star trek dominion wars

TOME OF NERD

Star Trek DS9: The Complete Dominion War Guide

I love Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine . Not only does it have some of the best characters in Star Trek canon, but DS9 also pushed the boundaries of syndicated storytelling by introducing serialized plotlines. While every show and their mother is serialized today, procedurals were the norm in the 90s, especially with Star Trek . DS9 dared to tell a deeper and more complex story. That story is known as the Dominion War.

While Deep Space Nine  has some amazing non-Dominion-centric episodes, you can’t really watch the show without feeling the Dominion’s presence. The Dominion War is the core story underlying the entire series, so it deservedly caters a lot of attention. But for a show that is 132 hours long, it can be a bit intimidating to dive in, especially if you only want to follow the Dominion War arc.

Thus, I took it upon myself to create a complete Dominion War viewing guide. But as I attempted to identify the essential episodes of the series, I discovered I was pulling at a thread. If episode X was important, then you had to have seen episode Y, which of course means you need episode Z. In the end, I had not one, but three viewing lists. So here they are, with many more details below:

Your first question is probably along the lines of: Why are there three lists? How big a nerd are you? To the later question I would say: very. But I will expand further on the first question.

Ultimately, one list wouldn’t work for everyone. Some people want a streamlined viewing of the Dominion War while others would appreciate a more fleshed out version of the story. Obviously, determining the importance of each episode is not an exact science. But as I rewatched each episode, I discovered that most episodes fall into one of three categories:

Essential : A pivotal episode that is integral to understanding the Dominion War story. A can’t miss.

Expanded : Expands on the overarching story, focusing heavily on the Dominion. Episodes sometimes includes lasting consequences, but not required viewing.

Supplementary : Stories tangential to the overarching story, but the Dominion still play a noteworthy role in the episode.

For the sake of brevity, I have not included every single episode that mentions the Dominion, because that would become superfluous. I am including any episode in which the Dominion or their effects are featured prominently. Using the criteria above, we end up with three viewing lists:

The Essential List will provide the most streamlined viewing by including only the most important episodes of the series. You will miss out on a lot, but you will still get to watch some of the best episodes of the series while watching the complete Dominion War arc.

The Essential + Expanded List will further flesh out the greater Dominion War themes. Not only do you get all the of integral story, but you will also get most of the backstory. This provides a deeper understanding of the characters (on both sides) and hopefully a greater appreciation of the Dominion War arc.

The Essential + Expanded + Supplementary List is the closest version to a complete list possible. In addition to the above, it includes some fairly inconsequential episodes regarding the Dominion and/or tangential events to the war that help shape the story. For those seeking a “complete” list without watching the whole series, this is it.

Below you will find a summary and justification for each episode in the guide. Because the list encompasses nearly the entire series, there will undoubtedly be spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Dominon War Episode Summaries and Justifications

2×07 rules of acquisition and 2×10 sanctuary (supplementary).

Rules of Acquisition and Sanctuary contain the first two whispers of the Dominion. The malevolent force is only hinted at, but it’s clear that they are a major player in the Gamma Quadrant. It’s fitting that the first introduction to the Dominion is through the eyes of the Ferengi. Their lust for profit and expansion immediately puts them in touch with the who’s who in the Gamma Quadrant. Sanctuary  doubles down on this premise, illustrating the power the Dominion wield by turning a race of people into refugees.

That being said, neither episode is particularly strong. Both suffer from Star Trek early-season-itis and the Dominion only play background roles within the episodes. Watch them if you want to see the foreshadowing, but they are the definition of supplementary material.

2×26 The Jem’Hadar (Essential)

The second season finale finally introduces the true might of the Dominion. The Jem’Hadar starts innocently enough with a Sisko family trip (plus Quark and Nog) into the Gamma Quadrant. But before long they come across a mysterious alien being hunted by the Jem’Hadar. As the episode slowly unravels, the true threat of the Dominion is revealed.

What’s great about this episode is that it shows just how outmatched the Federation and the Alpha Quadrant really are. The Dominion isn’t just a brute force enemy, but also incredibly intelligent and cunning. The Jem’Hadar already know plenty about the on-goings of the other side of the wormhole. And when push comes to shove, it is the Dominion that stands tall. An ominous introduction of the threat to come.

3×01/3×02 The Search Part 1 and 2 (Essential)

After the events of The Jem’Hadar , Sisko gets proactive in regard to the Dominion threat. The crew of DS9 head into the Gamma Quadrant in search of the Founders on board their brand new warship: the Defiant. The mission sends them head first into the Dominion.

The Search  again illustrates the superiority the Dominion has over the Federation. There is a continuing trend of not just being outmatched physically, but also strategically. This episode has a lot of twists and turns, with the final reveal setting the stage for the series moving forward.

3×06 The Abandoned (Supplementary)

Quarks purchases wreckage from the Gamma Quadrant that includes a baby Jem’Hadar (whoops). As the child rapidly ages, Odo, Sisko, and the others must decide the Jem’Hadar’s ultimate fate. Will he be given to the Federation for study or will the Jem’Hadar be allowed something more?

While The Abandoned touches on some key Jem’Hadar backstory, such as their addiction to Ketracel-white, the episode is fairly removed from the overarching story. The dynamic between Odo and the Jem’Hadar is interesting to watch unfold, but the episode is not the strongest. There is also a bizarre B story about 16-year-old Jake dating a 20-year-old Bajoran Dabo girl. Watch if you are interested in Jem’Hadar lore, but skippable otherwise.

3×17 Visionary (Supplementary)

Chief O’Brien is exposed to radiation poisoning, sending him back and forward through time. 5 hours in the future, O’Brien observes the events of a Romulan delegation’s briefing on the Dominion. O’Brien must unravel the mysteries of his time jumps while also trying to stay alive.

Visionary is very supplemental to the Dominion War, so much so that I almost didn’t include it in this list. Ultimately, I decided to include it because the episode foreshadows the Romulan’s stake in the Dominion and how severely they view the situation. The episode itself is also strong in its own right, with classic Star Trek time travel antics and mysteries. If you’re a fan of that stuff, watch Visionary . If you are only interested in the Dominion War, skip it.

3×20 Improbable Cause and 3×21 The Die is Cast (Essential)

After Garak’s shop is destroyed in an explosion, Odo discovers there is more to the story than a simple assassination attempt. Odo and Garak unravel a mystery that leads them all the way to the Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order. They discover the unlikely alliance of intelligence agencies is determined to preemptively strike the Dominion.

This is an excellent two-parter and could have easily been the season finale. Garak and Odo are two of the strongest characters in the show and until now haven’t interacted much. They display their entire range, bringing strong character moments to a story that is galactic in scope. Probably the best episodes yet on the list.

3×26 The Adversary (Essential)

Sisko and the crew of the Defiant are called to intervene in a possible coup on Tzenkethi. Things quickly turn south as their ship is sabotaged by a changeling. Sisko and the others must find a way to regain control of the Defiant before they unintentionally start a war with the Tzenkethi.

If it wasn’t for the ending, this episode would be supplementary. As a season finale, it is a fairly weak entry. It is by no means a terrible episode and it has big consequences moving forward, but the stakes never feel high. The episode falls into various tropes (self-destruct sequence cancelled at the last minute anyone?) and leaves us waiting for the inevitable resolution to the problem. You could also nit-pick the convoluted way in which the changeling attempted to start a Federation war with the Tzenkethi. But most of these criticisms aren’t deal-breakers. It is a middling episode, but required viewing.

4×01/4×02 The Way of the Warrior Part 1 and 2 (Expanded)

The Klingons decide to go on the offensive against the Dominion. They believe the recent coup on Cardassia was part of a Dominion plan to establish a foothold in the Alpha quadrant. In an effort to better understand the Klingon actions, Sisko recruits Worf. The crew of DS9 must find a way to stop the Klingons without starting a war.

A lot of guides say that this episode is essential viewing and I can see why. First, it establishes Worf as a main player on the show. Secondly, it introduces the Klingons being at war with basically everyone. But the Dominion never show themselves in this episode. The episode is more about the confrontation with the Klingons and the Dominion’s rippling effects on the Alpha Quadrant. It’s a fun 90 minutes of television and definitely worth a watch, but non-essential to the greater Dominion War arc.

4×04 Hippocratic Oath (Expanded)

Bashir and O’Brien become stranded on a planet and are captured by a group of Jem’Hadar. Their leader, Goran’Agar, reveals that his Jem’Hadar are attempting to free themselves from the addictive drug ketracel-white. Bashir and O’Brien must decide to help the Jem’Hadar or help themselves escape.

This episode contains a lot of backstory about the Jem’Hadar and the function they play within the Dominion. Specifically, how they view the Vorta as slave masters and the Founders as gods. It’s also a classic Bashir/O’Brien episode where we see their friendship and their conflict. There is a B story involving Worf learning to fit into his role on the station that is arguably stronger than the Bashir/O’Brien plot line. Watch if you are a Jem’Hadar completionist, otherwise you can pass.

4×07 Starship Down (Supplementary)

While negotiating a trade deal with the Karemma in the Gamma Quadrant, the Dominion attack. The Defiant is heavily damaged and must locate the Karemma ship within a gas planet, all while taking on two Jem’Hadar warships.

This episode is essentially the The Next Generation Season 5 episode Disaster . Members of the Defiant crew are separated and forced to bond through crisis. There are some noteworthy moments, such as Kira’s relationship with Sisko and his role as the emissary, but in general the episode is fairly rote.

4×11 Homefront and 4×12 Paradise Lost (Essential)

After a changeling bomb in San Francisco kills dozens of people, Sisko and Odo are recalled to Earth. Sisko is given the title of acting Chief of Starfleet Security as they investigate how to best stop the changeling threat. But when the clues don’t add up, Sisko and Odo believe something else is amiss.

This 2-part episode is classic DS9 fare in the best way possible. The episode looks at the lengths people go to protect themselves from an existential threat. How do we live our lives when anyone could be an enemy? Many of the themes ring truer today perhaps than when the episode initially aired. Light on action and heavy on ideals and philosophy. An excellent set of episodes.

4×23 To the Death (Expanded)

A group of Jem’Hadar strike Deep Space Nine. The Defiant crew hunt down the perpetrators, only to discover the Jem’Hadar are in possession of an Iconian Gateway. Now they must join forces with the Dominion to stop the rogue Jem’Hadar.

I had a hard time deciding how important  To the Death is to the Dominion War arc. It introduces Weyoun into canon and articulately displays the contempt the Jem’Hadar and Vorta have for one another. It’s also the first episode that shows the Dominion has flaws. But on the other hand, the plot itself is fairly inconsequential to the greater story. More of a one-off tale staring the Dominion. But it’s a good episode with a TNG callback to the Iconians. Definitely worth watching, but not essential.

4×26 Broken Link (Essential)

Odo becomes dangerously ill. With no other solution in place, the crew of the Defiant must head to the Gamma Quadrant to find the only people that can help Odo: the Founders.

While Broken Link is very much an Odo episode, the B story surrounding Garak really stands out. One of my favorite scenes is when Garak confronts the female Founder, asking if there were any Cardassian survivors from the events of The Die is Cast . Her response is chilling and dooming to the Cardassian people. The episode as a whole is strong and the conclusion resonates moving forward.

5×01 Apocalypse Rising (Essential)

While in the Great Link, Odo saw that Gowron is a changeling. Now Sisko, O’Brien, Odo, and Worf are tasked with going undercover and exposing Gowron.

This is a fun episode that I’m glad wasn’t stretched into a two-parter. For as exciting as the Klingon-version of the DS9 crew should be, it almost overstays its welcome. Most of the episode is simply standing around and observing Klingon culture, but even so there are good bits of humor and action. As always, the mission isn’t as straight forward as it seems. The ending also has lasting ramifications for the series.

5×02 The Ship (Supplementary)

The crew of the Defiant is on a planetary survey in the Gamma Quadrant when a Dominion Warship crashes. The wreckage would be of great importance to the Federation, but the Dominion arrive before it can be salvaged.

