Federation/SFC: Post Dominion War

[JRoss]

Wouldn't have been any problems if Starfleet would have just blown up Odo on the other side of the wormhole and then mined their side again.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

It's also implied though that the reason the Founders try to exert complete control over people is that out of experience they think if they don't, the solids will come and kill them. When Odo was sent out as an infant it was for the purpose of determining threats by learning how they treat a defenseless changeling. When Odo returned to the link he fulfilled that exact purpose, he taught them that he was treated very well and that the Federation does not practice military expansionism. (Only diplomatic expansionism)

This knowledge tames the Dominion's primary motive for invading the alpha quadrant, as pre-emptive neutralization of a threat.

If Odo's knowledge was enough to tame their primary motive, then the Dominion War wouldn't have happened at all.

Also it's not established exactly what the terms of the treaty are but they must involve not violating Dominion territory without permission. The Federation will go out of their way even to their own strategic disadvantage to avoid war, they certainly wouldn't start exploring the GQ again unless they were sure they had permission.

The problem here is the question of exactly what counts as Dominion territory and what doesn't? Several times in the run up to the war we were shown stories in the gamma quadrant where the Dominion treated just about everything in the Gamma Quadrant as theirs without regard for what other races thought.

And even if the prophets would not intervene a second time, do you think the Dominion would risk just sending a huge fleet through not knowing whether or not it will be vanished again? Also if the Federation detected any sort of ship movements toward the wormhole they can deploy mines again whenever they want.

I already said they probably would not. But think about it from the point of view of some paranoid starfleet admirals - are you really willing to have your main line of defence dependant on the enemy's ignorance and/or the uncertain intervention of incomprehensible aliens who aren't really even on your side? Or is it, perhaps, just better to be safe than sorry and make sure you're ready for anything?

The Dominion's MO has always been to think long term and as risk averse as possible, they're not going to risk just sending a giant fleet through without guarantees of a foothold. If anything they would spend a couple hundred years rebuilding their forces then seed a few spies around and wait until the Federation is weakened by other threats and pick their opportunity. It's not like any Federation power would make any kind of treaty with the Dominion ever again after seeing what happened to Cardassia.

I agree that's a strong possibility. I just don't think it's the only possibility.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

That's why I said between A and B. Resume normal Starfleet practices of peace and exploration, only this time without the naivete.

They probably have prepared to deploy a new self replicating minefield at the slightest indication of a military buildup in the GQ.

But that doesn't mean they also practice section 31 style paranoia and subterfuge murdering anybody who may potentially pose a future threat. The same old idealistic Starfleet, only prepared to defend itself this time.

 

[kkt]

Speaking of the Dominion thinking long-term, I bet that as soon as the Federation mined the wormhole or perhaps even earlier when they first decided on war with the Alpha Quadrant, the Dominion sent a large battle fleet the long way through the galaxy. Putting your whole force through one choke point is not a good way to fight a war. The whole Dominion war could well have been an advance guard to see what Alpha Quadrant defenses are like.

Expect them in about 95 years, could be less if the Dominion finds other wormholes along the way.

Maybe Odo will convince the Link otherwise, though I don't think he's forgotten attempted genocide. Maybe the Link will convince Odo that the Federation and the rest of the Alpha Quadrant really are dangerous. Also, Laas probably got the disease from Odo when they linked. Odo or someone needs to find Laas and cure him. The Link would Not Be Happy if a changeling died of the disease.

 

[starburst]

Unknown. The Dominion War had ended at least two years prior to Voyager's surprise return home. They didn't have much time to set up an anti-Borg defense, yet they had 27 ships able to reach near Sol Space in a very short period of time. This includes USS Prometheus, 2 Defiants, 3 Nebulas, 7 Galaxys and the usual mix of Excelsiors, Mirandas, and other newer ships. That's a lot of Galaxy-class ships.

Are they new ships having been built to replace losses of the last five years? Are they all there to get system refits to make them Explorers again rather than the rush job combat ships of the war? I don't know.

Could and most likely a mix of ships in the area, ships assigned to Earth's Starbase along with anything being built/refit that they could drag out of the ship yards.

With trying to ascertain what Starfleet would do next is difficult as we do not know exactly what state they were in once the War was over. We would need to know how many ships they have left compared to how many they had previously. We do not know what extra territory they now need to patrol and protect compared to the past (I imagine they would offer aid and protection to now vulnerable Cardassian territories). Not to mention what new threats they face due to the collapse of the Cardassian Union (possibly to an extent the Breen) with ships and technology falling into the wrong hands (thinking like Stargate's Lucian Alliance).

All we really know from the novelverse was Starfleet had a desired a return to long term exploration which spurred the Luna Class.