| Federation Alliance | Dominion-Breen Alliance |
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"Imposing your type of 'order' on the Alpha Quadrant...may prove more difficult than you imagine."
The Dominion War was a two-year interstellar conflict fought between the Federation Alliance and the Dominion from 2373 to 2375. It was one of the most destructive and bloody wars in galactic history. By the time the conflict ended, the Alpha Quadrant had lost a notable power (the Cardassian Union), the Klingon Defense Force was set back for decades, and there remained a catastrophic death toll for all powers involved.
Prelude
"You have no idea what's begun here.'
- - Eris, 2370
Following the Federation's first official contact with the Dominion in 2370, a cold war developed between several of the Alpha Quadrant's major powers and the Dominion that lasted for three years. By placing Changeling infiltrators in important positions within the governments of the Alpha and Beta Quadrant's major powers, the Dominion was able to wipe out the Obsidian Order, drastically reduce the capabilities of the Tal Shiar, nearly cause a war between the Federation and the Tzenkethi, and start a war between the Klingon Empire and the Cardassian Union, an act which concurrently caused a conflict between the Federation and Klingons. (DS9: "The Die is Cast", "The Adversary", "The Way of the Warrior")
The Dominion invades the Alpha Quadrant
The conflict between the Klingons and the Cardassians is what paved the way for the Dominion to gain a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant. In mid-2373, Gul Dukat, frustrated with the losses his people had taken from the Klingons, negotiated the entry of the Cardassian Union into the Dominion. The Dominion immediately began fortifying Cardassia with weekly convoys of warships and troops from the Gamma Quadrant. With his new Dominion allies, Dukat was able to make good on a promise to drive the Klingons from Cardassian space and wipe out the Maquis resistance in the Demilitarized Zone. At this point, the Federation and Klingons renewed their alliance and agreed to stand side-by-side against the new Dominion-Cardassian threat. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light", "Blaze of Glory")
Although a technical state of war did not yet exist, several skirmishes occurred near the Cardassian border over the next several months, with ships such as the USS Tian An Men and the IKS B'Moth either being destroyed or reported missing. Additionally, the Dominion began securing nonaggression pacts with several of the Alpha Quadrant's regional powers, including the Tholian Assembly, the Miradorn, the Bajorans, and perhaps most significantly, the Romulan Star Empire. Hoping to prevent any further Dominion reinforcements from reaching Cardassia, the Federation opted to mine the entrance to the Bajoran wormhole, a move that Starfleet believed would lead to war. (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire", "In the Cards", "Call to Arms")
Total war begins
The first shots of the war being fired on Deep Space 9
"We're losing the peace, which means a war could be our only hope."
- - Benjamin Sisko, 2373
Upon learning of the Federation's intent to mine the wormhole, a large Dominion fleet was dispatched to Deep Space 9 to capture the station. Despite the heavy armaments, the station did not have the resources to fend off the Dominion fleet without reinforcements from the Federation. Shortly after the activation of the minefield, DS9's Starfleet personnel were forced to abandon the station aboard the USS Defiant and the IKS Rotarran.
