Re: Are there any episodes where we learn more about the Gamma Quadran
Exactly. If Sisko and his crew went to explore Gamma, they would be deserting their assigned post and engaging in things that detracted from their mission.
When our heroes in the early seasons sent runabouts through, it was basically always in response to a crisis that reached from Gamma to Alpha and forced them to. A few missions involved supporting the Bajoran expansion to Gamma (medical support in a couple of missions, ill-fated VIP tour in "Battle Lines", one case of Bajoran-initiated research in "The Alternate"), and after the war started, there was some tactical recce as well, but it was indicated that these tasks were being handled on a larger scale by ships flown by others.
Starfleet starships, Vulcan (civilian?) ships and Klingon ships explored Gamma in many episodes; the Defiant only did once, in "Meridian", and Sisko indicated he had to fight for that privilege, probably justifying it as strategic recce. That mission never was followed up with others of the sort, again perhaps because the original sortie backfired. Other Defiant ops in Gamma were either Starfleet-decreed desperation recce (because there were few other cloakships available for the job before the Klingons rejoined the UFP as combat buddies), or then renegade actions.
Timo Saloniemi
Exactly. If Sisko and his crew went to explore Gamma, they would be deserting their assigned post and engaging in things that detracted from their mission.
When our heroes in the early seasons sent runabouts through, it was basically always in response to a crisis that reached from Gamma to Alpha and forced them to. A few missions involved supporting the Bajoran expansion to Gamma (medical support in a couple of missions, ill-fated VIP tour in "Battle Lines", one case of Bajoran-initiated research in "The Alternate"), and after the war started, there was some tactical recce as well, but it was indicated that these tasks were being handled on a larger scale by ships flown by others.
Starfleet starships, Vulcan (civilian?) ships and Klingon ships explored Gamma in many episodes; the Defiant only did once, in "Meridian", and Sisko indicated he had to fight for that privilege, probably justifying it as strategic recce. That mission never was followed up with others of the sort, again perhaps because the original sortie backfired. Other Defiant ops in Gamma were either Starfleet-decreed desperation recce (because there were few other cloakships available for the job before the Klingons rejoined the UFP as combat buddies), or then renegade actions.
Timo Saloniemi
