What would the series have been like without the Dominion?

[Arpy]

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Including song lyrics!

♪ In a Wadi world,
In a Wadi world,
wrapped in plastic,
it's fantastic ♫

Loved Allison's summary; it's genuinely an underrated episode.

Yeah you know, in seven seasons of a couple dozen episodes a season, I would have liked a little follow up to some of those early season aliens that came through the wormhole. I mean, you’d think they weren’t from very far away on the other side of it. Surely they’d have run into them again at some point? …bloody Dominion. The Wadi and Tosk’s species would have been among those followed up on in some way in my alternate universe DS9.

Perhaps it would have been possible for a joint Cardassian-Romulan alliance to be the major threat, with the Breen joining them. It would be interesting if the "Conspiracy" Parasites orchestrated the whole thing to get the Alpha Quadrant powers to fight each other by conquering the Romulans and Cardassians in secret, making them out to be the bad guys, when in reality they were the first victims of the Parasites, which had been manipulating the Romulans and Cardassians for years.

You know what might have been far out, is if the combined baddie forces united in an Axis or Anti-Federation turned out to be the ones who were in the right, opposing a Federation quietly overrun with Conspiracy parasites in key places. For seasons it just looks like they’re being baddie dicks but it turns out they were doing what anyone naturally would given Federation foreign policy actions.

 

[tomalak301]

I think a series where the Cardassians were the main antagonists (Maybe with a side of Romulans and the Maquis would have been interesting. It might have allowed more time for the Bajorans and actually finished up the Bajoran entering the Federation arc that was started at the very beginning of the series.

 

[FanST]

More Bajoran politics

 

[tomalak301]

More Bajoran politics

I think it would have been more Cardassian and Maquis stuff. We got a lot of the Bajoran stuff out of the way in Season 2 (Other than the aftermath of Winn being named Kai) but DS9 really made the Alpha Quadrant expansive, much more than what TNG could ever do. Thinking about it, if the Dominion had not been in the series, I think Voyager might have gotten home early and we might see more DS9/Voyager crossovers. How Voyager handled the Maquis crew members could have been better.

 

[MikHutch]

A scenario with no Dominion could've had less antagonistic Changelings. They'd still be xenophobic but not aggressive

 

[Arpy]

A scenario with no Dominion could've had less antagonistic Changelings. They'd still be xenophobic but not aggressive

I’ve been trying to think about what Odo’s people could have been if not the Founders and one far out idea that comes to me is that Odo himself is a future Bajoran.

There’s the idea that the Prophets are too…is Odo an intermediary step in their evolution? I mean they’ve been around since humans were barely walking upright yet they’re still living in cities, having hasperat. Maybe the Prophets another branch of them that ascended or something a while ago and he’s a cast-out of some kind.

 

[MikHutch]

I’ve been trying to think about what Odo’s people could have been if not the Founders and one far out idea that comes to me is that Odo himself is a future Bajoran.

There’s the idea that the Prophets are too…is Odo an intermediary step in their evolution? I mean they’ve been around since humans were barely walking upright yet they’re still living in cities, having hasperat. Maybe the Prophets another branch of them that ascended or something a while ago and he’s a cast-out of some kind.

Those are some wild ideas. I think making Odo a proto Prophet is better because it keeps Odo separate from the Habit and a as a species

Still, I think they could keep the whole Great Link but the Changelings wouldn't be responsible for the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar. Although if they connected If I to the prophets then the other 2 races might've still worshiped the Changelings

With a less aggressive collection of Gamma Q races, we could've had more exploration of the GQ

 

[Dee1891]

How do you imagine it would have gone?

What would you have liked to see?

Perhaps a better story arc than the Dominion War, which ended up being unsatisfying for me.

 

[MikHutch]

Perhaps a better story arc than the Dominion War, which ended up being unsatisfying for me.

Ooh, why didn't you like the DW ending?

 

[IMC Headquarters]

What if we find out the Wormhole was created by the Bajorans of the distant future who created a transcorporeal AI to manage it?

 

[MikHutch]

What if we find out the Wormhole was created by the Bajorans of the distant future who created a transcorporeal AI to manage it?

Leading to some kind of temporal cycle?

