this project would not have been finished without his invaluable suggestions, advice, and encouragement.

Also, thanks to Bernd Schneider for his help with some of the technical issues of the 22nd Century and other excellent suggestions. Bernd is also the host of the Starfleet Museum.

And finally, thanks to Thomas Pemberton, Fabio Passaro, and Nick Porcino of the 3D Gladiators Art Forums for their excellent renderings which illustrate these pages.

Just How Bad Was Star Trek's Most Devastating Battle?

Just how bad was star trek 's most devastating battle, there have been longer, bigger, bloodier engagements in star trek history, but no conflict comes close to the influence and legacy of the battle of wolf 359..

Star Trek ’s idyllic utopia might try to move past it, but it is defined by conflict . From the long moral question of whether or not Starfleet is a military or scientific organization at its core, to the deadly wars that have pushed it to defend its greatest ideals, Star Trek as we know it cannot exist without battle —and the sting of defeat. Which is why one of its most iconic moments isn’t a stirring speech or wanderlust-driven exploration, but a terrible, terrible loss .

First depicted in the legendary Next Generation two-parter “The Best of Both Worlds,” the Battle of Wolf 359 is actually barely seen on screen in the episode. And yet, its infamy, its context, has persisted for generations—shaping not just the legacy of The Next Generation and successor series like Picard , but DS9 , and the very heart of Starfleet itself. There may have been greater battles, longer wars, more shocking acts of death and destruction—but it’s hard to imagine what Star Trek could ever do to top the reach and importance of Wolf 359.

The Prelude

It had been over a year, and a season-and-a-half of television, since TNG viewers had been introduced to the mysterious, ominous threat of the Borg. Whisked beyond the outskirts of the furthest reaches of Federation Space in the season two episode “Q Who,” the Enterprise bore witness to the unknown that could undo not just itself, but all of the Federation. So when season three of the show climaxed in “ The Best of Both Worlds ,” opening on a missing colony with devastation eerily similar to what was seen back in “Q Who,” the tone is immediately set—and it’s a tension that builds and builds in its first half unlike anything the show had done up to that point.

There’s moments here and there, like the realization from Admiral Hanson and Commander Shelby that Starfleet has to prepare for a potential invasion force, or the destruction of the USS Lalo in the dead of night, as the Borg got closer and closer. The stage is set for a one-on-one encounter between the Enterprise and the Borg cube, but both our heroes and the audience know how that battle will go. Except it doesn’t, with a twist on a twist—the Enterprise ’s tussle with the cube is brief, immediately swept up in a race against time and a hostage situation when the Borg capture Captain Picard and begin dashing for Sector 001: Earth, the heart of the Federation itself.

Although the Enterprise managed to shunt the cube out of warp, doing so led to a horrific discovery: the Borg hadn’t just abducted Picard, but assimilated him, transforming him into the command drone Locutus. The best of Starfleet’s tactical acumen, merged with the technological might of the Collective, the perversion of one of its greatest leaders, all as horrific as the Enterprise being left battered and bruised in Locutus’ wake. And so the stage was set: The Next Generation ’s stars were out of the fight, and 40 ships, unlike anything marshaled on screen in Star Trek before, were made ready to face off against the shadow of a fallen hero.

The Next Generation never actually depicts the Battle of Wolf 359 on screen, as we follow the battered Enterprise as it tries to give chase after emergency repairs. The most of it we ever see on television comes years after in Deep Space Nine ’s premiere episode, “Emissary,” and much later still in flashes of Star Trek: Picard . What we do know from those moments is that the battle between Starfleet and the Borg is over in a matter of minutes.

Uncertain of how to tactically approach the Borg, while the Borg and themselves had assimilated all of Picard’s experience and strategic information, the Battle of Wolf 359 was arguably over before the first phasers were fired: line after line of Starfleet ships charged the Borg cube, and at Locutus’ command, the Borg cut them down in a barrage of strategically timed tractor beams and lancing phaser volleys.

By the time the Enterprise- D arrived at Wolf 359, they knew the battle had taken a turn—communications between the newly field-promoted Captain Riker and Admiral Hanson had been cut off mid-way, as the admiral attempted to rally what was left of the fleet as the tide went against Starfleet. Upon arriving in the Wolf system, the Enterprise finds no life readings when there should be thousands upon thousands: and only the debris of dozens and dozens of starships.

The Aftermath

Of the 40 Starfleet ships that engaged at Wolf 359, just a single vessel survived—and decades later, we still don’t really know which one. It’s never been explicitly confirmed, but offhand mentions in Voyager and an eventual re-appearance in Star Trek: First Contact suggest the USS Endeavour , helmed by Captain Amasov, as a likely candidate. At least one Federation civilian vessel was also destroyed in the crossfire. In all, 11,000 people—Starfleet officers and civilian families onboard the engaging vessels—were either killed or assimilated by the Borg.

As the cube drew closer and closer to Earth—breaching defense platforms positioned at Mars and entering orbit above the planet—the conflict resulted in a Pyrrhic victory for Starfleet when the repaired Enterprise , having recaptured Locutus, used the drone’s collective link to issue a kill-switch command to the Borg, destroying the cube. Picard would eventually be restored to his human self after his link to the collective was severed and he underwent reconstructive surgery to remove the implants given to him by the Borg, but while the threat of the Borg was momentarily halted, Wolf 359's devastation echoed throughout the Federation; at that point—just years before the outbreak of the Dominion War—it was the deadliest single engagement in Starfleet history.

The Battle of Wolf 359's legacy goes much further than just “The Best of Both Worlds,” both in and out of the text of Star Trek itself. The trauma of the incident follows Picard throughout the remainder of TNG , brought up explicitly in episodes like the following season’s “Family” and “The Drumhead,” and of course in Star Trek: First Contact and its renewed engagement with the Borg in Sector 001, set just six years after the events of “The Best of Both Worlds.”

It touches other important Star Trek figures beyond Picard, too. The vast majority of what we’ve actually seen of Wolf 359 is almost entirely from the perspective of Deep Space Nine ’s Captain Sisko during the show’s premiere, where we see the destruction of the ship he served on, the USS Saratoga , as well as the death of his wife—something he ultimately places directly on Picard when the two briefly butt heads later on in the episode. Later still in Picard ’s third season, we learn that the USS Titan ’s Captain Shaw served as an engineer aboard the Constance during the battle, and was just one of 10 survivors randomly selected to use the ship’s remaining functioning escape pod. The exploration of Picard’s trauma, and then eventually Sisko’s, sets the stage for what Deep Space Nine would go on to do in its storylines with the Dominion War in its latter half.

