There is just enough background and history around early 24th century Romulans and mid 23rd century Romulans to come up with something for them. but oddly enough there isn't much covering the Klingon side of the issue during the same era. even Discovery doesn't give up much on the Klingons.
Now STO already has a time trevelling episode around Galorndon Core in the past where those 23rd century Romulans were seen, and knowing what Romulans were like back then, it wouldn't take much to come up with some story around imperial rule, dealing in treachery to the Federation and keeping the Klingons in check as well.
i can see a story as to how a Romulan lieutenant saw the horrors of serving in the imperial service could end up getting betrayed by his or her own commanding officer on another ship as they destroy your ship, Daniels pulls you out the timeline explains what is going on and from there you need to talk with Subcommander Kail in the 25th, because now you are a Romulan temporal agent on Virinat who needs to find a way to D'tan's fleet but deal with Colonel Hakeev as well.
In my opinion there would be even more cause to hate the former Imperial life from a Romulan who has experienced it and lived it and been on the otherside of it with Hakeev as well.
Intrestingly that might not even need time travel, since I don't think we're ever "told" how old our character is, so you could have romulan who is in their early 20s or 30s be young "fresh out of the academy" uhlan in mid 23c then thru the ages loose that youthful idealism and retire to virenat and just wants to "be left alone" essentially and when in his/her 170s or 180s Tal Shiar attacks the colony desides if they're not gonna leave him/her alone he'll fight against what he/she considers the "corruption of the romulan spirit" or words to that effect.
sure 170 or 180 is old for a romulan (I assume they live just as long vulcans).
yeah i can just imagine it, old age taking hold in a bad way, left with little choice but to be half way lurched over because of old age related back problems, so left with a walking stick. now imagine someone like that trying to beat the snot out of someone else on the ground or on a ship, even worse a bomb on a ship and your enemy has left the ship, by time it takes you to climb the stairs you fall a sleep and the ship explodes.
Now, do you want to get to the point?
T6 Miranda Hero Ship FTW. Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
Burstdragon, you got it from the devs' sockpuppet:
basically a person who is either a staffer or a fan, and always completely satisfied with whatever the company is doing or with whatever happens to be the current orthodoxy.
Judging by how you argue, I'm guessing you're a hardcore Fed who loves being the apple of Cryptic's eye....every time someone argues for some love for the unloved factions you come rushing in trying to rain on peoples parades.
And right on queue, here come the straw man arguments from people who have no actual counterpoint.
Not a Strawman when every time it's brought up you rush like a white knight to defend against content going out to anyone but the Feds...I and others have proven what you said is false, your claims of things being even are dead wrong on every account.
So tell me, where is the strawman? Unless you're talking about your self...crying strawman just to make me look less credible to anyone who just takes a quick glimpse of these posts or just flat out doesn't know the history of STO.
Burstdragon, you got it from the devs' sockpuppet:
basically a person who is either a staffer or a fan, and always completely satisfied with whatever the company is doing or with whatever happens to be the current orthodoxy.
Judging by how you argue, I'm guessing you're a hardcore Fed who loves being the apple of Cryptic's eye....every time someone argues for some love for the unloved factions you come rushing in trying to rain on peoples parades.
And right on queue, here come the straw man arguments from people who have no actual counterpoint.
Not a Strawman when every time it's brought up you rush like a white knight to defend against content going out to anyone but the Feds...I and others have proven what you said is false, your claims of things being even are dead wrong on every account.
So tell me, where is the strawman? Unless you're talking about your self...crying strawman just to make me look less credible to anyone who just takes a quick glimpse of these posts or just flat out doesn't know the history of STO.
The strawman is a lie presented as fact: that the devs actively hate the KDF. It's not true and never was true.
KDF is less popular than Federation because not as many people like the aesthetics and culture of the Klingon Empire. I personally hate both and play KDF because every one of the KDF ally races in STO is cooler than Klingons are. Orions are my favorite.
Not wanting to fan the flames ...
