For other uses, see War Games.

A war game was a battle simulation enacted with real starships and/or personnel used for tactical training.

Starfleet war games[]

Named events[]

In May 2255 in the Kelvin timeline, James T. Kirk participated in Starfleet Academy's Zeta Fleet Training Exercise, which included the scenario of squadrons vs. pirates portrayed by Nausicaan raiders. (TOS - Starfleet Academy novel: The Gemini Agent)

In 2270, Kirk and Piper crewed the schooner Edith Keeler during the Annual International Battle at Sea Flotilla for Masted Ships, a war game event for seagoing vessels on Earth. (TOS - Fortunes of War novel: Battlestations!)

Beginning in 2277, the classified project Operation Armageddon assessed Starfleet tactical abilities against Klingon and Romulan fleets, becoming a primary combat exercise. Later, in 2284, Operation Tactical Encounters XXVI field tested new combat formations. (FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update)

Tragedies[]

During a war game exercise in the 2160s, an Alpha Centauran corvette accidentally struck the destroyer UNSS Scythe, with the impact misdirecting weapons fire into the UNSS Enmity and UNSS Hammer, resulting in 232 casualties. The accident was attributed to a lack of centralized training, and spurred the founding of Starfleet Academy. (FASA RPG module: The Romulan War; ST reference: Worlds of the Federation)

In 2268, a war game evaluating combat effectiveness of a starship controlled by Richard Daystrom's M-5 multitronic computer became disastrous when the system fired fired fully-charged phasers at four unshielded Constitution-class heavy cruisers. While controlling the USS Enterprise, it destroyed the USS Excalibur and damaged the USS Hood, USS Lexington, and USS Potemkin. It also destroyed a Zeus-class robot freighter. (TOS episode & Star Trek 9 novelization: The Ultimate Computer; TNG - Strange New Worlds VI short story: "The Soft Room"; FASA RPG module: Federation Starship Recognition Manual)

In the mirror universe version of that war game, the Imperial Starfleet installed Richard Daystrom's device aboard the ISS Excalibur. Its fully-charged weapons destroyed the ISS Potemkin. To stop Excalibur, the ISS Enterprise used prefix codes to trigger auto destructs aboard the ISS Lexington and ISS Hood while they were close enough to Excalibur to destroy all three ships. (TOS - Mirror Universe novel: The Sorrows of Empire)

In 2409, during a war game involving the USS Carlisle and a second Starfleet vessel in the Draylon star system, Undine agents replaced the crew of the USS Athens and fired fully-charged weapons at the other ships. (STO mission: "War Games")

Particulars[]

Maneuvers were often staged in the Alpha Centauri star system. (LUG RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

In March, 2156, the USS Archon and one of Enterprise's shuttlepods underwent a war game to find the weakness in the warp detection network protecting Coalition star systems. (ENT novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

In the 23rd century, the father of Starfleet Intelligence's Jake Iota was an admiral who managed war games and considered Romulans the best opponents. (TOS novel: Web of the Romulans)

In 2261, Commander James T. Kirk participated in war games training a few days away from Earth aboard the USS Mizuki. (TOS novel: Inception)

In 2268, Captain Phillips's first field assignment aboard the USS Farragut was a full-powered war game against the Enterprise and USS Exeter to evaluate newly-installed warp-powered shield technology. (TOS novel: First Frontier)

In 2269, the Enterprise participated in exercises near Starbase 12 prior to its visit to Boaco VI. (TOS novel: The Cry of the Onlies)

In December 2269, Pavel Chekov participated in a war game exercise in Annapolis, Maryland run by the Starfleet Security Academy as part of his security training. The scenario involved rescuing hostages held by terrorists in a Federation embassy. (TOS - The Lost Years novel: Traitor Winds)

In the 24th century, the Federation's Strategic Planning Council devised scenarios involving Borg, Tholians and Cardassians. (Decipher RPG module: Aliens)

In 2365, Commander William T. Riker led a team aboard the USS Hathaway in an exercise against the USS Enterprise-D observed by Zakdorn master strategist Sirna Kolrami. (TNG episode: "Peak Performance", SCE - What's Past eBook: Many Splendors)

In 2371, Tuvok created war game scenarios on USS Voyager's holodeck as an exercise in teamwork. (VOY episode: "Learning Curve")

In 2372, Captain Morgan Bateson took the USS Enterprise-E on war game maneuvers at the far edge of the Typhon Expanse for its shakedown cruise. (TNG novel: Ship of the Line)

Later in 2372, as Klingons invaded Cardassian colonies, Benjamin Sisko and Kira Nerys watched war game scenarios on a viewscreen. (DS9 episode: "The Way of the Warrior")

In 2377, Romulan Commander Tokk misinterpreted a paintball fight on Outpost 32, discovery of a power-generating artifact by the crew of USS Amazon, and the sudden appearance of the USS da Vinci as Starfleet war games and secret weapon tests. (COE eBook: The Art of the Comeback)

