No edit summary |
mNo edit summary |
||
| (83 intermediate revisions by 31 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Sidebar military conflict |
{{Sidebar military conflict |
||
| − | | |
+ | |conflict name = Battle of the Omarion Nebula |
| − | | |
+ | | part of = the [[Dominion cold war|Dominion Cold War]] |
| image = Koranak.jpg |
| image = Koranak.jpg |
||
| − | | |
+ | | size = 200px |
| − | | |
+ | | caption = Jem'Hadar attack ships destroy the Koranak |
| − | | date = |
+ | | date = [[2371]] |
| − | | location = [[Omarion Nebula]] |
+ | | location = [[Founders' homeworld (2371)|Founders' homeworld]], [[Omarion Nebula]], [[Gamma Quadrant]] |
| − | | result = Decisive |
+ | | result = Decisive [[Dominion]] victory<br>Destruction of the [[Obsidian Order]]<br>Decline and eventual fall of the [[Cardassian Central Command]]<br>Substantial weakening of the [[Tal Shiar]] |
| − | | combatant1 = |
+ | | combatant1 = |
| + | [[File:Obsidian Order logo.png|22px]] [[Obsidian Order]]<br /> |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | [[File:Tal Shiar logo.png|22px]] [[Tal Shiar]]<br /> |
||
| − | | strength1 = 5 [[Romulan]] ships<br />15 [[Cardassian]] ships <br> USS Defiant |
||
| + | ''Co-belligerent'':<br/> |
||
| − | | losses1 = All ships except USS Defiant, many personnel |
||
| + | [[File:United Federation of Planets logo.svg|22px]] [[United Federation of Planets]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | [[File:Obsidian Order logo.png|22px]] [[Enabran Tain]]<br/> |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | ''Co-belligerent'':<br/>[[File:United Federation of Planets logo.svg|22px]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] |
||
| + | |||
| + | | strength1 = |
||
| + | 5 {{class|D'deridex}} warbirds<br> |
||
| + | 15 {{class|Keldon}} cruisers<br> |
||
| + | 1 {{class|Defiant}} warship |
||
| + | |||
| + | | losses1 = |
||
| + | All Cardassian and Romulan ships destroyed<br> |
||
| + | 1 Federation ship lightly damaged |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | [[File:Dominion logo.png|22px]] [[Dominion]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | [[File:Dominion logo.png|22px]] {{dis|Lovok|Changeling|Lovok Changeling}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | 150 [[Jem'Hadar fighter]]s |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | Light; at least 7 fighters destroyed |
||
}} |
}} |
||
| + | {{aquote|[[Obsidian Order|They're]] dead. [[Elim Garak|You're]] dead. [[Cardassia]] is dead. [[Cardassian|Your people]] were doomed the moment they attacked us.|[[Female Changeling]]|2372|Broken Link}} |
||
| ⚫ | The '''Battle of the Omarion Nebula''' was the first major armed engagement between forces of the [[Alpha Quadrant |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | This disastrous defeat, sometimes likened to the [[Federation]]'s defeat by the [[Borg]] at the [[Battle of Wolf 359]], proved to have far-reaching consequences; the [[Cardassian Underground]] quickly seized power as the Obsidian Order crumbled, and the Dominion would soon step up their destabilization of the Alpha Quadrant powers that foreshadowed the [[Dominion War]]. |
||
| + | Acting on a plan originating with [[Enabran Tain]], a combined [[fleet]] of twenty [[Cardassian]] and [[Romulan]] [[warship]]s under the control of the [[Obsidian Order]] and the [[Tal Shiar]] launched a [[preemptive strike]] on the {{dis|Founders' homeworld|2371}} in the [[Omarion Nebula]]. However, the effort had long been infiltrated by a {{dis|Lovok|Changeling|Dominion agent}}, and shortly after attacking, the fleet was [[ambush]]ed and destroyed by the [[Jem'Hadar]], with few survivors. |
||
| − | == Prelude == |
||
| ⚫ | The year [[2371]] was an anxious time for the |
||
| + | == Background == |
||
| − | Immediately the [[United Federation of Planets]] and the [[Klingon Empire]] began preparations for a Dominion incursion, including the fortification of [[Deep Space 9]] and the investigation of methods to combat [[Changeling]] infiltration. The [[Romulan Star Empire]], ever cautious, loaned a [[cloaking device]] to the [[Federation]] (installed on the {{USS|Defiant|2370}}) in exchange for intelligence [[Starfleet]] gathered on the [[Dominion]], but refused to send ships of their own to the Gamma Quadrant. The [[Cardassian Union]], occupied by its own internal and external concerns, also remained relatively uninvolved. ({{DS9|The Search, Part I|Visionary}}) |
||
| ⚫ | The year [[2371]] was an anxious time for the powers of the Alpha Quadrant, as the threat posed by the Dominion on the far side of the [[Bajoran wormhole]] began to grow. The Jem'Hadar attacks in [[2370]], claiming the [[Bajoran]] [[colony]] of [[New Bajor]] and the [[Starfleet]] ship {{USS|Odyssey}}, and a subsequent engagement between the {{USS|Defiant|2370}} and several [[Jem'Hadar fighter]]s, revealed a ruthless, powerful empire determined to impose their version of order upon a chaotic galaxy. Although a full-scale invasion did not follow the initial [[first contact]] of the Jem'Hadar as was initially feared, war seemed to be inevitable. ({{DS9|The Jem'Hadar|The Search, Part I|The Search, Part II}}) |