But as a player returning from a loong break, I have just started the Admiralty System, and one thing I noticed was that with my KDF and to a lesser degree, my Romklink, I have to skip way more missions with extremely high ENG or SCI requirements than I do with my Fed toon/s, even with the few event/zen ships that they have access too.
Burstdragon, you got it from the devs' sockpuppet:
basically a person who is either a staffer or a fan, and always completely satisfied with whatever the company is doing or with whatever happens to be the current orthodoxy.
Judging by how you argue, I'm guessing you're a hardcore Fed who loves being the apple of Cryptic's eye....every time someone argues for some love for the unloved factions you come rushing in trying to rain on peoples parades.
And right on queue, here come the straw man arguments from people who have no actual counterpoint.
Not a Strawman when every time it's brought up you rush like a white knight to defend against content going out to anyone but the Feds...I and others have proven what you said is false, your claims of things being even are dead wrong on every account.
So tell me, where is the strawman? Unless you're talking about your self...crying strawman just to make me look less credible to anyone who just takes a quick glimpse of these posts or just flat out doesn't know the history of STO.
The strawman is a lie presented as fact: that the devs actively hate the KDF. It's not true and never was true.
KDF is less popular than Federation because not as many people like the aesthetics and culture of the Klingon Empire. I personally hate both and play KDF because every one of the KDF ally races in STO is cooler than Klingons are. Orions are my favorite.
Except it isn't a lie? Since the very beginning the KDF was treated like a red headed step child....it was barely even treated as a faction till LoR.
Want to tell me it isn't? Then explain the Varanaus...the only Sci ship the KDF had, it was a c-store ship, and it was worse than even the free T5 Sci ships Feds had to choose from. Then there is the Bortasque effect....
They obviously didn't have much love for the KDF...
KDF is a small minority even with masses of farming alts from the grinders.
I have 3 Klingon characters plus KDF-aligned Romulan and Jem'Hadar, none of them created or used for farming (I already have a job, it pays me in cash monies not contraband). I thoroughly enjoyed the KDF stories and would love to see more.
But I also can accept reality -- more new players with open wallets want to play STO as a Discovery era Fed than want to play an any-era Klingon. Many more want to play as a modern Fed. KDF might be more popular than playing as an Enterprise era Fed, but even the Pakled faction might be.
I'm not sure how it was when pvp was alive and kicking, to punish an entire playerbase for the actions of a few seems to be extreme. Besides I think they have gone back to a system where kdf and federation get ships and other factions have to wait or don't get ships. Even if Kdf does not get as much love, its still one of the main factions all the rest are basically half or just an alternate start federation character. I'm sure with discovery they will be doing more with klingons. Maybe even that one will be a major main charater. L'rell we know they will be showing more about the klingons in the next season I have not watched discovery. I have read up on some of the characters. I'm sure they will add more into the game more klingon stuff so they can profit off of discovery klingon stuff, we can only hope.
Except it isn't a lie? Since the very beginning the KDF was treated like a red headed step child....it was barely even treated as a faction till LoR.
Really? then explain why it is that the KDF got the coolest reward for that Day of Honor event....
Yes, I'm talking about the Tritanium Rending Bat'leth.
Want to tell me it isn't? Then explain the Varanaus...the only Sci ship the KDF had, it was a c-store ship, and it was worse than even the free T5 Sci ships Feds had to choose from. Then there is the Bortasque effect....
The only reason anyone hates the Bortas is that it can mount cannons even though it turns like a bathtub bolted to a concrete slab. It's technically a battle cruiser, but the stats for HP and turn are closer to those of a heavy cruiser. Honestly it's fine if you fly it like a heavy cruiser. And yes I HAVE flown the T6 version.
People talk about the Varanus as if it has garbage stats, IT DOESN'T. The freebie science ship people like to compare it to has near OP stats compared to T5 FED Z-store science ships. The only actual weak stat the T5 Varanus has is the 1.2 shield modifier.
Lead Developer Al "CaptainGeko" Rivera is not one of those devs and he's the guy whose stamp is firmest on everything in the game when it comes to allocating resources and making calls.
he initiated the feud with the KDF playerbase, back in 2012, and has since kept it burning, instead of de-escalating things. aka the hate isn't toward the KDF, but toward the KDF playerbase, a situation shared with the PvP Playerbase, and the connection is natural-when the game released, Emmert designated KDF as 'the' PvP faction.
