You're a Captain,you get to pick your starship. Which class?

[Sionnach Glic]

I thought it had already been spoken of in one of the future eps (maybe novel but can't say since I dont' read them) that the Klingons were going to join the UFP.

That was one possible future. We know that it's quite possible for the future to change in Trek, and there's probably millions of possible futures.

But, if they do or if they don't doesn't really matter. If the UFP let the KE have a free hand against the RSE then the AQ would be in much better shape. The UFP could always play the hero and call off the KE or "speak" with Martok about restoring peace to the AQ. The Klingons would get to have some fun and the RSE would be out of the picture for the next 20 years while their population rebuilds.

It may not be too good for the UFP in the long run, though. If the RSE falls to the Klingons, the KE has access to all the RSE's tech, industry and resources. That might just be enough to allow them to build up a large enough fleet to seriously threaten the UFP.

[Deepcrush]

That was one possible future. We know that it's quite possible for the future to change in Trek, and there's probably millions of possible futures.

Ok, thats fair enough.

It may not be too good for the UFP in the long run, though. If the RSE falls to the Klingons, the KE has access to all the RSE's tech, industry and resources. That might just be enough to allow them to build up a large enough fleet to seriously threaten the UFP.

As of now I doubt the KE has the resources to hold onto the RSE. Where I'm pretty sure the KE would win, the RSE isn't just going to roll over. Besides when the fighting is over the UFP just rolls in with its fleets as peacekeepers. Martok gets a great victory against an old enemy and the UFP would get the Romulans out of the way plus be left as the only super power in the AQ.

Both the KE and the UFP get something good out of it.

[Captain Seafort]

If the UFP let the KE have a free hand against the RSE then the AQ would be in much better shape.

On it would be doomed. The AQ is very delicately balanced between the three major powers - without the threat of the Romulans to keep the Klingons in line there's a good chance the alliance would fall apart pretty quickly. Both Way of the Warrior and various alternate timelines have shown that the alliance is far weaker than is commonly supposed

The UFP could always play the hero and call off the KE or "speak" with Martok about restoring peace to the AQ.

Whereupon there's a good chance that Martok would tell the Feds where to stick their orders. He respects the Feds in general and Sisko and Ross in particular, but he's no poodle.

The Klingons would get to have some fun and the RSE would be out of the picture for the next 20 years while their population rebuilds.

Or the Klingons, who are probably the strongest industrial power in the quadrant despite the Feds' technological superiority, rapidly become the dominant power of the quadrant, brushing the Feds aside.

[Deepcrush]

All fair points but the action I was speaking about would have been pre-planned between the UFP and KE. None of it would have been one side pushing the other around. Just a well planned action meant to knock the RSE down for a few years. The KE needs time to rebuild. The UFP (currently) greatly out reaches the KE. Unlike in YE where the UFP was fighting with an aged fleet against the horde that is the space vikings. The KE is in no shape to fight against the UFP. They need the allaince now just to keep from ending up on everyone's score card.

[Captain Seafort]

Since they're so weak, it would make sense for them to avoid getting into any major wars until they had rebuilt their forces. Their industrial superiority would remain, as the Dominion never reached Klingon space - the war was fought entirely in Cardassian, Federation and (to a very limited degree) Romulan space.

You've also forgotten that the YE war had been going on for twenty years. Starfleet had become a proper military with a proper fleet, and they were still loosing.

[Deepcrush]

Since they're so weak, it would make sense for them to avoid getting into any major wars until they had rebuilt their forces.

It would but the KE does like it's fighting. They're still better off if they can knock out the RSE as to not leave a super power on their door.

Their industrial superiority would remain, as the Dominion never reached Klingon space - the war was fought entirely in Cardassian, Federation and (to a very limited degree) Romulan space.

I don't recall any word about UFP shipyards or production centers being knocked out.

You've also forgotten that the YE war had been going on for twenty years. Starfleet had become a proper military with a proper fleet, and they were still loosing.

Never forgot anything. THe UFP in the YE war was built mostly as mirandas and excelsiors. The current UFP fleet is far far different.

[Captain Seafort]

It would but the KE does like it's fighting. They're still better off if they can knock out the RSE as to not leave a super power on their door.

How exactly are they going to knock out the Romulans in their present state? Sloan's analysis was that they'd be reduced to a second rank power for at least a decade after the war, while the Feds and the Romulans would remain close to their pre-war strength. The Klingons like a good war, but they're not that stupid.

I don't recall any word about UFP shipyards or production centers being knocked out.

Their core shipyards probably weren't affected, but the fact that the Dominion got as far as Betazed and threatened the core systems makes it highly likely that lesser outlying facilities were hit. Plus the fact that those areas reached by the war would require rebuilding, which would reduce the resources available, and cause a move of resources away from Starfleet.

Never forgot anything. THe UFP in the YE war was built mostly as mirandas and excelsiors. The current UFP fleet is far far different.

The only evidence we had of that fleet was the E-D, a purpose-built battleship, stronger than its regular counterpart. It stood up to three K'vort/B'rel class ships and destroyed one, whereas the regular E-D was rapidly overwhelmed by two in Rascals. Moreover, the longer a war goes on, the of a role simple luck plays, and the more the combatants' inherent strength comes to the fore.

[Deepcrush]

Well, its all just theory in the end anyhow. I'd just like to see the RSE out of the picture.

[Captain Seafort]

Only the Feds and the Klingons of the AQ powers could bring them down, and the addition of the Romulans' resources to those of the victor would make them the preeminent power of the quadrant. Do you really want that?

[Deepcrush]

Sure, the KE would take the brunt of the war then the UFP (under my planning) would move in and take over. The romulans would most likely be happy to have the UFP over them other then the Klingons. Just my dreams though. You know, my plans for AQ peace.

[Sionnach Glic]

Why would the UFP get involved?

[Deepcrush]

In order to deny the KE the resources of the RSE. We can't have the KE gaining any profit from the war.

[Sionnach Glic]

Problem with that; it could easily lead to the KE declaring war on the UFP, or even worse, the KE spinning it to the remnants of the RSE as some sort of UFP conspiracy to take them both down and uniting. While the UFP could probably win in the end, it would be incredibly costly.

There's also the fact that the politicians need to pander to the electorate. The public is not going to be happy in starting a war with one race just to save another race that has historicaly been their enemy.

[Deepcrush]

All in all as I said its a plan for me. It would take some doing but given a year or two I could build things up enough to pull it off.

[Starbase89]

Galaxy class, assigned to disaster relief for some planet