||
| + | Immediately, the Alpha Quadrant powers began to prepare for [[invasion]]. The [[United Federation of Planets]] assigned the ''Defiant'' to [[Deep Space 9]] at the mouth of the wormhole to bolster its defensive capabilities. The Federation shared all of its intelligence with the [[Romulan Star Empire]] as per their treaty to allow a Romulan [[cloaking device]] to be installed on the ''Defiant''. The [[Cardassian Union]], occupied by its own internal and external concerns, remained relatively uninvolved. ({{DS9|The Search, Part I|Visionary}}) |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | At this time, the [[Cardassian]] [[Enabran Tain]] was living out his [[retirement]] on [[Arawath]], as the only head of the Obsidian Order to survive long enough to do so. Frustrated by the [[Cardassian Central Command|Central Command]]'s complacency in the face of the Dominion threat, and wearied by his three-year absence from power, Tain drafted a plan to destroy the Dominion in a single decisive move. To accomplish this, he contacted the [[Romulan]] Tal Shiar, and proposed a joint venture, executed independently of either organization's parent government. However, unknown to him, his counterpart in the Tal Shiar, [[Colonel]] [[Lovok]], had been replaced by a Changeling. The Founders saw in Tain's plan their own opportunity, and did everything they could to carry it forward. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | Through the Romulans, Tain had access to all the information gathered on the Dominion by Starfleet over the past several months. He learned of the Founders' control over the Jem'Hadar via their addiction to [[ketracel-white]], and the location of their homeworld inside the [[Omarion Nebula]]. Tain concluded accurately that a massive attack directed towards the Founders' homeworld, eradicating the Founders and with them the supply of white, would cripple the Dominion irreparably. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | At the time, ex-head of the Obsidian Order, Enabran Tain, was living out his [[retirement]] on the [[Arawath Colony]]. Frustrated by what he perceived to be the [[Cardassian Central Command|Central Command]]'s complacency in the face of the Dominion threat, Tain drafted a risky venture to destroy the Dominion in a single decisive move; by wiping out the [[Founder]]s. |
||
| + | To accomplish this end, he enlisted the aid of the Romulan Tal Shiar, proposing a joint military venture into the Gamma Quadrant executed independently of either organization's parent government. However, unbeknownst to him, his opposite number in the Tal Shiar, [[Colonel]] [[Lovok]], had been replaced by a [[Lovok (Changeling)|Changeling infiltrator]]. The Dominion saw in Tain's plan a golden opportunity to destroy the two most effective security agencies in the Alpha Quadrant, and did everything they could to carry it forward. |
||
| − | In great secrecy, the Obsidian Order began building a fleet of {{Class|Keldon}} warships in the [[Orias system]], even though Cardassian law specifically prohibited the organization from operating military spacecraft of any kind. The fleet was equipped with [[cloaking device]]s provided by the [[Tal Shiar]], which had been modified to avoid detection by Dominion scanners. Meanwhile, the Tal Shiar assembled its own force of several {{Class|D'deridex}} warbirds. Both fleets were crewed by combat veterans of the two organizations. Numbering twenty ships altogether, their combined firepower would be sufficient to obliterate the crust of the Founders' homeworld in one hour, and the [[mantle]] in five. Apart from those directly involved in the operation, the only individuals who knew of the Tain's plan were [[Elim Garak]] and [[Odo]], who had been captured and held aboard Tain's flagship while investigating the deaths of several former Obsidian Order operatives. ({{DS9|Defiant|Improbable Cause|The Die is Cast}}) |
||
| + | |||
| + | Through the Romulans, Tain had access to all the intelligence gathered by Starfleet on the Dominion. He reasoned, that as the Founders controlled the supply of [[ketracel-white]], by eliminating the Founders, the Jem'Hadar would soon die, crippling the Dominion's capability to wage war indefinitely. |
||
| + | |||
