Timeline: Earth-Romulan War/Early Federation

[mthompson1701]

This is what I could find in checking official sources and Memory Alpha. It is by no means complete. If dates were available I included it because it was canon. There really was no canon source for events during the actual Earth-Romulan War. The novels do cover it, but I chose not to include those dates. That way we would be free to do our own thing. Feel free to expand, add anything you would like to. I'll keep things up to date the best I can.

Earth-Romulan War/Early Federation Timeline


2155
January 19: Demons
January 22: Terra Prime

2156
Earth and the Romulans enter a state of war.

2157

2158

2159

2160
Battle of Cheron – The Romulans suffer a humiliating defeat by

2161
August 12: Articles of the Federation are signed in San Francisco

2167
USS Essex under the command of Captain Bryce Shumar is lost after visting the M-class moon of Mab-Bu VI
USS Archon disappears while inviestigating the planet Beta III

2168
USS Horizaon visits Sigma Iotia II. A copy of the book Chicago Mobs of the Twenties is left behind. Shortly after this visit the ship is lost.

2196
Daedalus-class ships are retired from service.

 

[Sgt_G]

Cool! Good start.

Can someone post "known dates" for any of the following? Enterprise NX-01 launched, Enterprise-1701 launched, Robert April in command, Christopher Pike in command, James Kirk assumes command.

 

[mthompson1701]

This is what I could find through a quick Memory Alpha search.

2151
April 12: Enterprise NX-01 is launched

2245
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 is launched under the command of Captain Robert April
Battle of Donatu V

2250-2265
Captain Christoper Pike commands the USS Enterprise.

2265
Captain James T. Kirk assumes command of the USS Enterprise.

 

[Sgt_G]

2278: USS Bozeman, under command of Captain Morgan Bateson, disappears into a temporal distortion.

 

[mthompson1701]

2153

March: The Xindi engage in a surprise attack on Earth. This caused destruction from Floria to Venezuela killing seven million people.
Starfleet Command recalls Enterprise NX-01 back to Earth.

April 24: Enterprise NX-01 arrives at Earth.

August: Enterprise NX-01 enters the Delphic Expanse.


2154
February 14: Jonathan Archer destroys the Xindi weapon in orbit of Earth.

November: Columbia NX-02 is launched.


2155
January 19: Demons
January 22: Terra Prime

February: The Romulans stage a sneak attack on Coridan using a cloaked ship colliding with the planet destroying the largest source of dilithium in eight sectors. Half of Coridan’s poplation is killed. Jonathan Archer believes it was the Romulans that attacked, but the Cordinites and the Coalition are unable to verify it. This results in Coridan withdrawing from the Coalition of Planets.

2156

May 18: Battle of Algeron - Romulans attack Earth Outpost Starbase 1 in the Algeron system. Several starships are lost.

June 1: Nathan Samuels officially declared Earth to be at a state of war with the Romulans.

Note: The dates I've used here come from the novels because there just isn't any canon dates for when most events or battles took place. The only thing I can find is from the novels, FASA, or the book Federation: The First 150 Years. Please feel free to plug in any battle or event you would like to. I'll share a list of battles from the novels, it's the best I can come up with.

Battle of Alpha Centauri
Battle of Calder II
Battle of Tarod IX
First/Second/Third Battle of Deneva
First/Second Battle of Berengaria
First/Second/Third Battle of Altair VI
Battle of Andoria
Battle of Tau Ceti IV
Battle of Gamma Hydra
Battle of Prantares
Battle of Galomdon Core
Battle of Vorkado
Battle of Sol (I'd like to see this as the turning point. The Romulans get all the way to the Sol system, and then Earth goes on the offensive.)

 

[valkyrie013]

Never really liked the book version of the war.
Never bought the explanation of why the telerites and others weren't in the war. And it was only 2 books so went way to fast.
Would rather a better story. Can keep some stuff.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

This also does raise the question of who were the founding members of the Federation? Was it just Andoria, Earth, Tellar and Vulcan, or were there others?

I always like to think that there were a number of other races involved in the Federation from the beginning (such as the Rigellians), though as the "main powers" of the war and the immediate aftermath the quartet are the ones that are most often thought of.