The battle is also another important moment in that age-old existential Star Trek metacommentary: is Starfleet a research organization with an exploratory and diplomatic mission, or is it a military force? What does it mean for its aims and intents in its depiction of a post-scarcity utopia that it has to be both at once? Wolf 359 sees Starfleet’s ideals—that its ships, while armed for defense, were primarily vessels of science and exploration, places that housed not just Starfleet personnel but their families, had libraries and schools and recreational areas as necessary as tactical and scientific ones—laid low in the worst possible way. The battle is directly responsible for Starfleet’s first explicitly designed warship , the Defiant-class that became the vessel of Deep Space Nine ’s crew, something that had at that point in the franchise been almost alien and inconceivable to imagine.

Star Trek would go on to depict bigger and more explosive battles, and place war throughout its history, from the conflict with the Dominion to Discovery ’s exploration of the war with the Klingons a century prior. But few moments could ever match the gut-wrenching tragedy of Wolf 359, in spite of dwarfing its scope—a battle barely seen, but one whose scars are forever etched across generations of Star Trek .

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

• Memory Beta articles sourced from games
• Memory Beta articles sourced from episodes and movies
• Earth-Romulan War
• Vulcan conflicts
• Romulan conflicts
• Andorian conflicts
• Klingon conflicts

Battle of Cheron

• View history
• 2 Aftermath
• 3.1 Connections
• 3.2 External links

Overview [ ]

Romulan starships in battle with United Earth

The battle was four years after the start of the Earth-Romulan War, fought within the 83 Leonis B system, and in orbit of its fifth planet, Cheron . Cheron was a Romulan military base and shipyard, and was being used as a staging ground for an invasion of Earth and the other Coalition of Planets systems, under the orders of Admiral Valdore . A Starfleet task force of 24 ships led by the Enterprise and commanded by Jonathan Archer attacked the staging grounds, taking on 81 Romulan ships.

The first wave of the battle was fought in orbit above Cheron, resulting in roughly 50 percent losses to both sides, with the Romulan forces, under Admiral Tal , retreating when reinforcements of Klingon and Andorian freebooters commanded by Kolos and Thy'lek Shran respectively arrived. The Romulans regrouped, and warped back in to attack, but were slowed by Trip Tucker , undercover on the Romulan flagship, causing the failure of the fleet's antimatter containment systems, resulting in the destruction of three ships. The fight was joined at impulse, with the more powerful Romulan ships on the verge of victory when a wave of Vulcan , Andorian and Tellarite ships arrived and swung the battle in the Coalition's favor, but allowing the Romulans to retreat back to home territory under direct orders from Praetor Gileus . ( ENT - The Romulan War novel : To Brave the Storm ; ST reference : Federation: The First 150 Years )

At some point during the battle, the USS Lexington led a fleet of Denobulan warships towards Romulus in a bid to get the Romulans to retreat from the battle and defend their homeworld . The ruse was successful and enabled the USS Enterprise and USS Atlantis to destroy the IRW Koto and disable the IRW Chula as they withdrew from Cheron . With at least three warbirds were on their way to Romulus, the Lexington and its fleet turned back. ( ST reference : Federation: The First 150 Years , ST reference : Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library )

It was during this battle that Terran forces were able to turn the Romulans back into their own territory and prevent the invasion of Earth . ( TOS - My Brother's Keeper novel : Republic ; ENT - The Romulan War novel : To Brave the Storm )

Additionally, a determined Earth Command strike force warped in close to the planet during this battle, and managed to destroy a crucial Romulan supply depot, further crippling the Romulan forces. Among the members of that force were Aaron Stiles , Michael Hagedorn , and Hiro Matsura . ( ST novel : Starfleet: Year One )

Aftermath [ ]

Following the battle, some commanders in the United Earth forces wanted to continue on pushing the Romulans back all the way to Romulus and deal them a death blow which would destroy all their shipbuilding facilities and rule the Romulans out as a major threat. However, cooler heads prevailed and it was decided that as the Romulans were a proud people, total defeat would humiliate them, and would lead to future conflicts. Instead it was decided to leave the Romulans dignity intact. ( TOS - My Brother's Keeper novel : Republic )

Soon after the Battle of Cheron and the ending of the war, the United Federation of Planets was formed, and along with it was created the Federation Starfleet , presumably as a retooling of the old United Earth Starfleet .

Even into the 24th century , the battle remained an intense embarrassment for the Romulans, which, according to Alidar Jarok , would be retributed by "the new leaders" on Romulus , who "vowed to discard the treaty and claim the Neutral Zone ," with Nelvana III being the first step. ( TNG episode : " The Defector ")

Appendices [ ]

Connections [ ], external links [ ].

• Battle of Cheron article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 The Chase
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Star Trek - The Battle of Wolf 359

Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine both endured this battle.

As Earth faced assimilation by the technologically superior Borg Collective, Starfleet failed to hold the line against the oncoming threat at Wolf 359. In addition to the catastrophic loss of lives and vessels, the circumstances surrounding the invasion had a profound effect on four beloved characters. Dive into some of the battles that changed Star Trek history .

Star Trek Has Finally Revealed the Evil Enterprise's Weird Fate

Watch out for any goatees.

Today, everyone knows what a multiverse is. But back in 1967, parallel universe stories weren’t nearly as common as they are now, even within the sci-fi genre. A classic Star Trek episode, Jerome Bixby’s “Mirror, Mirror,” helped popularize the alternate universe trope, complete with meaner versions of yourself who may rock an evil little goatee like Mirror Spock.

Star Trek’s Mirror Universe also gave us an alternate version of the USS Enterprise in the ISS Enterprise , a ship that served the Imperial Terran Empire, not the United Federation of Planets. Now, in the Discovery Season 5 episode “Mirrors,” the evil ISS Enterprise is back... as a force for good. Here’s what it all means. Spoilers ahead.

