Dominion War: The passage of time?

[Nerys Ghemor]

Just how much time actually elapsed between events during the Dominion War? If you watch the episodes, especially the last nine episodes, you get the impression of things hurtling by so fast that it's over before you blink. But has anybody got any idea of how long things really took to unfold? I kept getting the idea that there were a lot of blanks with unaccounted-for time in there.

 

[superstring01]

Just how much time actually elapsed between events during the Dominion War? If you watch the episodes, especially the last nine episodes, you get the impression of things hurtling by so fast that it's over before you blink. But has anybody got any idea of how long things really took to unfold? I kept getting the idea that there were a lot of blanks with unaccounted-for time in there.

I'd say no more than two years.

~String

 

[dave_R_treker]

The war lasted for 2 seasons plus one episode. Each season being one year. So I would say just over 2 years.

 

[Jono]

In Call to Arms we are given a stardate of 50975.2. If I'm remembering it correctly Sisko gives that date while the Defiant is laying the minefield and Weyoun has come to visit to demand the field be brought down.

Penumbra occurs around stardate 52576.2 and Extreme Measures has a stardate of 52645.7 seven episodes later. So it does appear that all those episodes happen quickly. The next episode stardate has a larger gap between it and EM then between Penumbra and EM as Dogs of War is around 52861.3.

For stardates and the episodes see MA.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I know there are stardates, but that doesn't help me in terms of nailing it down to actual days and months, something that REALLY gives an idea of how much time is transpiring between episodes.

 

[2 of 10]

According to the Book Star Trek "Star Charts" the Dominion war started in August of 2373 when the Cardassian Union joined forces with the Dominion. The conflict ended in November of 2375 when the Cardassian military and general population had an uprising. And the combined forces of the Federation, Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire and the Cardassian military forced the Dominion to sing a peace treaty. So, it's safe to assume that the conflict lasted for about 2 years 3 months...

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

According to the Book Star Trek "Star Charts" the Dominion war started in August of 2373 when the Cardassian Union joined forces with the Dominion. The conflict ended in November of 2375 when the Cardassian military and general population had an uprising. And the combined forces of the Federation, Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire and the Cardassian military forced the Dominion to sing a peace treaty. So, it's safe to assume that the conflict lasted for about 2 years 3 months...

Does that book have any more detail about where other episodes fall in between there? Otherwise...I'm gonna have to take more liberties in my fanfic.

 

[Timo]

I'd recommend taking a look at the stardates, and doing simple "if it ends with 333, it's one-third through that year" sort of math. Also, many DS9 episodes do not feature stardates at all, and aren't tightly integrated into any sort of a master timeline, so you can easily take dramatic liberties with them.

As for whether you should think that the stardate year begins in January (coinciding with the Earth year) or August (coinciding with the Paramount season), there are differing schools of thought. Star Charts sort of takes the latter view, as it's supported by something like three tiny datapoints while the former view isn't supported by any...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Jono]

^ At least for the Dominion War Star Charts seems to go by stardate years begin in January as they have the end of season DS9 events, start of the war in December, end of war in November, chin'toka invasion in December. They also place the Battle of Tyra in March, the fall of Betazed/Roms join in October, the briefly mentioned 7th Fleet offensive in Kalandra in 2375 in April and the Breen's entry into the war in October.

There are several stardate calculators out there on the web that can turn stardates in normal dates and normal into stardates. Most are based on xx000 been the start of the year and that all stardates are evenly distributed, which does throw up problems as some stardates, particularly ones at the start of DS9's sixth and seventh seasons don't seem to match the 3 month gap spoken of on screen between the previous season's last stardate and the following season's first mentioned stardate.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Eyeballing it, then, it looks like it might well be reasonable to consider "Penumbra" to "What You Leave Behind" a span of up to 4 months, max. It's helpful that there are very few stardates I'd have to worry about.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/DS9_Season_7

The three items I'd really need dates on, but I don't see, would be the Second Battle of Chin'toka, the Invasion of Septimus III, and the Battle of Cardassia.

I am of the mind, personally, that there's a significant gap (though I can't say exactly how much) between the Battle of Chin'toka and the next time you see the Federation in action.

 

[Marie1]

Eyeballing it, then, it looks like it might well be reasonable to consider "Penumbra" to "What You Leave Behind" a span of up to 4 months, max. It's helpful that there are very few stardates I'd have to worry about.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/DS9_Season_7

The three items I'd really need dates on, but I don't see, would be the Second Battle of Chin'toka, the Invasion of Septimus III, and the Battle of Cardassia.

