Klingon-Federation War of 2372-3

But it has been established there ARE differences in crew membership

You can't say the Enterprise is the same because you don't know that. There are visual internal differences. All you can say is that the external view looks the same, visually.

While I agree with you that the Feds probably would at best stalemate the Klingons, whom I believe could possibly win (though they would be devastated too), YE is only a possible scenario. Not to mention, in the YE timeline, the war starts some 30 years prior, with the war coming to a conclusion in the 2360s. In the Prime timeline, it didn't start until 2372. A lot can happen in 30 years. It would be like saying because the British fleet could beat the US fleet in 1925, that it therefore should also be able to beat the US fleet in 1955.

 

1. The minor differences in crew in YE are no more significant than the episode-to-episode differences in crew seen in the prime timeline.

2. What new technologies exist in the 2360s that don't exist in the 2340s, and that would influence the outcome of a war? Similarly, what's new in the 2370s that wouldn't already exist in the 2360s?

 

It's no different than how in the Mirror Universe in TOS, the ship still had the same crew as well.

It's just a conceit of these types of stories, you just roll with it.

 

Small sample size. You can't assume that the crew isn't different based on the events of only a few days. It's entirely possible that a member of Picard's senior staff was absent during the events in question (undercover mission, shore leave, etc.) but would otherwise have been present. There's no information that suggests this, but there's no information that rules it out, either.

It's clear from the dialogue that there have been significant advances in weaponry over the period we're talking about. Both LaForge and Garrett have lines indicating as much. To assume that technology wouldn't advance because of the war doesn't make sense. If anything, I'd expect the war to serve as an incentive to develop newer technology faster compared to the primary universe. There's precedent for this in our own history.

The United States made significant technological and economic strides during and immediately following World War II secondary to the creation of new jobs for the American people. If such a thing can happen in a post-Depression society, it certainly can happen in the United Federation of Planets.

--Sran

 

Military technologies can evolve significantly in a decade. The Federation, which had been prepping for war against the Borg and Dominion, had advanced its technology beyond what it had in the 2340s.

Needless to say, the advancement of technology moves much faster in a civilization preparing for war than one at war.

Notice how Klingon ships never seem to change during the Dominion War, while Starfleet's ships eventually become unrecognizable. Initially, Starfleet battlegroups consist of Mirandas and Excelsiors, but, by Chin'toka and the invasion of Cardassia, Starfleet consists of Akiras and Galaxies. Apart from that one Negh'Var in "The Way of the Warrior," we see only Birds of Prey and battleships in Klingon battlegroups.

That shows that Starfleet evolves, and comes up with more advanced ships, while the Klingons simply construct the same ships over and over again. If Starfleet evolves and the Klingons don't , how can it possibly be defeated?

 

The Klingons did construct ships besides the BOPS (of which there are at least several variants and sizes), though, namely the Vor'cha-class and the Negh'Var-class. So their tech is not as static as that. They may have an overall tech disadvantage compared to starfleet (IE replicators, creature comforts, etc) but when it comes to weapons and speed, and cloaks (where it really counts for war), I think the edge belongs to the Klingons.

Unlike Starfleet ships, these are constructed to be completely built for war, whereas the Starfleet counterparts are multi-role, primarily built for peace keeping and exploration. Not to mention, the Klingons do have cloaks. I would hate to see what would happen to an unsuspecting Galaxy class or Sovereign class ship when a cloaked Negh'Var-class goes in for the kill! And let's not forget the BOPS aren't push overs, either. In the Defector, 3 BOPS (plus E-D)were enough to scare off 3 Romulan Warbirds. In fact, if you ask me, the Romulans must have had enough respect for the Klingon Bird of Prey design, so as to borrow heavily from their design, when they created the Valdore-type War Birds from Nemesis!

Just because they don't change their designs as much as starfleet doesn't indicate Klingon ships are less powerful. In fact, I would argue that the reason starfleet ships change in design so much more is that they were evolving from exploration\peace keeping, to all out war ships. Basically, the UFP was gradually changing designs and seeing what works and what doesn't, thus the constant upgrades and evolving designs. The Klingons didn't need to evolve because they were already on a wartime footing.

 

What it comes down to is that you are saying that the Federation would lose the 2372 Klingon war in the prime timeline because a ship which looks similar on the outside and has the same name was involved in the losing end of an entirely different war that started decades earlier for entirely different reasons in a different timeline.

It's ludicrous because what you're basically saying is that the political situation, military situation, including troop and crew postings, technology, and territorial conditions between 2372 and 2373 in the prime timeline are exactly the same as the period of time between 2340s and 2360s in an alternate timeline which, as evidenced on screen, are entirely different.

Even something as small as the fact that Gowron is in charge of the Klingon side of the war in the 2370s is enough to change the entire thing.

 

While war is usually won by the side with the greatest materiel, has anyone considered that the Klingons might simply have been winning due to strategy?

Have a watch of some of General Chang's briefings, from Star Trek: Klingon Academy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=souY_zXr8ec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=582dXkM_zsQ

That game did more to make the Klingon's look rational and clever than all of DS9.

In the event of a war, the Klingons might use the Federation's fractious political nature against it, for example, attacking Andorian colonies only, placing stress on the relationship between Andor and the rest of the Federation.

 

If you are referring to me, I never said the YE timeline is the reason I think the Feds could not win a war with the Klingons in the prime timeline in 2372-3. In addition to the post I made directly before yours, I also said this:

Don't confuse the conversation I was having with Pavonis, with regards to the E-D of the Y-E timeline being different than the Prime timeline, with why I think the Feds can't defeat the Klingons.

 

They never said how the Klingons were doing in the war.

 

The war might have been relatively low intensity for most of it's history, something like the ongoing board war with the Cardassians. When the Enterprise was in it's final stages of construction, and the the senior crew already assigned, the war increased in intensity and the Enterprise's designation was changed from multi-mission explorer to battleship.

I wonder about this statement by Picard. Captain Garrett had just informed him that she had no intention of returning her ship and crew to their orginal time period, and to face near certain death. It was only then that Picard told her that the Federation had "six months" before surrender.

Picard wanted her to go back and prevent the war, but he really couldn't directly order her to do so, he needed her to return voluntarily.

Was Picard lying? I think he might have been.

 

I don't think so. There's other dialogue in the episode that suggests things look bleak for the Federation. Tasha tells Castllo that Starfleet has lost more than half of its vessels to the Klingons. Now, that doesn't mean that defeat is inevitable, but it's certainly not a sign that the Federation is on the verge of winning the war.

Also, consider that as a captain, Picard likely had access to information that the majority of officers wouldn't. Everything about his demeanor during that scene suggests he's speaking with Garrett captain to captain, hoping to appeal to her desire to serve the greater good, even if doing so means sacrificing her ship and her crew.

--Sran