After a four year long, devastating interstellar war few species had experienced before, many having lost a lot and having a lot to rebuild, with economies and fleets hard hit, the thought of a stabilising entity like the Federation that would provide them with secure trading partners, reinforcements, and resources would be a very tempting prospect to many worlds who went up against the Romulans (even a few that might have been trapped in the crossfire).

 

[valkyrie013]

Well at the Coalition of Planets in Enterprise had, as delegates,
Andorian
Coridanite
Denobulan
Human
Ktarian
Rigelian
Tellarite
Vulcan
and some unidentifed ones
So maybe start with this, and others, that maybe were antagonistic towards Archer like the Mazarite or even the Suliban after the TCW might have joined inthe war effort because the Romulans wouldn't have stopped at conquering just Earth, Vulcan, Etc. but the whole quadrant.
Would love to see a something like the romulans have a gigantic fleet that just overwhelms and seemingly can't be stopped, but a coalition and everybody else in the quadrant, say something like the end battle for Rise of Skywalker where its a rag tag fleet vs a real fleet.
With it being called the Earth Romulan war maybe because it started with the Romulans Just going after earth at first, seeing them as the Glue that is holding the quadrant together, and then Archer doing some Speachifying and getting other species on board. Maybe the Vulcans were hesitant because there new more peaceful, internalized version, and didn't want to get into war, Maybe Shran would come to aid, but not the rest of the andor fleet because of ... something.. and in the end all the friends and people that Archer ran across rally there own species to help Earth.

 

[mthompson1701]

I checked the United Federation of Planets article on Memory Alpha. The way it reads is that when the Earth-Romulan War broke out in 2156 it was won by Earth, Vulcan, Tellar, and Andoria. They were the founding members of the Federation. The Regiellians could've very easily joined during the early years in a post war setting.

 

[James Carter]

2153

March: The Xindi engage in a surprise attack on Earth. This caused destruction from Floria to Venezuela killing seven million people.
Starfleet Command recalls Enterprise NX-01 back to Earth.

April 24: Enterprise NX-01 arrives at Earth.

August: Enterprise NX-01 enters the Delphic Expanse.


2154
February 14: Jonathan Archer destroys the Xindi weapon in orbit of Earth.

November: Columbia NX-02 is launched.


2155
January 19: Demons
January 22: Terra Prime

February: The Romulans stage a sneak attack on Coridan using a cloaked ship colliding with the planet destroying the largest source of dilithium in eight sectors. Half of Coridan’s poplation is killed. Jonathan Archer believes it was the Romulans that attacked, but the Cordinites and the Coalition are unable to verify it. This results in Coridan withdrawing from the Coalition of Planets.

2156

May 18: Battle of Algeron - Romulans attack Earth Outpost Starbase 1 in the Algeron system. Several starships are lost.

June 1: Nathan Samuels officially declared Earth to be at a state of war with the Romulans.

Note: The dates I've used here come from the novels because there just isn't any canon dates for when most events or battles took place. The only thing I can find is from the novels, FASA, or the book Federation: The First 150 Years. Please feel free to plug in any battle or event you would like to. I'll share a list of battles from the novels, it's the best I can come up with.

Battle of Alpha Centauri
Battle of Calder II
Battle of Tarod IX
First/Second/Third Battle of Deneva
First/Second Battle of Berengaria
First/Second/Third Battle of Altair VI
Battle of Andoria
Battle of Tau Ceti IV
Battle of Gamma Hydra
Battle of Prantares
Battle of Galomdon Core
Battle of Vorkado
Battle of Sol (I'd like to see this as the turning point. The Romulans get all the way to the Sol system, and then Earth goes on the offensive.)

There is a You Tube series called Battle Space, that goes into quite a few of these battles from a military perspective.
https://youtube.com/dKYYlRtKFQ0

 

[valkyrie013]

Honestly, there is Much of Nothing on the Romulan War, almost all came from Balance of Terror Episode, and that is Very little. So its pretty much all up in the air on what happened, and when. Just that it ended before 2161.

 

[mthompson1701]

There is a You Tube series called Battle Space, that goes into quite a few of these battles from a military perspective.
https://youtube.com/dKYYlRtKFQ0

I'm aware of Battle Space, and watched all their related videos. I just don't think now is the time to be looking at particular battles from a military perspective. That day will come, it's just not now.

Honestly, there is Much of Nothing on the Romulan War, almost all came from Balance of Terror Episode, and that is Very little. So its pretty much all up in the air on what happened, and when. Just that it ended before 2161.