I am of the mind, personally, that there's a significant gap (though I can't say exactly how much) between the Battle of Chin'toka and the next time you see the Federation in action.

How specific do you need? According to MA, "The Second Battle of Chin'toka marked the entry of the Breen Confederacy into the Dominion War in late 2375" and the Invasion of Septimus III was also in 2375... and the B of C was also late 2375... so it doesn't look like there was a lot of time... only a matter of months max.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

At least personally--I'd think I could get away with calling it a 4-month spread between the Second Battle of Chin'toka and the Battle of Cardassia, considering 4 months would still comprise the last 1/3 of the year. I don't think I could spread it out any further, but to me, it seems to work.

 

[Sisko4Life]

I was irritated by the supposed 3 month gap between seasons, which doesn't coincide with the Stardates. I specifically remember the sixth season where I think it may be You are Cordially Invited or Resurrection where a stardate is listed 511xx.x, and Call to Arms is 50975, which suggests less than a two month period, yet at least 3 months have passed

 

[Marie1]

At least personally--I'd think I could get away with calling it a 4-month spread between the Second Battle of Chin'toka and the Battle of Cardassia, considering 4 months would still comprise the last 1/3 of the year. I don't think I could spread it out any further, but to me, it seems to work.

Eyeballing it, then, it looks like it might well be reasonable to consider "Penumbra" to "What You Leave Behind" a span of up to 4 months, max. It's helpful that there are very few stardates I'd have to worry about.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/DS9_Season_7

The three items I'd really need dates on, but I don't see, would be the Second Battle of Chin'toka, the Invasion of Septimus III, and the Battle of Cardassia.

I am of the mind, personally, that there's a significant gap (though I can't say exactly how much) between the Battle of Chin'toka and the next time you see the Federation in action.

How specific do you need? According to MA, "The Second Battle of Chin'toka marked the entry of the Breen Confederacy into the Dominion War in late 2375" and the Invasion of Septimus III was also in 2375... and the B of C was also late 2375... so it doesn't look like there was a lot of time... only a matter of months max.

I'd do it the other way around, personally. I'd say that the Battle of Chin'toka and of Cardassia were close, and put the I of S3 farther away, since it isn't specified.... does that make sense given how the story went in DS9? Cuz both Chin. and Card are late in the year...

 

[Jono]

I was irritated by the supposed 3 month gap between seasons, which doesn't coincide with the Stardates. I specifically remember the sixth season where I think it may be You are Cordially Invited or Resurrection where a stardate is listed 511xx.x, and Call to Arms is 50975, which suggests less than a two month period, yet at least 3 months have passed

It doesn't mean that its wrong since we don't know how stardates actually work. The time between xx100-xx101 might not be equal to xx101-xx102, etc.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I'd do it the other way around, personally. I'd say that the Battle of Chin'toka and of Cardassia were close, and put the I of S3 farther away, since it isn't specified.... does that make sense given how the story went in DS9? Cuz both Chin. and Card are late in the year...

I thought the Invasion of Septimus III (Septimus Massacre, as it generally gets called in my story) occurred AFTER the Second Battle of Chin'toka??

 

[Jono]

I'd do it the other way around, personally. I'd say that the Battle of Chin'toka and of Cardassia were close, and put the I of S3 farther away, since it isn't specified.... does that make sense given how the story went in DS9? Cuz both Chin. and Card are late in the year...

I thought the Invasion of Septimus III (Septimus Massacre, as it generally gets called in my story) occurred AFTER the Second Battle of Chin'toka??

The Invasion of Sept III occurs in Strange Bedfellows, which is the episode before Changing Face of Evil when the second battle of Chin'toka occurs.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

You're right.

Weird--I got it right in my story, but had a total mind fart when it came to posting on the board!!

OK, then, so I should rephrase--what's the time gap between Septimus and the Battle of Cardassia? (Man, I SO keep trying to call it the Septimus Massacre...)

 

[Jono]

^As you mentioned above the stardates suggest betwen 2 - 4 months.

Another way would be to watch Strange Bedfellows to WYLB and note how much time appears to pass in the episodes and see if anyone makes a mention that can be used to figure out time between episodes. You might be able to form a rough timeline.