The Ship is a fairly tense episode, most of it being a standoff between the DS9 crew and the Dominion. It suffers from a few Star Trek cliches, such as the new characters that are just around to die. The episode also has a very Star Trek-y moral at the end, which it may or may not have earned. Certainly worth a watch, but it is non-essential to the overall story.

5×10 Rapture (Expanded)

After a holosuite accident (shocking!), Sisko begins to have prophetic visions. As Bajor is accepted into the Federation, Sisko starts to understand its greater purpose within the universe. Also, as you might have guessed, the visions are killing Sisko…

Rapture is the definition of an Expanded episode, but it is well worth watching. There is lots to love with plenty of foreshadowing. For as “big” as an episode this is, it is still intimate, focusing on Sisko, Kasidy, and Jake. Is the life of one man more important than understanding the future? Classic Star Trek .

5×14 In Purgatory’s Shadow and 5×15 By Inferno’s Light (Essential)

DS9 receives a Cardassian signal from the Gamma Quadrant. When Garak determines the message is from Enabran Tain, Worf joins him to investigate the origins of the signal. Back on the station, Dukat is hanging around and rustling feathers. Antics ensue on both fronts.

This two-parter is probably my favorite thus far in the series. This has everything you would want in a Dominion War episode. The highlight is Worf taking on Jem’Hadar after Jem’Hadar in battle. Also, the “reveal” near the end of the first episode is perfectly done. The episode has ramifications for the rest of the series. A fantastic and essential viewing.

5×21 Soldiers of the Empire (Supplementary)

Martok receives orders to investigate the disappearance of a Klingon warship in Cardassian space. Worf and Jadzia join under Martok’s command, but soon realize that low morale is putting the mission in jeopardy.

This is a mediocre episode with only the slightest relation to the overall story. You get a deeper glimpse of Klingon culture, but it isn’t anything a seasoned fan hasn’t seen before. If you are interested in watching “How Martok Got His Groove Back”, then go for it. Otherwise move on to the next episode.

5×23 Blaze of Glory (Supplementary)

When Sisko learns of a Maquis plan to attack Cardassia, he must turn to Michael Eddington for help. The unlikely duo enter the Badlands in search of the remaining Maquis. But can Sisko avoid the Dominion and stop an all-out war?

The episode only has a tangential tie to the Dominion War and is really more of a wrap up to the entire Eddington/Maquis-arc of the series. It’s a fine episode and you can’t help but enjoy the lovably-hateable Eddington. If you skip it, you won’t miss anything related to the Dominion arc.

5×25 In the Cards (Expanded)

The crew of Deep Space Nine has the blues. The Dominion threat grows and tensions are at an all-time high. In an effort to cheer up his dad, Jake attempts to acquire a Willie Mays rookie baseball card. Antics ensue.

With a summary like that, you’d be surprised how relevant this episode is. It’s one of the first episodes that illustrates the Dominion’s effect on everyday life on the station. In what should have been the main plotline of the episode, Weyoun is on DS9 negotiating a non-aggression pact with Kai Winn and Bajor. While the focus is on Jake and Nog’s comical adventure, the underlying themes are relevant to the series as a whole.

5×26 Call to Arms (Essential)

Sisko is determined to prevent more Dominion ships from entering the Alpha Quadrant. As more and more Alpha Quadrant powers sign non-aggression pacts with The Dominion, Sisko and the crew of DS9 decide to mine the entrance to the wormhole.

Call to Arms defines the future of the series and the Dominion War to come. In just one episode, the show manages to touch on nearly every notable plot-point in the series thus far. It’s a fantastic episode and the first true Dominion War episode. A must watch.

The Terok Nor Arc (Essential) – 6×01 A Time To Stand, 6×02 Rocks and Shoals, 6×03 Sons and Daughters, 6×04 Behind the Lines, 6×05 Favor the Bold, 6×06 Sacrifice of Angels

Shit just got real.

The six episode arc that kicks off season 6 is quintessential Deep Space Nine. It is the first real attempt at serialization and multiple narratives. Nearly every major character has a storyline running throughout these episodes (except poor Bashir).

The arc as a whole is an amazing character piece. On the station, Dominion and Cardassian antagonists are given ample screen time next to our usual DS9 heroes. Odo’s character arc is particularly noteworthy. Worf has joined Martok’s crew for his own adventures. Oddly enough, the Starfleet characters (Sisko, Jadzia, Bashir, O’Brien) are probably the least interesting, albeit no less essential.

What else can be said? This is the best 6-episode run of the series yet. Unskippable for the Dominion War arc.

6×09 Statistical Probabilities (Expanded)

Dr. Bashir is temporarily in care of an eccentric group of genetically enhanced individuals. After witnessing their cognitive abilities, Bashir believes they can assist with the ongoing Federation/Dominion negotiations.

This episode is borderline “Supplementary” because the focus is on Bashir’s relationship with the genetically enhanced quartet. But Statistical Probabilities establishes some important story elements, even if somewhat in the background. Most notably, Damar’s ascension into Dukat’s previous role as leader of Cardassia is worth noting. It’s a middling, non-essential episode, but worth a watch at least once.

6×10 The Magnificent Ferengi (Supplementary)

When Quark learns of his mother Ishka’s capture by the Dominion, he puts together a ragtag group of Ferengi to rescue her. With the vorta Keevan in tow, Quark and his team go to Empok Nor for a prisoner exchange. Antics ensue.

The episode is a classic “Ferengi” episode, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s actually quite comical at times and the Dominion characters are of the love-to-hate variety. I was glad to see Keevan return and Yelgrun (Iggy Pop!) is a great vorta as well. The reason this episode is classified as Supplementary is because when all is said and done, it is of no consequence to the greater Dominion War arc. There is a one-off line from Yelgren about the Breen, which could be construed as foreshadowing, but that’s about it. Still a fun episode and worth a watch, especially if you are a Ferengi fan.

6×11 Waltz (Expanded)

Sisko boards the U.S.S. Honshu to escort Dukat to trial. But after a Cardassian ambush, the Honshu is destroyed, leaving Sisko and Dukat stranded on a dangerous planet. Worf and the Defiant crew must rescue Sisko before he succumbs to the violence of an unhinged Dukat.

Waltz is a fine episode that delves into the inner workings of Dukat’s mind, but I went back and forth on how integral it is to the Dominion War arc. On the one hand, Dukat is obviously a central figure to the show and this episode is ultimately the first step towards the final Dukat and Sisko confrontation. But on the other hand, Dukat’s character is reinvented a couple times between here and there, making this episode less mandatory viewing. At the end of the day, this is a skippable episode in terms of plot, but worthy of a watch.

6×14 One Little Ship (Supplementary)

O’Brien, Dax, Bashir shrink in size to investigate an anomaly. During their mission, the Defiant is attacked and commandeered by Jem’Hadar. Now the Defiant’s only hope rests in one little ship.

Look, it’s Honey I Shrunk the Kids meets Deep Space Nine . Depending who you are, that’s either a good thing or a bad thing. The episode is downright goofy. In terms of the greater Dominion War, there is an underlying Alpha versus Gamma Jem’Hadar plotline, but that is never mentioned again. If you are a completionist looking for a ridiculous episode, this one is for you. Otherwise, it’s an inconsequential episode.

6×19 In the Pale Moonlight (Essential)

Sisko recounts his plan to bring the Romulans into the Dominion War.

Watch this episode. It’s considered to be one of the series’ bests. While the story is galactic in size, the episode is truly about Sisko and how far he will go to save the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion. I could write a whole article on this episode, so I say again, just go watch it.

6×22 Valiant (Expanded)

When Jake and Nog’s runabout is ambushed by a Jem’Hadar force, they are rescued by Red Squad, a group of elite Starfleet cadets. When Nog is quickly promoted to Chief Engineer, Jake questions the morality of what is occurring.

Valiant isn’t essential viewing for the Dominion War story, but it does wrap up the Red Squad storyline from wayyyy back in Homefront / Paradise Lost . It also introduces the new Jem’Hadar battleship. It’s borderline Supplementary, but ultimately I decided it was worth the Expanded designation. Worth a watch for fans of Jake and Nog or those who want a fuller view of the Dominion War.

6×26 Tears of the Prophets (Essential)

Sisko leads the Alpha Quadrant alliance into Cardassian space, despite visions from the Prophets warning him otherwise. Dukat returns to Cardassia, promising to sway the war in favor of the Dominion.

Oh boy. This is undeniably the most pivotal episode of the show thus far. The season six finale touches on almost every major character on both sides of the war. And of course, Tears of the Prophets is most remembered as being one of the most tragic of the series. This is a can’t miss episode. Bring your tissues.

7×01 Image in the Sand and 7×02 Shadows and Symbols (Essential)

With the wormhole closed, Sisko returns to Earth in an attempt to reconnect with the Prophets. On DS9, the crew deals with the ramifications of Sisko absence. Months later, Sisko has a mysterious vision from the Prophets and is joined by a familiar guest.

This two-part episode sets the stage for the rest of the series. There are some big revelations and the introduction of a sometimes controversial character (Ezri). With the time jump, the episodes do a good job at catching up with all of DS9 regulars, friend and foe. Obviously an important episode in the greater Dominion War arc.

7×06 Treachery, Faith, and the Great River (Essential)

Odo receives a secret message from an old contact on Cardassia. When he arrives, he discovers Weyoun wishing to defect to the Federation. Back on the station, Nog helps O’Brien procure a graviton stabilizer through Ferengi ingenuity.

This episode plays a surprisingly important role in the series despite its fairly innocuous plotlines. Sure, Weyoun defecting to the Federation sounds big and important, but the significance is in the foreshadowing information revealed. I initially thought about marking this episode as Expanded, but ultimately I felt viewers would be lost without it.

7×07 Once More Unto the Breach (Supplementary)

Kor, the Dahar master, seeks help from his friend Worf to find an honorable death in the Dominion War. Martok, on the other hand, doesn’t particularly care for Kor, the Dahar master. After Worf appoints Kor, the Dahar master, to an officer position on the Ch’Tang, we soon discover why.

While the Dominion War plays a central role in this episode, it is truly about wrapping up the story of Kor, the Dahar master. Can the old and weathered veteran find a place of value in the Klingon Empire and earn an honorable death? If you are a fan of Kor, the Dahar master, than this is a must watch. For those looking for only the integral episodes of the series, feel free to pass on this one. But before you go, did I mention that Kor is the Dahar master?

7×08 The Siege of AR-558 (Expanded)

Sisko and the crew of the Defiant stop at AR-558 for a supply drop. But when the Defiant is attacked by Jem’Hadar fighters, Sisko and crew decide to stay on the planet to assist the units on the frontline.

This is one of the few episodes that deals directly with the horrors of the Dominion War. Most of the series takes place in space (obviously) so it’s quite interesting to get a view of the war from the perspective of the foot-soldiers. While the episode doesn’t deal with the greater war effort, at least one character will deal with ramifications from the episode down the road.

The Final Chapter – 7×17 Penumbra, 7×18 ‘Til Death Do Us Part, 7×19 Strange Bedfellows, 7×20 The Changing Face of Evil, 7×21 When It Rains…, 7×22 Tacking Into the Wind, 7×23 Extreme Measures, 7×24 The Dogs of War, 7×25 What You Leave Behind

This is it. The epic 9-part serialized conclusion to the Dominion War and Deep Space Nine . These final episodes wrap up every open arc on the show and are the very definition of essential viewing. For many, these episodes are arguably the best episodes of the series. The serialization is downright pioneering in nature and the tale being told is gripping. Not much else I can say. If I were you, I would block out a day and binge from here on out.

In Closing…

Creating this guide took quite some time, but nothing is perfect. I would love to hear feedback. Did I miss anything? Were any episodes a complete waste of time? Let me know.

I also couldn’t have done all of this by memory, so a big thanks to the folks at the astutely named  Memory Alpha for their extensive database on all things Trek. Even after rewatching every episode above, I always had the associated Memory Alpha episode entry open in another tab while writing this guide. A great resource.