 

[IMC Headquarters]

Leading to some kind of temporal cycle?

Yes. A tautology.

 

[MikHutch]

Yes. A tautology.

Now that you mention it that might've been interesting

 

[at Quark's]

How about doing away with any conflict in DS9?

-- After the 50 years Collaboration between Cardassia and Bajor ends, they generously gift Terok Nor to the Bajorans, seeing no further use for it. It was a beautiful and fruitful time, but the Cardassians feel it is time to move on. Major Kira is sorry to see them go, but she can understand and emphasize with the Cardassian stance on the matter. Gul Dukat even offers her to become his mistress, telling that she will want for nothing on Cardassia, but while she gracefully declines, she still appreciates the offer.

Enter Benjamin Sisko, who wanted a new challenge after participating in the Borg Cultural Exchange Program. He turns out to be the Emissary. Benjamin has no problem whatsoever accepting the wormhole aliens as Prophets, and neither does Starfleet have any issues with his dual role; all the admirals laugh, clap him fatherly on the shoulder for being so fortunate, and tell him that in forthcoming cases, of course Starfleet interests can take a backseat to those of the Prophets. Benjamin and Quark encourage Jake and Nog to hang out with one another, knowing full well that this will only culturally enrich them.

About halfway the season, they meet the Submission - a Gamma Quadrant empire that loves to submit to powers of other quadrants, especially from the Alpha Quadrant. They're slightly disappointed when the Federation isn't interested in dominating them, but the two powers get on famously in no time. Odo is welcomed by his people.

Also about the same time, the Romulans show up. It is a tearful reunion after so many decades of absence.

The Pah Wraiths are discovered as well; except for having a different essence color when about inhabit a corporeal lifeform (that one is red and the other blue is really convenient for us to tell them apart), they turn out to have exactly the same values as the Prophets, so they merge.

Even Eddington is an amiable character who has no issues with anyone, and who most definitely doesn't drone on and on about his homegrown tomatoes.

The series ends with a massive party/reunion where everyone who ever appeared on the series comes together to celebrate their friendship.

 

[Ragitsu]

Even Eddington is an amiable character who has no issues with anyone, and who most definitely doesn't drone on and on about his homegrown tomatoes.

Listen, we can talk about this.

 

[MikHutch]

DS9, the sitcom

 

[kkt]

Will Eddington's tomatoes ripen okay in the solarium? Tune in next week to find out!

 

[FederationHistorian]

I feel they would have had DS9 sucked into the wormhole, so that DS9 would establish the Federation in the Gamma Quadrant, and be a hub to both new species and new Federation colony worlds a like. Meanwhile, Cardassia would retake Bajor and restart the Occupation, Bajor would restart the resistance, the Federation would attempt peacekeeping, the True Way would wage war against the Federation and Bajor, and the Maquis would wage war against the Federation and Cardassia. There’d still be a war in the Alpha Quadrant, but it would be guerrilla warfare that would be the focus instead of total war. And it was be distant from the activities occuring on the station. Basically like how seasons 3-5 turned out, but extended for an extra couple of seasons.

And because DS9 would be based in the Gamma Quadrant, there would be at least one Borg encounter. Maybe not a Borg Cube, but a Borg Sphere or Borg Diamond or even wreckage of a Borg ship on a planet. Something the station & the Defiant would be able to manage.

 

[at Quark's]

Will Eddington's tomatoes ripen okay in the solarium? Tune in next week to find out!

In an ongoing arc, Weyoun might find the time to pursue his private interests - attaining immortality for example, as we see in In the Cards. Even if in this version of DS9, he probably has a less urgent need for it, not getting killed by Cardassians, Jem'Hadar, Klingons or even by himself all the time.

 

[fireproof78]

I feel they would have had DS9 sucked into the wormhole, so that DS9 would establish the Federation in the Gamma Quadrant, and be a hub to both new species and new Federation colony worlds a like.

Interesting, if difficult.

But, I could work with it, and then they could encounter another civilization who worships the Prophets/wormhole aliens and it creates an uncomfortable tension for Sisko, even as they try and make contact with new alien worlds and species. The Cardassians try to expand their sphere of influence, resulting in more tension.

No Maquis. No Borg.