The Dominion War is an extended plot concept developed in several story arcs of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, an American science-fiction television series produced by Paramount Pictures. In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Dominion War is a conflict between the forces of the Dominion, the Cardassian Union, and, eventually, the Breen Confederacy against the Alpha Quadrant alliance of the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire and, later, the Romulan Star Empire. The war takes place in the final two seasons of the series, but was gradually built up to over the course of the five preceding seasons.
The principal setting of the series is the Starfleet-controlled space station Deep Space Nine, located adjacent to the mouth of a stable wormhole near the planet Bajor. The Bajoran wormhole provides near-instantaneous travel to the Gamma Quadrant, a region on the other side of the galaxy. During the second season of Deep Space Nine, the Dominion, a powerful empire in the Gamma Quadrant, is introduced; and over the course of the second and third seasons, more information about the Dominion is revealed. Conflict escalates through the fourth and fifth seasons, as the Dominion infiltrates Alpha Quadrant powers and eventually forms an alliance with Cardassia; open warfare begins at the end of the fifth season, when the Dominion briefly occupies Deep Space Nine, and continues until the Dominion is finally defeated in the series finale.
The Dominion War arcs present themes that challenge the values of the characters in a manner not attempted in earlier series of Star Trek. Developing the plot of the Dominion War also altered how the series was scripted, shifting the emphasis from an episodic to a serialized narrative format.
Dominion
The Dominion is an interstellar state and military superpower from the Gamma Quadrant, composed of hundreds of dominated alien species. The Dominion is commanded by The Founders, a race of shapeshifters (or Changelings as they are often referred to), responsible for both the creation of the Dominion and all strategic decisions undertaken through its history. The Dominion is administered by the Vorta, clones specifically genetically engineered by the Founders to act as field commanders, administrators, scientists and diplomats. The Jem'Hadar, also engineered by the Founders, are the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy during the Dominion's height.
Member races The Dominion incorporated a vast number of planets, and their resident species, into its military and civilian ranks, including: Changelings/Founders (the rulers of the Dominion) Vorta (administrative/diplomatic/scientist class of clones; genetically engineered by the Founders) Jem'Hadar (shock troops under the direct command of the Vorta; genetically engineered by the Founders) Son'a Hunters Tosk Skreea Karemma Dosi Breen Cardassians T-Rogorans
Little is revealed regarding the Dominion's inner workings, other than the fact that the Jem'Hadar and Vorta fulfill the main military and administrative roles respectively.
Early history The Dominion was established between two thousand and ten thousand years before the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, by the Changelings, a race of liquid lifeforms capable of shapeshifting, as a means of defending themselves against the widespread persecution they faced from humanoid races (whom they called "solids"). These Changelings genetically engineered a series of slave races to act as the foot soldiers of their new empire, and were dubbed the Founders by their new creations. Over 200 years before first contact with Deep Space Nine, the Changelings' Great Link (a planet in the Gamma Quadrant where Changelings exist in their natural "gelatinous" form) had sent out 100 Changeling infants in containers through the universe in order to see how other (alien) races react to the presence of Changelings. Of those sent out, three have been accounted for: Odo. Sent into space as an infant, Odo ultimately arrived in the Alpha Quadrant in the region of the planet Bajor, which was under Cardassian occupation at the time. After being studied by a Bajoran scientist, he learns to take humanoid form and eventually becomes Security Chief at Deep Space Nine, a role he maintained once the Federation controlled the station. In a battle with a Changeling spy, Odo ended up killing it, thus breaking the most important rule of his people, that no Changeling may ever hurt another ("The Adversary"). He was punished by the Great Link who took away his shapeshifting abilities and forced to remain a solid in his humanoid form ("Broken Link"). Some months later, he regained his powers after trying to save a dying infant Changeling. Although his deepest desire is to rejoin the Great Link, he is reluctant to do so due to the Founders' crusade of total war against every solid in the Alpha Quadrant. In the last episode of the series, Odo does rejoin the Great Link which saves them from being totally destroyed by a genetically engineered virus. ("What You Leave Behind") Unnamed Infant Changeling. Obtained by Odo from Quark, Odo tries to teach the infant how to shapeshift. However the infant is dying from radiation poisoning. As its last act, it joins with Odo which restores his ability to shapeshift. ("The Begotten") Laas. Over 200 years old, he ended up on the Valara planet whose name "Laas" means "Changeable"; he left when he realized that he was only being tolerated and would never be accepted. He ended up on Deep Space Nine, where he showed his shapeshifting skills were far more advanced than Odo's (even changing into a mist at one point). In self-defense, he killed a Klingon warrior who was going to assault him; and with the help of Major Kira, he escaped. He vowed to search the Alpha Quadrant in order to find the other missing Hundred Changelings like himself and Odo in order to create a new Great Link. ("Chimera")
First contact and escalation The Dominion was unknown to the Alpha Quadrant powers until the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole in 2369, which facilitated exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. In 2370, Jem'Hadar troops annihilated numerous Bajoran and Federation colonies and ships in the Gamma Quadrant and captured Commander Benjamin Sisko, as the Dominion demanded the Federation stay on their side of the "anomaly". A Federation starship, the USS Odyssey, was destroyed by a kamikaze attack after the Federation rescued Sisko, as the Dominion demonstrated not only an ability to penetrate shielding, but a fanatical devotion to their cause as the suicide attack was made on a retreating ship, solely to drive the point home to the Federation. As a result of this incident, the Federation pulled the USS Defiant out of storage (which was originally designed to combat the Borg), complete with a Romulan cloaking device, and began preparations for a drastic increase in Deep Space Nine's defensive capabilities.
