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The '''Dominion War''' is a war between the [[Dominion]], [[Cardassians]] and [[Breen]] on one side, and the [[Alpha Quadrant]] alliance of the [[UFP|United Federation of Planets]], [[Klingon Empire]], and the [[Romulan Star Empire]].
See [http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/index.php/Dominion_War ''Dominion War'' on Memory Alpha]
 
The [[Dominion]] is a [[Gamma Quadrant]] state, consisting of many different races. [[Damar]] of the [[Cardassian Union]]. [[Breen]] are of the [[Breen Confederacy]], located in the [[Alpha Quadrant]]. The [[Milky Way Galaxy]] is divided into four quadrants, which are further subdivided into sectors. The [[UFP|United Federation of Planets]] is a federation of more than 150 member planets and thousands of colonies, based in the [[Alpha Quadrant]] and [[Beta Quadrant]] of the [[Milky Way Galaxy]]. [[Klingon|Klingons]] (tlhIngan in the [[Klingon language]]), are a race of humanoids form the [[Alpha Quadrant]]. The [[Romulan|Romulans]] are descended from [[Vulcans]] and are characterized as being deceitful, cunning, and treacherous.
 
'''''Spoiler warning:''''' Plot and/or ending details follow.
 
==Background==
In 2369, the [[Cardassian Union]]'s occupation of the planet [[Bajor]] ended, the [[Cardassians]] having been driven off by various [[Bajoran]] resistance factions (they did not defeat the [[Cardassians]], they just harassed the [[Cardassians]] forces so much that it wasn't worth the cost of occupation anymore; as [[Gul Dukat]] put it, it was a "political decision" to withdraw). These factions then formed a provisional government to oversee the rebuilding of the planet, which had been ecologically, culturally, and financially devastated by the occupation. One of its first official acts was to ask The [[UFP|United Federation of Planets]] for assistance in this monumental task.
 
The [[UFP]] responded by sending Commander [[Benjamin Sisko]] to take command of the space station ''[[Terok Nor]]'', an orbital ore processing facility left behind by the [[Cardassians]]. This station was re-christened ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'', and was to become a diplomatic and commercial center for [[Bajor]]. [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] was tasked by Captain [[Jean-Luc Picard]] to do everything, short of violating the Federation's [[Starfleet General Orders|Prime Directive]], to ensure that [[Bajor]] rebuilt itself enough to win entry into the Federation.
 
However, not long after the [[UFP]]'s arrival, [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]], along with science officer [[Jadzia Dax]] discovered a stable [[wormholes|wormhole]] connecting [[Bajoran]] territory to the [[Gamma Quadrant]] of the [[Milky Way Galaxy]], nearly 70,000 light years away, a distance unattainable by any existing sentient race using conventional means. In order to protect [[Bajoran]] interests the station was moved from the orbit of [[Bajor]] to a point close to the [[Alpha Quadrant]] terminus of the [[wormholes|wormhole]].
 
 
==First Contact==
Exploration of the [[Gamma Quadrant]] took place without major incident for nearly one year. However, on a seemingly routine trade mission by the [[Ferengi]], [[Quark]] first heard whispers of the [[Dominion]], which apparently was a union of civilizations similar to the Federation in its goals of mutual defense and trade practices. [[Quark]], under the aegis of [[Grand Nagus Zek]], was authorized to negotiate a trade agreement with the [[Dominion]] which was ultimately successful.
 
However, as races from the [[Alpha Quadrant]] began to colonize planets in the [[Gamma Quadrant]] and make their presence known to [[Gamma Quadrant]] species, disturbing reports about the [[Dominion]] began to emerge. The reports seemed to indicate that what the [[Dominion]] could not attain through trade would be taken by force. These reports were borne out in 2370 when a huge fleet of [[Skrreean]] ships appeared in the [[Alpha Quadrant]], in search of a new homeworld after their old home had been utterly destroyed by [[Dominion]] forces.
Toward the end of 2370, [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]], his son [[Jake Sisko]], [[Quark]], and [[Quark]]'s nephew [[Nog]] were visiting an uninhabited [[Gamma Quadrant]] planet to do a planetary survey for a school project of [[Jake Sisko|Jake]] and [[Nog]]'s. It was here that the [[Jem'Hadar]], the [[Dominion]]'s elite military forces were encountered, and [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] and [[Quark]] were captured by these forces, along with a mysterious alien (later to be identified as a [[Vorta]]) named [[Eris]]. The [[Jem'Hadar]] then sent a representative to ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]'' to inform the [[Alpha Quadrant]] that no further intrusions into [[Dominion]] space would be tolerated, and gave Major [[Kira Nerys]] a list of colonies and starships already destroyed for trespassing.
 