And finally, for those of you who somehow made your way through 5,000+ words on the Dominion War, thank you! I hope that this guide provided some value to you. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to take a look.

All images courtesy CBS Television

More in the Tome of Nerd:

• My Journey Through the Comic Book Speculation Bubble…
• The 8 Best Star Wars Canon Books
• Star Trek CCG: How a Card Game Became a Way of Life
• The 7 Best Star Trek DS9 Novels
• Maximum Carnage: Enjoying a Classic Spider-Man Event

40 Replies to “Star Trek DS9: The Complete Dominion War Guide”

• Pingback: DS9 Rewatch: The Visitor - TOME OF NERD

Thank you so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so much for this! It was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I didn’t have time for the entire series, so using your guided plus a “top 10 DS9” I really feel like I was able to capture the heart of the series. Great job!

• Pingback: The 7 Best Star Trek DS9 Novels - TOME OF NERD

Can you do the same for the Borg story arc in Voyager?

Including Species 8472

That’s a great idea I’ve literally never thought about. I’m not as well versed in Voyager, but I’ve been looking for a reason to rewatch the series. We’ll see what I can do!

DS9 is my favorite Star Trek series and your list made it possible to go back and watch all my favorite parts of the series. I would suggest adding The Begotten S5 EP12 to the list. It details how Odo regained his shape shifting abilities.

Thank you for the kind words! I went back and forth on this episode. As you said, it’s very influential for Odo’s arc, but the episode itself isn’t related to the Dominion War. It might make sense as a supplementary episode because Odo being a shapeshifter is pretty essential to the overall story. Thanks for the feedback!

This is quite the devoted and curated list. I’d expect nothing less from a true Star Trek fan. I admire your work sir. Thank you for this. Coming from a 41 year old who watched these shows sporadically as a teenager but never got the full story arc. I am VERY much appreciative. Thank you.

Thank you for the kind words. Glad it was useful!

Damnit I should’ve been Jean Luc Pwncard. My whole life, ruined by less than 5 seconds of expounding upon a username… KHAAAANNNNN!

5×02 Is an absolute essential, it was the last chance to prevent the dominion war and it went horribly.

PS hottest Star Trek girl ever is a Vorta

Hello Nerd writer,

I’m a big fan of DS9 and was looking for a guide just like this, thank you.

I read your post about episode The Visitor. While our species, H. Sap., has a pre-existing condition of not seeing that we don’t know what we don’t know, as individuals we get to shine a little light sometimes so others can glimpse what we didn’t know we didn’t know.. uh, about something we thought we knew about.. if you follow me. Thx for your little light.

Thanks for reading and for the kind words!

I’d also add season 3’s ‘Heart of stone’ great now i got to go add it to my set

• Pingback: The Dominion War | Football Bats
• Pingback: DS9 Rewatch: Internment Camp 371 - TOME OF NERD

Thank you so much for taking the time to create the list! My husband and I are starting e17s7 today! Really appreciate awesome fans like you!

Thank you for the kind words! I’m glad you found it helpful.

I too would add Season 3 Heart of Stone. We get insight and further context into the Changlings – and also Nog and his entry into Starfleet Acadamy. I would add it to your Essential + Expanded + Supplementary list. It’s not required. But it’s a good supplemental episode.

Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind. Undoubtedly I’ll need to revise the list in the future because there are probably a few changes that could be made. Thanks again!

Also – thanks for these lists. I binged the show about 8-10 years ago and have been wanting to rewatch only the shows regarding The Dominion and The Dominion War. The Essential + Expanded + Supplementary list is great. I’m going to add in the recommendations of the others to this list. As I see them I’ll post my opinion – fwiw – as to if I agree or not to add them. Great Job!! I’m going to recommend your list to a friend. He’ll love it.

Thanks for reading and thanks for passing it along!

I think you made a mistake. You listed episodes 4×11 Homefront & 4×12 Paradise Lost as “essential”. But these episodes are actually 4×10 & 4×11 respectively. At least that is the way they are listed on Amazon Prime.

Actually this is kind of confusing. Wikipedia numbers the episodes for season 4 the same way you did here. But Amazon Prime & Netflix list them differently. Anyway…as long as you pay attention to the title for each episode you will be able to figure out the right episodes to watch. In any event, I appreciate this guide. I’m up to season 4 episode 26. Really enjoying it!! Thanks!

If I had to guess, I imagine the discrepancy comes from how The Way of the Warrior is listed. I’m going off of memory, but I believe Netflix has that as one long 90 minute episode whereas it aired as a 2-parter. So depending on if you count that as 1 or 2 episodes, it would affect the rest of the season numbering.

Thanks for the kind words!

You are correct. They list the 1st two episodes of season 4 together as 1 long episode. It does throw the rest of the season numbering off on Netflix & Prime. But thanks to you including the titles for each episode… its easy enough to figure out. Thanks Again. I really wanted to see the dominion war. But I probably would not have watched this series after all these years without this cheat sheet.

Been said before bro but top post, exactly what I was after, and your curation got it spot on for me. Cheers from London!

Thanks so much for this list! Awesome to have it, and great categorization of the episodes — best guide I’ve found!

This was an epic list to guide me in my first new apartment and projector binge watch. Bravo kind internet friend. May Stovokor gates be blown asunder from this glorious victory!! Q’apla!

i’m sure i would make other changes but 2 episodes I would add are (Spoilers):

1) Heart of Stone (3×14) – it’s when Nog applies to Starfleet. it’s been a while so i could be wrong but, without this episode some may go “ummmm…. what happened to nog” and then “when TF did Nog join Starfleet?”

2) Doctor Bashir, I presume (5×16) – this is the episode where it’s discovered that Dr. Bashir is genetically enhanced and thus, super smart and physically skilled. Before this episode, Dr. Bashir is, IMO, annoying and annoyingly naive. after this episode, he calms down and stops being so naive and i really like how they “fixed” his character. Without this episode, i can see people questioning why his character changed so much so fast. It won’t make sense IMO. not critical to the war but to one of it’s characters.

Thanks for the information and all the hard work you put in making this article, excellent 👌

thanks for the list, very helpful for rewatch

just what I need for a Picard-related rewatch, ty

Thank you so much for creating this guide! After starting to watch season 3 of Picard, I realized that not having watched all of DS9 was impeding my understanding of the return of the Dominion, and then I found your guide. I’m absolutely enthralled with DS9 now! My Dad always told me it’s the best science fiction series ever, yet I’d only seen the first three seasons, which are prior to this incredible Dominion arc. Just blown away. Right now I’m in season 5 and hitting even extra episodes like “The Begotten” (Odo with the infant changeling is emotionally compelling) and “For the Uniform” (because I got hooked on the Eddington storyline after he sabotaged the Defiant crew in “The Die is Cast”). I have this guide open at all times as I make my way through the Dominion War arc, so thank you!

The Waltz is the worst episode I’ve seen in the Dominion Arc. Dukat is all over the place, and I don’t see its importance to overall arc. I recommend removing it completely.

Thanks you for the terrific guide!

Sorry, I wrote that before finishing the episode. Now, I realize it’s the episode where Dukat escapes from Starfleet imprisonment. I understand its importance now.

I injured my knee and got a free trial of paramount and this list has been keeping me sane as I recover.

Thank you so much, OP.

Thank you so much for this. I actually only have interest in the Dominion more aspect for DS9 so this will be a perfect way for me to get caught up.

A nice concise list of episodes for the show. I have been looking for a trimmed list of DS9 for a while, this is definitely the best one. I have added a few more episodes, mainly around the Maquis and Emissary storylines which I find fascinating. Will definitely revisit the show more often watching it this way. Another show about a space station also benefits from a trimmed list.. Babylon 5. Happy to share it with you.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept that my given data and my IP address is sent to a server in the USA only for the purpose of spam prevention through the Akismet program. More information on Akismet and GDPR .

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Download Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars (Windows)

• My Abandonware

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars

Windows - 2001

Description of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars

In 2001, Simon & Schuster Interactive, JoWooD Productions Software AG, 1C Company, Snowball.ru, PAN Interactive publishes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars on Windows. This strategy game is now abandonware and is set in a real-time, sci-fi / futuristic, licensed title, space flight and tv series themes.

External links

Captures and snapshots.

Comments and reviews

Tempest 2024-08-06 0 point

I usually can get older games going but this one i can't. error initialising 3d environment. I tried everything I could think of. it's just one of those games. I need a retro PC to run this. windows 11 nah. if someone figures this out I'd love to know.

FalcOn 2024-07-14 0 point

Neither of these downloads has the ds9dw.exe file. You can install after mounting the .iso but there is no executable to actually run the game. I tried to run it by using the ds9dw.exe in the patch but you need the original to do anything. Also one of the downloads has a file named ArcadeInstallGamespy.exe. that contains malware. I know Gamespy Arcade is dead and not available anymore and wouldn't need to be run but there shouldn't be ANY malware in the download. I will say that Star Trek Legacy runs just fine though. It's unfortunate that I couldn't get Dominion Wars to run though It's one of my favorites from the past.

SpunkyToad 2022-09-21 0 point

This game seems unusually small. Is it supposed to be like that? I had to repair it to get it to work. Seems like the install needs to be set to WinXP compatibility mode. The mouse seems to be stuck at the side of the screen. I may have to install this in a VM to get it to work right.

Kowalski 2022-06-10 0 point

The Iso is an incomplete install. Can you guys fix this? This had been for years. Missing dlls and files. Upload a full iso that isn't compact thank you

statechap04 2022-03-31 1 point

can i run this on my windows 11? if so, I have no tech skills. what would be an easy way to do this? ive missed this game for many years.

jesupoo 2021-12-04 1 point

Holy hell, Suq Madik you are my hero. been trying to figure this out for more than a year now.

Suq Madik 2021-10-26 3 points

Everythings fine with this download, at least on my win7. Here's how I made it work: - install with xp compability and admin rights wherever you want - install the win7 patch - use dgvodoo (MS x86 folder), changing in "general' tab fullscreen: unspecified to fullscreen: stretched-keep aspect ratio - before playing change your main resolution to at least 1440x900, otherwise this fukka keeps crashing. Believe me, i spent enough time finding this one out :) You should have a working Star Trek gem now, but as always: Good Luck

Thrakhath 2021-08-29 2 points

The install is corupted

Orphen 2021-02-04 1 point

When Installing this I only end up with one folder and no executables. Does anybody know how to fix this?

blinding disabled 2021-01-24 1 point

I think Star Trek Online should have used this game as an templet. It would have been better and made it free to play from the very start. Get rid of the tiers on it. I can understand about purchasing items while playing Star Trek Online. Its now free to play. But get rid of the tiers. Keep the purchasing the items feature around. But this Star Trek Deep Space Nine Dominion Wars game was good.

weyoun 2021-01-16 2 points

This game works just fine in PCem version 17. Give it a try!

Don 2020-10-11 -5 points

This iso has a lkernal.exe virus

chris 2020-05-05 -2 points

how do you install is game please help

ViRuS SoNy 2019-09-17 -1 point

It works, you It's an old game so its not gonna be easy, you need to mount the iso, open the CD, inside on the setup u have to open settings set comp for Windows xp, and admin mode, some time one more box works, this way u bypass the setup not pasting all the files, after install put the no cd with patch. Only bug so far I have is cursor lag in menus, not in game. Great game.

agathosdaimon 2019-09-16 1 point

I have a cd version of it and am tying to get it working now - looking for help for windows 10, - i can say that also when i do any install from the cd it only looks like a few files are installed to the harddrive also - though if i check the folder size its close to 600meg, which is what the back of the case says for required disk space, - so check what the folder size is with your install.

yea 2019-05-04 2 points

Seems the data1 and data2.cab files are corrupt, only a few files are installed to disk. Try to get the ISO for this game elsewhere. I remember playing this on my ATI Radeon 9550 back in the day so I don't think it needs an NVIDIA gpu...

Nvidia video card 2019-04-14 -2 points

I played this when it originally came out. You need widows 95/98/ME, and a Nvidia video card, and all the patches to get it to work. It only works with Nvidia.