| + | In great secrecy, the Obsidian Order began assembling a fleet of fifteen {{class|Keldon}} [[cruiser]]s in the [[Orias system]], although Cardassian law specifically forbade the Order from operating military spacecraft of any kind. The fleet was detected by forces of Central Command during an incident involving the ''Defiant'' and the [[Maquis]], but the buildup continued unabated. The fleet had been equipped with cloaking devices provided by the Tal Shiar, which had been modified to avoid detection by Dominion [[sensor]]s, provided they did not exceed [[warp factor|warp 6]]. Meanwhile, the Tal Shiar assembled its own force of five {{class|D'deridex}} [[warbird]]s. Both fleets were manned by [[combat veteran]]s, and carried enough firepower to destroy the Founders' homeworld down to its [[mantle]] within five hours. |
||
| + | |||
| + | As part of the joint venture, the Tal Shiar carried out the [[assassination]]s of several former Obsidian Order [[operative]]s possessing sensitive information about Tain, including an unsuccessful attempt on [[Elim Garak]]. Aside from those involved in the operation, the only individuals who knew of Tain's plan were Garak and [[Odo]], who had been captured by the Tal Shiar after investigating the deaths of the aforementioned operatives. ({{DS9|Defiant|Improbable Cause|The Die is Cast}}) |
||
== Launch == |
== Launch == |
||
| − | [[File:Cardassian and Romulan fleet.jpg|thumb|The joint Cardassian-Romulan fleet heads for the wormhole |
+ | [[File:Cardassian and Romulan fleet.jpg|thumb|The joint Cardassian-Romulan fleet heads for the wormhole]] |
| − | In late |
+ | In late 2371, the combined fleet entered Bajoran space and passed through the Bajoran wormhole. As they did so, the fleet decloaked and transmitted parallel messages to their respective governments. In Tain's message to the Central Command, he outlined his motives, intentions and advised the [[Cardassian military]] to be mobilized for potential Dominion reprisals. Both the Cardassian Central Command and the [[Romulan Senate]] denied any prior knowledge of the mission, and denounced it as a rogue operation. Despite the possibility of war, they elected to wait and see whether or not the joint operation would succeed. |
| − | Starfleet |
+ | Starfleet chose not to interfere with the strike, also deliberating whether to allow Tain a chance to succeed or not. [[Vice Admiral]] [[Toddman]] ordered a civilian evacuation of Deep Space 9 and dispatched a [[task force]] of nine starships to aid in the defense of the [[Bajoran sector]]. Against orders to commit the ''Defiant'' to the defense of Bajor, [[Commander]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] took the ship into the Gamma Quadrant, in the hopes of rescuing station [[Security Chief]] Odo. ({{DS9|The Die is Cast}}) |
| − | == |
+ | == Jem'Hadar ambush == |
| − | [[File:Cardassian and Romulan fleet open fire.jpg|thumb|The fleet fires on the Founders' Homeworld |
+ | [[File:Cardassian and Romulan fleet open fire.jpg|thumb|The fleet fires on the Founders' Homeworld]] |
| − | [[File:Founders |
+ | [[File:Founders' homeworld under orbital bombardment.jpg |thumb|The surface of the Founders' Homeworld is obliterated]] |
| − | As the fleet |
+ | As the fleet decloaked in orbit of the Founders' homeworld, they found the [[planet]] apparently completely undefended, with the Changelings themselves in a liquid state on the surface. Confident of victory, Tain ordered the fleet to attack, instructing; "''So much for the Dominion. Open fire!''" |
| + | Thirty percent of the planet's crust was destroyed in the fleet's opening volley. However, the fleet's sensors soon discovered an anomalous reading; there was no change in the number of [[lifeform]] readings on the surface. Garak soon realized the Founders had already evacuated the planet, leaving behind an [[transponder|automated transponder]] to send out false sensor readings. |
||
| − | Mere moments later, a massive fleet of 150 [[Jem'Hadar attack ship]]s emerged from the nebula, completely surrounding Tain's fleet. The Jem'Hadar's [[phased polaron beam]] weapons tore through the shields of the Cardassian and Romulan ships just as they had the ''Odyssey'' less than a year before, inflicting heavy damage in a matter of minutes. Amidst the chaos, Lovok helped Odo and Garak escape, telling them, "[[Dominion philosophy|no Changeling has ever harmed another]]." Garak tried to convince Tain to come with him, but Tain chose to remain on the bridge, remarking that he must have lost his touch over the years. Odo and Garak fled the warbird in the [[runabout]] [[USS Mekong|USS ''Mekong'']] just before it exploded. Although the runabout was immediately set upon by the Jem'Hadar and on the verge of destruction, the USS Defiant finally arrived, destroying the runabout's pursuers and beaming both of them aboard. |
||