The [[UFP]] responded by sending a rescue team consisting of the ''[[USS Odyssey]]'', a [[Galaxy-class]] starship, and all three of ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]''s [[runabouts]]. The ''[[USS Odyssey]]'' was attacked by 3 [[Jem'Hadar]] fighters at the [[Battle of New Bajor]], the first engagement between Federation forces and the [[Dominion]]. They managed to pull off the rescue ([[Eris]] included), but got into a fierce battle with [[Jem'Hadar]] ships, and the ''[[U.S.S. Odyssey|Odyssey]]'' was destroyed, with all hands lost when a [[Jem'Hadar]] ship made a kamikaze attack upon it. The remaining forces returned to the [[Alpha Quadrant]], where it was discovered [[Eris]] was a spy, and [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]]'s capture engineered by the [[Founders]], the shadowy ruling class of The [[Dominion]]. Once discovered, [[Eris]] managed to escape ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]'' using transporter technology seemingly far more advanced than [[Alpha Quadrant]] species had been able to develop.
 
 
==Contact with the [[Founders]]==
Early in 2371 [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] returned to [[Earth]] for a [[Starfleet]] debriefing on the matter, returning to the space station commanding the ''[[USS Defiant]]'', a prototype battle cruiser originally developed to fight the [[Borg]], but modified with a [[Romulan cloaking device]] to enter the [[Gamma Quadrant]] on a peace mission to locate the [[Founders]].
 
 
==[[Obsidian Order]] and [[Tal Shiar]] attack on the [[Founders|Founder]] Homeworld==
Meanwhile, the other [[Alpha Quadrant]] powers were not sitting still in the face of the threat from The [[Dominion]]. The [[Obsidian Order]], a covert [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] intelligence force led by [[Enabran Tain]], allied themselves with the [[Tal Shiar]], the [[Romulan]] equivalent of the [[Obsidian Order|Order]]. Together, they secretly built a modest fleet of 20 starships in the Orrias sector of [[Cardassian space]], and launched a preemptive strike to destroy the [[Founders]]' homeworld, hoping that the [[Dominion]] would collapse with the loss of the [[Founders]].
 
However, the [[Founders]], using their shapeshifting abilities, had infiltrated both groups and actually encouraged the strike, the better to launch a surprise attack and in one stroke, wipe out both the [[Obsidian Order]] and the [[Tal Shiar]]. The [[Romulan/Cardassian fleet]] managed to obliterate 30 percent of the planet's crust before realizing the planet was deserted, at which point a fleet of 150 [[Jem'Hadar]] fighters emerged from the surrounding nebula. The [[Dominion]] stunned the galaxy with this attack (which was likened to the Federation's defeat at the [[Battle of Wolf 359]]), leaving only the [[UFP]] and the [[Klingon Empire]] as the remaining powers strong enough to stand up to the [[Dominion]]. (Note: since 20 ships is a drop in the bucket compared to the fleets during the '''Dominion War''', the comment about the Federation and the [[Klingons]] probably referred to powers with an intact intelligence service, as the failure of the [[Obsidian Order]]/[[Tal Shiar]] fleet would have meant a serious loss of both personnel, resources and prestige)
 
==[[Founders|Founder]] Infiltration and Conflict with the [[Klingon|Klingons]]==
 
 
Tensions between the [[UFP]] and the [[Klingon Empire]] continued to rise, and war broke out between the two in late 2372 over the Federation's refusal to recognize the [[Klingon|Klingon's]] claim to the [[Archanis sector]]. However, the [[Klingon Empire|Empire]] could not effectively fight a war on two fronts, as the [[Cardassians]], in mid-2373 and under the leadership of [[Gul Dukat]] (the former prefect of ''[[Terok Nor]]''), officially became a member state of the [[Dominion]]. This gave the [[Founders]] a solid foothold in the [[Alpha Quadrant]], and the [[Cardassians]], who were nearly wiped out by the [[Klingon]] invasion, were able to drive the [[Klingon|Klingons]] out of [[Cardassian space]], inflicting heavy losses upon [[Klingon]] forces in doing so. With The [[Dominion]] now firmly entrenched in the [[Alpha Quadrant]], the [[Klingon Empire]] re-affirmed the [[Khitomer Accords]], ending the brief war between the [[Klingon Empire|Empire]] and the [[UFP]].
 
