The Rittenhouse Scandal refers to an attempted coup d'état by Starfleet Vice Admiral Vaughan Rittenhouse in the year 2270. Admiral Rittenhouse saw the many civilizations in the galaxy that were hostile to the Federation (specifically the Klingon Empire) as threats too great to be placated or ignored any longer, so he planned to subjugate those forces by using a militarized Starfleet with the dreadnought USS Star Empire as a spearhead. To be able to carry out his plan with no interference from civilian authorities, Rittenhouse plotted to overthrow the Federation government by placing officers loyal to him in key positions within Starfleet and the Federation Council.