How would the Federation have treated Jem'Hadar prisoners of war?

[at Quark's]

Probably, any Jem' Hadar would rather fight to the death than surrender, but suppose that somehow the Federation got a bunch of Jem' Hadar POW's. (Say, a team of highly trained operatives beams aboard a Jem'Hadar ship undetected, takes out the entire bunch by anesthetic gas and pilots the ship to Federation space).

What would the Federation do with them next? Remember:
1) These guys probably resent any 'humane' treatment as a humiliation worse than death
2) They are going to die horribly a few days after their Ketracel-White supply runs out; the Federation cannot replicate a subsitute (AFAIK)
3) Sending them back (without the ship) may not be an option: either they kill themselves anyway because of the humiliation of surviving defeat or they may be able to give the Dominion some important intel about experiences they had while captured.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

You simply can't capture Jem'Hadar alive. The effort would be totally wasted.

And there'd be no strategic value in it. There could never be any kind of prisoner exchange - the Dominion regards its Jem'Hadar troops as disposible, and the Federation could never get any information from them. So neither side would even bother to try.

 

[NCC-73515]

Cryostasis

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ But why? What's the point?

As I said, neither side would benefit from a prisoner swap. The Dominion doesn't care about its own troops (so they would never return any Federation prisoner in exchange), and the Federation could not possibly get any information out of a captured Jem'Hadar. So there is literally no reason to even try.

 

[at Quark's]

You simply can't capture Jem'Hadar alive. The effort would be totally wasted.

And there'd be no strategic value in it. There could never be any kind of prisoner exchange - the Dominion regards its Jem'Hadar troops as disposible, and the Federation could never get any information from them. So neither side would even bother to try.

That's why I came up with the scenario I did, the Federation primarily being interested in obtaining the ship (for study), but ending up with the Jem' Hadar too, by the method they chose (sedating rather than killing them).

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Cryostasis

This, if they or someone else somehow managed to capture some alive - they wouldn't execute them after the fact. They could keep them on ice until a substitute, treatment, or source of ketracel white was identified and obtained.

I suppose there could be the odd "defective" one who gets unaddicted, or can't be addicted and pretends to be in order to survive.

 

[kkt]

Put them in a stasis chamber until there's a truce or the end of the war and they can be sent back?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Put them in a stasis chamber until there's a truce or the end of the war and they can be sent back?

Sent back? Why? That wouldn't accomplish anything.

Like I said, the Dominion considers its troops to be disposible. Once they've outlived their usefulness in combat, they have no value. Any Jem'Hadar captured alive would no doubt be immediately executed upon return to Dominion territory.

And, given this, the Dominion would never return any Federation prisoners in exchange. The Dominion wouldn't benefit from it, so why should the Federation?

If the Federation ever acquires any Jem'Hadar prisoners, the only realistic option would be to eliminate them.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

If they were stored in stasis, they would eventually escape by accident or on purpose. The law of the Trek universe demands it.

Section 31 would spirit them away, no doubt, for experimentation. I'm sure ketracel-white would interest them as well.

 

[TheFlutteringHorde]

Put them in a stasis chamber until there's a truce or the end of the war and they can be sent back?

I think this is basically what Sisko says they would try in "Rocks and Shoals" if the Jem'Hadar surrendered. Sedate them until they can get them into stasis while they look for a solution to the Ketracel-white problem. Most Jem'Hadar would never willingly be a POW in the first place, and any that did surrender would undoubtedly prefer to stay with the Federation since being repatriated is a death sentence.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There is no way on God's green earth that any Jem'Hadar would ever surrender.

 

[aquova]

If the Federation ever acquires any Jem'Hadar prisoners, the only realistic option would be to eliminate them.

I highly doubt the Federation would euthanize any prisoners of war. Sure, the odds of there actually being any Jem'Hadar POWs is extremely low, but if they also captured a Founder or a Vorta, or even if they never had any opportunities, I could see there being some number of POWs.

 

[Oddish]

They can't be stunned and won't surrender. If they were simply incapacitated and disarmed, my guess is they'd be held and humanely treated until their supply of the drug runs out. Then, the corpses get turned over to Starfleet Medical for analysis.

Sadly, since they are considered disposable by the Founders (and by themselves), a prisoner swap might be problematic.

 

[kkt]

Perhaps Bashir could put together an acceptable substitute for White.

 

[Tosk]

Depending on what happened after Insurrection, there may have been some Son'a willing to make White for Federation purposes. Just, y'know...theoretically, if it were needed.

There is no way on God's green earth that any Jem'Hadar would ever surrender.

They (likely) would if a Founder's life was at stake. Or were ordered directly to by a Founder. ...Maybe even by a Vorta.

Although Weyoun does make it sound like that is not a certainty in To The Death. I think like several other things concerning the Jem'Hadar, it depends on which ones you're dealing with. Some will, some won't. Remata'Klan in Rocks and Shoals seems like he might agree to surrender if only he were given the option by Keevan.

 

[Victoria]

The solution would be to maroon the Jem'Hadar on a remote and uninhabited planet and forget about them

The Federation keeps its hands clean in that they don't kill prisoners. There's a theoretical chance that the Jem'Hadar will be found/escape from the planet and make their way back to the Dominion but that's highly unlikely. They might, but again, it's highly unlikely, find a way to survive*.

In practice, the Jem'Hadar will end up dead but "that's nothing to do with us"

*Probably so they can be the villains in a film 15 years later

 

[somebuddyX]

I like the element in Online that there's apparently some planet of Jem'Hadar just hanging out.

 

[valkyrie013]

Federation doesn't kill, so anybody that was found (Like they board a damaged ship and find jenhadar alive) or caught would have to held. Now the with the White problem, they couldn't be traditionally held in some sort of penal colony or POW camp, they'd die from White withdrawal, so the only option is stasis untill the war is over, and then they are given back at the end of the war.
Will the Jemhadar like that option? No. they would rather die, and probably would take there own life at any given convenience, even after being repatriated, they would probably commit suicide.
The point is, they tried.

 

[Oddish]

Here's a question... imagine if Section 31 managed to take control of the white production facilities, then broadcast to the Dominion that if the Jem'Hadar wanted their drug, they'd have to turn on their masters and fight for the Federation.

We know from "To the Death" than some Jem'Hadar would die before betraying the founders... but some might disagree.

 

[at Quark's]

Wouldn't the White production facilities be among the very best and most heavily protected assets the Dominion has? I mean, if they can do that, why not defeat the Dominion presence in the AQ outright and take over the Romulan empire while they're at it, too?