At some point in 2373, Dr. [[Julian Bashir]] of ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'' had been kidnapped and held in a [[Dominion]] prison. When [[Worf]] and [[Garak]] went to free [[Enabrin Tain]], they discovered that the real [[Julian Bashir|Bashir]] had been on the prison for several weeks. However, the replacement on the station was so convincing that no one suspected that the [[Julian Bashir|Bashir]] on the station was really a [[Changeling]] infiltrator. The replacement sabotaged the efforts to close the [[wormholes|wormhole]], and was preparing to destroy the [[Bajoran]] sun to wipe out most of the military resistance to the [[Dominion]]. Eventually, a number of the prisoners staged a breakout. [[Julian Bashir|Bashir]] was able to get a message to ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'', and the ''[[USS Defiant]]'' stopped the [[Changeling]] from carrying out his mission to destroy the [[Bajoran]] star system.
 
The [[Dominion]] now began sending massive fleets of ships through the [[wormholes|wormhole]] to bolster their presence in the [[Alpha Quadrant]], and to reinforce [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] positions. The Federation and [[Klingon Empire]] decided that this was an untenable situation, and built a field of space mines at the mouth of the [[wormholes|wormhole]] on the [[Alpha Quadrant]] side that were [[self-replicating]] and fitted with [[Klingon cloaking device]]s. This effectively cut off the [[Dominion]]'s supply lines to the [[Alpha Quadrant]]. However, [[Gul Dukat]] and his [[Dominion]] advisor, the [[Vorta]] [[Weyoun]], considered this an act of war, and launched an attack on ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'' itself. This battle is generally accepted as the true beginning of the '''Dominion War'''.
 
However, the [[Romulan|Romulans]] appear to have recovered enough to engage the [[Dominion]] in war.
 
==Full-Scale War==
 
===[[Dominion]] occupation of ''[[Deep Space Nine]]''===
[[Cardassians|Cardassian]] and [[Dominion]] forces launched their attack on ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'' to wrest control of the station from the Federation. As [[UFP]] and [[Klingon]] forces were at the time launching their own raids on several key [[Dominion]] shipyards, this attack was successful, and the [[UFP]] was forced to abandon the station. However, under advice from Captain [[Benjamin Sisko]], the [[Bajoran]] government had signed a treaty of non-aggression with the [[Dominion]], and this allowed [[Bajoran]] forces to remain on the station. In 2374, while [[Gul Dukat|Dukat]] and [[Weyoun]] were trying to figure out a way to safely dismantle the minefield, Major [[Kira Nerys]] began her own resistance movement on the station, sowing discord between the [[Cardassians]] and [[Jem'Hadar]] on the station, particularly between [[Gul Dukat|Dukat]]'s second-in-command [[Damar]] and [[Dominion]] forces.
===Battle of [[Bajor]]===
In the late spring of 2374, [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] was able to convince the top brass in [[Starfleet]] that the key strategic point of the conflict would not be any one planet, but rather ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'' itself, so a fleet of about 600 starships, including the ''[[USS Defiant]]'', was assembled to re-take the station. However, [[Dominion]] forces outnumbered the Federation fleet by nearly 2-to-1, and [[Gul Dukat|Dukat]] was very close to dismantling the minefield. With nothing left to lose, the Federation launched its assault (known as the Battle of [[Bajor]]), and with timely intervention by the [[Klingon|Klingons]], the [[U.S.S. Defiant|Defiant]] was able to break through [[Dominion]] lines and make it to the [[wormholes|wormhole]] just as the minefield was taken down. In a desperate attempt to delay the thousands of ships ready to pour through the [[wormholes|wormhole]], [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] asked [[aliens, Wormhole|The Prophets]] to intervene. They did so by delaying the [[Dominion]] spaceships in time while traversing the [[wormholes|wormhole]], effectively causing the [[Dominion]] reinforcements to simply disappear. With [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] morale broken, they abandoned the station, and the [[UFP]] once again took control. The Federation victory by deus ex machina cost [[Gul Dukat|Dukat]] his sanity, and [[Damar]] was put in his place as the [[Cardassian Head of State]], though he was much more a [[Dominion]] puppet than [[Gul Dukat|Dukat]].
 