In 2378, to test new systems, the USS Geronimo engaged in war games against the USS Sovereign and two Klingon B'rel-class birds-of-prey, IKS RanKuf and IKV Bowie'e. (ST video game: Bridge Commander)

In 2385, the crew of Deep Space 9 took part in a war game simulation of an attack by the Tholian Assembly on the station. (DS9 novel: Revelation and Dust)

In the late 24th century, the Mars Defense Perimeter was significantly upgraded following war games and assessments of all Borg encounters. (LUG RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

Counselor Neelix could call upon a Tarantula-class Tholian dreadnought for war game engagements. (ST video game: Trexels missions: "Skirmish", "Events")

Klingon Empire[]

In 2267, large-scale maneuvers involved a majority of the Klingon fleet near Qo'noS, in which the crew of Commander Koloth's vessel IKS D'k Tahg set new combat records. Despite claims by Klingon Ambassador Wolt that these were merely war games, Lieutenant Patrick West, Admiral Robert Justman and others correctly assessed that the activity was a precursor to a mobilization of forces that led to the Federation-Klingon War of 2267. (TOS - Errand of Vengeance novels: The Edge of the Sword, River of Blood, TOS - Errand of Fury novels: Demands of Honor, Sacrifices of War)

In the 2280s, Klingon war game simulations often used coordinates for Earth, at least according to Maltz. (TNG novel: The Genesis Wave, Book One)

In the 2290s, General Chang managed war game simulations against the United Federation of Planets using the Suk'valt Strike Fleet. (TOS video game: Klingon Academy)

In 2367, Beverly Crusher believed that being a referee for Klingon war games was a task that would get her killed. (TNG novel: Imbalance)

Romulan Empire[]

In 2267, Proconsul Toqel conducted seek-and-destroy war game missions with well-tested battle commanders near the Romulan Neutral Zone against the IKS Kretoq and five other ships outfitted with a new cloaking device. Similar tests were planned against Klingon ships under the control of the Klingon Grodak. Circumstances led to a real-world field test of the Kretoq against the USS Defiant in the Alamedus system. (ST - Seven Deadly Sins novella: The First Peer)

In the 2270s, the Romulan Imperial War College operated war game scenarios. (TOS - Rihannsu novel: The Empty Chair)

Others[]

In 2268, Kirk speculated that a possible explanation for alien artifacts on Careta IV that transmuted people into Kh!lict insectoids was for some type of alien war game. (TOS novel: Windows on a Lost World)

In 2280, a fleet of Kauld battleships near Belle Terre used war games as a way of field testing three new ships. (TOS - New Earth novel: The Flaming Arrow)

In 2377, Spock, Saavik and Data witnessed a war game between teams of Watraii using live weapons who vaporized those killed during the test. Data called the scenario "singularly vicious". (TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel: Exiles)

Appendices[]

Connections[]

• See also: paintball war game

References[]

• TOS episode & Star Trek 9 novelization: The Ultimate Computer
• TNG episode: "Peak Performance"
• DS9 episode: "The Way of the Warrior"
• VOY episode: "Learning Curve"
• TOS novel: Web of the Romulans
• TOS novel: Battlestations!
• TOS novel: Inception
• TOS novel: Windows on a Lost World
• TOS novel: First Frontier
• TOS novel: The Cry of the Onlies
• TOS - The Lost Years novel: Traitor Winds
• TOS - Rihannsu novel: The Empty Chair
• TOS - Errand of Vengeance novel: The Edge of the Sword
• TOS - Errand of Vengeance novel: River of Blood
• TOS - Errand of Fury novel: Demands of Honor
• TOS - Errand of Fury novel: Sacrifices of War
• TOS - New Earth novel: The Flaming Arrow
• TOS - Starfleet Academy novel: The Gemini Agent
• TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel: Exiles
• TOS - Mirror Universe novel: The Sorrows of Empire
• TNG novel: Imbalance
• TNG novel: Ship of the Line
• TNG novel: The Genesis Wave, Book One
• DS9 novel: Revelation and Dust
• ENT novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing
• SCE - What's Past eBook: Many Splendors
• SCE eBook: The Art of the Comeback
• TNG - Strange New Worlds VI short story: "The Soft Room"
• ST - Seven Deadly Sins novella: The First Peer
• STO mission: "War Games"
• FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update
• FASA RPG module: Federation Starship Recognition Manual
• FASA RPG module: The Romulan War
• LUG RPG module: Planets of the UFP
• Decipher RPG module: Aliens
• ST reference: Worlds of the Federation
• ST video game: Bridge Commander
• TOS video game: Klingon Academy
• ST video game: Trexels missions: "Skirmish", "Events"

External links[]

• War game article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.