The ISS Enterprise returns

Captain Burnham watches the ISS Enterprise warp to Federation HQ.

While pursuing the thieves Moll and L’ak, Book and Burnham take a shuttlecraft into an unstable wormhole and discover the floating, pseudo-derelict ISS Enterprise . One of the clues to the Progenitor’s tech has been hidden on it, but for Burnham, it’s kind of like a bizzaro universe homecoming. Burnham spent a decent amount of time in the Mirror Universe in Discovery Season 1 , and in Season 2 she found herself on the Enterprise with her brother Spock just before jumping from the 23rd century to the 32nd century.

In “Mirrors,” Burnham notes that “crossing between universes has been impossible for centuries,” which means the ISS Enterprise must have crossed over into the Prime Universe well before the 32nd century. Burnham is referencing the events of Discovery Season 3, when we learned that Philippa Georgiou, a resident of the Mirror Universe, couldn’t go back to her home universe because those dimensions had drifted apart. But the ISS Enterprise , which was previously captained by an evil Kirk, crossed over into the Prime Universe well before that moment, and Discovery has now added details connecting The Original Series, Deep Space Nine , and Discovery Season 3.

How evil Spock became good

Spock talking with Kirk in “Mirror, Mirror.”

In the Deep Space Nine episode “Crossover” we learn that after Kirk talked to Mirror Spock and encouraged him to try making the Terran Empire a peaceful power, Mirror Spock did just that. But as Mirror Kira explained, Mirror Spock’s idealism didn’t work out the way he’d hoped:

“Spock rose to Commander in Chief of the Empire by preaching reforms, disarmament, peace. It was quite a remarkable turnabout for his people. Unfortunately for them, when Spock had completed all these reforms, his empire was no longer in any position to defend itself against us [the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance].”

Discovery appears to be referencing this exact event, even if Spock isn’t named outright. When Book learns the ISS Enterprise became a refugee ship for people who’d turned against the Empire, he says, “The Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms.”

This likely references Spock, but adds the twist that he was perhaps betrayed by other people within the Terran Empire, even if Earth adopted his reforms. Now, by the end of “Mirrors,” the 23rd-century ISS Enterprise has been moved to the Prime Universe and the 32nd century. It’s an antique by modern standards, but it’s a contemporary of the USS Discovery, so it’s still serviceable. This means that by the end of Discovery Season 5 there will still be a version of the classic Enterprise floating around Federation headquarters, so when the Starfleet Academy series debuts, 32nd-century Starfleet cadets will have access to the classic version of the most famous Enterprise. It may technically be an evil twin, but its historic adventures aren’t over just yet.

Star Trek: Discovery and The Original Series stream on Paramount+.

• Science Fiction

Screen Rant

8 planets star trek destroyed.

The Star Trek franchise may not have a planet-destroying Death Star, but entire worlds being annihilated in Star Trek is still surprisingly common.

• Destruction isn't reserved for Death Stars - Star Trek has seen its fair share of planets obliterated.
• Movie scale allows for larger destruction - JJ Abrams' version famously took out Romulus and Vulcan.
• Planets lost in the storyline - from Xindus to Ceti Alpha VI, key planets have been lost in battle.

Star Trek may not have a Death Star, but that doesn't mean the franchise hasn't destroyed its fair share of planets over the years. Since its beginning with Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966, Star Trek has depicted an optimistic view of the future where humanity's main goal is exploration. Despite this, the United Federation of Planets has still made enemies who have managed to get their hands on powerful, planet-destroying weapons. A few Star Trek planets have also been accidentally destroyed by weapons or anomalies created for a different purpose altogether.

Many of Star Trek's most devastating moments of destruction happen in the Star Trek movies , as the scale for those stories is often larger than the television series can accommodate. J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) famously destroyed Romulus and Vulcan, altering the trajectory of the Federation's future and the lives of Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) in the alternate Kelvin timeline. However, these were not the first planets Star Trek destroyed. William Shatner's Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy's Spock were the first to encounter a "machine" capable of annihilating entire planets in the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Doomsday Machine."

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

8 all seven planets in system l-370, destroyed in 2267 in star trek: the original series season 2, episode 6 - "the doomsday machine", star trek: the original series.

When the USS Enterprise responds to a distress call from their sister ship, the USS Constellation, they find the heavily damaged ship with only one passenger still alive, Commodore Matt Decker (William Windom) . The emotionally compromised Decker explains that his starship encountered a massive 'planet-killer' machine with the ability to destroy planets. The Constellation tried to attack the machine, but they were ineffective, and the Constitution Class starship sustained significant damage.

Commodore Decker beamed the USS Constellation's entire crew down to a nearby planet to keep them safe, but the machine then destroyed the planet, killing all of the Constellation's crew. The insane Decker steals a shuttle from the Starship Enterprise for a suicide run into the mouth of the machine. Although his attack causes only minor damage, it gives Captain Kirk the idea to send the Constellation into the robot, where it explodes and disables the planet-killer.

Destroyed in 2033, prior to Star Trek: Enterprise

Star trek: enterprise.

Located in the Delphic Expanse, the Xindi homeworld, Xindus, was already geologically unstable before it was destroyed during the Xindi Civil War. Prior to its destruction, Xindus was home to six different Xindi species, who were often in conflict with one another. At the height of their Civil War, the Xindi-Reptilians and Insectoids set off a massive bomb that destroyed the planet and wiped out the Xindi-Avians.

The remaining five species then spread out across the Delphic Expanse during a time that became known as the Great Diaspora . It was later that the transdimensional beings called the Guardians contacted the Xindi and told them that humanity would attack and destroy their future homeworld. This led the Xindi to launch a devastating attack on Earth in 2153, after which Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the Enterprise NX-01 were sent into the Delphic Expanse.

6 Ceti Alpha VI

Destroyed in 2267, prior to star trek ii: the wrath of khan.

In Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 22, "Space Seed," Captain Kirk encountered former Earth tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) for the first time. After Khan tries (and fails) to destroy the Enterprise, Kirk exiles him and his people to Ceti Alpha V. Although the planet was initially habitable, if somewhat harsh, the destruction of Ceti Alpha VI altered the orbit of Ceti Alpha V, rendering the planet completely inhospitable.