===After the recapture of ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]''===
Even with the [[Dominion]] wary of sending any more ships through the [[wormholes|wormhole]], the combined forces of the [[Klingon Empire]] and the [[UFP]] barely held their own. The [[Romulan|Romulans]] had publicly declared their neutrality in the conflict and let [[Dominion]] ships fly through their territory to make attacks upon the other two major [[Alpha Quadrant]] powers. After [[Dominion]] forces invaded and captured [[Betazed]], [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] was convinced that the [[Klingon/UFP Alliance]] would lose the [[Dominion War]]. Desperate, he connived with the assistance of [[Garak]], the only [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] with permanent residence on ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]'' (and former master spy for the [[Obsidian Order]]), to plant false evidence of a [[Dominion]] plot to assassinate the [[Romulan proconsul]]. The [[Romulan]] senator [[Vreenak]] was shown the "evidence" and he discovered it was false. Furious, [[Vreenak]] planned to return to [[Romulus]] to reveal the plot to the entire [[Alpha Quadrant]], an act which would have destroyed any chance of an alliance with the [[Romulan|Romulans]] and perhaps even motivated them to form an alliance with the [[Dominion]]. However, the Senator's shuttle exploded during its return trip and the blame was pointed at the [[Dominion]]. [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] confronted [[Garak]], who revealed that he had placed a bomb on board. [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] decided he could live with that after the [[Romulan|Romulans]] allied themselves with the Federation and [[Klingon|Klingons]] because of the shuttle explosion. This alliance improved the prospects of victory immensely.
 
Around the same time of the alliance with the [[Romulan|Romulans]], ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]''s chief medical officer [[Julian Bashir]] was made aware of the existence of [[Section 31]], a covert intelligence agency similar to the [[Obisidian Order]], within the Federation. [[Section 31]] seemed intensely interested in manipulating the war behind the scenes and tried to recruit [[Julian Bashir|Bashir]] into their ranks. [[Julian Bashir|Bashir]] refused, informed [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] of [[Section 31]]'s existence, and adopted a "wait and see" attitude.
 
===Battle of Chin'Toka===
With the [[Romulan|Romulans]]' assistance, the [[Alpha Quadrant Alliance]] took the strategic Chin'toka system from the [[Dominion]] in early 2375. ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]'' science officer [[Jadzia Dax]], however, was murdered by [[Gul Dukat]] during the battle. The [[Dax]] symbiont however survived despite the death of its host body, and was joined with a new host to become [[Ezri Dax]]. [[Ezri]] was posted to ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]'' as the station's counselor.
 
[[Section 31]] had also been busy; they infected [[Odo]] with a [[Founders' disease|virus]] that he unknowingly communicated to the rest of the [[Founders]] by merging his form with that of [[the female shapeshifter]]'s. The disease began to take its toll on the [[Founders]] in mid-2375, seriously damaging their ability to lead the war effort. Legate [[Damar]], too, grew increasingly frustrated with the seemingly stalemated war and his own position as a [[Dominion]] puppet. As [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] military losses mounted, he began to drink heavily and often criticized the [[Dominion]]'s ability to prosecute the war successfully.
 
The [[Dominion]]'s position became increasingly precarious, causing [[the female shapeshifter]] to form an alliance with the [[Breen]], a relatively unknown space-faring species in the [[Alpha Quadrant]]. Their entry into the struggle temporarily turned the tide of the war back to the [[Dominion]]'s favor. [[Breen]] vessels were equipped with a power draining weapon that rendered both [[UFP]] and [[Romulan]] vessels completely inert. [[Klingon]] vessels were largely unaffected; however, with nearly two-thirds of the [[Alpha Quadrant Alliance|Alliance]]'s fleet unable to fight against the [[Breen]], the [[Dominion]] stabilized its front lines and retook the Chin'toka system in a battle that destroyed the ''[[U.S.S. Defiant|Defiant]]''. [[Breen]] and [[Jem'Hadar]] forces also staged a blitzkrieg on [[Earth]] itself, destroying many [[Starfleet]] facilities as well as heavily damaging the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] in [[San Francisco]].
 
The [[Klingon|Klingons]], now alone at the front, were instructed by [[Alpha Quadrant Alliance|Alliance]] commanders to hold their position while [[Alpha Quadrant Alliance|Alliance]] scientists tried to figure how to counter the [[Breen]]'s energy-draining weapon. [[General Martok]] complied with these orders, but [[Klingon]] [[Chancellor Gowron]] began to fear that [[General Martok|Martok]]'s military prowess would eclipse his own. He stripped command of the war from [[General Martok|Martok]] and assumed leadership himself while placing [[General Martok|Martok]] in no-win battles. This threw the [[Alpha Quadrant Alliance|Alliance]]'s lines into chaos. The situation reached a head when ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]''s strategic operations officer, [[Worf]], challenged [[Chancellor Gowron|Gowron]]'s leadership in open council. Per [[Klingon]] tradition, this meant a duel to the death between the two. [[Worf]] killed [[Chancellor Gowron|Gowron]] in this fight, and the remaining council leaders crowned [[Worf]] the new [[Chancellor of the Klingon Empire]]. [[Worf]], however, refused this honor, giving it instead to [[General Martok|Martok]]. With the [[Klingon]] political landscape somewhat stabilized after decades of chaos, the war returned to near-stalemated conditions.
 