| + | Moments later, a massive fleet of 150 Jem'Hadar fighters emerged from the [[Omarion Nebula]], cutting off Tain's fleet entirely. The Jem'Hadar's [[phased polaron beam|phased polaron]] weaponry easily breached the shields of the Cardassian and Romulan warships, inflicting severe damage and heavy casualties in a matter of minutes. As the fleet was destroyed piecemeal, Lovok revealed himself as a Changeling to Odo and Garak, aiding their escape, [[Dominion philosophy|unwilling to allow a fellow Changeling to die]]. |
||
| − | Outgunned with no hope of retreat, the remnants of the Cardassian-Romulan fleet fought to their annihilation. As the Jem'Hadar ships continued to focus on the fleet, the ''Defiant'' fought its way out of the battle zone, in the process destroying at least five [[Jem'Hadar attack ship]]s and disabling at least one, and escaped back to Deep Space 9. A few members of the fleet, including Tain, survived the battle and were detained at [[Internment Camp 371]] until their rescue by Garak and [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Worf]] in [[2373]]. Cardassian prisoners were released when [[Gul]] [[Dukat]] secretly agreed to an alliance with the Dominion. ({{DS9|The Die is Cast|By Inferno's Light}}) |
||
| + | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | Overwhelmed at being outwitted by the Dominion, Tain chose to remain on the [[bridge]] of the doomed flagship, remarking "''these Founders, Elim, they're very good. Next time we should be more careful.''" Odo and Garak fled the crippled warbird in the [[runabout]] {{USS|Mekong}}, immediately being set upon by Jem'Hadar fighters. On the verge of destruction itself, the runabout was spared by the timely arrival of the ''Defiant'', destroying the runabout's pursuers and rescuing the craft's occupants. |
||
| + | |||
| + | Hopelessly outgunned and with no hope of retreat, what remained of the Cardassian-Romulan fleet fought to its destruction. Meanwhile, the ''Defiant'' fought its way out of the battle zone, managing to escape back to Deep Space 9. ({{DS9|The Die is Cast}}) |
||
| + | |||
| + | A few members of the fleet, including Tain himself, survived the battle and were detained at [[Internment Camp 371]]. The Romulan prisoners were rescued [[2373|two years later]] by Garak and [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Worf]]. Cardassian prisoners from the battle were released when the [[Cardassian Union]] formally joined the Dominion as its newest member. ({{DS9|By Inferno's Light}}) |
||
== Aftermath == |
== Aftermath == |
||
| + | The short and long-term consequences of the battle could not be overstated. In any strategic and tactical measure, the Battle of the Omarion Nebula was a catastrophic defeat for the Romulan and Cardassian forces, and proved to have enormous ramifications for the powers of the Alpha Quadrant. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | |||
| − | By any measure the Battle of the Omarion Nebula was a catastrophe for the Romulan and Cardassian forces resulting in destruction not seen since the [[Battle of Wolf 359]]; the Tal Shiar suffered a severe setback from which it would not recover from for some time, and the Obsidian Order ceased to exist altogether. The Founders had identified both organizations as a definite threat due to their efficient and ruthless natures, and had exploited Tain's plan in order to wipe out both of them in a single stroke. Their victory had been so overwhelming that the Dominion had essentially eliminated two of the major powers in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants from challenging them in the short-term; after their losses neither the Cardassians nor the Romulans would be very willing to wage war against the Dominion. ({{DS9|The Die is Cast}}) |
||
| + | The Tal Shiar was badly weakened, while the Obsidian Order was wiped out altogether. The power vacuum left behind by the end of the Obsidian Order allowed the [[Cardassian Underground]] to flourish. Eventually, it would launch a ''[[coup]]'' against the Central Command, restoring political control to the civilian [[Detapa Council]]. The Dominion exploited this development. Specifically, [[General]] [[Martok]] of the [[Klingon Defense Force]] was captured and replaced by a [[Martok (Changeling)|Changeling impersonator]]. |
||
| + | |||
| + | The Changeling manipulated sentiment in the [[Klingon High Council]] into believing the ''coup'' on [[Cardassia]] had been engineered by the Dominion. This convinced [[Chancellor]] [[Gowron]] into launching a preemptive strike, triggering the bloody [[Klingon-Cardassian War]]. Federation refusal to support their Klingon allies, and further manipulation by Martok, led to the [[First Battle of Deep Space 9]], and eventually the {{dis|Federation-Klingon War|2372-73}}. The Federation suffered significant losses in this war and the [[Battle of Sector 001]], while the Klingon Defense Force suffered heavy casualties in fighting both the Federation and the Cardassians. |
||
| + | |||
