The film is presented as an episode of a United Federation of Planets documentary pertaining to the Four Years War with the Klingon, narrated by noted historian John Gill (who appeared in "Patterns of Force (Star Trek)") and featuring interviews of actual participants on both sides. It begins on Stardate 2241.03, two decades before ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', with the war's opening battle at Arcanis IV, a prosperous Federation colony along the Klingon border. The Klingons, who did not consider the Federation to be a worthy adversary, maintained the initiative for the first six months of the war, with a number of victories under the leadership of their supreme commander, Kharn. The Vulcan (Star Trek) diplomatic delegation under Ambassador List of minor recurring characters in Star Trek: Enterprise#Soval (who appeared on ''Star Trek: Enterprise''), overseeing negotiations with the Klingons, are left with little room to maneuver.