Although Khan reveals that Ceti Alpha VI exploded around six months after he and his people were left on Ceti Alpha V, it remains unknown what caused the planet to explode. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Commander Pavel Chekov beamed down from the USS Reliant to Ceti Alpha V, mistakenly believing it to be Ceti Alpha VI. Khan then hijacked the Reliant and abandoned Ceti Alpha V for good.

5 Genesis Planet

Destroyed in 2285 in star trek iii: the search for spock.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Khan stole the Genesis Device created by Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) and her team of Federation scientists. The Genesis Device could bring dead worlds and planetoids back to live, turning them into lush Class M planets capable of sustaining humanoid life. However, the Genesis Device could also be used as a weapon as its matrix replaces existing life with its own. After a final battle with Admiral Kirk and the USS Enterprise, Khan detonated the device before his death, which resulted in the creation of the Genesis Planet.

After Spock sacrificed himself to allow the Starship Enterprise to escape, his casket landed on the Genesis Planet, which brought his body back to life.

In Star Trek III: The Search For Spock , Carol and Kirk's son, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), was sent to investigate the Genesis Planet, which was unstable and aging rapidly because David used protomatter in the Genesis matrix. The Genesis Planet soon exploded after Admiral Kirk successfully rescued Spock and commandeered a Klingon Bird-of-Prey to escape. The Genesis Planet marks the first time Star Trek depicted a planet's destruction on-screen .

Every Star Trek Movie Ranked (From Worst To Best)

Destroyed in 2293 in star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country opens with Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) in command of the USS Excelsior, as the ship is hit by a shockwave from a nearby explosion. When the Excelsior investigates, they find that the Klingon moon, Praxis, has been destroyed. Sulu attempts to offer assistance, but he receives an official transmission from the Klingon High Command that the situation is under control.

Not only was Praxis the Klingon Empire's main energy production facility, but its destruction also polluted the ozone of the Klingon homeworld, Qo'noS. Because of this, the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) seeks to end hostilities between the Klingon Empire and the Federation , as the Empire can no longer sustain the war. Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise crew must then thwart a plan to sabotage the peace talks so that the Federation can enter a new era of peace with the Klingons.

3 Romulus & Remus

Destroyed in 2387 in star trek (2009) & prior to star trek: picard, star trek: picard.

Before the sun in the Romulus system went supernova in 2387, Starfleet mounted a massive rescue effort to evacuate the planets affected by the imminent destruction of the Romulan star. However, after rogue synths attacked Mars and destroyed the rescue armada, Starfleet abandoned the evacuation efforts. Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) had been spearheading the evacuation, and he resigned from Starfleet in protest after the rescue efforts were abandoned.

After the destruction of Romulus and Remus, the Romulans became refugees and settled on various planets, including Vashti, which had been set up as a Romulan Relocation Hub by the Federation.

According to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009), Ambassador Spock created a red matter singularity as another attempt to save Romulus. While the singularity did consume the star, it was not fast enough to stop the supernova before it reached Romulus and Remus and destroyed the planets. The Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) used the time warp created by the singularity to travel back in time, which resulted in the alternate Kelvin timeline.

Destroyed in 2258 Star Trek (2009)

While Star Trek 's Prime Universe version of Vulcan remains intact, the Vulcan of the Kelvin timeline was destroyed by Nero after he traveled back in time to the 23rd century and created the alternate Kelvin Timeline. When Nero's ship, the Narada, began drilling into the core of Vulcan, the Vulcan High Command sent out a distress call. Starfleet responded by sending an armada to intercept the Narada, but they were no match for Nero's powerful 24th century ship.

The USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) , arrived later than the other ships and futilely tried to stop Nero. When Vulcan's destruction became inevitable , Spock (Zachary Quinto) beamed down to save the Vulcan elders, including his parents, Sarek (Ben Cross) and Amanda (Winona Ryder). While Spock was able to save many of the elders, his mother did not make it out in time and was killed when the planet imploded.

Ambassador Spock helped establish a new colony, known as New Vulcan, for the approximately 10,000 remaining Vulcans.

10 Star Trek Worlds Discovery’s AR Wall Needs To Recreate

Destroyed in 3190 in star trek: discovery season 4, episode 1 - "kobayashi maru", star trek: discovery.

The homeworld of Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) , Kwejian was a Class M planet where the Kwejian people lived in a shielded area called the Sanctuary. When Booker went to visit his brother and nephew on Kwejian in 3190, he noticed the birds on the planet were behaving strangely. When he went to investigate, Book witnessed the destruction of Kwejian's moon by a massive gravitational distortion which later came to be known as the Dark Matter Anomaly or DMA.

Booker returned to the USS Discovery only to witness the complete destruction of Kwejian . Following Kwejian's destruction, the Federation and Discovery began investigating the DMA, eventually contacting its creators, Species 10-C, who were using the DMA to mine boronite and were unaware that it was causing harm. In a classic Star Trek storyline, the crew of the Discovery found a way to communicate with Species 10-C and convinced them to disable the DMA.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, & Star Trek (2009) are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, & Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country are available to stream on Max.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

He missed a chance to be the first Black astronaut. Now, at 90, he's going into space

Scott Neuman

Ed Dwight poses for a portrait in February to promote the National Geographic documentary film The Space Race during the Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

Ed Dwight poses for a portrait in February to promote the National Geographic documentary film The Space Race during the Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif.

Edward J. Dwight Jr. has waited a long time for his ride into space.

In the 1960s, he seemed poised to become America's first Black astronaut. That dream was never realized. Now, at age 90, he's about to finally get his shot, aboard a Blue Origin rocket.

The opportunity is "a curiosity more than anything else," Dwight says. "They called me up and asked me if I was interested. And of course I said yes."

The 1st Black Woman To Pilot A Spacecraft Says Seeing Earth Was The Best Part

While Dwight won't be the first African American in space — that honor went to Guion Bluford Jr. in 1983 — he will be the oldest person to go there, edging out (by a few months) Star Trek actor William Shatner , who flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket in 2021.

For many his age, a journey into space would seem unthinkable. Dwight says he's ready to go. He points out that the rigors of his upcoming flight won't be much different from what he experienced as a test pilot in the Air Force. "I've pulled more G's than any person on Earth," he says with a wry smile. "I've been high enough to see the curvature of the Earth. ... I've been doing things like that most of my life."