Shortly before the Dominion forces boarded Deep Space 9, now returned to its original name Terok Nor by the Cardassians, Bajoran Militia officer Major Kira Nerys activated Program Sisko 197, which had the effect of sabotaging the station and rendering it a nearly lifeless hulk. The minefield surrounding the wormhole operated independently and resisted all initial attempts to deactivate it. Furthermore, while the Dominion forces were occupied with their attack on Deep Space 9, a combined Starfleet-Klingon taskforce destroyed the Dominion shipyards at Torros III. (DS9: "Call to Arms", "Behind the Lines")
Dominion advances
Dukat and Weyoun discuss the evidently imminent Dominion victory over the Federation
Over the next three months, Federation and Klingon forces clashed with the Dominion across multiple fronts but were repeatedly forced to retreat with heavy losses. In one battle, an attempt by the Federation Seventh Fleet to stop the Dominion advance in the Tyra system failed with 98 of 112 ships destroyed. Morale among Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Forces plummeted. While the Federation News Service apprised citizens at home of the grim situation on the front lines, the reality was even worse. (DS9: "A Time to Stand")
Allied victories were few and far between; these included the destruction of the Dominion's primary ketracel-white storage facility in Cardassian space and the destruction of a massive Dominion sensor array in the Argolis Cluster. Their dwindling supplies of white greatly concerned the Dominion, with Glinn Damar even proposing that the last rations of white be poisoned if new supplies could not be secured. Nevertheless, the Dominion continued to push deeper into Federation territory, approaching the Vulcan and Bolian home systems by the end of the following month. On occupied Deep Space 9, Dominion efforts to dismantle the minefield surrounding the wormhole were beginning to bear fruit, and the Female Changeling arrived to oversee the war effort. (DS9: "Behind the Lines", "Favor the Bold")
By the second quarter of 2374, the Allies were in desperate straits. Knowing that they needed a major victory, Captain Benjamin Sisko argued to Starfleet Command that they must go on the offensive. Termed Operation Return, Sisko's plan was to recapture Deep Space 9, the most strategically important site in the entire quadrant due to its control of the wormhole. Despite misgivings about pulling forces away from Earth, Starfleet approved the plan and Federation forces began assembling at Starbase 375.
Unfortunately, Starfleet soon received intelligence from resistance members on Deep Space 9 that the Dominion was three days away from deactivating the minefield. Only two-thirds of the Federation task force was in place, and the Klingons had not yet committed to the plan. Still, given that defeat would be inevitable if the Dominion were allowed to gain reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant, Sisko launched Operation Return with the 600 ships he had. In response, Dukat recalled 1,254 ships from the Dominion front lines to intercept the Federation fleet. (DS9: "Favor the Bold")
The Klingons assist the suffering Federation forces during the mission to retake Deep Space 9
Outnumbered two-to-one, Starfleet took heavy casualties as they attempted to fight their way through the Dominion lines. With the timely arrival of Klingon forces, the battle began to turn in the Allies' favor. The USS Defiant was the first ship to break through, but reached Deep Space 9 too late to stop the destruction of the minefield. Seeing no other options, Sisko took the Defiant into the wormhole, where they were faced with 2,800 Dominion ships. However, Sisko was able to persuade the Prophets to remove the Dominion forces in order to save Bajor. With no reinforcements inbound and 300 more Allied ships approaching the Bajoran system, the Dominion position on Deep Space 9 became untenable and Weyoun ordered a general withdrawal. Dukat became mentally unstable following the loss of both his ultimate victory and his daughter Tora Ziyal, and was captured by the Federation. Damar succeeded him as leader of the Cardassian Union. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels")
Temporary stalemate
The war entered a temporary lull, the Dominion forces having fallen back behind their lines. (DS9: "Resurrection") During this time, Weyoun and an unwilling Damar sued for peace with the Federation. Weyoun proposed to redraw the Federation-Cardassian border to give disputed star systems to the side with de facto control, an arrangement which on the balance favored the Federation. However, a think tank of genetically engineered individuals led by Doctor Julian Bashir ascertained that the Dominion's true goal was to obtain the Kabrel system, which would enable them to produce ketracel-white in the Alpha Quadrant. Bashir advised that the Federation accept the peace proposal to forestall an immediate Dominion attack, buying time for Allied forces to rebuild. Instead, the Federation made a counter-proposal and the talks ended inconclusively. (DS9: "Statistical Probabilities")
Some weeks later, Dominion activity began to increase all along the border, putting lie to hopes that the war would end with the retaking of Deep Space 9. Allied losses mounted, including the destruction of the USS Honshu and the USS Cortez. (DS9: "Waltz", "Far Beyond the Stars") Dominion agents established ties with the Orion Syndicate in an unsuccessful plot to undermine the Federation-Klingon alliance. (DS9: "Honor Among Thieves") In lieu of Gamma Quadrant reinforcements, the Dominion began to breed legions of Jem'Hadar in the Alpha Quadrant, and pushed shipbuilding to full capacity. (DS9: "One Little Ship", "In the Pale Moonlight") The issue of ketracel-white shortage was eventually mitigated via new supplies manufactured by the Son'a. (DS9: "Penumbra"; Star Trek: Insurrection)
In late 2374, the Dominion successfully invaded Betazed from the Kalandra sector, overrunning the planet and its outlying colonies in under ten hours. With control of this key Federation territory, the Dominion was in a position to threaten Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, and Alpha Centauri. For the Federation Alliance, suffering from shortages of ships and manpower, defeat now seemed only a matter of time unless the status quo changed. After the loss of Betazed, Captain Benjamin Sisko concluded that the Allies had to bring the Romulans into the war by whatever means necessary. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight")
The tide turns
"Think about it, they're in the perfect position. They get to sit back and watch as their biggest rivals slug it out in a long, bloody war. No one's threatening their interests. Why should they risk their necks? There's simply no reason for them to get involved in our war."