| + | The [[Cardassian Union]]'s infrastructure was crippled by the Klingons, as well as continued conflict with the Maquis. This, coupled with political problems within the Cardassian Empire, prompted [[Gul]] [[Dukat]] to enter into secret negotiations with the Dominion. Acting as the empire's representative, Dukat negotiated Cardassia's entry into the Dominion and Dukat was named the new leader of Cardassia in [[2373]]. The [[Dominion cold war]] would continue to escalate following this development, eventually culminating in the [[Dominion War]]. ({{DS9|The Way of the Warrior|Broken Link|In Purgatory's Shadow|By Inferno's Light|Soldiers of the Empire}}, {{e|In the Cards}}, {{e|Call to Arms}}) |
||
| + | |||
| + | == Appendices == |
||
| + | === Background information === |
||
| + | When the staff writers of {{s|DS9}} came up with the idea that [[DS9 Season 3|third season]] installment {{e|Defiant}} would establish a military buildup which the Obsidian Order was involved in and which was so mysterious that even Cardassia's Central Command had no intel on it, the writers likewise had no idea it would lead to a battle later the same season. "''We had a vague idea of a first strike,''" clarified [[René Echevarria]], "''but I don't think we knew more than that.''" It wasn't until the writers were plotting the story for subsequent third season episode {{e|Improbable Cause}} that they realized they could make the military escalation be in preparation for a preemptive attack by not only the Obsidian Order but also the Tal Shiar against the Dominion. However, even at this point, the actual battle itself wasn't planned; in fact, the Cardassians were to have been halted in their plans to combat the Dominion, due to Garak essentially blackmailing Tain. ({{ds9c|226}}) "''When Tain heard that, he thought his attack would lose the element of surprise, so he canceled the mission,''" Echevarria explained. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 95) It was [[Michael Piller]], in one of his last suggestions for the series, who encouraged the DS9 writers to "go fight the Dominion" in a second part of the narrative begun with "Improbable Cause", an episode thereafter entitled {{e|The Die is Cast}}. ({{ds9c|226}}) |
||
| + | |||
| + | Thus, when the writers began to craft the story for "The Die is Cast", the prospect of a monumental space battle loomed. Although the creative team decided to invent [[quantum stasis field|a machine]] that could prevent a Changeling from shape-shifting, the violent engagement remained conceptually viable to the writers, as opposed to having the enemies of the Dominion rid the Founders' homeworld with the machines. Reasons why the writers still found the conflict acceptable for inclusion in the episode were that the machine was a prototype which the assailants had only one copy of and that the plans to the device were lost in the fray, also obliterating the fleet. ({{ds9c|232|233|&}}) |
||
| + | |||
| + | The writers felt it was important to put a lot of effort into showing the battle in "The Die is Cast". "''We had set up all of this stuff about the invasion, the attack and all of those things in the first episode,''" remembered [[Ronald D. Moore]], "''and when we got to the production meeting, we emphasized that we were really going to do a big space battle here and wanted to see it and have it blow our socks off. We didn't want to go cheap on this one.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 95) Moore elaborated, "''We knew it had better pay off. I thought, 'Wow, this could be cool, because we're telling the audience that there's an invasion fleet that's going to do this massive thing.' So we wanted as many warbirds as we could see, and a lot of Jem'Hadar ships, and we wanted the ''Defiant'' to be in the middle of them all.''" ({{ds9c|234}}) Moore concluded, "''The visual effects guys kind of blanched a little bit, but they went for it.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 95) |
||
| + | |||
| + | Because depicting the optical-heavy event was very expensive, [[Gary Hutzel]] was assigned to ensure the battle didn't make "The Die is Cast" go over budget. Recalling an inexpensive method he consequently employed, Hutzel said, "''I shot transparencies of the Cardassian and Romulan ships on light boxes, and we 'flew' those in the background. We kept the camera in constant motion so the audience wouldn't concentrate on them.''" On the other hand, the visual effects workers did imagine a particularly sophisticated shot. "''We wanted the scene to say that Sisko is really turning it on,''" reflected Hutzel, "''so we designed the shot to have the ''Defiant'' fly right through a Jem'Hadar ship.''" ({{ds9c|234}}) |
||
| + | The Battle of the Omarion Nebula was considered a ground-breaking conflict by DS9's VFX artists, due to the extremely high quantity of ships portrayed in the incident. ({{ds9c|234}}) Ultimately, Ron Moore was also happy with the sequence, remarking, "''It's one of the best space battles we've ever done.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 95) |
