Was World War III a full nuclear exchange or a limited conflict?

[Tenacity]

As for World War III...as I said, the Vulcans must have helped in the rebuilding. Earth could never have recovered if they hadn't.

Thing is, from Enterprise the Vulcans don't really appear the be the helpful type. Also, given that the Vulcans likely had other priorities, would they have possessed the ability to have been able to help in the rebuilding of Earth in any significant way?

 

[Tuskin38]

Thing is, from Enterprise the Vulcans don't really appear the be the helpful type. Also, given that the Vulcans likely had other priorities, would they have possessed the ability to have been able to help in the rebuilding of Earth in any significant way?

They were helpful, just not in the area of warp travel and letting Humanity expand.

Pretty sure a character at one point says at one point that without the Vulcans they wouldn't be where they are today.

 

[CaptChris42]

Good thread idea.
Here is my pet theory. There's nothing really supporting it (in fact it goes against the spirit of much as it was written), but whatever, this is my head-canon to make it work:

• WW3 was not a war between nations, but more like a global civil war
• The war(s) took place over several years. - the nuclear escalation happened at the very end and is what brought everyone to cease-fire all at once to avoid total global annihilation
• There was no full scale nuclear exchange between nations - instead it was a slow escalation - limited strikes against non-nuclear powers, nuclear powers nuking their own, occupied territory and revolting cities, terrorist and revolutionaries using "dirty bombs" in cities...
• The "Eastern coalition" isn't Asia, but the East coast from New York down to Florida plus Chicago/Michigan and parts of California. Asia had their own civil war
• Many wars - including water wars, genetic augmentation wars, civil wars, were combined by history to "one" WW3, because they started parallel, reinforced reach other, and all "ended" together with one, global worldwide cease fire after nuclear escalation
• The 600 mio. is the direct casualties. "One third of the population" is the indirect ones - including from climate change, diseases, mutated viruses, starvation & long-term radiation effects, who died over a long period of time from unnatural deaths
• Many animal species died out because of genetically engineered viruses went rogue - plus from climate change. But that was asymmetrical (more insects were target from genetically modified viruses, many of the "popular" animals survived/were revived with genetic engineering. But a massive loss of bio/genetic diversity remained
• Col. Green's purge and the authorian dictatorships inspiring Q's trial took place regionally limited in the immediate aftermath of WW3, before first contact
• The world was re-unified because Cochran's technology brought the knowledge that alien life exists - and apes must work together to stand a chance - which is also kind of xenophobic and the reason why Trek's history books played that part down and instead focused on Cochrane's popularity & visions for a better future (which he was able to spread because he was immediately the most powerful & wealthiest human being if history, the only one being able to import wealth from outer space)

It coincides with my personal timeline theory:

• There is a "glitch" in recorded Trek history - the 1960s-2100s happened twice:
• Sometime in the future (around 30 years after "now" - whenever "now" is) genetically engineered super humans will take over large parts of the Earth. They will create a new calendar, that will put the year "2000" as the year where they will implant their superior genes in all of humanity
• Four years before that plan comes to fruition, humanity revolts and kicks the augments into space
• "Present day" (2023 and onwards), VOY Future's end (1996), the one with the whales (1980s) is according to the Christian calendar
• "1996: Khan exiled in space", 2024's Bell riots, PICs season 2's "2025 Europa mission", as well as "2063: First Contact" are in the Noonian Singh calendar
• The "gap" between the Christian & Noonian calendar is always as long as the most recent Trek series and "the near future"

/WallOfText

Yeah, I kind of like a lot of that approach. And of possibly using multiple calendars?

I'm against the idea that 2026 was the full outbreak of war, and see that as more of a 'cold war' period, with tensions slowly heightening into the 2040s. Finally, by 2051 full war seems inevitable, resulting in limited forms of combat and restrictive weapon use, until that gives way to a full nuclear exchange circa 2053-54. After which, both sides are too exhausted and crippled to continue, and sue for peace by 2055.

It's often up to individual opinion how things built up to that, however.

 

[Lord Garth]

All I know is that World War III was so bad that I now have a green glow and grew a third arm.