Yes..... sure, whatever... While he might have a disdain for certain KDF players, to claim he hates the entire playerbasse is the sort of claim that requires serious proof, and what you brought to the table is at best conjecture, If that.
There is just enough background and history around early 24th century Romulans and mid 23rd century Romulans to come up with something for them. but oddly enough there isn't much covering the Klingon side of the issue during the same era. even Discovery doesn't give up much on the Klingons.
Now STO already has a time trevelling episode around Galorndon Core in the past where those 23rd century Romulans were seen, and knowing what Romulans were like back then, it wouldn't take much to come up with some story around imperial rule, dealing in treachery to the Federation and keeping the Klingons in check as well.
i can see a story as to how a Romulan lieutenant saw the horrors of serving in the imperial service could end up getting betrayed by his or her own commanding officer on another ship as they destroy your ship, Daniels pulls you out the timeline explains what is going on and from there you need to talk with Subcommander Kail in the 25th, because now you are a Romulan temporal agent on Virinat who needs to find a way to D'tan's fleet but deal with Colonel Hakeev as well.
In my opinion there would be even more cause to hate the former Imperial life from a Romulan who has experienced it and lived it and been on the otherside of it with Hakeev as well.
Intrestingly that might not even need time travel, since I don't think we're ever "told" how old our character is, so you could have romulan who is in their early 20s or 30s be young "fresh out of the academy" uhlan in mid 23c then thru the ages loose that youthful idealism and retire to virenat and just wants to "be left alone" essentially and when in his/her 170s or 180s Tal Shiar attacks the colony desides if they're not gonna leave him/her alone he'll fight against what he/she considers the "corruption of the romulan spirit" or words to that effect.
sure 170 or 180 is old for a romulan (I assume they live just as long vulcans).
yeah i can just imagine it, old age taking hold in a bad way, left with little choice but to be half way lurched over because of old age related back problems, so left with a walking stick. now imagine someone like that trying to beat the snot out of someone else on the ground or on a ship, even worse a bomb on a ship and your enemy has left the ship, by time it takes you to climb the stairs you fall a sleep and the ship explodes.
Now, do you want to get to the point?
He is right, though: the Romulan tutorial, thankfully, is quite open-ended about the PC's background: you're asked by the town lorekeeper when you arrived on Virinat and you can answer with one of several options. (I went with something similar to the above but less extreme, casting Morgaiah t'Thavrau as an experienced Romulan Imperial Fleet officer -- in her forties -- who was hiding out from the Tal Shiar on Virinat.)
The Klingon tutorial isn't bad either: you're probably a reasonably experienced officer since you're the third-in-command of the starting BoP. Unlike the (new) Starfleet tutorial where you're laughably a fourth-year cadet who hasn't even formally graduated and yet are given a permanent starship command right out of the gate. Doesn't anybody in Starfleet remember the Valiant?
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
uh, 'scuse? the genesis device would most certainly have affected the heralds - it doesn't give a TRIBBLE whether anything in range of the wave is organic or not; it turns EVERYTHING it touches into subatomic particles and then rearranges them according to its programmed matrix
Upon impact, the device caused a massive explosion, reducing the entire area to subatomic particles. A preprogrammed matrix then reassembled these subatomic particles into the desired configuration, creating an atmosphere and environment habitable for Humans within a matter of hours, regardless of the test area's original composition.
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
Cryptic's forays into the magic of protomatter were silly enough as they were, without falling for the internet fan-TRIBBLE theories of genesis devices as the ultimate "I win" button of any military engagement.
Cryptic's forays into the magic of protomatter were silly enough as they were, without falling for the internet fan-**** theories of genesis devices as the ultimate "I win" button of any military engagement.
It's hardly an "internet fan-**** theory": the Klingons themselves were the first to note the military applications of the Genesis device, in Star Trek III.
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Cryptic's forays into the magic of protomatter were silly enough as they were, without falling for the internet fan-**** theories of genesis devices as the ultimate "I win" button of any military engagement.