Doesn't work. 2019-04-14 0 point

Doesn't work.

Write a comment

Share your gamer memories, help others to run the game or comment anything you'd like. If you have trouble to run Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars (Windows), read the abandonware guide first!

Download Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars

We may have multiple downloads for few games when different versions are available. Also, we try to upload manuals and extra documentation when possible. If you have additional files to contribute or have the game in another language, please contact us!

Windows Version

Game extras.

Various files to help you run Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars, apply patches, fixes, maps or miscellaneous utilities.

Similar games

Fellow retro gamers also downloaded these games:

• Sid Meier's Civilization
• Need for Speed II: SE
• Oregon Trail Deluxe
• The Incredible Machine
• The House of the Dead
• Mario Teaches Typing
• Prince of Persia
• The House of the Dead 2
• Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams
• Yu-Gi-Oh!: Power of Chaos - Yugi the Destiny
• Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
• The Typing of the Dead
• Last Duel: Inter Planet War 2012
• The Legend of Heroes III: Shiroki Majo
• Solar System

Ad Consent Terms About Contact FAQ Useful links Contribute Taking screenshots How to play

Star Trek: Dominion Wars

Review - one of the most interesting Star Trek wars yet immortalised in a space strategy game, but does it hit the spot?

War was declared

Although it feels peculiar to watch Star Trek characters act with real emotion, Deep Space Nine has certainly improved since the war with the Dominion erupted in the final series. It's amazing to think that in a universe dominated by battleships and conflicting cultures it took this long for the writers to inject some actual grit into proceedings. Perhaps that's why it feels almost fake watching Commander Sisco admit that he no longer has the stomach for casualty reports, or the troops on AR-558 bonding as they defend the outpost from Jem Hadar. These aren't things I'm accustomed to watching as a Star Trek fan. Somewhat annoyingly though, just as soon as games developers are given something meaty to get their teeth into, they decide to stop filling in the blanks and produce a fairly bland, totally linear strategy romp through space by the numbers. Star Trek: Dominion Wars concerns the conflict between the bumbling allied forces of the Federation and Klingon Empire on one side and the ruthless, never-ending forces of Dominion-controlled Jem Hadar and their Cardassian allies on the other. Unfortunately it has been done in classic Star Trek style. In other words, you fly about the galaxy in big spotless space cruisers shooting the hell out of the enemy. There's no futility of war stuff, no painful losses, no character-based storyline worth keeping up with. It feels like we've gone back to square one. That said, the single player game is pretty enjoyable in its own right. You take on the burden of a fleet of up to six ships, which you select from a fleet of many more. Your credits can buy you one or two big ships and some really small ones, or a fleet of mediums. As you move through the game you get more and more credits, which fund the upgrade and/or purchase of new vessels. The other thing you need for your fleet is captains, and you have a decent selection of those to choose from. Captains come in various classes to fit the various ships, so you can't get snide little runts like Wesley Crusher to command towering destroyers, but you can get them to pilot smaller ships if you want to. Captains gain experience points the more missions they successfully complete, so it's worth keeping your ships in good nick throughout battle too, even if you are loaded with credits.

Straight and true

The single player game is startlingly linear, with your choice of ships making no difference to anything in particular except the way in which you dispose of your enemies. Instead of adopting a Red Alert-like sector-based conquest system (which could have been pretty interesting) the game just gives you 20 missions to overcome one by one, and they all invariably centre around the destruction of Jem Hadar or Cardassian vessels, whether they're attacking a convoy, attacking a station or another ship, or you're simply attacking them. There are one or two missions which centre around the use of a cloaking device to try and 'stealth' your enemies, but aside from that it's mostly plain sailing. During the course of a mission your enemies usually take a few chunks out of you, and if you're really unlucky you'll lose a ship, but if you lose the mission outright you can just replay it over and over until you get it right. You move your vessels around using the mouse, lassoing them RTS style and directing them toward a target. You can give them commands, like guard, cloak, balance shields and you can use the warp engines to get to a point quickly. You can even re-enact famous Picard battle strategies if you can remember them, like warping to within ten feet of an enemy ship and firing torpedoes. There are of course simplistic preprogrammed attacks if you're too boring to come up with some of your own. You can hit and run target and circle target amongst other things, and you can use multiple units together in more complex attacks. Simply sending your entire fleet towards one lone Jem Hadar ship is a bit dangerous though, as enemies tend to attack from multiple directions, meaning that you can quite easily go off, destroy three or four ships and return to discover your prize in tatters as a lone raider scampers off into the nearest nebula. Thankfully there's a useful tutorial option, which gives you a basic grounding. There are a lot of ways to control a starship though, and I felt I could have done with more instruction even after the tutorial. There must be over 50 keyboard controls to keep track of, and you can't easily pause the game to issue new instructions or look up a command; nor can you whip out a map to get a glimpse of the bigger picture.

Beyond the single player game there's a fairly handy multiplayer aspect too, although new pilots should avoid it at least until they've completed half of the single player game and got to know the ropes. The good news though is that because this is both a Star Trek game and a fairly good space strategy game, by the time you have gotten to know the ropes there will be a largish number of people willing to take you on. At the time of writing it's mostly Americans and other reviewers, but by the time you're ready there ought to be a bit of interest. Unlike the single player game, up to 48 ships can fit in a multiplayer outing, which makes real space armadas possible. It's pretty good fun, although you do occasionally lust for the odd Borg cube to fly out of the nearest nebula and attack you. There are several modes of play apart from the standard free for all; domination, find the founder, capture and hold and conquest. Visually the game is very impressive, with some beautifully detailed ships. Obviously with so much space around ships and stations were going to need a lot of lavish detail, and the developers haven't disappointed us. Even when you get close to the big ships they look just as clean, sparkling and intricate as those seen in the television series and movies. The engine can handle a lot of them on-screen too. They're big objects with lots of polygons, so this is pretty impressive. I've had ships filling up the screen without much slowdown, and I've been playing the game using an ATI Radeon, which often sacrifices performance in favour of glamour. What's annoying about the graphics is that you cannot change the resolution and colour depth. I was absolutely livid when I discovered this and refused to believe it was true for a while.

The Final Frontier

Sadly there are some rather annoying niggles that mar the otherwise fairly engaging experience of Dominion Wars. Odd bugs crop up now and then; for instance if you lasso a bunch of ships and set them to guard something, occasionally the order doesn't actually get carried out. This means that you end up learning to clumsily hit the guard button about four or five times on each object just to make damned sure. Another issue is the way the game gets into a muddle when you save mid-mission. All the ships start to act like hyperactive children, jerking about involuntarily. There are patches available that supposedly fix these issues but they only work with the American version. The biggest problem with Dominion Wars though isn't some silly bug, the lack of grit or its somewhat troublesome learning curve; no, the difficulty is that you're in a war, and actually the so-called heat of the battle is lukewarm at best. The pace of the thing is completely wrong. These are great big lumbering starships, but they can get their skates on every once in a while, surely . It wouldn't be so bad if they could actually turn either, but as it happens even the smaller ships apparently need a decent sized moon's worth of space to slingshot themselves in the other direction. Ultimately then, Star Trek: Dominion Wars is an interesting, occasionally exciting game that suffers from a few notable flaws. It's not really an accurate portrayal of the final series of DS9 because it's so faceless, but it's pretty good in its own right. If you think the bugs and plodding pace won't trouble you too much, and you like the idea of piloting a band of huge starships around the universe, you could do worse than to check it out.

Read this next

• New Star Wars game to be announced?
• Diablo 4 has reportedly earned Blizzard $150m from microtransactions
• Human Fall Flat loved a fan-made VR mod so much it "bought it"

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars

Game description.

Gameplay is a mix between real-time tactics and space combat simulation. The game allows simultaneous control of up to six different ships from any of the four main combatant powers in the Dominion War – the Federation, the Klingons, the Cardassians and the Dominion. Missions include both primary and secondary objectives that allow a multitude of solutions for completion. To this end, before most missions, player may choose their ships, captains and accessories from a range of available personnel and ship classes.

Download Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars

We might have the game available for more than one platform. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars is currently available on these platforms:

Windows (2001)

Star_Trek_Deep_Space_Nine_Dominion_Wars_v1.0_Win_ISO_EN.zip (503.7MB)

Star_Trek_Deep_Space_Nine_Dominion_Wars_v1.03_Win_ISO_EN.zip (502.6MB)

Additional files, patches and fixes

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars Windows NoCD (English)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars Windows Patch (English)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars Windows Manual (English)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars v1.0 Windows ReadMe (English)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars v1.03 Windows ReadMe (English)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dominion Wars Screenshots

Similar games

Leave a comment.

Does not install properly. Thanks anyways sys ops.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Why Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Dominion Wars Caused Tension Behind The Scenes

"Star Trek" is an explicitly pacifist show . Creator Gene Roddenberry was very clear when he invented the premise that "Star Trek" wasn't going to be about inter-species wars, and that battle wasn't going to be the show's focus. True, there are several episodes of the original "Star Trek" series that focus on tactics and battleship-like maneuvers, but the general idea was that the USS Enterprise could solve problems without having to kill or "defeat" anyone. 

These notions only became stronger in the days of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a series that was more explicitly about diplomacy and pacifism than the original series. Again, "Star Trek" characters were armed with weapons, but violence was never assumed to be the only natural course of action. If the Federation was ever on the brink of war ( with an alien race like the Romulans, for instance ), it was always spoken of as civilization's ultimate failing. War, Trekkies saw time and again, was something to be avoided at all costs. 

Those notions broke down, however, on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," a show about conflict. "Deep Space Nine" was set on a remote space station that orbited Bajor, a planet undergoing a reconstruction. Bajor had just survived a near-genocide, and, during its recovery period, was tilting dangerously close to a corrupt theocracy. Starfleet was there to oversee the reconstruction. Gentle Federation citizens now had to directly communicate with warmongers, religious zealots, and, worst of all, capitalists. Later on, the Dominion — a conquering body from across the galaxy — would threaten outright war. It's hard to remain peaceful when everyone wants to fight. 

In a 2011 StarTrek.com retrospective with "Deep Space Nine" co-creator Rick Berman , he recalled butting heads with showrunner Ira Steven Behr over whether or not war belongs in "Star Trek." Behr theorized that it does.

War in Star Trek

The Dominion War story arc began with 1997's "Call to Arms," the final episode of the show's fifth season, and would serve as a backdrop for "Deep Space Nine" all the way until the end of the series in 1999. The War not only involved the Dominion and the Federation, but the Cardassians, the Klingon Empire, the Romulans, and, right at the end, the Breen. There were multiple episodes devoted to the kind of trauma war inflicts on a culture, and the moral compromises that otherwise upstanding people have to make in desperate situations. Notably, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) discovers that his moral code isn't as strong as he assumed. Many, many people die in the conflict. 

The Dominion War didn't come out of nowhere. "Deep Space Nine" laid the groundwork for an impeding conflict since the start of the series. It took five years before Ira Steven Behr could tell a war story. The delay, it seems, was because co-creator Rick Berman didn't like the idea. "Star Trek," he felt, should remain about diplomacy. Eventually, Berman seems to have agreed to let Behr oversee a war-centric story arc, but expected it to be over after a quarter of a season. Berman recalled: 

"The whole idea of the Dominion Wars, the idea that Ira wanted an arc that was going to last a season or perhaps longer, he and I had a lot of disagreement about that. And that was all based purely on the fact that Gene had been very specific to me about not wanting ' Star Trek' to be a show about intergalactic wars, interspecies wars. He didn't want it to be about humans fighting wars against other species." 

But Behr wanted to throw the old ways to the winds. 

