How goes the Dominion?

[Thor Damar]

Spoiler: Events near the Wormhole.

The Ascendants are an ancient race who worship the wormhole aliens. Their religion differs from the Bajorians in that non-believers are seen as heretics who must be purged in order for the Ascendants to gain entry to the Wormhole.(They are kinda like the Ori from Stargate SG1). The Ascendants have been spotted in and near dominion space and may have turned a star into a nova near the old homeworld of the Founders. As they are very powerful the Dominion has detailed a task force of Warships to track down the Ascendants and ascertain their intentions. With the Great Link dissipated across the GQ and maybe the Galaxy, the Dominions ability to gain Intel is sorely weakened.

 

[William Leisner]

One would also like an answer... preferably in a large, tome-ish format...

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

Yep, one would prefer that to having it sewn up in a few sentences in another book. Perhaps even more than one.

 

[Nerroth]

I would not ask for a few sentences' worth of sewing-up to stand in place of a book or books further developing the Dominion side of the equation - but rather an indication of what, if any, effect such stories would have on the Alpha/Beta situation.


I don't like the idea of the Gamma Quadrant simply not being in any way relevant to the Federation and others going forward, not least given the not-inconsiderable impact the Dominion have already had on our side of the galaxy.

 

[David R. George III]

"Tome-ish," huh, Trent?

 

[JAG]

better than tomb-ish.

 

[Christopher]

I don't like the idea of the Gamma Quadrant simply not being in any way relevant to the Federation and others going forward, not least given the not-inconsiderable impact the Dominion have already had on our side of the galaxy.

Why? The galaxy is huge. There's all sorts of stuff going on that has no effect on other parts of the galaxy. Even in the Federation alone, stuff happening in one part can have no effect on other parts (as proven by the fact that the Cardassian war was supposedly still going on during the first two seasons of TNG and we never heard a thing about it).

And who said the GQ is "not in any way relevant going forward"? All anyone said is that it didn't have a part to play in Destiny. A single case doesn't prove a general pattern.

 

[Nerroth]

Why? The galaxy is huge. There's all sorts of stuff going on that has no effect on other parts of the galaxy. Even in the Federation alone, stuff happening in one part can have no effect on other parts (as proven by the fact that the Cardassian war was supposedly still going on during the first two seasons of TNG and we never heard a thing about it).

The galaxy might be huge, but the part of it where the Fed sits is not quite so large (as an aside, is the view of the galaxy presented in the Star Charts considered as a basis for the post-Nemesis series?) and in the case of the GQ, the Idran anomaly is a fast-track for potential trouble, as far as the Dominion would be concerned.

Besides, the Cardassian troubles were far smaller in scale than the Dominion War was - as indicated so well in The Buried Age (one of the details I really liked in that excellent book) - and would have definitely been overshadowed by a large-scale Borg assault that

Spoiler: stuff

from the point of view of the Dominion - were they paying attention - had no guarantee it wouldn't eventually sweep over Bajor, and thus leave the wormhole at the mercy of the Collective.

And who said the GQ is "not in any way relevant going forward"? All anyone said is that it didn't have a part to play in Destiny. A single case doesn't prove a general pattern.

Indeed, but it would be a troubling sign - from my personal perspective, at least - if the Dominion remain silent during the Typhon Pact arc, too...

...not least given that

Spoiler: Typhon Pact

the Dominion's former Breen allies, and Romulan enemies, are signatories.

 

[William Leisner]

Besides, the Cardassian troubles were far smaller in scale than the Dominion War was - as indicated so well in The Buried Age (one of the details I really liked in that excellent book) - and would have definitely been overshadowed by a large-scale Borg assault that

Spoiler: stuff

from the point of view of the Dominion - were they paying attention - had no guarantee it wouldn't eventually sweep over Bajor, and thus leave the wormhole at the mercy of the Collective.