===Final Assault and Fall of [[Cardassia]]===
With the [[Dominion]] now giving more and more important military decisions, and even giving a few [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] colonies to the [[Breen]], Legate [[Damar]], with the assistance of newly-promoted Colonel [[Kira Nerys]] and [[Garak]], began his own underground resistance movement in an attempt to drive the [[Dominion]] out of [[Cardassian space]]. [[Damar]] was branded a rebel by the [[Dominion]] and went into hiding.
 
 
[[Damar]]'s attempts at fomenting a popular uprising against the [[Dominion]] was wildly successful, finally causing the [[Dominion]] to destroy an entire [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] metropolis, killing about two million [[Cardassians]]. This atrocity caused most [[Cardassians|Cardassian]] fleet captains to switch sides, aiding the [[Alpha Quadrant Alliance|Alliance]]'s invasion of [[Cardassian space]].
 
 
However, [[Julian Bashir]] and ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]''s chief engineer [[Miles O'Brien]] had managed to take the cure for the [[Section 31]] created [[Founders' disease]] from the mind of one of its operatives. The cure was given to [[Odo]], who then rushed to [[Cardassia|Cardassia Prime]]. In exchange for the [[Dominion]]'s peaceful surrender, and the arrest of its [[Founders|Founder]], [[Breen]], and [[Vorta]] leaders for war crimes, the [[Alpha Quadrant Alliance]] allowed [[Odo]] to cure the [[Founders]] of their [[Founders' disease|disease]]. A formal declaration of the cessation of hostilities was proclaimed in a ceremony aboard ''[[Deep Space Nine|DS9]]'', thus ending a conflict that had consumed nearly three-quarters of the galaxy for nearly seven years.
 
==The Aftermath==
The fallout from that war remains mostly undocumented. The political ramifications are immense, as nearly every major [[Alpha Quadrant]] power, from the Federation to the [[Ferengi]], underwent a dramatic shift in power. While the actual death toll is not known, it is estimated that billions of people gave their lives in the struggle. In the end, only another visit to the time period will provide canonical answers to the many unresolved questions.
 
[[Jem'Hadar]] soldiers laid waste to [[Cardassia|Cardassia Prime]], killing over 800 million [[Cardassians]]. That was in addition to the over seven million [[Cardassians]] who died fighting in the war. The damage to the planet was far worse than what the [[Cardassians]] did to [[Bajor]]. The long term implications to the [[Cardassians]] or their homeworld have not been revealed.
 
[[Odo]] returned to the [[Founders]]' homeworld. He did this to cure the other the [[Founders|Founders]] of the [[Section 31]] [[Founders' disease|virus]], and to teach them about the other races in the galaxy in an attempt to reform the [[Founders|Founder]] society.
 
The ultimate fate of the [[the female shapeshifter|Female Founder]] who had remained in the [[Alpha Quadrant]] to direct the war effort and then agreed to face trial is unknown. The penalties for war crimes have not been discussed in detail. One thing that is known for certain is that the Federation does not ordinarily practice capital punishment (excepting [[Starfleet General Orders|General Order VII]], which prohibits entry to the [[Talos]] system).
 
The effect of the war on the [[Romulan Star Empire]] is still largely unknown. Factions of the military clearly did not like the alliance that the war brought between the [[Romulan|Romulans]], the [[Klingon|Klingons]], and the Federation. This may have been one of the reasons the [[Romulan]] military supported the assassination of the [[Romulan Senate]] by [[Shinzon]]. However, [[Romulan-Federation relations]] seem to be at a high point after the [[Reman]] crisis.
 
[[Section 31]] agent [[Sloan]] predicted that of the four major powers of the [[Alpha Quadrant]], the only two major powers strong enough to affect Quadrant-wide politics will be the Federation and the [[Romulan|Romulans]], the [[Cardassians]] having been crushed, and the [[Klingon|Klingons]] having taken heavy battle damage and lacking the resources for a quick rebound. Positing a decade-long recovery for the [[Klingon|Klingons]], [[Sloan]] was meddling in [[Romulan]] internal affairs with the intent of making their post-war government more friendly to the Federation.
 
It is possible that the events of the '''Dominion War''' set the stage for the eventual entry of the [[Klingon|Klingons]], [[Romulan|Romulans]], [[Cardassians]], and even the [[Dominion]], into the Federation.
 
==See Also==
[http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/index.php/Dominion_War Memory Alpha Wiki]
 
[[Category:Glossary]]

Revision as of 03:27, 7 January 2006

See Dominion War on Memory Alpha

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