History [ ]

The Dominion invades the Alpha Quadrant

According to Weyoun 4 , the Dominion "has endured for two thousand years ", i.e., since the 4th century. Later, in 2375 , Weyoun 8 stated " the Dominion has never surrendered in battle since its founding 10,000 years ago . " It was established by Changelings , who sought to protect themselves against persecution by the solids via totalitarian control. Becoming known as the Founders , the Changelings used advanced genetic engineering to create two servant races, the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar . On behalf of the Founders, these two species began expanding Dominion territory through diplomacy and military conquest. By the mid- 24th century , the Dominion had conquered hundreds of species. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ", " To the Death ", " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ", " The Dogs of War ")

In the 2370s , the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole brought the Dominion into contact with civilizations in the Alpha Quadrant . After learning that Starfleet would destroy the wormhole in the event of a direct Dominion incursion, the Founders initiated long-term plans to weaken and subvert the Alpha Quadrant. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ", " The Adversary ") In 2373 , the Dominion was able to secure both the wormhole passage and a power base in the Alpha Quadrant, through the absorption of the Cardassian Union . ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ") By the end of the year, open war erupted between the Dominion and a joint opposition consisting of the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire . ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ")

The Dominion made rapid gains in the opening months of the war, beginning with the siege of Deep Space 9 and the wormhole. ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ", " A Time to Stand ") However, it was dealt a major setback in mid- 2374 , when Starfleet and Klingon forces retook Deep Space 9 and prevented the Dominion from obtaining reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant. ( DS9 : " Sacrifice of Angels ") Also in that year, the Romulan Star Empire joined the war against the Dominion. ( DS9 : " In the Pale Moonlight ") Despite various reversals and an eleventh-hour alliance with the Breen Confederacy , by late 2375 , the Dominion verged on defeat and was additionally beset by a Cardassian uprising. The war ended when the Female Changeling agreed to surrender, in exchange for a cure to a morphogenic virus afflicting the Great Link . ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ", " The Changing Face of Evil ", " Tacking Into the Wind ", " What You Leave Behind ")

Territory [ ]

Government [ ].

The Female Changeling , one of the Founders

Eris , a Vorta covert agent

Kudak'Etan , a Jem'Hadar soldier

The Dominion was organized under a strict hierarchy, with the Founders at the top, then the Vorta as administrators, and the Jem'Hadar as soldiers next. This arrangement was referred to as "the order of things" and deviation from it was punishable by death. ( DS9 : " To the Death ", " Rocks and Shoals ") The Founders held ultimate authority and their decisions could not be questioned under any circumstances. However, the Founders were largely apathetic towards the affairs of solids and were content to leave the administration of the Dominion to the Vorta. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ") The Vorta commanded the Jem'Hadar and disseminated ketracel-white crucial for their survival. ( DS9 : " To the Death ")

Members [ ]

Below the Founders, Vorta, and Jem'Hadar, the Dominion included numerous subjugated "member" races. These species were expected to obey the orders of the Vorta administrators. Disobedience would be punished by massive Jem'Hadar reprisals. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part I ")

Known member species included:

• Cardassians ( 2373 – 2375 )
• T-Rogorans (conquered 2370 )
• Yaderans (homeworld annexed 2340 )

In the 2370s , the Dosi and the Son'a were economically affiliated with the Dominion. ( DS9 : " Rules of Acquisition ", " Starship Down ", " Penumbra ") In late 2375 , the Dominion signed an alliance with the Breen Confederacy . ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ") While the Teplans were punished by the Dominion for their resistance in the mid- 22nd century , their political status as of the 24th century is unknown. ( DS9 : " The Quickening ")

In "Rules of Acquisition", Quark states "He [Zek] never wanted to do business with the Dosi. He just wanted to use them to get to a more important member of the Dominion." Although we cannot be certain, this might indicate that the Dosi are a member of the Dominion themselves, albeit a less important one.

Society [ ]

The Founders were rarely encountered by their subjects, leading them to be regarded as myths or gods . The Vorta and the Jem'Hadar were both engineered to worship the Founders; indeed, they believed that their lives belonged to the Founders, rather than themselves. ( DS9 : " Rocks and Shoals ", " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ")

The Karemma were an important commercial power within the Dominion, and constructed weapons for the Dominion military. ( DS9 : " Starship Down ")

The language of the Dominion was known as Dominionese . ( DS9 : " Statistical Probabilities ") The Dominion judicial system made use of courts, but charges and subsequent trials were often merely for show. Enemies of the Dominion were often put on trial for various charges which "hardly mattered", since the goal of the trial was to convict and execute the offender while merely giving a facade of legal framework. ( DS9 : " Sacrifice of Angels ")

Although the Dominion might seem monolithic and united, there were some internal pressures, mostly between the Vorta and Jem'Hadar. The two servant races of the Founders regarded one another with barely disguised contempt, and a delicate balance existed between Jem'Hadar troops and their Vorta overseers. Their shared loyalty and obedience to the Founders kept them nominally at peace, but often, it was only the Vorta's control of ketracel-white that kept them alive, and even then, this form of control has been known to fail; Jem'Hadar killing their Vorta was rare, but not unheard of. Vorta and Jem'Hadar tried to maintain the appearance of unity, but this varied between individuals; some Vorta, such as Keevan , behaved in a false paternal fashion to their troops, while others, like Weyoun 4 , were visibly disinterested in the Jem'Hadar's welfare. ( DS9 : " To the Death ", " Rocks and Shoals ")

Philosophy [ ]

The philosophy of the Dominion was divided into three distinct groups, each with notably differing outlooks and aspects. The perspective of the Founders , or the Changelings , with whom ultimately rested the control over the Dominion, was formed from their history of persecution at the hands of non-shapeshifting lifeforms they thereafter termed " Solids ". To that end, the priority of the Founders was the survival of their own species , by any means necessary. They had no interest in matters such as Klingon honor , the Federation 's goal of peaceful exploration, Ferengi material success, or objections made by opposing groups regarding their methods of self-preservation. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ") Their philosophy is to dominate everything that can be dominated and destroying all that cannot; the Founders were, in essence, driven by an urge to "impose order on a chaotic universe."

The Founders' extreme longevity (indeed, practical immortality) has provided them with a uniquely long viewpoint. As the genetically-engineered and highly intelligent Jack described: the Dominion does not adjust its strategies based on what has occurred within the past week or even year, but is concerned instead with what the universe will look like centuries or more forward. This perspective was evident in the Dominion War , where the strategy was to engage in a long-term war of attrition, counting on superior construction methods and their ability to breed Jem'Hadar , rather than risk everything on one battle. ( DS9 : " Statistical Probabilities ")

Apart from the Changelings' metamorphic abilities, the most distinguishing ability of their species is "linking" – the physical and mental connection of multiple Changelings. The species seems to exist in a collective union called The Great Link for much of their life span, producing a strongly anti-individualist perspective. Consequently, the Founders seem to be a remarkably unified, even monolithic, species. Their most sacred axiom: "No Changeling has ever harmed another" reflects both this and their obsession with physical security. Disagreement between the Founders, however, is not unheard of, as illustrated by the (at least initial) lack of consensus over how to deal with Odo after he murdered another changeling. ( DS9 : " Broken Link ")

The Changelings genetically modified the Vorta to serve them in various roles. They have also genetically-engineered the Jem'Hadar to serve as their soldiers. Each group of Jem'Hadar is closely controlled by the Vorta. The Jem'Hadar enforce the will of the Founders, fight in wars to expand the Dominion, protect the Vorta and the Founders, etc. Both races are engineered to worship the Founders as their gods.

Military [ ]

A Dominion strategy frequently used was to not use its military might during initial contacts, but rather, to take over via influence and espionage . While Jem'Hadar fighters destroyed the USS Odyssey as a show of force, the Dominion used its vast influential and espionage tactics to destabilize the Alpha Quadrant . For example, the Dominion precipitated a war between the Cardassian Union and the Klingon Empire , and then struck an alliance with the Cardassian Union, knowing full well they would accept due to their dire state, so that the Dominion could gain support and a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant before deploying its military power. ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar ", " The Way of the Warrior ", " By Inferno's Light ")

The Dominion was founded on the principle of control, with the intent being to neutralize any potential threat to the Founders by whatever means necessary. In cases involving cooperative species such as the Karemma, the extent of Dominion interference was fairly minimal and restricted to material support. However, if the target species was or became less cooperative, the Jem'Hadar were dispatched to wipe out any opposition. The fear of massive Jem'Hadar reprisals was enough to keep most planets in line. For a prospective member, at first contact the Dominion may have appeared helpful, or even benevolent. A typical Dominion strategy was to make concessions in the short term for an advantage in the longer term, which may have been centuries in advance. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part I ", " Statistical Probabilities ")

Technology [ ]

A typical Jem'Hadar attack ship armed with the phased polaron beam

By the time of the Dominion War , Dominion technology appeared to have significantly outpaced that of most Alpha Quadrant species.

Instead of phased energy or disruptor beams, Jem'Hadar rifles emitted powerful polaron beams. They had a side effect of acting as an anticoagulant in some humanoids , thereby impeding the natural wound healing process. ( DS9 : " The Ship ")

Similarly, Dominion warships displayed more impressive firepower than their Alpha Quadrant counterparts. Phased polaron beams were mounted on all Jem'Hadar attack ships . These initially cut through Federation shielding without effort; however, the DS9 crew subsequently managed to adapt their shields to withstand Dominion weapons for short periods. By the time of the Dominion invasion of the Alpha Quadrant, Federation shields had no more difficulty withstanding polaron weaponry than any other energy weapon. The Breen also wielded a huge advantage on the battlefield with an energy dissipating weapon , which was capable of disabling Federation and Romulan vessels with a single shot. Effective countermeasures were eventually developed by Starfleet engineers . ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar ", " Call to Arms ", " The Dogs of War ")

Dominion transporters utilized transponders , which enabled them to transport individuals across distances as far as three light years . ( DS9 : " Covenant ")

Dominion warp capability was less advanced when compared to most major Alpha Quadrant species. A Dominion fighter was capable of at least warp 7 and a battle cruiser was capable of at least warp 4.7. ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar ", " Valiant ")

While some Dominion technology was in many ways more advanced than that of the Federation, the Vorta Keevan once lamented that Starfleet engineers were famed for being able to "turn rocks into replicators ". ( DS9 : " Rocks and Shoals ") At least some Dominion technology was manufactured by Dominion member species; it is known, for example, that at least one type of torpedo carried on board Jem'Hadar attack vessels was sold to the Dominion by the Karemma, a Dominion member. ( DS9 : " Starship Down ") The Jem'Hadar did, however, seem capable of performing not only some minor and emergency repairs, but also understanding complex engineering on even Starfleet vessels. ( DS9 : " One Little Ship ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Jem'Hadar " ( DS9 Season 2 )
• " The Search, Part I " ( DS9 Season 3 )
• " The Search, Part II "
• " The Abandoned "
• " The Die is Cast "
• " Call to Arms "
• " A Time to Stand " ( DS9 Season 6 )
• " Rocks and Shoals "
• " Sons and Daughters "
• " Behind the Lines "
• " Favor the Bold "
• " Sacrifice of Angels "

Background information [ ]

The Dominion insignia was designed by Herman Zimmerman and Anthony Fredrickson . ( Star Trek Sticker Book , pg. 20)

Origins [ ]

The Dominion resulted from several meetings which the writing staff of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had about establishing villains in the Gamma Quadrant during the show's second season . " We had meeting after meeting on what those guys would be like before the word 'Dominion' was ever dropped into a script, " stated Robert Hewitt Wolfe . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 73) Ira Steven Behr once referred to the Dominion as "an attempt by the staff to come up with something specific about the Gamma quadrant." ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, p. 100) He also related, " I remember saying [to Wolfe, James Crocker and Peter Allan Fields , while having lunch together] one day, 'Okay guys, we're gonna come up with villains, not one but three sets of villains. And we're gonna make them as scary as any villains you can possibly find.' " As part of this mandate, Behr tasked the writing team to read Isaac Asimov 's Foundation trilogy, which all the writers then read. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 153) " The Dominion was definitely a group project, " clarified Wolfe. " That was something that Ira, Michael [Piller] , Pete, Jim and I talked about and conceptually worked on as a group. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 112) Wolfe continued, " We just felt it was time to give a face to the Gamma Quadrant. Voyager was going to be wandering through the Delta Quadrant from place to place, meeting new people every week, and we wanted to make the Gamma Quadrant distinctly different from that, by creating the Dominion […] Instead of like the big mysterious out there, which all the other Star Trek shows had done, and Voyager was going to do, it was a very specific, dangerous, nasty Other, so that was part of the motivation. " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features) The invention of the Dominion not only fulfilled the need to define the Gamma Quadrant but also came about because Behr thought "villains are cool." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 97) He remembered, " With the Dominion, we came up with characters, people, aliens and problems that impact not only in the Gamma Quadrant but the Alpha Quadrant as well. I came up with the idea for the Dominion, then the staff met every day for lunch for a week or two, and we would kick around what to do about this Dominion, then we presented it to Mike [Piller] and Rick [Berman] and they were receptive to it. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76) Peter Allen Fields highly approved of the name chosen by the writing staff for the new group, saying it "was a pretty good name." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 153)

