Jem Hadar ships & cloaking devices?

[Timo]

...Then again, the interstellar transporter of the Iconians was supposedly of immense strategic worth to the Dominion in "To the Death". That shouldn't be if their pre-existing systems were as good as Dukat claims in "Covenant".

Sure, Dukat's system reputedly needed some sort of an amplifier for the transportee. But that's actually less of a strategic hindrance than the Iconian system where there is no known way of activating or utilizing the transport function unless you are standing next to a fixed portal.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Deks]

Wouldn't it be also possible to carry a transporter pattern through a series of relay stations ?

I mean it's a transporter signal, and relay stations can act as amplifiers that enable real time communications with a far away planet or fleet.

Dukat could have used a more advanced/experimental transporter relay then routed Kiras signal through DS9's systems, or through various other SF relay stations between DS9 and Empok Nor.

 

[Timo]

If it were possible to relay transporter signals via Federation or Cardassian hardware, starships would probably be outdated already.

But our VOY heroes could do a very similar feat (with the holo-pattern of the EMH) via the more advanced Hirogen hardware, and there's no obvious reason why it couldn't be done with Dominion hardware. What's less obvious is how Dukat would be able to clandestinely sow those relays between DS9 and Empok Nor. If that were possible, then the Dominion could be doing the same with all sorts of infiltration devices - so surely the Alpha powers are on their toes against such trickery?

Anyway, Dukat claims the single transponder planted on Kira did the trick. And Worf and Sisko seem to believe that Dominion transporters can indeed span up to three lightyears on a single hop with such a transponder providing the cue. Whether Empok Nor is just three lightyears away from Bajor, or whether Dukat still did the thing in multiple stages, remains unestablished...

The ability to beam across interstellar distances like that would seem to wreak havoc with the portrayal of Jem'Hadar warfare, though. It's just too close to an invincible superpower IMHO.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Jono]

Given the unimportance of Empok Nor from at least 2372 onwards it might not be hard for Dukat to dumped a relay here and there if he was lying about Dominion transporter capabilities. The Feds didn't seem to care about it and neither did the Dominion.

It seemed only useful as a retrieval device, which when you think about it is not surprising the Dominion have such an advanced way to pull out a single individual from danger and mask where they had gone.

Other then with that transponder Dominion transporters seemed to be no more or less advanced then Federation technology, they basically needed to be in orbit of a plant to beam down and most of the time a ship/station's shields had to be down to prevent transport.