Space health expert Dorit Donoviel says the 11-minute flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket means many of the concerns about the long-term effects of orbital and deep-space missions won't come into play.

"The main thing we worry about is the G forces," says Donoviel, director of the Translational Research Institute for Space Health at Baylor College of Medicine.

Air Force Capt. Edward J. Dwight Jr., the first African American selected as a potential astronaut, looks over a model of the Titan III-X-20 Dyna-Soar combination during a visit to Air Force headquarters in the capital in November 1963. Getty Images/Bettman Archive hide caption

Air Force Capt. Edward J. Dwight Jr., the first African American selected as a potential astronaut, looks over a model of the Titan III-X-20 Dyna-Soar combination during a visit to Air Force headquarters in the capital in November 1963.

Those G forces cause blood to drain from the head, and that's an issue for anyone launching into space, regardless of age. However, she points out that the seats aboard Blue Origin's rocket are angled at 20 or 30 degrees. "As you're experiencing the G-forces, you're getting it through the chest, which is not affecting your head," Donoviel says. "It's distributed through the chest, which really shouldn't matter very much."

And then there's the landing. The crew capsule will separate from the booster and come down under a set of parachutes — emitting a last-minute retro thrust to reduce speed to about 2 miles per hour to cushion the impact. "It's not even a controlled crash. It's a crash," Donoviel says. Still, she anticipates no issues.

No launch date set

Blue Origin has not announced a launch date yet. But Dwight and his crewmates will train for two days before liftoff at the company's Launch Site One in western Texas, not far from the Mexico border.

The company, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, declined to disclose the per-passenger cost of the flight, but says Dwight's seat is being sponsored by Space for Humanity and Blue Origin, with additional support from the Jaison and Jamie Robinson Family Foundation . (Jaison Robinson, who flew on a previous Blue Origin flight, is on the NPR Foundation Board of Trustees.)

Leland Melvin, a retired NASA astronaut who flew two space shuttle missions to the International Space Station, says it will be good to see Dwight finally "get his due" all these years after he first trained for space.

My Big Break

From touchdowns to takeoff: engineer-athlete soared to space.

Dwight sees his upcoming spaceflight as the "climax to an interesting story."

His own story, that is. One of the earliest chapters begins at an airfield in Kansas City, Kan. As a child, Dwight's fascination with aviation led to odd jobs cleaning aircraft owned by wealthy flyers. But even then, he had greater ambitions. "I told them I didn't want their nickels and dimes for cleaning airplanes anymore," he says. "I wanted to fly." At age 8, he got his first flight.

Dwight was equally interested in art and earned a scholarship to pursue his passion after high school. His father would have none of it. Art wasn't a real career, he insisted. Dwight should study engineering instead, so he enrolled at a junior college, receiving an associate's degree in 1953, the same year he enlisted in the Air Force.

After finishing primary flight training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Dwight also got a bachelor's of science in aeronautical engineering from Arizona State University. Discrimination was an ever-present reality in the armed forces at the time, but as a skilled pilot, he made captain.

Kennedy wanted a Black astronaut

That's when President John F. Kennedy — eager to link his administration's push for civil rights to the country's early space exploration efforts — asked for a Black astronaut.

At the time, it was test pilots who became astronauts, and there were no Black test pilots. So, Dwight was invited to attend the Air Force's newly opened Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS).

But when he got the invitation letter, he almost threw it out, Dwight recalls. His Air Force peers "got a big laugh out of it," telling him that "all those guys have swagger, and it's a club," he said, referring to the all-white astronaut corps. They said, "They are not going to let you get in that club."

"And, of course, they were right," he says.

'Black In Space' Explores NASA's Small Steps And Giant Leaps Toward Equality

It was a huge career gamble. Dwight's father, who played baseball in the Negro Leagues, was strongly opposed. His mother, though, changed her son's mind. "She said, 'You are going to do this' because she was thinking it would be uplifting the race and racial pride," he says.

Upon entering the flight-test program, Dwight experienced immediate pushback that he says was rooted in racism. He says Chuck Yeager, the famed test pilot who ran the school, resented having to accept a Black candidate. (Yeager, who died in 2020, wrote in his memoir that his only issue was Dwight's piloting skills, which he described as "average.")

Once on the astronaut track, Dwight became a minor celebrity, especially in the Black community. He appeared on the cover of magazines such as Ebony and Jet . But he also endured taunts of "Kennedy's boy" because of the president's support.

Kennedy's 1963 assassination nearly derailed Dwight's training, he says. Days after the president's death, "Lo and behold, I had orders in my mailbox shipping me out of the country," he says.

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the president's brother, intervened to keep him in the program, according to Dwight. He stayed in the Air Force for a few more years, but it became increasingly clear that he would not be selected as an astronaut. "When I found out it wasn't going to happen, that's when I left the program," he says. "I just packed my bags and left."

One of Ed Dwight's sculptures in Battle Creek, Mich., depicts escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad being led to freedom by Harriet Tubman and local abolitionist Erastus Hussey. Carlos Osorio/AP hide caption

One of Ed Dwight's sculptures in Battle Creek, Mich., depicts escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad being led to freedom by Harriet Tubman and local abolitionist Erastus Hussey.

After the Air Force, Dwight, who eventually settled in Denver, became a computer systems engineer for IBM, later opened a restaurant and worked as a real estate developer before being drawn back to his childhood love of art . Despite having little formal training, he was commissioned in 1974 to create a sculpture of Colorado's first Black lieutenant governor, George Brown.

Black History Month 2024

A child's dream to 'drive' a space shuttle propels him toward a historic nasa mission, from would-be astronaut to sculptor.

From there, his reputation as a sculptor blossomed. In 1977, he earned a master's of fine art in sculpture from the University of Denver. He specializes in sculpting historic African American figures. Among his more notable pieces are busts of jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and one of Louis Armstrong on display at the National Museum of American History.

Melvin, who is African American, says when he met Dwight, he didn't know much about his backstory. "I got a copy of his book and I read some of the stuff that he had done," he says. "He reminded me of Katherine Johnson ," the NASA mathematician who led an all-woman group of "computers," who made vital orbital calculations for the agency's early crewed spaceflights. Their story was later featured in Hidden Figures, the book and 2016 film.