Spoiler: the same stuff

Something that you need to keep in mind is that the Borg Invasion, from the mass invasion at the Azure Nebula to its conclusion, took only hours. Even if they were paying attention, it would have been over almost as soon as the first alerts reached the GQ.

Beside which... the Aventine already proved there was a subspace tunnel from the Azure Nebula to the GQ. If the Borg wanted to hit the Dominion, that would have been much easier than crossing the Federation to the Bajoran wormhole. Clearly, such an attack was not on their agenda.

Indeed, but it would be a troubling sign - from my personal perspective, at least - if the Dominion remain silent during the Typhon Pact arc, too...

...not least given that

Spoiler: Typhon Pact

the Dominion's former Breen allies, and Romulan enemies, are signatories.

Spoiler: more of the same

Hogwash. The Breen are nothing special to the the Dominion, just another group of useful idiot solids they were able to able to use during the war. The Dominion paid no attention when Bajor was invaded by bluegill parasites, or when they finally joined the Federation. The Dominion has paid no special attention to the political instability on Cardassia or the consequences of that. For what possible reason would they give a fuck that the Breen signed some piece of paper six years after the war ended?

 

[Christopher]

Why? The galaxy is huge. There's all sorts of stuff going on that has no effect on other parts of the galaxy. Even in the Federation alone, stuff happening in one part can have no effect on other parts (as proven by the fact that the Cardassian war was supposedly still going on during the first two seasons of TNG and we never heard a thing about it).

The galaxy might be huge, but the part of it where the Fed sits is not quite so large (as an aside, is the view of the galaxy presented in the Star Charts considered as a basis for the post-Nemesis series?)

That's exactly my point. Even the galactically "small" area the Federation occupies is host to thousands of worlds and millions of stars. There's far, far too much going on in that volume alone for any single being to even be aware of. So when we're talking about the galaxy as a whole, it's impossible that any entire civilization could be aware of or paying attention to everything that's happening in it. The whole galaxy doesn't consist of just Federation space and the Dominion. From the Dominion's POV, there's already a whole huge quadrant that they already had to deal with long before that pesky wormhole opened up. Who's to say they aren't preoccupied with matters closer to home? They must have dozens or hundreds of other interstellar powers as neighbors and potential rivals. It's possible that the Alpha Quadrant simply isn't on their list of priorities now. Much as, say, Vietnam isn't on America's list of military priorities anymore. It became necessary to shift our attention to other trouble spots.

And that's even ignoring what happened in Olympus Descending.

Spoiler: Olympus

With the Great Link dissolved and the Founders gone, I'd expect there to be a total collapse of the Dominion's power structure. I'm not convinced it makes sense to assume the Dominion even still exists in 2381. If it does, it's probably torn apart with internal strife and rebellion, and simply can't afford to dwell on stuff happening on the other side of the galaxy.

Indeed, but it would be a troubling sign - from my personal perspective, at least - if the Dominion remain silent during the Typhon Pact arc, too...

...not least given that

Spoiler: Typhon Pact

the Dominion's former Breen allies, and Romulan enemies, are signatories.

Personally, I don't want all Trek fiction to be constantly interconnected. Like I said, it's a big galaxy. There's plenty of room for a lot of separate stuff to be happening simultaneously with events in one series having no impact at all on the other series. The occasional crossover is okay, but let's not get Dickensian. There's room for future stories about the Dominion, but I resist the assumption that they have to be dragged into every major story. I want a diverse, broad Trek universe, not an incestuous one.

 

[shanejayell]

I think "incestuous" is a bit much.

As a Trek fan, what I want is for authors to keep in mind that events will have repercussions in other books. Not, for example, bringing in the Dominion into every crossover but it should be at least mentioned they're interested.

 

[Christopher]

^If something isn't relevant to the particular story being told, it's gratuitous to mention it. And as I've said, it's premature to assume the Dominion would be in any position to be "interested" in events in the AQ in 2381. We don't know yet what's happened to the Dominion in the preceding 4 years.