This is the big issue. Other than those few lines in Balance of Terror, that's all we really know about the conflict. I didn't create this thread just for me. If anyone wants to propose something for the timeline, feel free to do so.

 

[valkyrie013]

2155
January 19: Demons
January 22: Terra Prime
September: Kobyashi Maru incident.
Nx-01 Enterprise is on Pickett duty guarding Earth Cargo ships from pirates, Archer thinks romulan involvement but doesn't have any proof. Distress call from the Kobyashi Maru that they have struck a gravitic mine, Enterprise goes to help but are ambushed by 3 romulan ships, Manage to escape and disable 1 warbird but fail to rescue the Maru, all hands lost.
Ambush happens 60 ly away from Earth, will take over 6 months to return. Subspace message takes 3 weeks to get back to Earth due to no repeater relays.
November: Nathan Samuels presents evidence of Romulan involvement with the Maru inccident to the Coalition Councel. Counsel agrees of romulan involvement but does nothing since incident was 60Ly away in unclaimed territory.
December: Archer heads to Quo'nos to ask for Klingon help in what he thinks is a forthcoming war. Due to internal problems they decline to help, and remain neutral.

2156
March 15: Romulan fleet of 30 warbirds attack the Sol system in sneak attack. Destroy Jupiter station, San Francisco, Nyc,London,Moscow are leveled by torpedo attacks. Earth fleet and defense systems advert a total loss, 2/3 of the fleet is destroyed, Romulans fall back.
March 15: Romulan fleet attack Coridan, attack kills half the population and sets the dillithum mines on fire.
March 25: Enterprise and Columbia return to Earth
March 27: Earth declares war on Romulas, asks for any assistance that the coalition can manage.
May 3: Coalition fleet of 5 vulcan, 7 andorian, and 3 Tellerite arrive in Sol system to guard Earth


2157

2158

2159

2160
Battle of Cheron – The Romulans suffer a humiliating defeat by Coaliton forces.

Honestly, Speed that are capable make the war stretch out, unlike the dominion war where ships can warp around at Warp 9. here its warp 5. so a battle will take place, then another battle won't take place for months, draging out the war for 4 years due to distances involved.

Will update

 

[Timo]

Honestly, there is Much of Nothing on the Romulan War, almost all came from Balance of Terror Episode, and that is Very little. So its pretty much all up in the air on what happened, and when. Just that it ended before 2161.

And even that is never stated anywhere much. (Oh, there's a bunch of text on screen in "In a Mirror, Darkly", but whether we're supposed to consider it readable...)

Might be the war was in 2178-83. Might be it was in 2154 and we already saw pretty much all of it. Might be the Battle of Cheron happened between "The Neutral Zone" and "The Defector" in the 2360s. Basically anything goes - the only criterion is that it be interesting!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[James Carter]

So does the disappearance of Columbia and Captain Hernandez go here?

 

[Sgt_G]

Sure, why wouldn't it? It's "Early Federation", is it not?

 

[James Carter]

Anyone read the destiny trilogy?

 

[Tenacity]

USS Essex ... is lost ...
USS Archon disappears ....
USS Horizaon ... is lost.

Anyone else picking up on a trend here?

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

The timeline also depends whether you want to tie yourself to the novel continuity or treat that as a separate entity to give yourselves more freedom. As when it comes to the end of the Romulan War and the early days of the Federation, I always use "Starfleet Year One" as my point of reference--has a far more TOS feel to it.

 

[mthompson1701]

Following the novel continuity I think would limit us. Sure it might be fun to try, and fit our events in with it, but that means that things happen on a particular date no exceptions. I think we should do our own thing, but take ideas from the novels that would work well for us. For example, the Columbia-class/NX refit. We can draw inspiration from the novels, but not have to abide by them.

Another thing to consider is maybe not doing the war at all, and starting in say 2162 about a year after the founding of the Federation. If keeping continuity with the novels is a deal breaker then maybe start after 2165 when the last Rise of the Federation novel takes place.

I've read Starfleet Year One, and yes it does have a very TOS feel to it. I've also read the Romulan War, Destiny, and the books leading up to it. I gotta say, they're a mixed bag. The Good That Men Do, and Kobayashi Maru were good, but the books about the war I thought were meh. It's kind of what appeals to me about writing in this particular era.