Editing Imperial Union of Planets (section)

===History===

[[Image:IUPemblem.gif|thumb|right|550px|The symbol of the Imperial Union of Planets]]

No one is certain exactly how or when events led to the IUP's founding. The date of its beginning was never revealed, although it had to occur no earlier than 2375, when the Terran rebellion was still fighting the Alliance. Sometime shortly thereafter, or perhaps as early as 2371, the rebels declared their independence from the Alliance.

This may have happened in fact, as the rebels who had freed themselves were no longer under Alliance control; or it may have been a retroactive declaration--an interpretation of the victors rewriting history. 

What is known is key factors which established it as a political power in the years immediately afterwards. Among these was the development of the spiral warp drive, in the form of a captured extradimensional schematics that possessed the techology. SWD instantly made the former rebels a power to be reckoned with, and through the gained tactical advantage, enabled a blitzkrieg drive to victory over Alliance forces.

Another key factor was the involvement of the Overlords, a mysterious group of unseen benefactors to the fledgling rebellion, recruited by Rodrigo Doenitz to assist them. Doenitz believed that many former slaves, widely lacking formal education, military discipline, or the firm hand of Alliance overseers to keep them in line, would run amok and threaten their new empire with power struggles and selfish interests. He also feared a repeat of "Spock's folly", the peace-minded reforms and disarmament initiated by [[Spock]] in the 23rd century which led to the Terran Empire's destruction, and believed that the Overlords would help to avoid this course. Agreeing to Doenitz's request, the Overlords usurped power and once control was established, turned the IUP over to Doenitz's control. This was done in order to safeguard the "new Empire" from both itself and external threats. The Overlords, then retired from contact with the IUP allowing normal history to run it's course. It is suspected that the last of the Overseers was executed by Doenitz in order to acquire their advanced technology.

With a new fleet of starships at its command (designs for which were obtained from spies sent to the normal Federation universe), the Imperial Union swiftly expanded over the [[Alpha Quadrant|Alpha]] and [[Beta Quadrant]]s, conquering and occupying many former worlds of the Terran Empire, while simultaneously wearing down the Alliance. In late 2408 the Alliance regrouped and began a series of vicious counter attacks against the IUP.