 

[Nerroth]

Spoiler: the same stuff

Something that you need to keep in mind is that the Borg Invasion, from the mass invasion at the Azure Nebula to its conclusion, took only hours. Even if they were paying attention, it would have been over almost as soon as the first alerts reached the GQ.

Beside which... the Aventine already proved there was a subspace tunnel from the Azure Nebula to the GQ. If the Borg wanted to hit the Dominion, that would have been much easier than crossing the Federation to the Bajoran wormhole. Clearly, such an attack was not on their agenda.

Spoiler: Well...

It might not have been on their immediate schedule, but what if the Collective's more long-term plan was to make use of that Gamma Quadrant terminus for a strike on Dominion space, once the Federation and its allies had been mopped up?

At that stage, they would have two beach-heads to operate from (if one includes a force launching from Alpha via the anomaly) rather than just the one.

Sooner or later, the Collective would likely come for the Gamma Quadrant, and this could be another step in that plan.


That said, the point you make about the discovery of the Gamma terminus does leave an interesting question - assuming there is enough left of the Dominion (or some post-Dominion power) to do so, would they have picked up on the Aventine's discovery in time to at least try to assemble a force at the Gamma terminus - or did they miss the boat altogether?

Spoiler: more of the same

Hogwash. The Breen are nothing special to the the Dominion, just another group of useful idiot solids they were able to able to use during the war. The Dominion paid no attention when Bajor was invaded by bluegill parasites, or when they finally joined the Federation. The Dominion has paid no special attention to the political instability on Cardassia or the consequences of that. For what possible reason would they give a fuck that the Breen signed some piece of paper six years after the war ended?

Spoiler: .

I wasn't implying the Dominion would feel any sense of camaraderie with the Breen - more that they might recognise them as a potential threat.

Bajor joining the Federation does not make it more likely that Starfleet would pose a threat to Diminion sovereignty - the most they would do is send ships to explore Gamma.

However, if the Pact decides to flex its muscles and shifts the balance of power in their favour, they would have far less compunctions about testing the Dominion's resolve more directly - especially if they felt they could capitalise on upheaval and struggle among the worlds of Gamma.

A Pact-sponsored 'Scramble for Gamma', with empires seeking to recoup their losses at the expense of a wrong-footed Dominion, would spell plenty of trouble.

That's exactly my point. Even the galactically "small" area the Federation occupies is host to thousands of worlds and millions of stars. There's far, far too much going on in that volume alone for any single being to even be aware of. So when we're talking about the galaxy as a whole, it's impossible that any entire civilization could be aware of or paying attention to everything that's happening in it. The whole galaxy doesn't consist of just Federation space and the Dominion. From the Dominion's POV, there's already a whole huge quadrant that they already had to deal with long before that pesky wormhole opened up. Who's to say they aren't preoccupied with matters closer to home? They must have dozens or hundreds of other interstellar powers as neighbors and potential rivals. It's possible that the Alpha Quadrant simply isn't on their list of priorities now. Much as, say, Vietnam isn't on America's list of military priorities anymore. It became necessary to shift our attention to other trouble spots.

When the Dominion was focussing its attention on Alpha/Beta, they were presumably in a position to both keep tabs on said Gamma rivals/neighbours, and heavily involve themselves in the goings-on of our side of things.

And they don't need to do a whole lot to tune in to the likes of the Federation News Service - for which, one might imagine, the main events during and after Destiny would have been headline news.

The key event of the post-Nemesis era, so far as its catastrophic impact on the Alpha/Beta region - and the Dominion wouldn't notice?

And that's even ignoring what happened in Olympus Descending.

Spoiler: Olympus

With the Great Link dissolved and the Founders gone, I'd expect there to be a total collapse of the Dominion's power structure. I'm not convinced it makes sense to assume the Dominion even still exists in 2381. If it does, it's probably torn apart with internal strife and rebellion, and simply can't afford to dwell on stuff happening on the other side of the galaxy.