- - Jadzia Dax, 2374
The Romulan Star Empire had to this point remained neutral, though they were turning a blind eye to Dominion ships crossing their space to ambush Federation ships. Sisko and Elim Garak, with the approval of Starfleet Intelligence, carried out a covert mission to implicate the Dominion in the assassination of Senator Vreenak. The Tal Shiar recovered from Vreenak's belongings a recording of a supposed Dominion meeting discussing the invasion of Romulan space. In response, the Romulans declared war on the Dominion, opening up a second front and relieving pressure on the Federation and Klingon lines. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight")
Meanwhile, the Federation continued to reach out for more support. In 2374, the Federation Council conveyed an official diplomatic message to Grand Nagus Zek through Ensign Nog, the only Ferengi in Starfleet, which Jake Sisko speculated was a proposal for an alliance. The following year, the Federation accepted the Evora as a protectorate despite their having achieved warp drive only the previous year. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight", "Valiant", Star Trek: Insurrection)
The Federation Alliance takes the Chin'toka system in 2374
With the Romulans now part of the Federation Alliance, the Allies had the necessary resources, ships and manpower to go on the offensive. The Federation and the Klingons wished to proceed, however the Romulans were hesitant at first. The Romulans believed that an invasion of Cardassia would only result in an appalling amount of casualties. In the end, Captain Sisko managed to convince them that the only way to achieve a lasting victory against the Dominion was to invade their territory and begin destroying their shipyards and cloning facilities. The Dominion forces were spread thin after being forced to divert ships to the Romulan front. Only five squadrons of Jem'Hadar attack ships were available to defend the Chin'toka system, which became the first target attacked by a combined Federation-Klingon-Romulan invasion fleet. Without reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant, the Cardassians resorted to deploying orbital weapon platforms, reducing the need for starships to defend the system. These weapon platforms were well armed and were nearly successful in fending off the Allied invasion fleet. However, Garak discovered a weakness that allowed the Federation to destroy the platforms' power grid. As a result, the Allied fleet emerged victorious at the First Battle of Chin'toka. Federation troops beamed down and seized control of both planets in the star system. This was the Allies first push into Cardassian territory, and was a monumental morale booster. (DS9: "Tears of the Prophets")
After the initial success in capturing the Chin'toka system, the invasion of Cardassia had ground to a halt. Allied casualties continued to mount while Dominion forces managed to keep the Allies bottled up in the Chin'toka system. The Dominion was pushing its shipyards beyond their limits in an attempt to construct enough warships to retake the system. At this point, the war had entered something of a stalemate. Early- to mid-2375 was spent with neither side offering a firm push forward into the other. A Klingon fleet attempted to advance against Dominion forces at Monac IV, but it was repelled and suffered at least thirty percent casualties. Allied ships and ground troops in the Chin'toka system came under constant attack from Dominion warships and ground forces determined to retake their territory. (DS9: "Image in the Sand", "The Siege of AR-558")
One very important event that changed the shape of the war was occurring behind the front lines: a debilitating disease was attacking the Founders. It would later be claimed that Section 31 had a hand in the infection. The Founders' abilities as leaders were being compromised just as their military was taking severe punishment from the emboldened alliance. (DS9: "Treachery, Faith and the Great River")
