I once addressed this question about Turkana IV on r/DaystromInstitute:

So do we have a reasonable explanation for why the Federation didn’t intervene in the years leading up to Turkana IV breaking off? The time frame, coincidentally, points us to why the Federation might have been devoting resources elsewhere and therefore didn’t pay attention until it was too late.

The late 2340s saw the start of the Cardassian Wars. Exactly when the Setlik III massacre took place is a matter of debate. Most date it to 2347 because of a line in TNG: “Realm of Fear” (2369) where O’Brien tells Barclay he’s been a transporter operator for 22 years (he was a Tactical Officer during Setlik), but there’s contradictory evidence from other episodes in DS9. We can discuss that another time.

But if Setlik III did take place in 2347, then by that time the Federation was embroiled in a war with Cardassia which lasted, in various iterations, until the early 2360s (POWs were released in 2362, DS9: “Tribunal”).

It might not be a stretch to think that a colony world like Turkana IV slipped under the Federation’s radar until it was too late. I get the impression that most colonies aren’t directly governed by the Federation. They’re given autonomy up to a point, and if they want to break off, then it’s their right to do so.

So criminal gangs or not, there was a war going on and the Federation let it go. Not necessarily its finest hour, but I can see it happening.

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But that still doesn’t mean DIS is in an alternate reality.

Not any more than it’s fair to assume that, by showing the Barge of the Dead, or the Miranda-class, or the Oberth-class, or the Galaxy-class, or the proto-Klingons, that VOY: “Barge of the Dead”, ST II, ST III, TNG or TNG: “Genesis” took place in a reality with different class ships or people.

The Mirror Universe question is a separate one, to which there really is no good answer because we’ve only seen crossovers from the Prime Universe to its Mirror Universe counterpart. A bigger question is whether or not the Mirror Universe we saw in PRO: “Broken Mirror” is the same Mirror Universe we see in DS9 because there the Terran Empire seems to exist again.

Annotations for 5x10 up at: https://startrek.website/post/17452674

Thank you for noticing the typo!

Yes, the XCV-330 was an early Matt Jeffries concept for the Enterprise back in 1964. That’s why it turned up in TMP as a painting.

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Adding those, thanks.

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Annotations for 5x07 up at: https://startrek.website/post/16832667

Isn’t that the Janeway?

I try to always say, “I don’t know what it is, but it’s weird and pissed off,” when people ask me to identify something.

You may be thinking of Ch’Pok, the Klingon advocate from DS9: “Rules of Engagement”, where they were trying to extradite Worf on the grounds that he had destroyed a civilian transport.

CH’POK: I look forward to fighting on your terms.

SISKO: This is not a fight. It’s the search for the truth.

CH’POK: The truth must be won. I’ll see you on the battlefield.

And later:

CH’POK: What matters to me is the thrill of the fight, not which side I’m on. And I think we both know the extradition fight is over.