I'm going to be honest and say that

Spoiler: OD

I really don't like the idea of the Founders simply going poof like this - and I like the idea that the kind of political, logistical and military infrastructure that the Dominion has built up over the course of millennia would simply collapse overnight even less.

But, since the Vorta and Jem'Hadar haven't gone anywhere, and there is still Odo at the helm (which would be good news to the Federation, perhaps - and as a Founder, would be good enough for your average Vorta and Jem'Hadar, perhaps) it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that a good chunk of the Dominion would remain intact in some shape or form...

...and perhaps even, over time, adapted in terms of the nature of its, well, dominion.

Personally, I don't want all Trek fiction to be constantly interconnected. Like I said, it's a big galaxy. There's plenty of room for a lot of separate stuff to be happening simultaneously with events in one series having no impact at all on the other series. The occasional crossover is okay, but let's not get Dickensian. There's room for future stories about the Dominion, but I resist the assumption that they have to be dragged into every major story. I want a diverse, broad Trek universe, not an incestuous one.

I don't expect the Dominion to pay too much attention regarding which world or other the Titan might visit, or about any number of the somewhat smaller-scale events which will take place on our side of the galaxy from here on.

I do expect them to take note of

Spoiler: Destiny

reports of a full-scale Borg invasion - and especially the news that they dodged a bullet with the Collective not opting for the use of the Gamma terminus when they had the chance

however.

 

[Christopher]

When the Dominion was focussing its attention on Alpha/Beta, they were presumably in a position to both keep tabs on said Gamma rivals/neighbours, and heavily involve themselves in the goings-on of our side of things.

And they don't need to do a whole lot to tune in to the likes of the Federation News Service - for which, one might imagine, the main events during and after Destiny would have been headline news.

The key event of the post-Nemesis era, so far as its catastrophic impact on the Alpha/Beta region - and the Dominion wouldn't notice?

They probably did notice, if they're still around. But there's no reason why that needed to be mentioned in Destiny, because it wasn't relevant to the story being told.

I'm going to be honest and say that

Spoiler: OD

I really don't like the idea of the Founders simply going poof like this - and I like the idea that the kind of political, logistical and military infrastructure that the Dominion has built up over the course of millennia would simply collapse overnight even less.

But, since the Vorta and Jem'Hadar haven't gone anywhere, and there is still Odo at the helm (which would be good news to the Federation, perhaps - and as a Founder, would be good enough for your average Vorta and Jem'Hadar, perhaps) it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that a good chunk of the Dominion would remain intact in some shape or form...

...and perhaps even, over time, adapted in terms of the nature of its, well, dominion.

I didn't say anything about

Spoiler: same

"collapsing overnight." I said that as massive an upheaval at the top as we were shown would inevitably lead to internal strife, turmoil, power struggles, loss of focus -- perhaps the eventual dissolution of the empire, perhaps merely a restructuring of it. Either way, the point is, their priorities would have shifted inward and it doesn't make sense to assume that they have to be obsessing over the travails of the Federation. Just because the UFP is the most important part of the Trek universe to us doesn't mean it's the single overarching preoccupation of every other nation-state in the galaxy.

 

[Kilana2]

It´s good to have Odo back into play and I´m living proof that the cloning facilities still work . In the interim the Dominion is keeping a low profile.

 

[Hando]

And what about the Female Changeling?

Is the prison still standing? Are they at least trying to rehabilitate her, or is she just doing nothing her whole day?

 

[Kilana2]

Last thing I read about was Taran´atar paid her a visit at Ananke Alpha. Nothing heard of after that. Odo is in the AQ and Laas back in the GQ.

 

[Kilana2]

By the way, what happened to Yelgrun aka Iggy Pop, the real wild (cl)one?