Gradually, Damar began openly criticizing the war effort and deriding the Founders' leadership. Cardassia had taken heavy casualties during the war. Damar believed that there was not one Cardassian family that had not lost someone in this conflict. Dominion leaders began seeking a new ally, and in late-2375 they entered into negotiations with the Breen, a mysterious but powerful race. In the ensuing months, an alliance was formed and the Breen took more and more of the Cardassians' responsibility, their leadership, and even Cardassian territory. The tide had turned in favor of the Dominion, but Cardassians grew more restless by the day. (DS9: "'Til Death Do Us Part")
The Breen crush the Allies while retaking Chin'toka
The Breen entered the war with a shocking attack on Starfleet Headquarters itself. Most of the Breen attack force was destroyed by Starfleet forces, but not before the Breen had already inflicted a great deal of damage and casualties. The Breen considered the attack a success despite the fact that so few of their ships survived the assault. That they were willing to sacrifice so many of their ships and troops in order to strike at the very heart of the Federation proved to the allies one thing; the Breen were a race of warriors.
The Breen's second operation was a counterattack against the Allied forces in control of the Chin'toka system. The Breen broke through Federation lines in two places and the allies immediately began assembling reinforcements. A Federation Alliance assault fleet arrived at Chin'toka to fend off the advancing Dominion fleet. During this battle, the Breen unleashed their energy-draining weapons that quickly immobilized and disabled the entire Allied fleet. The Federation, Klingon and Romulan ships were rendered completely defenseless against conventional weapons. The Dominion won the Second Battle of Chin'toka with ease, destroying all but one of the three hundred and twelve allied vessels, thus regaining control of the system. The Klingons by sheer luck stumbled upon a modification that made them immune to the weapon. Subsequently it was up to the Klingon fleet to hold the front lines on their own until a countermeasure could be found for Starfleet and Romulan ships. To do this, General Martok brought 1,500 starships to the border as the Allies' defense by the following day. Even with this sizable fleet, the Klingon force was outnumbered twenty-to-one by the Dominion, Breen and Cardassian forces. To compensate, Martok would have his fleet operate in small battle groups, remaining cloaked until they would engage the enemy, in an attempt to keep them off balance. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil", "When It Rains...")
Although the war turned significantly in the Dominion's favor with the Breen's entry into the war, the Dominion's obvious favoring of the Breen finally frustrated Damar to the point that he formed an active resistance on Cardassia. A number of Cardassian officers, including Gul Rusot, who shared Damar's frustration, remained loyal to him. Joining his rebellion, they attacked the cloning facilities on Rondac III. Although the fleet was successful in destroying the facility, half of Damar's entire military force was destroyed in the battle. Despite this, the Dominion realized they could not hope to win the war against the allies until the internal rebellion was crushed. This gave the allies the time they needed to obtain a counter measure to the Breen's energy dissipator, although without a working version of the weapon the research proceeded slowly. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil")
End of the war
"Legate Damar may be the key to saving the Alpha Quadrant."