||
| − | The destruction of the Obsidian Order also had more far-reaching consequences, which in time the Founders would also exploit to their advantage. Without the constant presence of the Order ensuring loyalty amongst the population, the [[Cardassian Underground]] was finally able to topple the Central Command and restore power to the civilian [[Detapa Council]]. This in turn led to the [[Klingon-Cardassian War]] and the [[Federation-Klingon War (2372-73)|Federation-Klingon War]] of [[2372]]-[[2373]]. These conflicts weakened the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as a whole and nearly destroyed the [[Khitomer Accords|Federation-Klingon alliance]], the last remaining bulwark against the Dominion. ({{DS9|The Way of the Warrior|Broken Link}}) |
||
| + | === External link === |
||
| − | The humiliation and damage suffered by the Cardassians as a result of their war with the Klingons would ultimately lead them to their alliance with the Dominion, sowing the seeds for the most devastating conflict in modern history, the [[Dominion War]]. ({{DS9|In Purgatory's Shadow|By Inferno's Light}}) |
||
| + | *{{mbeta}} |
||
{{featured|date=September 2004|id=26108}} |
{{featured|date=September 2004|id=26108}} |
||
| Line 62: | Line 109: | ||
[[de:Schlacht im Omarion-Nebel]] |
[[de:Schlacht im Omarion-Nebel]] |
||
[[fr:Bataille de la nébuleuse d'Omarion]] |
[[fr:Bataille de la nébuleuse d'Omarion]] |
||
| − | [[nl:Slag om de |
+ | [[nl:Slag om de Omarionnevel]] |
[[Category:Conflicts|Omarion Nebula, Battle of the]] |
[[Category:Conflicts|Omarion Nebula, Battle of the]] |
||
Latest revision as of 12:58, 12 May 2023
The Battle of the Omarion Nebula was the first major armed engagement between forces of the Alpha Quadrant and the Dominion, as well as the only large-scale conflict to take place in the Gamma Quadrant.
Acting on a plan originating with Enabran Tain, a combined fleet of twenty Cardassian and Romulan warships under the control of the Obsidian Order and the Tal Shiar launched a preemptive strike on the Founders' homeworld in the Omarion Nebula. However, the effort had long been infiltrated by a Dominion agent, and shortly after attacking, the fleet was ambushed and destroyed by the Jem'Hadar, with few survivors.
Background
The year 2371 was an anxious time for the powers of the Alpha Quadrant, as the threat posed by the Dominion on the far side of the Bajoran wormhole began to grow. The Jem'Hadar attacks in 2370, claiming the Bajoran colony of New Bajor and the Starfleet ship USS Odyssey, and a subsequent engagement between the USS Defiant and several Jem'Hadar fighters, revealed a ruthless, powerful empire determined to impose their version of order upon a chaotic galaxy. Although a full-scale invasion did not follow the initial first contact of the Jem'Hadar as was initially feared, war seemed to be inevitable. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar", "The Search, Part I", "The Search, Part II")
Immediately, the Alpha Quadrant powers began to prepare for invasion. The United Federation of Planets assigned the Defiant to Deep Space 9 at the mouth of the wormhole to bolster its defensive capabilities. The Federation shared all of its intelligence with the Romulan Star Empire as per their treaty to allow a Romulan cloaking device to be installed on the Defiant. The Cardassian Union, occupied by its own internal and external concerns, remained relatively uninvolved. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "Visionary")
Secret alliance
Tain and the Lovok Changeling before the battle
At the time, ex-head of the Obsidian Order, Enabran Tain, was living out his retirement on the Arawath Colony. Frustrated by what he perceived to be the Central Command's complacency in the face of the Dominion threat, Tain drafted a risky venture to destroy the Dominion in a single decisive move; by wiping out the Founders.
To accomplish this end, he enlisted the aid of the Romulan Tal Shiar, proposing a joint military venture into the Gamma Quadrant executed independently of either organization's parent government. However, unbeknownst to him, his opposite number in the Tal Shiar, Colonel Lovok, had been replaced by a Changeling infiltrator. The Dominion saw in Tain's plan a golden opportunity to destroy the two most effective security agencies in the Alpha Quadrant, and did everything they could to carry it forward.
Through the Romulans, Tain had access to all the intelligence gathered by Starfleet on the Dominion. He reasoned, that as the Founders controlled the supply of ketracel-white, by eliminating the Founders, the Jem'Hadar would soon die, crippling the Dominion's capability to wage war indefinitely.
