Re: Boy did the Federation have the patience of a Saint with the Bajor
Bajor was just a no-big-deal backwater for the Feds till that wormhole opened up. Then they became important - vitally important later on the war - and the Feds had to handle them with kid gloves.
They probably felt lucky that Sisko had become a religious icon with influence over the Bajorans by that time, which is the only reason why they would stand for a Starfleet officer going against Fed interests by listening to those "wormhole aliens." That was the one time Starfleet really had to make a leap of faith, but that was in trusting Sisko, rather than accommodating the Bajorans.
If the Feds had been the Terran Empire, they could have just taken over Bajor when the war heated up. But alas, that's not the Feddie way.
If the Bajorans had any brains, they'd have realized their status as a poster child for Dominion liberal-mindedness would have lasted only as long as it served Dom interests. Not something you can count on long-term.
Bajor was just a no-big-deal backwater for the Feds till that wormhole opened up. Then they became important - vitally important later on the war - and the Feds had to handle them with kid gloves.
They probably felt lucky that Sisko had become a religious icon with influence over the Bajorans by that time, which is the only reason why they would stand for a Starfleet officer going against Fed interests by listening to those "wormhole aliens." That was the one time Starfleet really had to make a leap of faith, but that was in trusting Sisko, rather than accommodating the Bajorans.
If the Feds had been the Terran Empire, they could have just taken over Bajor when the war heated up. But alas, that's not the Feddie way.
If the Bajorans had any brains, they'd have realized their status as a poster child for Dominion liberal-mindedness would have lasted only as long as it served Dom interests. Not something you can count on long-term.
