Battle of Wolf 359

Battle of Wolf 359 Conflict: Borg incursion of 2367 Date: 2367 Location: Wolf 359 star system Result: Borg victory Combatants Borg Collective United Federation of Planets Commanders Locutus Admiral Hanson Forces one Borg Cube forty Federation starships unspecified number of Klingon warships Losses none 39 Federation starships lost unspecified Klingon losses
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The Battle of Wolf 359 was the Federation's first major fleet engagement against the Borg Collective. The battle was a devastating defeat for the Federation.

Sequence of Events

Very little is known about how this battle transpired. After the Borg captured Captain Picard from the Enterprise, they continued toward Earth, passing the star system Wolf 359 on their route. A fleet of 39 Federation starships intercepted the Borg Cube there. According to Admiral Hanson, several Klingon ships were en route to assist, but it is unclear whether they arrived in time to take part in the battle.

Using knowledge of Federation assets and tactics acquired when they assimilated Picard, the Borg easily defeated the Federation fleet. All ships in the Federation fleet were destroyed or disabled, and only a few personnel escaped in life pods to be picked up later.

Observations

That Starfleet could only muster 40 starships to defend the Federation against a threat as dire as the Borg shows the limits of Federation propulsion and fleet strength. Given months of logistical preparation, the Federation would be able to deploy fleets of hundreds of ships in the Dominion War, but with only days of warning, they could not gather even a tenth of that number to defend the Federation capital against the Borg invasion.

Years later, the Federation would have sufficient warning or strategic depth to intercept another Borg cube with dozens or hundreds of ships, resulting in the cube's destruction.