The Dominion was conceived as "a sort of unifying anti- Federation in a way, just to give it a completely different character," said Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Indeed, the group was intended to be similar in structure to the Federation but with very different ideologies. The Dominion was to represent a wide array of alien races, just as does the Federation (as opposed to the mono-species Klingon Empire , Romulan Star Empire , and Cardassian Union ), but it was to be fascist-like, ruled by coercion and domination, in contrast to the cooperation and freedom of the Federation. As Wolfe explained, " The Dominion was not monolithic. It wasn't just the Romulans or the Cardassians . They were distinct in that they were the Dominion. They were, like the Federation, a collection of different races. But unlike the Federation, they were bound together by fear and extortion, whereas the Federation is bound together by noble thoughts and love and friendship and all that good stuff. So in a lot of ways, they were the mirror image of the Federation. " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features) Ira Steven Behr explained, " We wanted warriors, businessmen, and a dark force that was controlling it all. " Wolfe elaborated, " Basically, the idea was that the Dominion was the Carrot-and-Stick Empire. The businessmen, the Vorta, were the negotiators, the friendly guys who show up with the carrot […] Then, if you don't toe the line, they kick your ass with the Jem'Hadar. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 154) Michael Piller offered, " Ira and Robert and the staff worked very hard on creating a new group of aliens that are quite different than the others that we have had before. There's a symbiotic relationship where you have to peel back several layers to understand what they really are. What seems to be the most threatening is not necessarily the most threatening. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76)

Initially, the plan was for numerous different species to be seen on Dominion vessels and involved in various parts of the Dominion's activities, although eventually, only three "main" species were firmly established: the Founders , the Jem'Hadar , and the Vorta , although the Karemma were also a member and, subsequently, both the Cardassians and the Breen became members.

The concept of introducing three species at once, as opposed to the more traditional Star Trek method of introducing major races one at a time, was Ira Behr's and came from the fact that he didn't want to risk introducing only one species which may not work. If the Dominion was basically a single race, and the audience didn't accept that race, the ramifications for the show would have been disastrous, so Behr felt it better to err on the side of caution, feeling that if he introduced three races, at least one of them was bound to work. As it turned out, all three were readily accepted by viewers, and all three became major players in the later years of the show.

Robert Hewitt Wolfe explains the structure and organization of the Dominion: " The Gamma Quadrant […] [is] bound together by the Dominion, a very very tough, very smart, very old civilization, run by the mysterious Founders, who are experts in genetic engineering, and who turn out to be Odo's people, the Shapeshifters. They then go and engineer these slave races that do their bidding. Essentially, the two main slave races were the 'carrot' and the 'stick'. The carrot being the Vorta, who would come to your planet and say, 'Hey, you're nice people, here's some M-16s and some popcorn, and whatever else you want baby, alcohol, fire-water? All you have to do is sign this little contract and we'll make you cool.' Then there's the Jem'Hadar. So the Vorta say, 'Oh, you don't want to play ball? Then meet these guys. They're gonna kick your asses.' " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features)

One idea that the writers had that was never actively utilized on-screen was that the Dominion knew about the Federation long before the Bajoran wormhole was discovered, and that they were developing a long-term strategy to deal with the inevitable contact. As Wolfe explains, " The Dominion knew the Federation was out there long before the wormhole was opened, and they had plans to deal with the Federation when the Federation was projected to enter their space in two hundred years, and they were building slowly towards that, that's why they sent out Odo in the first place. But then the wormhole opens up and suddenly the Federation is in their backyard today and it just throws everything into question for both the Federation and the Dominion. " ( The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features)

Ultimately, Ira Behr was pleased to have been instrumental in the creation of the Dominion, happy his Star Trek legacy resulted in something more than merely altering the Ferengi . " I was hoping that it would be something else I could leave to the Star Trek universe, " he expressed, " and I'm really glad it was the Dominion and the Founders and that whole thing. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 102) Michael Piller similarly appreciated the design of the Dominion, saying, " We have a good look to some of them. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76)

Episodic developments [ ]

The Dominion was first mentioned in " Rules of Acquisition ", then in " Sanctuary " and next in " Shadowplay ", before finally being encountered in " The Jem'Hadar " (whose original name was "The Dominion"). " We sort of peppered mention of the Dominion into several episodes before we actually saw them, " recalled Robert Hewitt Wolfe. " Basically, we were trying to build the idea that there was something big out there, something pretty tough. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , pp. 73 & 153)

References to the Dominion in "Rules of Acquisition" altered how Ira Steven Behr thought of the episode. He reflected, " It […] gave us the opportunity to introduce the Dominion […] Suddenly the weight of the show became more important because I wanted the Dominion to work. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, p. 100) Behr also said, " The thing that sold the show to me was coming up with the Dominion. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 65) Although the Dominion was conceived as three main species, the first Dominion race to be referenced was the Karemma , in "Rules of Acquisition".

A reference to the Dominion was also deliberately included in "Shadowplay". " It just seemed like the perfect place to keep it alive, " Ira Steven Behr noted. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 124)

In the script of "The Jem'Hadar", the Dominion is directly linked with "the Tosks [and] […] the hunters ." [1] Indeed, Robert Wolfe has speculated that the Vorta had supplied the Hunters with the Tosk, as part of a general policy providing benefits to Dominion members. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 154) Michael Piller said about how the Dominion are portrayed in "The Jem'Hadar", " It's only the tip of an iceberg. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 76)

Ira Steven Behr promised the Dominion would have a profound effect on DS9 Season 3 . " The Dominion is going to add a new element into the show that I think will build on what's already there, " he predicted. " We will expand this into the gamma quadrant and it will have a tremendous impact on our people. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, pp. 98 & 111) He later said, " The major thing we wanted to accomplish in year three was to take the Dominion, which we had been teasing the audience with throughout the last half of the second season, and really bring them to some kind of fruition. We needed to show that there was something worthwhile in the Gamma Quadrant […] I think that's what we went in thinking: How do we make this Dominion the next big enemy or antagonist of the Star Trek franchise? " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 82)

When Ronald D. Moore and René Echevarria joined the DS9 writing team at the beginning of the series' third season, the Dominion was an aspect that appealed to the newcomers. " Ron and I came in and saw all this new stuff they were doing with the Dominion and we realized what a rich backdrop it was for storytelling, " reminisced Echevarria. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 91)

In " The Search, Part II ", the writers wanted to depict the Dominion as powerful enough to run elaborate scenarios in the heads of the DS9 main characters, just to see how they would react. Ira Behr related, " We said, 'OK, we're going to give the audience what they think they want,' which is what happens if the Dominion gets into the Alpha Quadrant. " Added Ron Moore, " What would really happen if these things occurred? How would the characters react? Ultimately, that's what the Dominion was trying to find out. " The use of the illusory situation set the Dominion's stratagem apart from the strategies usually employed by other villainous Star Trek races, since the writers didn't want Deep Space 9 and its regular crew to be constantly under siege from the Dominion. " We basically wanted to set up what the Dominion was and establish that they had a different strategy, " explained René Echevarria. " It wasn't going to be them sending the Jem'Hadar to battle us, but they were going to have a long-term strategy of destabilization. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 83)

Following the "The Search" two-parter, the Jem'Hadar continued making regular appearances in DS9 but the Vorta seemed to disappear for a while, possibly indicating there had been an altercation between them and the Founders. The writers wanted to keep the latter group somewhat mysterious and distant, so the Vorta were considered vital to continue establishing as an intermediary party between the other two races. This idea led to the notion of enmity possibly existing between the Jem'Hadar and the Vorta, which led to the subsequent return of the Vorta in Season 4 's " To the Death ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 168)

Even though the discovery of the Dominion in "The Search" occurs chronologically several months before Voyager is taken to the Delta Quadrant (and despite VOY : " Parturition " featuring a holographic simulation in which a Jem'Hadar fighter is pictured on Voyager 's viewscreen), they are never referred to as the Dominion by Voyager 's crew. In VOY : " Hunters ", after learning of the Dominion War following communication with Earth, Chakotay tells B'Elanna Torres of how the Maquis have been wiped out by the Cardassians, who have "an ally […] from the Gamma Quadrant who supplied them with ships and weapons," implying he had never heard their name before.

One potential way of using the Dominion was inspired by a line of dialogue from season three outing " The Die is Cast ", in which a Founder posing as a Romulan named Lovok predicts, " After today the only real threat to us from the Alpha Quadrant are the Klingons and the Federation. And I doubt that either of them will be a threat for much longer. " Ira Behr recollected, " I […] said to Ron [Moore] at the time, 'You know, we could do a whole show about that if we wanted to, how the Dominion would want to get between the Klingons and the Federation.' But the Earth didn't move. Nothing shook. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , pp. 255-256)

The Dominion was further developed in DS9 Season 3 finale " The Adversary ". " We knew that we wanted to do something with the Dominion [in that episode], " recalled Ira Behr. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 250) Robert Wolfe concurred, " We wanted [to] show that the Dominion was a really smart organisation and they went about things in an intelligent way. Making your enemies fight each other is a good thing to do. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 114)

At the conclusion of the third season, Ira Behr was satisfied with how the Dominion had been developed during the course of the season, remarking, " We've been able to get good use out of it. " He also believed "keeping the Dominion alive" was an important goal for the writers to bear in mind for DS9 Season 4 . ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, pp. 102 & 115)

Although the DS9 staff writers wanted to concentrate on the Dominion, they were distracted from focusing on the group by the introduction of the Klingons into the series, which took place in the fourth season. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 256) Nonetheless, Rene Auberjonois considered that making the Klingons fearful of the Dominion was "a way of pumping up the danger of the Dominion, which has taken some doing." He continued, " They're not the Borg, they're not the Klingons; they're something else, and it's a more complex kind of danger that's being presented. " ( Starlog , issue #222, p. 31)

Though the Dominion became a major part of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , not everyone who worked on the show cared much about the alien organization or how the writers chose to develop it. Jadzia Dax actress Terry Farrell , for example, was often confused by the Dominion subplots in the fourth season. She conceded, " I don't put much thought into the whole Dominion thing […] If they're going to do something interesting with the Dominion, great, but if they're going to let it hang there, there's nothing I can do about it. " ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 14 , p. 10)

In fourth season installment " Hippocratic Oath ", a discussion regarding the Dominion appealed to Ron Moore. " My favorite moment [in that episode] is when the central Jem'Hadar is talking about the Founders and the fact that they're like gods, but these gods don't talk to them even though they die for their gods. I thought that stuff was pretty interesting, " Moore commented. ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 107)

Midway through DS9 Season 4, Bashir actor Alexander Siddig thought the Dominion weren't entirely satisfactory villains, at least not yet. " I don't think […] the Dominion have gotten to first base with regard to being a serious threat, " he remarked. " I don't think anybody bites their nails over them. " ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 15 , p. 24)

To prepare for directing " To the Death ", LeVar Burton had to learn about the Dominion, specifically the relationship between the Jem'Hadar and the Founders, by watching earlier installments of DS9. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 347) Regarding "To the Death", Ira Behr noted, " I thought it really filled in a lot of the Dominion backstory that I thought was really necessary. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 119)

Ron Moore similarly approved of how the Dominion are portrayed in " The Quickening ". " I thought it […] said something interesting about the Dominion and how they deal with dissent, " he remarked. " That they weren't just berserkers that went around killing everybody, they actually make examples of you and make you suffer quite a bit. They do it in a really nasty way, which adds more to the franchise overall. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 120)

The Dominion was briefly referenced in the first draft script of " Body Parts ", Quark being referred to (by both his brother Rom and Quark himself) as the first Ferengi to have made contact with the group. However, the organization isn't mentioned in the final version of that installment.