In great secrecy, the Obsidian Order began assembling a fleet of fifteen Keldon-class cruisers in the Orias system, although Cardassian law specifically forbade the Order from operating military spacecraft of any kind. The fleet was detected by forces of Central Command during an incident involving the Defiant and the Maquis, but the buildup continued unabated. The fleet had been equipped with cloaking devices provided by the Tal Shiar, which had been modified to avoid detection by Dominion sensors, provided they did not exceed warp 6. Meanwhile, the Tal Shiar assembled its own force of five D'deridex-class warbirds. Both fleets were manned by combat veterans, and carried enough firepower to destroy the Founders' homeworld down to its mantle within five hours.
As part of the joint venture, the Tal Shiar carried out the assassinations of several former Obsidian Order operatives possessing sensitive information about Tain, including an unsuccessful attempt on Elim Garak. Aside from those involved in the operation, the only individuals who knew of Tain's plan were Garak and Odo, who had been captured by the Tal Shiar after investigating the deaths of the aforementioned operatives. (DS9: "Defiant", "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast")
Launch
The joint Cardassian-Romulan fleet heads for the wormhole
In late 2371, the combined fleet entered Bajoran space and passed through the Bajoran wormhole. As they did so, the fleet decloaked and transmitted parallel messages to their respective governments. In Tain's message to the Central Command, he outlined his motives, intentions and advised the Cardassian military to be mobilized for potential Dominion reprisals. Both the Cardassian Central Command and the Romulan Senate denied any prior knowledge of the mission, and denounced it as a rogue operation. Despite the possibility of war, they elected to wait and see whether or not the joint operation would succeed.
Starfleet chose not to interfere with the strike, also deliberating whether to allow Tain a chance to succeed or not. Vice Admiral Toddman ordered a civilian evacuation of Deep Space 9 and dispatched a task force of nine starships to aid in the defense of the Bajoran sector. Against orders to commit the Defiant to the defense of Bajor, Commander Benjamin Sisko took the ship into the Gamma Quadrant, in the hopes of rescuing station Security Chief Odo. (DS9: "The Die is Cast")
Jem'Hadar ambush
The fleet fires on the Founders' Homeworld
The surface of the Founders' Homeworld is obliterated
As the fleet decloaked in orbit of the Founders' homeworld, they found the planet apparently completely undefended, with the Changelings themselves in a liquid state on the surface. Confident of victory, Tain ordered the fleet to attack, instructing; "So much for the Dominion. Open fire!"
Thirty percent of the planet's crust was destroyed in the fleet's opening volley. However, the fleet's sensors soon discovered an anomalous reading; there was no change in the number of lifeform readings on the surface. Garak soon realized the Founders had already evacuated the planet, leaving behind an automated transponder to send out false sensor readings.
Moments later, a massive fleet of 150 Jem'Hadar fighters emerged from the Omarion Nebula, cutting off Tain's fleet entirely. The Jem'Hadar's phased polaron weaponry easily breached the shields of the Cardassian and Romulan warships, inflicting severe damage and heavy casualties in a matter of minutes. As the fleet was destroyed piecemeal, Lovok revealed himself as a Changeling to Odo and Garak, aiding their escape, unwilling to allow a fellow Changeling to die.
The Defiant dodges Jem'Hadar fire
Overwhelmed at being outwitted by the Dominion, Tain chose to remain on the bridge of the doomed flagship, remarking "these Founders, Elim, they're very good. Next time we should be more careful." Odo and Garak fled the crippled warbird in the runabout USS Mekong, immediately being set upon by Jem'Hadar fighters. On the verge of destruction itself, the runabout was spared by the timely arrival of the Defiant, destroying the runabout's pursuers and rescuing the craft's occupants.
Hopelessly outgunned and with no hope of retreat, what remained of the Cardassian-Romulan fleet fought to its destruction. Meanwhile, the Defiant fought its way out of the battle zone, managing to escape back to Deep Space 9. (DS9: "The Die is Cast")
A few members of the fleet, including Tain himself, survived the battle and were detained at Internment Camp 371. The Romulan prisoners were rescued two years later by Garak and Lieutenant Commander Worf. Cardassian prisoners from the battle were released when the Cardassian Union formally joined the Dominion as its newest member. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light")
Aftermath
The short and long-term consequences of the battle could not be overstated. In any strategic and tactical measure, the Battle of the Omarion Nebula was a catastrophic defeat for the Romulan and Cardassian forces, and proved to have enormous ramifications for the powers of the Alpha Quadrant.
The Tal Shiar was badly weakened, while the Obsidian Order was wiped out altogether. The power vacuum left behind by the end of the Obsidian Order allowed the Cardassian Underground to flourish. Eventually, it would launch a coup against the Central Command, restoring political control to the civilian Detapa Council. The Dominion exploited this development. Specifically, General Martok of the Klingon Defense Force was captured and replaced by a Changeling impersonator.
