Star Trek: Battle of Cheron (II)

[Okwa]

Happy New Year to you my friends. I hope you had some relatively peaceful holidays.
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In October 2023 I posted a image from my Star Trek AU “Spherical Starfleet”, which showed the last battle of the Earth-Romulus war, the Battle of Cheron, which is only mentioned in the TV-series. Since I have completely reworked two of the spaceship models shown in this image and Michael has developed Raylectron to a whole new level, I decided to recreate the imaghe. And to add some background information. This is the result:
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The image shows the beginning of the pivotal Battle of Cheron, the final and decisive confrontation of the Earth-Romulan War (2156–2160).
On the left, the 1st UES Fleet has arrived in the Cheron system, comprising the NX-01 Enterprise, four Intrepid-class escort ships, and twelve Ganges-class patrol ships. On the right, the Romulan defence fleet of Cheron is shown, including two Vahana-class light cruisers and thirty-six Xarak-class corvettes.

Despite its intensity, the Earth-Romulan War was not a conventional war. It was a fiercely fought, resource-draining conflict that represented United Earth's (UE) largest interstellar engagement up to that time. The term "war" is therefore well deserved, but its unique characteristics set it apart from others.

The Romulans interpreted the actions of the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise during the Xindi crisis (2153–2154) as anti-Romulan provocations, especially given Enterprise's frequent dealings with the Klingon Empire. Believing the Klingons to be the true instigators, the Romulans misunderstood the UE's intentions and actions. Confident in their numerical and supposed technological superiority (The latter proves to be another miscalculation during the war), they conducted raids on UE territories with limited fleet detachments. Meanwhile, their main fleets were stationed along the Klingon border, anticipating potential Klingon intervention.

This strategic miscalculation included deploying their new and formidable Vahana-class light cruisers primarily against Klingon threats, leaving them underutilized in engagements with Earth.
Earth, unwilling to engage in war, faced severe limitations. Starfleet was small and focused on defending the Sol system, colonies and trade routes from threats like Orion and Nausicaan piracy. At the start of the war, only one NX-class starship existed; by the end, there were just four. Most Starfleet ships, including the Intrepid-class (warp 3 max) and Ganges-class (warp 2 max), were system patrol ships and unable to perform true deep-space operations.It would have taken years for these classes of ship to reach Romulus.

In light of this situation, Earth attempted to contain the conflict and urged its allies in the Coalition of Planets to treat Romulan aggression as a purely Earth problem. This prudent strategy ensured the war remained contained, confined to skirmishes in the Sol system, with only two full-scale fleet battles. All other engagements remained confined to smaller groups of starships. Therefore, the conflict was primarily characterized by Romulan raids and Starfleet countermeasures. Notable exceptions were the two full-scale fleet battles of this war: the Battle of Vega, which marked the war's onset, and the Battle of Cheron, which marked its conclusion.

The Romulans used Cheron, a fortified outpost at the edge of their empire, as a staging ground for their attacks. This was done to prevent the UE from discovering the coordinates of Romulus in the event that the UE had acted without influence from the Klingon Empire, thus ensuring the safety of Romulus. Once Starfleet identified Cheron as the base of operations, a bold plan was launched to neutralize the base:

• The 1st Fleet, under the direct command of Admiral Archer aboard the NX-01 Enterprise, initiated the attack and engaged in an intensive battle with the Romulan defenders.
• After a feigned retreat and continued harassment of the Romulan fleet, Archer's forces lured the Romulans away from the defense grid of the planet Cheron, which had been able to support the Romulan defenders in battle until then.
• Simultaneously, the 4th Fleet, hidden in the nearby Coalsack Nebula, launched a surprise attack on the now-vulnerable Cheron base.

Unexpectedly, Andorian and Tellarite ships joined the attack at that moment, deliberately ignoring Earth's request for neutrality and surrounding the Romulan fleet. The Vulcans, struggling with internal political instability, decided not to participate.
Starfleet's decisive victory at Cheron forced the Romulan Senate to negotiate peace. To prevent Romulus' whereabouts from being discovered, the Romulans agreed to an immediate cease-fire. However, what the Romulans intended to achieve in the war had been thwarted:
• While Romulan raids did cause significant damage - particularly to the Luna shipyards - these setbacks were temporary and did not impede Earth's long-term rise to interstellar prominence. Moreover, indirect support from the Coalition of Planets (including resource shipments and humanitarian aid) helped Earth recover quickly.
• Romulan aggression unified the Coalition, with the fierce defense of Earth serving as a rallying point. Reports from Andorian, Tellarite, and Vulcan observers of Romulan actions accelerated negotiations for the founding of the United Federation of Planets, a direct result of the war.
• Despite the Romulan Senate's precautions, Starfleet Intelligence (with covert assistance from Section 13) successfully triangulated Romulus' position during the armistice negotiations, undermining the secrecy of their homeworld.

The Earth-Romulan War ended after four grueling years. What began as a Romulan attempt to neutralize Earth as a threat ultimately backfired. The war not only solidified Earth's role as a major interstellar power, but also laid the foundation for the Federation. The Romulans' strategic miscalculations - overestimating their technological advantage and underestimating Earth's resilience - led to their defeat at Cheron, a turning point that reshaped the political landscape of the galaxy.
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@Support @TaylorBaird @Alienizer @Mike @BKilburn

[Support]

This is awesome Chris, love it. But, why are the ships so dull and no God's ray on the engines? is it rendered in draft mode?

The story, just amazing Chris

[Okwa]

This is awesome Chris, love it. But, why are the ships so dull and no God's ray on the engines? is it rendered in draft mode?

The story, just amazing Chris

Many Thanks.

They are not dull. No, I deliberately decided not to use God Rays. In the context of Star Trek, I find such a depiction of the engines inappropriate. You don't see engines with a rocket plume in any series or movie. That's why I deliberately do without them in Star Trek pictures. Originally I did that with Star Wars too, but now I think it's kind of cool with Star Wars designs. But in Star Trek, I still don't feel the use of god rays for the engines is right.

[Alienizer]

I love the story @Okwa

It's a simple layout bur yet, the more I look, the more I discover ships and that one standing out in front of the planet. Intriguing.