As noted by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, big revelations about the Dominion served as the conclusions to the second, third, and fourth seasons; DS9 established the existence of the Jem'Hadar at the end of the second season and developed the prevalence of the Founders at the end of third season as well as the conclusion of fourth season. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 353)

As a sign of the times, Robert Wolfe stated about the Dominion, at the end of DS9 Season 4, " The Dominion threat is being dealt with. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 102) However, the DS9 writing staff wanted to establish the Dominion as antagonistic more in DS9 Season 5 than the aliens had been in the fourth season. In fact, during the fifth season, the creative staff tried to return focus on making the Dominion the main enemies of the series. About halfway through DS9 Season 5, the writing staff had a meeting with Paramount in which the writers told the studio, " We want to get back to the Dominion. " Ira Behr later said, " It was slow going getting back [to them]. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , pp. 359 & 256)

An opportunity to refocus on the Dominion presented itself to the DS9 writers in the form of fifth season two-parter " In Purgatory's Shadow " and " By Inferno's Light ". Ira Behr recalled, " After doing " Apocalypse Rising " to open the season, we knew we had […] to get the Dominion back on the playing field. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 422) Behr also said about how the Dominion are portrayed in the two-parter, " We brought the Dominion back into focus as the leading villains in the galaxy for us, which I thought was important to do after the sidetrack of the Klingons. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, p. 47)

Weyoun actor Jeffrey Combs suspected that, when the Dominion formed an alliance with the Cardassian government in season five, they were "using" Cardassian leader Gul Dukat . " We're perhaps the true power behind the throne, " Combs remarked, from the perspective of the Dominion, at the end of the season. " That all remains to be seen, because I don't know what the writers have in mind. " Combs reckoned, though, that the Dominion didn't "trust anybody" but that "they will certainly use them for their own purposes." The actor went on to say, " I think we feel that we can at least get what we want, and then perhaps do away with [the Cardassians] at a later time. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, p. 61) However, at the start of DS9 Season 6 , Ron Moore couldn't foresee a time when the Dominion wouldn't be allied with the Cardassians, though he also suspected that the Dominion's relationship with their Cardassian allies might be strained due to the Cardassians still having a long-held goal of reconquering Bajor . ( AOL chat , 1997 )

The Dominion played a role in the story for DS9 Season 6 finale " Tears of the Prophets " at least as far back as when Ira Behr gathered the writing staff and announced, for the first time, details of the plot to them. " We basically knew we wanted to […] have the Dominion attack the Prophets in some way, shape, or form, " recalled René Echevarria. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 586)

Concluding their exploration of the Dominion was an important aim to the DS9 writers, in the interim between season six and the show's seventh and final season . " We want to wrap up many of the implicit promises that we made to the audience about […] the Dominion, " René Echevarria said. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 67)

Many viewers began to wonder if, at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Dominion forces would overrun space station Deep Space 9. This theory was motivated by the show's seventh season increasingly referencing the Battle of the Alamo , in which over 180 Texans lost their lives while defending the Alamo from Mexican invaders. However, a final Dominion invasion was not to be. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 594)

In an early version of the story for seventh season installment " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ", a new Dominion race of warriors called the Modain was introduced. The Modain were, according to an initial explanation Weyoun gave Benjamin Sisko, being bred by the Founders to replace the Jem'Hadar but, after a Modain hatchery was destroyed by Sisko and Weyoun, it was ultimately discovered by Sisko that the Modain had actually been intended to replace the Vorta. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 617) Ira Behr recalled, " The Dominion had to become a factor again in the series. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, p. 42)

External links [ ]

• Dominion at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Dominion (Star Trek) at Wikipedia
• 1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Aug 21, 2016

The Mystery Ally of the Dominion War

The Son'a are among our many suspects.

StarTrek.com | Shutterstock/Pikovit, Yaroslav Vitkovskiy

Any Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aficionado familiar with the Dominion War can tell you that the conflict took place between the Federation Alliance (the United Federation of Planets, Klingon Empire and Romulan Star Empire) and the Dominion, Cardassian Union, Breen Confederacy, and Son'a Command. However, would that answer be correct? Following Damar's defection, the Dominion installed Legate Broca as the new leader of the Cardassian Union. When the Female Changeling recommended falling back to Cardassia to regroup in the DS9 episode "The Dogs of War," Weyoun theorized the Federation would be timid and leave them alone. Broca replied, "But what about the Klingons, and the Romulans, and...," at which point he was cut off. Was Broca about to mention an as yet unnamed member of the Federation Alliance? If so, who could it be?

In the episode "Valiant," Jake Sisko believed that Starfleet was sending Nog to visit the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance to deliver a proposal which would allow the Ferengi to side with the Federation. While the mission was sidetracked in that particular episode, were further attempts to bring the Ferengi into the war made? And were they successful? After all, the Dominion had previously taken Grand Nagus Zek's lover Ishka hostage, and the outcome of the war would influence systems throughout the region. It is possible that these factors convinced the Ferengi that aligning with the Federation would be more beneficial (and profitable) than remaining neutral.

The Son'a were known to manufacture ketracel-white for the Dominion's Jem'Hadar soldiers at some of their colonies, including at Devos II. Did the events of Star Trek: Insurrection convince the Son'a to switch sides? While their reunification with the Ba'ku might provide excellent motivation to ally with the Federation, the evidence to support such a move is not as clear. The mention of ketracel-white production for the Dominion on Devos II in "Penumbra" occurs after the events of Insurrection . It is also possible that Devos II was one of only a few Son'a colonies to continue their support of the Dominion, or that the Dominion had subjugated the colony and forced them to produce the much-needed drug.

Bajor signed a non-aggression pact with the Dominion prior to the Second Battle of Deep Space Nine , but the planet did so only at the urging of Captain Sisko. The Federation retook the Bajoran station following Operation Return, and afterward DS9 served as a critical base for the Federation Alliance. Most importantly, it was revealed in " Image in the Sand " that the Bajorans had allowed a Romulan military hospital to be built on one of the many Bajoran moons. The Bajorans clearly sided with their Emissary and the Federation, but their small fleet of starships were very limited in their capabilities. It is unlikely that the Dominion ever mentioned them in the same breath as military equals with the Federation, Klingons and Romulans.

The Dominion retreat to the Cardassian system came soon after Damar revolted and created the Cardassian Liberation Front. The Cardassian rebels launched several successful attacks and seemed to be on the cusp of causing more problems for the Dominion. However, Damar was betrayed, and the Dominion announced they'd crushed the rebellion by destroying their bases. That announcement came several scenes before Broca's remarks about Federation allies in "The Dogs of War." Since the rebellion was considered by the Dominion to be at an end, and the Cardassian fleet had yet to switch to the Federation's side, Broca was probably not going to mention the Cardassian Liberation Front as a Federation ally. The worry that more Cardassian soldiers and citizens could be drawn to the rebel cause was a concern for the Dominion, but as with the small Bajoran military, the Dominion did not anticipate entire fleets of starships eventually siding with the Federation Alliance.

Odo mentioned that the Tholians and Miradorn, like the Romulans and Bajorans, signed non-aggression pacts with the Dominion in "Call to Arms." When it appeared as if the Dominion betrayed their pact with the Romulans, it is possible it jeopardized the stability of their pacts with the Tholians and Miradorn. A Changeling was responsible for the death of a Tholian observer during a bombing at the Antwerp Conference in "Homefront," but that did not prevent the signing of their pact over a year later. Neither the Tholians nor the Miradorn merited mentions after "Call to Arms," so their treaties with the Dominion may have remained in place.

Little is known about the mysterious Tzenkethi race, except that they had previous disputes with the Federation and lived in a region of space near DS9. The Dominion sent a Changeling to infiltrate the Defiant and eradicate a Tzenkethi colony in order to create another rift between the Federation and Tzenkethi in "The Adversary." The plot was unsuccessful, but it remains unknown if knowledge of the events became public or were provided to the Tzenkethi. Their proximity to DS9 and possible awareness of the Dominion plot may have inclined the Tzenkethi to forget their previous animosities with the Federation and join the fight against the Dominion.

The potential exists that the mystery ally was a never-before-mentioned species, or even a lesser power like the Orions, Gorn or Nausicaans. The Orion Syndicate collaborated with the Dominion in "Honor Among Thieves," but the stance of the official Orion government was unknown. Following Captain Kirk's fight with the Gorn captain, little indication was given about the status of Gorn-Federation relations, other than the fact that a human colony existed on the formerly contested planet in the 2370s. Nausicaans were well-known mercenaries, but the series never explored their government. However, it would make sense for Orion, Gorn, or Nausicaan starships to be absent from scenes of the Federation Alliance fleets, since their own militaries may have been too small to contribute to the war's major battles.

Considering the information above, the two most likely candidates are the Ferengi and Tholians. Enough incentive existed for either government to enter the war, despite the fact that neither was directly mentioned or depicted as being part of the Federation Alliance. In addition to the Dominion's capture of the Ferengi leader's lover, the Federation actively courted the Ferengi as allies. The Tholians had a nonaggression pact with the Dominion, but tensions over the murdered Tholian diplomat and the dissolution of the Dominion's pacts with Romulus and Bajor could have eroded this relationship. Quark, Rom, or Nog would've almost certainly mentioned any Federation-Ferengi pact in dialogue at some point if one had been established, so if forced to choose, my guess is that the mystery ally was inevitably the Tholian race.

Who do you believe it was?

Jay Stobie is a science fiction writer who admits he has a perfectly normal obsession with Star Trek. He can be found on Twitter at @CaptStobie.

Get Updates By Email

Star Trek: What Happened To The Dominion After The War?

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Actors That Would Make A Great James Bond

The minecraft movie should have copied another successful adaptation, a canceled game of thrones spinoff has been brought back to life.

In Star Trek, there have been countless times when the Federation and those it seeks to protect have been under threat. Countless lives have been lost to the Borg collective, and many to the Klingon Empire before they joined the Federation . But perhaps one of the most devastating Trek wars to be seen on the small screen was the Dominion War, in which the Federation was nearly defeated after a ridiculous number of lives were lost. They managed to scrape through and insure victory, but what happened to the Dominion after the war ended?

The Dominion War took place throughout the second half of the critically acclaimed Deep Space 9 series. It fit perfectly with the show's desire to be a gritter, more realistic portrayal of the Star Trek universe. It’s pretty heavy on the political side of things, something that put off a lot of viewers at the time. For others though, it made the show stand out from the rest, driving deep into the ethical quagmire of war and how it’s easy to be a saint in paradise . The show comes to a close around the same time that the Federation wins the war between Alpha quadrant and the Dominion. From then, there follows a rather large gap between the show and what comes next. It’s referenced here and there, but TV media never truly goes into detail about the fall-out and the consequences not only for the Federation, but for the Dominion.

RELATED: Star Trek: Exploring The Deep Space 9 Problem

The last that audiences see of the Dominion War is the signing of the Treaty of Bajor, an agreement to end conflict from the two opposing forces. The Federation finally found a way to stop the Dominion’s attack, all through the fairly blatant threat of committing genocide against the Founders, the masterminds and leaders of the Dominion. To end the war, they threatened to refuse the Founders the cure to a disease that was killing them . Faced with this, the Dominion agreed to stop their invasion, and sign the treaty.

The first stipulation of the Treaty was that the Female Changeling, the name given to the form taken and shown as the Founders leader of sorts, would surrender and hand herself over to the Federation. In doing so, she would stand trial for the countless acts of war crimes committed not just against the Federation, but all the other species the Dominion had oppressed. This was no small feat, as the Female Changeling sacrificed the chance to ever return to the ‘Great Link,’ a hive mind of sorts that resembles a muddy, planet-wide puddle. This is where all the Founders not only come from, but exist together as one combined entity.