It's hardly an "internet fan-**** theory": the Klingons themselves were the first to note the military applications of the Genesis device, in Star Trek III.
Hence Commander Kruge's interest in the Genesis WEAPON.
If Cryptic really considered doing anythig with the facions, they would communicae with the playerbase, not the 10% here on forums or the 5% who watch twitch. a direct poll on the game launcher. give the players a say in the direction of the game. Question, for season XX, would you like to see a focus on KFD, Romulan Republic, Federation, Dominion/Cardassian. I'm thinking there is more support for the Republic and Empire than anyone here realises
Cryptic's forays into the magic of protomatter were silly enough as they were, without falling for the internet fan-**** theories of genesis devices as the ultimate "I win" button of any military engagement.
It's hardly an "internet fan-**** theory": the Klingons themselves were the first to note the military applications of the Genesis device, in Star Trek III.
Hence Commander Kruge's interest in the Genesis WEAPON.
Which never came to be, meaning the technology was either found to be just as much a failure as a weapon as it was as a terraformer and quietly abandoned, or deliberately retconned out because it was silly and plot-breaking.
except you can't retcon science and expect to remain SCIENCE fiction (not that star trek ever has been during any series) since sciernce tells us that at the subatomic level - the same level the genesis device operates at - there is NO difference between organic and non-organic matter (also why that nonsense about thalaron radiation destroying organic matter at the subatomic level is pure BS), therefore a genesis detonation would destroy and rearrange everything within the effect's range
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
except you can't retcon science and expect to remain SCIENCE fiction (not that star trek ever has been during any series) since sciernce tells us that at the subatomic level - the same level the genesis device operates at - there is NO difference between organic and non-organic matter (also why that nonsense about thalaron radiation destroying organic matter at the subatomic level is pure BS), therefore a genesis detonation would destroy and rearrange everything within the effect's range
There is nothing even remotely scientific about genesis.
In case you missed it, the whole point of the Iconian War was that there was never a situation where the Iconians didn't have numerical, logistical, and technological advantage, since they had spent 200,000 years planning for the war. What you described is literally every single battle the Alliance fought. The whole point of the operation was to try to minimize loses by taking out their leadership before the war dragged on too long, and the Iconians could leverage their overwhelming advantage even further.
That really seems to me the one thing that people that criticize Kagran's strategy don't seem to get.
The Iconians have all the advantages. They have numerical superiority. They have technological superiority. They have the ability to teleport from any place to any other place practically at will. The bad writing in the Iconian War is really all about the Iconians seemingly being incompetent of fully using their advantages. Every single planet they attack, they could attack with overwhelming numbers that appear instantly above the planet, blowing every defense and defender out of the sky and then doing whatever they want with the civilian population.
Normally, when you fight a superior enemy, you try a guerilla strategy. Find weakly defended spots and take them out while the enemy is busy elsewhere. Damage the supply lines of the enemy military.
But you can't do that with the Iconians. They don't have supply lines. They don't need to hold any territory. They can come wherever they want, blow TRIBBLE up, and leave. They can use guerilla tactics on you, but you can't use them on them. The few missions where we fight them are basically the only weak spots we can actually find in their entire defense, their only semblance of a supply line.
If you wish to beat them, your only chance is really that you take out their stronghold and either their leadership, or at least their Gateway Network. Because the longer you wait, the more you will lose. Every time they strike, the will strike on their term,, they can use overwhelming numbers to minimize their losses and maximizes yours. And basically the only thing you can strike back at is that damn stronghold, because they don't need anything else to maintain their fleets and armies.
You cannot win a fight of attrition. The longer the war is going on, the less you hae to fight back.
Sure, you could say that it was a weakness that the Federation or Klingons didn't use a Genesis Device, or a Trilithium Device or some other fantastic one-episode super weapon. But that's how Star Trek always works - the super weapon of one episode or one movie is never used again. That is basically writer fiat, or writer forgetfulness. Of course, for all we know, valiant heroes of another Starfleet, Klingon or Romulan ship or base were working on those plans. Or maybe that's why the Tzenkethi even had those Protomatter weapons to use against the Hur'Q - they were working on them to fight the Iconians.