- - Benjamin Sisko, 2375
Realizing Damar's rebellion would be crushed without a necessary change in strategy and outside support, the Federation dispatched Kira Nerys (with a new commission as a Starfleet commander), Elim Garak, and Odo to help train the Cardassian liberation forces in guerrilla tactics, while also providing food replicators and weapons to sustain the rebellion. With Kira's knowledge of guerrilla warfare passed on to Damar's forces, the rebellion began destroying individual ships via sabotage, and was successful in the destruction of the Tevak shipyards. (DS9: "Tacking Into the Wind")
Unfortunately for the allies, Chancellor Gowron took control of the Klingon forces in an attempt to defeat the Dominion without assistance from the Federation or Romulan Empire. During his brief campaign, he ordered General Martok to engage the Dominion at Avenal Seven – a world deep inside Dominion territory. Outnumbered six-to-one, the raid on Avanal Seven was an utter failure, losing seven ships, with another five seriously damaged. It soon became clear that Gowron had come to view Martok as a political threat and by launching these raids, he hoped to have the general discredited or killed. Realizing that these useless raids could not continue, Captain Sisko ordered Lieutenant Commander Worf to "deal" with Chancellor Gowron. After killing him in single combat, Worf declared Martok the new Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. (DS9: "When It Rains...", "Tacking Into the Wind")
With the help of Odo, the Cardassian rebellion was able to capture a Jem'Hadar attack ship fitted with one of the Breen's energy dampening weapons from the Kelvas repair facility. With the weapon delivered to the Federation, a counter-measure was able to be produced for both Federation and Romulan ships, thus returning the tactical advantage into the Allies' favor. Shortly afterward however, the rebel Cardassian forces were completely wiped out by the Dominion after Gul Revok betrayed them, allowing all eighteen rebel bases to be found and destroyed.
Though the Cardassian rebellion had ostensibly been crushed, the development of a countermeasure to the Breen energy dampening weapon by the Allies again put the Dominion at a disadvantage. In response, the Founder ordered all Dominion forces to withdraw from occupied territories and establish a new fortified defense perimeter within Cardassian space. The hope was that the Federation Alliance would balk at cost of breaching the perimeter, giving the Dominion time to rebuild. While the prospect of containing the Dominion within its present borders was discussed among the Allies, Captain Benjamin Sisko, Chancellor Martok, and other commanders successfully argued that the Dominion must not be allowed a respite due to its superior shipbuilding and troop recruitment capabilities. Instead, the Allies committed to a decisive, three-pronged strike toward the heart of the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant: Cardassia Prime. (DS9: "Tacking Into the Wind", "The Dogs of War")
A Federation Alliance invasion fleet departed Deep Space 9 and engaged a combined Jem'Hadar, Cardassian, and Breen fleet at the Dominion's new defensive perimeter. Allied losses mounted as the battle raged on, with the Dominion managing to destroy one third of the Allied invasion force, including the Romulan flagship. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")
Damar rallying support on Cardassia against the Dominion in 2375
Meanwhile, Damar, Kira Nerys, and Garak had gone into hiding on Cardassia Prime following the end of the military rebellion. There, they learned that Damar's brief but effective campaign had left quite an impression on the Cardassian people. After bombing a Jem'Hadar barracks, Damar was able to rally the Cardassian civilian population into overt resistance against the Dominion. (DS9: "The Dogs of War")
In a coordinated effort, Cardassian rebels sabotaged power, transportation, and communications systems across Cardassia Prime, causing a planetary blackout and cutting off Dominion Headquarters from its forces engaged with the Allied fleet. In retaliation, the Founder ordered the annihilation of Lakarian City and its two million inhabitants. Instead of quelling the rebellion, this atrocity led to the Cardassian fleet switching sides in the midst of battle. With the Cardassian military turned against them, the Dominion had no choice but to order a full retreat back to Cardassia Prime. Infuriated, the Founder ordered the Cardassian puppet leadership executed and the entire Cardassian population exterminated. Jem'Hadar troops began to destroy Cardassian cities building by building, slaughtering millions.
The Treaty of Bajor is signed, officially ending the war
The war was effectively lost for the Dominion, yet the Founder remained unswayed in her goal of neutralizing the Alpha Quadrant powers. She ordered her Jem'Hadar and Breen forces to fight to the last, resolving to make victory so costly for the Allies that they could pose no threat to the Great Link in the Gamma Quadrant for the foreseeable future. As Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Cardassian ships surrounded Cardassia Prime, Cardassian resistance fighters breached Dominion Headquarters, though Damar was killed in the process. Kira Nerys and Garak captured the Founder, and Odo beamed down and linked with her. Odo convinced her to surrender her forces and stand trial for war crimes, in exchange for him returning to the Great Link and saving the Founders from the morphogenic virus. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")
Aftermath
"This is a moment worth savoring. To victory! Hard fought, and well earned."