The second stipulation was that the Dominion military were to withdraw completely from the Alpha quadrant. They were to go back through the wormhole to where they originated from, and return all occupied territory to their respective people. These were places like the Breen confederacy and the Cardassian union, as well as any other claim or occupation they held in the entirety of the Alpha Quadrant. It is unclear here if they were required to return all the places they held control over in their own Quadrant, something that still remains up in the air according to the canon. The Dominion were a nasty bunch, doing horrible things to their people in their own area of space. It would be great if this treaty would force them to relinquish their hold not just over the Alpha Quadrant, but of places previously ruled over, but in all honesty this is unlikely. In their own territory, they can probably do as they please, with little control from the Federation.

While the Dominion may still have control over large areas of the own space, still able to inflict their cruelty over those they rule over, this might not be a bad thing in the end. The treaty outlined a lot of the political side of things, most of it being in favor of the Federation. Yet, it was made and agreed to under the specific terms that the Federation would cure the illness that plagued the Founders. This stipulation started as a verbal agreement between the female changing and Odo, the station's security officer and member of the Founder race himself. She would agree to whatever the Federation deemed appropriate in terms of peace, if he would rejoin the Great Link and cure them using the treatment that they had discovered. His rejoining would add his distinctiveness to the hive mind, much like the Borg but with far more autonomy. While this was necessary to stop them from dying, it likely had a secondary positive consequence.

The whole deal with the founders, and what drives most of their hatred towards others, is that they do not trust solids (that is to say, non-liquid beings like the majority of the humanoid life in the universe ). This was only perpetuated when they were infected by the black ops federation Section 31. Odo, however, did trust them. While he could see their downfalls, was very fond of them. He knew that some were bad, but some, like all the friends he had made on the station, were good. It’s likely that upon joining the link, rather than all of this distinctiveness getting lost among all the other sentience, this idea of solid life being good would have changed the way the Founders thought. If this impact was large enough, it might even have changed the entire way they treated others. They may have been motivated to rule over their quadrant with far less brutality, and with the kindness that Odo had learned from his time among the solids.

MORE: Star Trek: Who Was The Best Starfleet Engineer?

Why Ezri Dax Was So Unpopular

Game rant's ultimate sci-fi guide, exploring the deep space 9 problem.

• Movies & TV

Screen Rant

Star trek: every war in the franchise, chronology explained.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

After 57 Years, Star Trek Settles the Truth About Trelane's Godlike Species

Star trek changes its iconic tribbles forever, with shock revelation about their biology, star trek's new warp drive breaks the prime directive in a way no-one expected.

Star Trek has had many wars over the decades, ranging from smaller conflicts between species to galaxy-wide battles that have gone down as defining points in history. The Star Trek franchise began in 1966 with Star Trek: The Original Series , and to date has produced nine television shows and thirteen films. With the sheer amount of stories that have been told, it isn't surprising storylines about war have popped up so often.

Generally, Star Trek's goal has been to depict a utopian future. Creator Gene Roddenberry was interested in showing an optimistic vision of the future, with humans having overcome their differences as a species to become players on the galactic stage. Conflict, however, is what makes television and films inherently interesting, and not every alien species humans come into contact with in Star Trek  have been friendly

Related: Star Trek Has More Wars Than Star Wars: Here Are The Greatest

The franchise has its fair share of important wars, ones that have laid the groundwork for ongoing storylines and established their own mythos. The series contains ten such wars, plus four other conflicts that mark definitive points on the Star Trek timeline. Not all of these were depicted on-screen in their entirety, but all have been explored in some way by various Star Trek shows or movies.

The Eugenics Wars

One of Star Trek's earliest wars was the Eugenics Wars, which took place from 1992-1996 in canon. The Eugenics Wars were never shown directly on-screen but were referenced heavily in episodes of  TOS and Star Trek: Enterprise . They began when a group of scientists sought to use genetic engineering to improve humanity, creating a race of superhumans who had superior strength, stamina, and intellect. Unfortunately, these individuals also possessed enhanced cruelty and ambition, and took over large portions of the planet, ruling as tyrants and dictators. They were eventually defeated but many escaped on a sleeper ship and were found centuries later by Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise. Star Trek's most famous superhuman was Khan, who first appeared in the TOS episode "Space Seed".

World War III

The Eugenics Wars also gave rise to World War III , which was explored mostly in TOS ,  Enterprise , and briefly in  Star Trek: Discovery . World War III started in 2026 from lingering issues surrounding genetic engineering and went on to reap an enormous loss of life until its end in 2053. Many factions during the war controlled their soldiers with narcotics, and eco-terrorism as well as nuclear weapons were used heavily, resulting in nuclear fallout that lasted until at least 2079. Luckily in 2063, humanity made first contact with the Vulcans as depicted in Star Trek: First Contact . The existence of extraterrestrial life united humanity in a way nothing else had, and within 50 years Earth had eliminated issues of poverty, disease, and hunger. Still, World War III had a profound effect on the planet and its consequences were felt well into the 22nd century.

The Temporal Wars

The Temporal Wars were a series of conflicts fought across both space and time, but humanity first became involved in 2151 when Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew were pulled into a portion of the conflict involving the Klingons and the Suliban. This was explored in the pilot episode of Enterprise  and the Temporal Wars went on to become a major plot point throughout the series. Much of the conflict was considered a cold war, which became a full-scale war in the Enterprise two-parter "Stormfront" when Earth's history was changed by the Na'kuhl. Archer and his crew were able to end the conflict with the help of Temporal Agent Daniels. The conflict was not explored again until season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery , where it came up in conjunction with Discovery's time jump to the 32nd century, the time period around when many of the Temporal Wars had originated.

Related: Star Trek Hints Temporal Wars Happened In The Background Of The Franchise

The Earth-Romulan War

The Earth-Romulan War was the last major conflict between Earth and an alien species before the United Federation of Planets was formed and was mostly shown or discussed on  Star Trek: TOS and Enterprise . The war lasted from 2156 to 2160, although tensions had been building during the early 2150s as Romulans sought to keep humanity from becoming a major galactic power. Open hostilities ended in 2160, when human, Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite forces allied to defeat the Romulans. The end of the war resulted in the creation of the Romulan Neutral Zone, and the four allied forces in the battle became the Federation's founding members. However, the war had lasting effects on Romulan and Federation relations, and hostilities between Starfleet and the Romulans have been depicted in nearly every Star Trek series.

The Federation-Klingon War

The Federation-Klingon War was the biggest of many conflicts between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, although hostilities had existed for a long time. The official war was not initiated until the Battle of the Binary Stars in 2256, which was depicted in Star Trek: Discovery.  While the war itself wasn't shown until Discovery , conflicts with the Klingons were explored in Enterprise and  TOS , including the Klingon invasion of Organia in TOS episode "Errand of Mercy". Official peace would not be achieved between the two powers until 2293, as shown in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

The Klingon Civil War

The Klingon Civil war was a short-lived conflict from 2367-2368, mostly explored in the Star Trek: The Next Generation  two-parter "Redemption". The war was fought over who had the right to be Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, with current Chancellor Gowron on one side and the supporters of the House of Duras on the other. Although the war was fought mostly amongst the Klingons, several other forces came into play, including the Romulans and the Federation. The character of Worf from TNG was heavily involved, at one point even resigning his Starfleet commission to join the fighting. Ultimately, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D helped to expose a plot between the Duras sisters and the Romulans, putting an end to hostilities and reaffirming Gowron as Chancellor.

The Occupation Of Bajor

The Occupation of Bajor by the Cardassian Union was first introduced as a plot point in Star Trek: TNG  but went on to set up several interconnected conflicts in Deep Space Nine and Voyager . It began officially in 2328, although the Cardassians had maintained a military presence on Bajor since 2319. During the Occupation, the Cardassians imposed their militaristic form of government on the Bajorans, strip-mined the planet for its resources, and forced the Bajoran people into slavery, committing genocide on a massive scale. Over the course of the Occupation, the Bajorans mounted a resistance movement that used guerilla warfare and terrorist tactics to attempt to drive the Cardassians out. Fighting between the Resistance and the Cardassians lasted until the Cardassians withdrew in 2396, due to pressure from Cardassian Central Command and the Federation.

Related: Star Trek: Where The Cardassians Are In Picard

The Federation-Cardassian War

At the same time the Cardassians were occupying Bajor, they were engaged in a series of battles with the Federation over disputed territories that later became known as the Federation-Cardassian War. The war started in the 2340s, and the conflicts were largely explored over the course of Star Trek: TNG . During the war, both Cardassian and Federation forces battled for control over locations along the Federation-Cardassian border, but by the mid-2360s, the fighting had come to a stalemate, which led to the peace treaty and armistice being drawn up in 2367. The armistice created further problems however when it established a demilitarized zone along the border. During the creation of the demilitarized zone, a number of planets with both Federation and Cardassian colonies on them fell into dispute, giving rise to the formation of the Maquis.

The Maquis Insurrection

The Maquis were first introduced in Star Trek: TNG but went on to play a major role in both  Deep Space Nine and  Voyager . As discussed, the establishment of a demilitarized zone between Federation and Cardassian space caused a number of Federation colonies to become stranded. The Federation attempted to help the colonists evacuate, but many refused to leave and instead asked for help from Starfleet in protecting themselves, help which Starfleet was unable to provide because of the treaty. Once it was clear to the colonists they were on their own, they formed a group called Maquis and began fighting back against both Cardassian and Starfleet forces. The Maquis grew into a full-blown resistance movement from 2370 to 2373, but once the Cardassians joined forces with the Dominion, they used their newfound military power to wipe out the Maquis, putting a bloody end to the rebellion. Starfleet considered any remaining Maquis terrorists, and those left alive were imprisoned by the Federation.

The Dominion War

The Dominion War was the central focus of much of Deep Space Nine  and was arguably the biggest war depicted during any Star Trek series. Although the official war only lasted two years beginning in 2373, the conflict had been building from 2370. The Dominion was a coalition of planets from the Gamma Quadrant, ruled over by the Founders, a race of shapeshifters who sought to expand their empire into the Alpha Quadrant. Using infiltration tactics, the Founders insinuated themselves into Alpha Quadrant politics in an attempt to destabilize established power structures. This lead to several conflicts between the Federation, the Klingons, and the Cardassians, before all three realized they were being manipulated. The Federation and the Klingons united themselves against the Founders, but Gul Dukat allied the Cardassians with the Dominion in exchange for power. When all-out war broke out between the Federation powers and the Dominion, it took several large-scale battles and a Cardassian rebellion before the Dominion was defeated and forced to retreat to the Gamma Quadrant.

Other Notable Star Trek Conflicts

While the ten wars already discussed make up the majority of important conflicts in the Star Trek franchise, there have been others that aren't necessarily all-out wars but deserve mention. The most important is the Battle of Wolf 359, which was the first battle fought between Starfleet and the Borg. Wolf 359 was depicted in the TNG two-parter episode "The Best of Both Worlds" and was arguably the opening salvo of the Federation's ongoing war with the Borg-  a war that the Star Trek franchise has yet to resolve. In addition to Wolf 359, a few other important battles should be mentioned. These include the battle with Control at the end of Discovery season 2, the Khitomer massacre, a Romulan-Klingon conflict from TNG , and the Attack on Mars in Star Trek: Picard season 1, a Romulan-orchestrated attack that resulted in the Federation's ban on synthetic life in 2385.

Related: All 5 Changes Star Trek: Picard Made To Romulans

Although Star Trek was first conceived of as a utopian ideal of the future, the franchise has seen more than its fair share of conflict. While many of the big wars in the franchise's history took place before humanity's first contact with the Vulcans and the formation of the Federation, just as many took place during a period of time when peace was supposed to be the order of the day. With new Star Trek content being produced for the franchise all the time, it is likely audiences will continue to see storylines about war going into the future.

More: Every First Contact In The Star Trek Movies

• SR Originals
• Star Trek: Discovery