Either way, we were working on the Annorax, and had something working ready before them. (Or maybe the other superweapons were actually employed, but failed, because the Iconian intelligence gathering acts were not in vain, and they knew about these technologies and were ready to counter them.)
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
except you can't retcon science and expect to remain SCIENCE fiction (not that star trek ever has been during any series) since sciernce tells us that at the subatomic level - the same level the genesis device operates at - there is NO difference between organic and non-organic matter (also why that nonsense about thalaron radiation destroying organic matter at the subatomic level is pure BS), therefore a genesis detonation would destroy and rearrange everything within the effect's range
It happens all the time however. TOS already showed us how to travel through time. Yet, is it ever used by anyone for anything, except in Star Trek IV? And you don't need a Federation ship to pull it off, a Klingon Bird of Prey flown by a crew unfamiliar with Klingon technology or language could pull that off.
That amazing trick the super-smart Barclay pulled off to allow the Enterprise to withstand a volley of torpedoes fired at a close by target - impossible to replicate, despite it using only already installed systems and a chair build to exact specifications stored in the Holodeck.
And of course, there could be counters to the Genesis Device as well - maybe a low level theta band emission can halt the protomatter reaction before it can expand sufficiently to encompass the target object, making it about as dangerous as Tri-Cobalt Device, except a thousand times more difficult to build.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Comments
yeah i can just imagine it, old age taking hold in a bad way, left with little choice but to be half way lurched over because of old age related back problems, so left with a walking stick. now imagine someone like that trying to beat the snot out of someone else on the ground or on a ship, even worse a bomb on a ship and your enemy has left the ship, by time it takes you to climb the stairs you fall a sleep and the ship explodes.
Now, do you want to get to the point?
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
You want a repeat of the promotional mess of the Vizier Class?
Not a Strawman when every time it's brought up you rush like a white knight to defend against content going out to anyone but the Feds...I and others have proven what you said is false, your claims of things being even are dead wrong on every account.
So tell me, where is the strawman? Unless you're talking about your self...crying strawman just to make me look less credible to anyone who just takes a quick glimpse of these posts or just flat out doesn't know the history of STO.
KDF is less popular than Federation because not as many people like the aesthetics and culture of the Klingon Empire. I personally hate both and play KDF because every one of the KDF ally races in STO is cooler than Klingons are. Orions are my favorite.
My character Tsin'xing
But as a player returning from a loong break, I have just started the Admiralty System, and one thing I noticed was that with my KDF and to a lesser degree, my Romklink, I have to skip way more missions with extremely high ENG or SCI requirements than I do with my Fed toon/s, even with the few event/zen ships that they have access too.
Just saying.
Except it isn't a lie? Since the very beginning the KDF was treated like a red headed step child....it was barely even treated as a faction till LoR.
Want to tell me it isn't? Then explain the Varanaus...the only Sci ship the KDF had, it was a c-store ship, and it was worse than even the free T5 Sci ships Feds had to choose from. Then there is the Bortasque effect....
They obviously didn't have much love for the KDF...
I have 3 Klingon characters plus KDF-aligned Romulan and Jem'Hadar, none of them created or used for farming (I already have a job, it pays me in cash monies not contraband). I thoroughly enjoyed the KDF stories and would love to see more.
But I also can accept reality -- more new players with open wallets want to play STO as a Discovery era Fed than want to play an any-era Klingon. Many more want to play as a modern Fed. KDF might be more popular than playing as an Enterprise era Fed, but even the Pakled faction might be.
Yes, I'm talking about the Tritanium Rending Bat'leth. The only reason anyone hates the Bortas is that it can mount cannons even though it turns like a bathtub bolted to a concrete slab. It's technically a battle cruiser, but the stats for HP and turn are closer to those of a heavy cruiser. Honestly it's fine if you fly it like a heavy cruiser. And yes I HAVE flown the T6 version.