Dwight and Melvin became close friends. In recent months, they have worked together on The Space Race , a documentary released last year about the contributions and experiences of Black astronauts. Dwight's own story is prominent in the film.

NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Leland Melvin pose with Ed Dwight for a portrait to promote The Space Race in February at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Leland Melvin pose with Ed Dwight for a portrait to promote The Space Race in February at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif.

"He's not only funny, he's self-deprecating," Melvin says of Dwight. And one quality stands out. "He's got grit."

"But the other thing that his mother taught him was grace," he says. So, when being an astronaut didn't work all those years ago, "he gracefully pivoted to doing something else. It was just as impactful — just as impactful, especially in the Black community, which was his sculpture."

"He will now get his chance to do some zero-G floating and look at the planet from another vantage point," Melvin says.

Correction April 25, 2024

An earlier version of this story omitted Blue Origin as a sponsor of the flight that will take Edward J. Dwight Jr. into space.

• blue origin

Operation Return

• View history

Operation Return [1] was the code-name for the combined counter-offensive of Starfleet and Klingon Defense Force fleets against Jem'Hadar and Cardassian military forces in the Bajoran sector , launched in mid- 2374 , with the specific aim of recapturing Deep Space 9 and re-establishing control over the Bajoran Wormhole .

Despite coming perilously close to defeat, the outnumbered Federation fleet was saved from destruction by a delayed task force of Klingon warships , resulting in the collapse of the Dominion lines and their subsequent withdrawal. Though the self-replicating minefield the Starfleet crew had deployed just before abandoning the station was destroyed, reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant vanished in the Bajoran Wormhole as a result of Prophet intervention, forcing the blindsided Terok Nor crew to retreat. The recapture of Deep Space 9 proved to be an important victory for the Federation Alliance , enabling Starfleet to re-establish its forward operating base for operations in Cardassian space and temporarily setting back Dominion offensive operations.

• 3 The Resistance
• 4 Rushed Launch
• 5 The Battle
• 6 Aftermath
• 7 Starships present
• 8.1 See also
• 8.2 Background information
• 8.3 Apocrypha
• 8.4 External links

Prelude [ ]

In the opening months of the war the Federation suffered an almost unbroken series of defeats at the hands of the Jem'Hadar, and showed little capability of stopping and turning back the Dominion's all-out offensive. In addition, Starfleet's few attempts to mount counteroffensives, such as the Seventh Fleet 's attack on the Tyra system , were met with overwhelming losses. Out of the 112 ships in the Seventh Fleet involved in the battle, only 14 survived the fight at Tyra and made it back to Federation lines. The Federation and her Klingon allies were unquestionably losing the war.

The status of Deep Space 9 and the Bajoran wormhole remained the sole positive note for the allies. The automated, self-replicating minefield deployed by the USS Defiant just prior to DS9's capture in 2373 remained intact and proved resistant to the Cardassians' attempts to destroy it; this prevented any Jem'Hadar reinforcements from entering the Alpha Quadrant and joining the conflict. In addition, the massive sabotage inflicted on DS9 as the Federation withdrew ensured that the station itself, known again under its former Cardassian name of Terok Nor , remained vulnerable to attack for several months while the Cardassians made repairs.

By the fifth month of fighting, both the Federation and Klingon fleet commanders were facing a crisis: aside from the initial victory at Torros III , ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ") the allies had not won a single major engagement without suffering major losses. Morale among both fleets was at an all-time low, presenting a serious problem for many unit commanders. In particular, the repetitive and unproductive succession of advances and retreats with little material gain was galling to many seasoned veterans of the Cardassian wars .

The Cardassians were not idle on Terok Nor during this period; Glinn Damar , adjutant to Gul Dukat, was in charge of the operation to deactivate and destroy the minefield. Although Damar's team had little success in clearing the wormhole, it was considered only a matter of time before a means was found of destroying all of the mines.

The Plan [ ]

Sisko's plan to retake DS9

In light of the situation, Captain Benjamin Sisko , commander of Deep Space 9 before its capture and then adjutant to Admiral William Ross , proposed a plan for the allies to launch a major offensive with the goals of recapturing the station, re-securing the wormhole, and forcing the Dominion to divert troops away from other theaters of action closer to the Federation homeworlds .

In the plan presented to Starfleet Command , Sisko proposed to assemble a task force composed of elements from the Second , Fifth , and Ninth fleets and reinforced by a large contingent of Klingon warships. Launching from Starbase 375 , the fleet would advance across the Bajoran sector and mount an assault to retake Deep Space 9 from Dominion hands.

However, many senior officials in both the Federation and Klingon hierarchies had grave problems with this plan. Sisko's plans required that a large number of ships be diverted from several crucial theaters of combat, including the Vulcan border . The Dominion was expected to divert sufficient numbers of ships to counter the Federation advance to DS9, which would relieve pressure on the remaining forces and slow the Dominion's advance into Federation territory, but Admiral Cobum objected to the strategy, fearing that the Dominion might choose to sacrifice Deep Space 9 in favor of launching a full-scale attack on Earth. With Sisko's forces advancing towards Bajor, reinforcements would be impossible within an acceptable time limit. Ross informed them that the Third Fleet would protect Earth, but Cobum was still not convinced.

Ultimately, Sisko convinced Starfleet Command that the Dominion would not launch a new offensive against Earth. Arguing that it wasn't the key to the Alpha Quadrant, and the wormhole was, Sisko pointed out that whoever controlled Deep Space 9 would control the wormhole. If the Federation and Klingons were in control of Deep Space 9, then the Dominion's potential supply line to their home territories in the Gamma Quadrant would be cut off. However, Chancellor Gowron remained unconvinced and refused to release any warships. In response, General Martok and Lt. Commander Worf departed for Qo'noS for private consultations with Gowron, hoping to convince him to aid the assault. Although Gowron eventually did agree to support the offensive, his delay proved critical to the timing and outcome of the battle.

The Resistance [ ]

An anti-Dominion resistance cell on the station formed around Major Kira Nerys , who started the cell after Vedek Yassim committed suicide in protest of the Dominion on the promenade , leading Kira to feel she was too complacent in the face of the Dominion occupation of the station. The initial members of the group were Kira, Odo , Jake Sisko , Rom , Leeta , Quark , and in a peripheral way Morn . ( DS9 : " Rocks and Shoals ") Their first act of defiance was the taking of a secret memorandum from Damar that suggested the Dominion poison the last stocks of ketracel-white if new supplies could not be secured. The memorandum was stolen by Rom and placed in front of the barracks of the Jem'Hadar.