"Suddenly I'm not thirsty."
- - Martok and Benjamin Sisko, 2375
The instrument of surrender, the Treaty of Bajor, was signed on Deep Space 9 only days after the Battle of Cardassia. Following the end of the war, the Dominion was forced back into the Gamma Quadrant, the Cardassian Union was in shambles, and the Klingon Empire was estimated to be set back by at least a decade. The war also prompted a change in leadership in the Klingon High Council, as Lieutenant Commander Worf killed Chancellor Gowron for squandering the Empire's resources on a political vendetta against General Martok in the final weeks of the war. Worf passed the Chancellorship onto Martok immediately after Gowron's death. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges", "Tacking Into the Wind", "What You Leave Behind")
Although both the Federation and the Romulan Empire suffered a heavy death toll, Section 31 operative Luther Sloan speculated that these two powers would be the ones struggling for control of a post-war Alpha Quadrant. Even before the war's end, many in both the Federation and the Romulan Empire believed that their alliance was only a temporary war-time coalition. There was concern that the Romulans would not cede worlds they liberated from the Dominion, such as Benzar, back to the Federation. By 2379, the Neutral Zone was still in effect, and serious peace talks did not begin until late that year. (DS9: "The Reckoning", "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"; Star Trek Nemesis)
Cardassia stands in ruins...
Foremost in the aftermath, however, was the state of Cardassia Prime. Eight hundred million civilians were dead, and the entire Cardassian Union was in danger of total collapse. The Alpha Quadrant had lost a major power, and the effects on galactic politics would continue to be seen for many years to come. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")
| Major battles of the Dominion War |
|---|
| 2373: Second Battle of Deep Space 9 • Battle of Torros III |
| 2374: Battle of the Tyra system • Operation Return • Battle of Betazed • Liberation of Benzar • First Battle of Chin'toka |
| 2375: Destruction of Monac shipyard • Raid on Trelka V • Siege of AR-558 • Battle of Ricktor Prime • Invasion of Septimus III • Breen attack on Earth • Second Battle of Chin'toka • Battle of Rondac III • Attack on Avenal VII • Battle of Cardassia |
Appendices
See also
Background information
Ira Steven Behr and Ronald D. Moore were the writers most involved with the creation and development of the Dominion War. Rick Berman wanted the war to be over within three or four episodes at the most. Behr and Moore knew the series would never be able to wrap up the war in that many episodes. Berman also criticized the "depressing" and "violent" stories. Moore later said "It's a f___in' war! What do you mean it's too violent?!" [1]
Majel Barrett criticized the arc in a letter published in Star Trek Communicator, claiming that Gene Roddenberry would have never approved of a continuing war in a Star Trek series. Berman has espoused similar sentiments, noting that his opposition "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." Dominion War at StarTrek.com Responding to the former, Moore admitted, "She's probably right. It would've been very hard to argue Gene into going this way and maybe he'd have never gone for it. However, I would've still argued for doing the Dominion War with him and if he'd rejected it, I would've thought he was wrong. I respect Gene and his work, but I don't think he was always right and I'm not going to pretend that I do. The Dominion War has been one of the better storylines we've come up with whether Gene would've agreed or not." (AOL chat, 1999)
The Dominion War was only directly referred to on three occasions outside of Deep Space Nine: VOY: "Message in a Bottle", Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis.
Apocrypha
In Rising Son, it is revealed that the inhabitants of the Gamma Quadrant refer to the war as the "Quadrant War".
The war is frequently mentioned in Pocket Books novels and reference books, and there is also a section on it in the Star Trek: Star Charts.
Novels
- Tales of the Dominion War
- Star Trek: The Dominion War
- What You Leave Behind
- The Battle of Betazed
- Hollow Men
Video games
External links
- Template:NCwiki
- Dominion War at Wikipedia
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