People talk about the Varanus as if it has garbage stats, IT DOESN'T. The freebie science ship people like to compare it to has near OP stats compared to T5 FED Z-store science ships. The only actual weak stat the T5 Varanus has is the 1.2 shield modifier. You mean this guy?
Yes..... sure, whatever... While he might have a disdain for certain KDF players, to claim he hates the entire playerbasse is the sort of claim that requires serious proof, and what you brought to the table is at best conjecture, If that.
My character Tsin'xing
He is right, though: the Romulan tutorial, thankfully, is quite open-ended about the PC's background: you're asked by the town lorekeeper when you arrived on Virinat and you can answer with one of several options. (I went with something similar to the above but less extreme, casting Morgaiah t'Thavrau as an experienced Romulan Imperial Fleet officer -- in her forties -- who was hiding out from the Tal Shiar on Virinat.)
The Klingon tutorial isn't bad either: you're probably a reasonably experienced officer since you're the third-in-command of the starting BoP. Unlike the (new) Starfleet tutorial where you're laughably a fourth-year cadet who hasn't even formally graduated and yet are given a permanent starship command right out of the gate. Doesn't anybody in Starfleet remember the Valiant?
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
It's hardly an "internet fan-**** theory": the Klingons themselves were the first to note the military applications of the Genesis device, in Star Trek III.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
Hence Commander Kruge's interest in the Genesis WEAPON.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
The Iconians have all the advantages. They have numerical superiority. They have technological superiority. They have the ability to teleport from any place to any other place practically at will. The bad writing in the Iconian War is really all about the Iconians seemingly being incompetent of fully using their advantages. Every single planet they attack, they could attack with overwhelming numbers that appear instantly above the planet, blowing every defense and defender out of the sky and then doing whatever they want with the civilian population.
Normally, when you fight a superior enemy, you try a guerilla strategy. Find weakly defended spots and take them out while the enemy is busy elsewhere. Damage the supply lines of the enemy military.
But you can't do that with the Iconians. They don't have supply lines. They don't need to hold any territory. They can come wherever they want, blow TRIBBLE up, and leave. They can use guerilla tactics on you, but you can't use them on them. The few missions where we fight them are basically the only weak spots we can actually find in their entire defense, their only semblance of a supply line.
If you wish to beat them, your only chance is really that you take out their stronghold and either their leadership, or at least their Gateway Network. Because the longer you wait, the more you will lose. Every time they strike, the will strike on their term,, they can use overwhelming numbers to minimize their losses and maximizes yours. And basically the only thing you can strike back at is that damn stronghold, because they don't need anything else to maintain their fleets and armies.
You cannot win a fight of attrition. The longer the war is going on, the less you hae to fight back.
Sure, you could say that it was a weakness that the Federation or Klingons didn't use a Genesis Device, or a Trilithium Device or some other fantastic one-episode super weapon. But that's how Star Trek always works - the super weapon of one episode or one movie is never used again. That is basically writer fiat, or writer forgetfulness. Of course, for all we know, valiant heroes of another Starfleet, Klingon or Romulan ship or base were working on those plans. Or maybe that's why the Tzenkethi even had those Protomatter weapons to use against the Hur'Q - they were working on them to fight the Iconians.
Either way, we were working on the Annorax, and had something working ready before them. (Or maybe the other superweapons were actually employed, but failed, because the Iconian intelligence gathering acts were not in vain, and they knew about these technologies and were ready to counter them.)
It happens all the time however. TOS already showed us how to travel through time. Yet, is it ever used by anyone for anything, except in Star Trek IV? And you don't need a Federation ship to pull it off, a Klingon Bird of Prey flown by a crew unfamiliar with Klingon technology or language could pull that off.
That amazing trick the super-smart Barclay pulled off to allow the Enterprise to withstand a volley of torpedoes fired at a close by target - impossible to replicate, despite it using only already installed systems and a chair build to exact specifications stored in the Holodeck.
And of course, there could be counters to the Genesis Device as well - maybe a low level theta band emission can halt the protomatter reaction before it can expand sufficiently to encompass the target object, making it about as dangerous as Tri-Cobalt Device, except a thousand times more difficult to build.