Rom also tried to sabotage the station's deflector array , which was going to be used to deactivate the minefield, but was caught and sentenced to death. Rom himself expected to be killed shortly after Dukat made a victory speech upon the successful destruction of the minefield. ( DS9 : " Behind the Lines ")

Rushed Launch [ ]

The fleet departs Starbase 375

Five days away from the planned launch of the offensive, alarming news arrived at Starbase 375: the Cardassians had finally devised a practical method of destroying the minefield. Based on information smuggled away from Terok Nor by the resistance operating aboard the station, and relayed by the independent trader Morn, the allies discovered that an advanced antigraviton emitter was in the process of deactivating each mine individually. The process would be complete within three days, at which point Jem'Hadar reinforcements would be free to pass through the wormhole, which meant utter defeat for both the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

Unfortunately, the fleet was not yet fully assembled; the Ninth Fleet would not arrive in time, and no indication of support had come from the Klingons. With time running out, Starfleet saw no choice but to deploy the ships already assembled and mount a direct assault on Deep Space 9, hoping to destroy the anti-graviton emitter and keep the minefield intact.

Dominion intelligence was not inactive during this time though. Gul Dukat was informed of the disengagement and redeployment of two major fleets, and correctly deduced the fleet's target. He ordered that Jem'Hadar and Cardassian warships be diverted to meet the incoming attack. While Dukat anticipated heavy losses from fighting against the desperate Federation fleet, Weyoun assured him that any losses would be easily replaced by the waiting forces in the Gamma Quadrant.

As the Starfleet force approached the Bajoran system , they were confronted by a massive formation of 1254 enemy vessels, outnumbering the Federation fleet by about 2:1. Finding his advance blocked, Sisko ordered the fleet into the Delta Two formation in preparation to attack, then said the following: " There's an old saying, " Fortune favors the bold ." Well, I guess we're about to find out. "

The Battle [ ]

Fighters attack the Dominion and Cardassian fleet

The Dominion fleet unquestionably had time on its side. With the minefield around the wormhole due to be destroyed within eight hours, Gul Dukat chose to bide his time and establish a static blockade preventing the Federation advance. Starfleet was put at a disadvantage by being forced to take the offensive against a well prepared enemy while seeking a direct approach to Deep Space 9.

Attempting to find a crack in the wall of enemy ships confronting him, Captain Sisko, commanding the fleet from the USS Defiant , held back his Galaxy -class and cruiser wings, and instead ordered the attack fighters to probe the Cardassian front lines. The fighter pilots were instructed to ignore the Jem'Hadar ships in favor of striking the Cardassian ships with pulsed phaser fire, and then to break off and disengage; Sisko hoped to provoke the Cardassians into giving chase and opening a hole in the formation that Starfleet could exploit.

Gul Dukat, commanding the fleet from Terok Nor, recognized Sisko's strategy almost immediately. Strictly ordering his commanders to hold position, Dukat patiently watched as his fleet took eight waves of strafing runs against his Galor -class destroyers . However, after approximately three hours of standoff bombardment and hit-and-fade attack runs, Dukat decided to toy with Sisko and deliberately break the stalemate. Ordering six attack fighter squadrons to break formation and chase the Federation fighters, he carefully opened a hole in his lines, with a large contingent of destroyers standing by to outflank and trap Sisko's forces as they advanced to take advantage of the gap.

The Majestic and Sitak are destroyed

As Dukat had similarly recognized his strategy, Captain Sisko also immediately saw the nature of the trap. However, because time was in critically short supply, Sisko decided to play along with Dukat and take the bait. Detailing two Galaxy -wings to engage the Galor s, Sisko ordered the rest of the fleet to launch a full-scale attack on the Dominion's center and punch through the blockade. "Anyone who gets through," Sisko said, "doesn't stop until they reach Deep Space 9."

At this point, the battle quickly degenerated into a melee as the Starfleet ships closed to point-blank range with the Dominion forces. With ships so widely dispersed among the Dominion fleet, inter-ship coordination became more difficult. When the Dominion ships started jamming comm frequencies, cutting off starships' contact with each other, the melee dissolved into a total free-for-all, with every ship fighting practically on its own, or at most in twos and threes.

For Starfleet, it was very quickly becoming a losing battle. Unable to concentrate their attack on specific points in the enemy fleet, the Dominion's superior firepower gradually wore down the swifter but less powerful Starfleet vessels. Many of the older Excelsior -class and Miranda -class starships were lost in this phase of the battle, overwhelmed by incoming fire from all sides.

The Klingons enter the fray

After nearly two hours of sustained close-range combat, the battle was nearly hopeless, with the Defiant itself near destruction, when a large force of Klingon warships decloaked and slammed into the Dominion's starboard flank. General Martok and Commander Worf had finally convinced Chancellor Gowron to lend his support. The additional firepower of Vor'cha -class attack cruisers and venerable Birds-of-Prey finally tipped the balance in the allies' favor. Many Dominion craft were destroyed during Martok's flank attack, opening a hole in the Dominion lines. Due to this, the Defiant managed to slip past a formation of Jem'Hadar attack cruisers and escape the battlefield, speeding towards Deep Space 9 at maximum warp .

Gul Dukat chose not to order a pursuit of the Defiant , relying instead on the station's defenses to destroy the ship as it approached. Meanwhile, the Dominion lines were beginning to crumble as they were outflanked by the Klingon forces. Dukat chose to have his forces continue fighting, anticipating the destruction of the minefield and the imminent arrival of several thousand Jem'Hadar warships. He believed that any ship lost in the battle would be compensated by those warships' arrival.

After Rom's attempt to sabotage the deflector array, Damar arrested the entire resistance group, except Quark, and put them in the station's brig . Eventually, Quark and Tora Ziyal released the group from the station's brig. Just after their release, Kira and Rom were in a running shootout to the station's weapon control area. When they were pinned down by the Jem'Hadar, Odo and a Bajoran security team helped them.