A Federation mission the next year to find and make peace with the Founders ended disastrously, when the peace expedition was captured and subjected to hallucinogenic manipulation to test the willingness of the Federation to appease the Dominion. As a result of this incident, it was discovered that the reclusive Founders of the organization (previously unseen) were the Changelings. The Changelings justified their actions by the need to protect their species against persecution by "solids", and also spoke of a duty and inclination to "impose order on a chaotic universe".
As a result of the continued Dominion threat, numerous Alpha Quadrant powers acted with increased preparations and paranoia, one expression of which was the Romulan attempt to forcibly collapse the wormhole. Despite the Dominion's warnings, the Federation continued to chart the Gamma Quadrant. Founders began infiltrating the Alpha Quadrant, even wreaking havoc on Earth itself. In 2371, the combined intelligence organizations of the Cardassian Union and Romulan Star Empire attempted a strike into the Gamma Quadrant with a cloaked fleet, seeking to destroy the Founders' homeworld and cripple the Dominion. Due to intensive Changeling manipulation, this attack force was ambushed while assaulting an abandoned planet that was believed to be the supposed Founder homeworld, and was completely crushed. It is later revealed that the main advocate of attacking the Dominion was a Changeling infiltrator. This failure weakened the Cardassians and Romulans and paved the way for Dominion intrusion into the Alpha Quadrant. A Changeling impersonating Federation Ambassador Krajensky informed newly promoted Captain Sisko that there was a coup on Tzenketh. The Changeling later sabotaged the Defiant and reprogrammed it to target the Tzenkethi in the hopes that the attack would trigger a war, allowing the Dominion to conquer the Alpha Quadrant. The Federation stopped the Changeling and retook control of the Defiant.
The quadrant was plunged into conflict when the Klingon Empire accused the Cardassian Union of being under the control of the Founders. When the Federation condemned the Klingon attack on Cardassia, Gowron banished Federation citizens from Klingon space, recalled their ambassadors and withdrew from the Khitomer Accords. The Federation and Cardassians fought months of armed combat against the Klingons. It was later revealed by Benjamin Sisko, Worf, Miles O'Brien and Odo that it was the Klingons themselves who unknowingly had a Changeling in their midst, pretending to be General Martok. Gowron rejoined the Khitomer Accords and joined to fight the Dominion.
Synopsis
In "Emissary", the pilot episode, the United Federation of Planets dispatches Commander Benjamin Sisko to take command of the space station Deep Space Nine. During the episode, it is discovered that the station is located near a stable wormhole connecting the Alpha Quadrant to the Gamma Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy, nearly 70,000 light years away. Deep Space Nine is moved from the orbit of the planet Bajor to the Alpha Quadrant terminus of the wormhole to lay claim. Starships begin to enter the wormhole to explore, colonize and trade. The crews on the ships are unaware that they are entering a region of space controlled by the Dominion, a union of planets ordered by force and intimidation.
During the second season, Quark, a Ferengi bartender sent by his government to begin trade negotiations in the Gamma Quadrant, makes contact with the Karemma, a Dominion member race. Some time later, he and Sisko are captured by the Jem'Hadar, the soldiers of the Dominion. They are rescued, but Jem'Hadar destroy the Federation ship USS Odyssey and Bajoran colonies in the Gamma Quadrant as a warning not to re-enter Dominion space. Soon, it is revealed that a race of shapeshifters, known as "Changelings" or "the Founders", are the rulers of the Dominion. The Cardassian and Romulan intelligence agencies, the Obsidian Order and the Tal Shiar, attempt to eradicate the Founders to protect the Alpha Quadrant, but their plans are compromised by Changeling infiltration, and their fleet is ambushed and destroyed.