The Changeling manipulated sentiment in the Klingon High Council into believing the coup on Cardassia had been engineered by the Dominion. This convinced Chancellor Gowron into launching a preemptive strike, triggering the bloody Klingon-Cardassian War. Federation refusal to support their Klingon allies, and further manipulation by Martok, led to the First Battle of Deep Space 9, and eventually the Federation-Klingon War. The Federation suffered significant losses in this war and the Battle of Sector 001, while the Klingon Defense Force suffered heavy casualties in fighting both the Federation and the Cardassians.
The Cardassian Union's infrastructure was crippled by the Klingons, as well as continued conflict with the Maquis. This, coupled with political problems within the Cardassian Empire, prompted Gul Dukat to enter into secret negotiations with the Dominion. Acting as the empire's representative, Dukat negotiated Cardassia's entry into the Dominion and Dukat was named the new leader of Cardassia in 2373. The Dominion cold war would continue to escalate following this development, eventually culminating in the Dominion War. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior", "Broken Link", "In Purgatory's Shadow", "By Inferno's Light", "Soldiers of the Empire", "In the Cards", "Call to Arms")
Appendices
Background information
When the staff writers of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine came up with the idea that third season installment "Defiant" would establish a military buildup which the Obsidian Order was involved in and which was so mysterious that even Cardassia's Central Command had no intel on it, the writers likewise had no idea it would lead to a battle later the same season. "We had a vague idea of a first strike," clarified René Echevarria, "but I don't think we knew more than that." It wasn't until the writers were plotting the story for subsequent third season episode "Improbable Cause" that they realized they could make the military escalation be in preparation for a preemptive attack by not only the Obsidian Order but also the Tal Shiar against the Dominion. However, even at this point, the actual battle itself wasn't planned; in fact, the Cardassians were to have been halted in their plans to combat the Dominion, due to Garak essentially blackmailing Tain. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 226)) "When Tain heard that, he thought his attack would lose the element of surprise, so he canceled the mission," Echevarria explained. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 95) It was Michael Piller, in one of his last suggestions for the series, who encouraged the DS9 writers to "go fight the Dominion" in a second part of the narrative begun with "Improbable Cause", an episode thereafter entitled "The Die is Cast". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 226))
Thus, when the writers began to craft the story for "The Die is Cast", the prospect of a monumental space battle loomed. Although the creative team decided to invent a machine that could prevent a Changeling from shape-shifting, the violent engagement remained conceptually viable to the writers, as opposed to having the enemies of the Dominion rid the Founders' homeworld with the machines. Reasons why the writers still found the conflict acceptable for inclusion in the episode were that the machine was a prototype which the assailants had only one copy of and that the plans to the device were lost in the fray, also obliterating the fleet. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (pp. 232 & 233))
The writers felt it was important to put a lot of effort into showing the battle in "The Die is Cast". "We had set up all of this stuff about the invasion, the attack and all of those things in the first episode," remembered Ronald D. Moore, "and when we got to the production meeting, we emphasized that we were really going to do a big space battle here and wanted to see it and have it blow our socks off. We didn't want to go cheap on this one." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 95) Moore elaborated, "We knew it had better pay off. I thought, 'Wow, this could be cool, because we're telling the audience that there's an invasion fleet that's going to do this massive thing.' So we wanted as many warbirds as we could see, and a lot of Jem'Hadar ships, and we wanted the Defiant to be in the middle of them all." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 234)) Moore concluded, "The visual effects guys kind of blanched a little bit, but they went for it." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 95)
Because depicting the optical-heavy event was very expensive, Gary Hutzel was assigned to ensure the battle didn't make "The Die is Cast" go over budget. Recalling an inexpensive method he consequently employed, Hutzel said, "I shot transparencies of the Cardassian and Romulan ships on light boxes, and we 'flew' those in the background. We kept the camera in constant motion so the audience wouldn't concentrate on them." On the other hand, the visual effects workers did imagine a particularly sophisticated shot. "We wanted the scene to say that Sisko is really turning it on," reflected Hutzel, "so we designed the shot to have the Defiant fly right through a Jem'Hadar ship." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 234))
The Battle of the Omarion Nebula was considered a ground-breaking conflict by DS9's VFX artists, due to the extremely high quantity of ships portrayed in the incident. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 234)) Ultimately, Ron Moore was also happy with the sequence, remarking, "It's one of the best space battles we've ever done." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 95)
External link
- Battle of the Omarion Nebula at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
Featured revision (26108) • Diff to current • Blurb