When the last mine's self-replication unit was deactivated, Terok Nor immediately destroyed the minefield, eliminating the only impediment to ultimate Dominion victory in a spectacular explosion, just seconds before the Defiant arrived. With practically no options left, Captain Sisko ordered the Defiant to enter the wormhole for a hopeless, last-ditch stand against the incoming enemy forces. On the station, Rom had disabled the weapons systems, although he was, by a matter of a couple of seconds, too late to stop the destruction of the minefield.

Dominion fleet disappears

In the wormhole, though, an incredible turn of events occurred, one that could be considered nothing short of a miracle. The Bajoran Prophets , the inhabitants of the wormhole, spoke to Captain Sisko – their Emissary . Though enigmatic, the Prophets indicated that they did not wish Sisko to sacrifice his life. Arguing that the approaching Dominion fleet constituted a threat to Bajor , whose people worshipped them as gods, Sisko convinced the noncorporeal beings to intervene, though according to the Prophets a penance would be exacted from Sisko in the future. Moments later, as the Defiant and the Dominion fleet prepared to open fire on each other, all of the 2800 Dominion ships simply disappeared.

When the Defiant exited the wormhole alone, the Dominion leaders were first perplexed, then alarmed. Their monitoring outposts in the Gamma Quadrant confirmed that the fleet had entered the wormhole, but there was no sign of them exiting, and no sign that they were still in the wormhole. To the Dominion and the Cardassians, it appeared that the one Starfleet ship had somehow annihilated their entire armada.

The bad news only got worse for the Dominion as, back at the main battle zone, a group of 200 allied ships broke past the Dominion lines and headed toward the station, while the Defiant opened fire. Stunned by the sudden turn of events and unable to fire even on the Defiant because of Rom's too-late sabotage earlier, the Female Changeling ordered an evacuation of the station and a retreat of all Dominion forces in the Alpha Quadrant to Cardassian territory. Dukat in a near cataclysmic shock at the impossible reversal, was dealt further blows when his half-Bajoran daughter, Tora Ziyal, confessed that she had released the members of the resistance from their holding cells and had had then helped them sabotage the station. This confession led to her being shot by Damar as a traitor. Devastated, Dukat stayed behind on the station with his dying daughter, in the process of a total mental breakdown.

With Terok Nor lost, the remaining Dominion forces in the battle zone turned in full retreat back to Cardassian space, bringing the battle to a quick conclusion. The crew of the Defiant , their ship too damaged to take the fleet on, chose not to pursue, instead cementing their control over what was now once again Deep Space 9.

Aftermath [ ]

Starfleet re-occupies Deep Space 9

Operation Return was critically important to the outcome of the war. Had the Dominion established a reliable supply line through the Bajoran wormhole, they would have had a secure industrial base from which to send an enormous number of warships and Jem'Hadar that was virtually guaranteed to overwhelm the Federation Alliance.

The battle itself was a major strategic and morale success for the Alliance, as they now had control over the wormhole and Dominion reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant were cut off indefinitely; the Bajoran wormhole would remain closed to Dominion traffic for the remainder of the war. The Dominion, represented by Weyoun and Damar, actually engaged in peace talks after this defeat, though those talks were ultimately intended to regain a star system necessary for the production of ketracel-white. Soon after this, the Dominion recovered and launched new offensives into Federation territory, attacking worlds such as Coridan , Benzar and Betazed .

As a result of the events during the Dominion withdrawal from the station, Damar became leader of the Cardassian Union , replacing Dukat. Throughout 2374 and 2375 , Damar became increasingly frustrated with Dominion policy, eventually starting the Cardassian Rebellion and ultimately ensuring the Federation Alliance's victory in the Battle of Cardassia . ( DS9 : " Statistical Probabilities ", " One Little Ship ", " In the Pale Moonlight ", " What You Leave Behind ")

For his crucial role in leading the attack, Benjamin Sisko was awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor . ( DS9 : " Tears of the Prophets ")

Starships present [ ]

The following is a partial list of the Federation Alliance starships present at the battle.

As well as:

• Several other Klingon Birds-of-Prey , at least three lost.
• 7+ Akira -class starships.
• Several other Excelsior -class starships.
• 9+ Galaxy -class starships.
• 8+ other Miranda -class starships.
• 3+ Steamrunner -class starships.
• Several Saber -class starships.
• At least 3 Vor'cha -class attack cruisers .
• Numerous Federation attack fighters .

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ].

• The Charge of the Light Brigade

Background information [ ]

^  The name "Operation Return" originates from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual (p. 5).

Apocrypha [ ]

In the 2003 novel Unity , the Jem'Hadar soldiers, who were aboard the starships the Prophets made disappear, attack a Queen parasitic being who enters the Celestial Temple.

The non-canon 2010 MMO videogame Star Trek Online also posits a possible fate for the Dominion reinforcements eliminated by the Prophets at Sisko's behest. In the mission series The 2800 (referring to the number of ships in the reinforcement fleet), it is revealed that the Prophets did not destroy the Dominion ships, but instead relocate them nearly 40 years into the future, to the year 2409 (the timeframe of Star Trek Online ). Unaware of their temporal displacement and the end of the war, the Jem'Hadar fleet exited the wormhole on the Alpha quadrant side, and attacked Deep Space 9, forcing Starfleet and Klingon forces to evacuate to Bajor.

In the game, players would be assigned to infiltrate the wormhole in a shuttle to contact the present-day Dominion in the Gamma quadrant, who would agree to withdraw the time-displaced fleet occupying Deep Space 9 in exchange for the release of the Female Changeling from the Federation prison "Facility 4028".

Unfortunately, despite the demands of the Founder, the Jem'Hadar commander Kar'ukan refused to relinquish the station without a fight. Starfleet and the KDF were forced to deploy their fleets to retake the station by force, and successfully did so, with the assistance of players who infiltrated the station via EV suit spacewalking.

It was during this storyline that the Andorian captain Va'Kel Shon ( β ) was promoted from the Defiant -class USS Belfast ( β ) to command of the Odyssey -class USS Enterprise -F ( β ), successor to the Sovereign -class USS Enterprise -E , captained by Data following the retirement of Jean-Luc Picard .

External links [ ]

• Operation Return at Wikipedia
• Operation Return at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)