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The '''Dominion Cold War''' is an unofficial term for the period from the [[Federation]] initial contact with the [[Dominion]] in late [[2370]] to the outbreak of the [[Dominion War]] in late [[2373]]. During this time, the [[Alpha Quadrant|Alpha]] and [[Gamma Quadrant]] powers strived to establish strong diplomatic and military positions in preparation for the coming conflict.
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The '''Dominion cold war''' was an unofficial term for the period from the initial contact between the [[United Federation of Planets]] and the [[Dominion]] in late [[2370]] to the onset of the [[Dominion War]] in late [[2373]]. During this time, the [[Founder]]s of the Dominion infiltrated the various powers of the [[Alpha Quadrant]] to sow distrust and conflict and pave the way for a full-scale invasion. On the other side, the Alpha Quadrant powers strove to prepare for a cataclysmic war they believed to be inevitable.
   
== First Contact ==
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== First contact ==
With the discovery of the [[Bajoran wormhole]] in [[2369]], vessels from the Alpha Quadrant began exploring the Gamma Quadrant. Rumors were soon heard of a great Gamma Quadrant power known as the [[Dominion]].
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With the discovery of the [[Bajoran wormhole]] in [[2369]], [[starship]]s from the Alpha Quadrant began exploring the Gamma Quadrant. Rumors were soon heard of a great Gamma Quadrant power known as the [[Dominion]]. ({{DS9|Rules of Acquisition}}) The Dominion collected extensive intelligence on the Alpha Quadrant but did not initiate official contact until late 2370, when [[Jem'Hadar]] forces attacked a number of ships and colonies in the Gamma Quadrant, including the [[Bajoran]] [[colony]] on [[New Bajor]]. On [[Deep Space 9]], [[Third]] [[Talak'talan]] delivered news of the attacks, along with an ultimatum that the Dominion would no longer tolerate Alpha Quadrant encroachments into "Dominion territory", i.e. the other side of the wormhole.
   
 
[[File:USS Odyssey firing phasers.jpg|left|thumb|The ''Odyssey'' fires on a Jem'Hadar attack ship.]]
For quite some time, the Dominion had been secretly collecting extensive information on the cultures of the Alpha Quadrant, but it was not until late 2370 that direct contact with the Dominion was established by [[Starfleet]] [[Commander]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] on a planet in the Gamma Quadrant when his team was detained by Dominion forces.
 
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At the same time, [[Commander]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] and [[Quark]] had been detained by the Jem'Hadar alongside the [[Vorta]] [[Eris]], who claimed to be a refugee from a Dominion conquest of [[Kurill Prime]]. Starfleet dispatched the {{class|Galaxy}} starship {{USS|Odyssey}}, supported by the [[runabout]]s {{USS|Mekong}} and {{USS|Orinoco}}, to the Gamma Quadrant to assess the Dominion threat and recover Sisko. The Starfleet force was intercepted by three [[Jem'Hadar attack ship]]s and found themselves outmatched, as the Jem'Hadar ships utilized [[phased polaron beam]]s that were completely unimpeded by the [[shields]] of the Starfleet vessels.
 
[[File:USS Odyssey firing phasers.jpg|left|thumb|The ''Odyssey'' fires on a Jem'Hadar fighter.]]
 
In response, Starfleet dispatched the {{ShipClass|Galaxy}} {{USS|Odyssey}}, with orders to investigate the Dominion threat and recover Sisko. Along with the [[runabout]]s {{USS|Mekong}} and {{USS|Orinoco}}, the ''Odyssey'' entered the Gamma Quadrant. The Starfleet force was intercepted and attacked by three [[Jem'Hadar attack ship]]s.
 
 
These attack ships utilized [[phased polaron beam]] weapons that were completely unimpeded by the [[shields]] of the Starfleet vessels. Sisko and the ''Rio Grande'' were retrieved, but as the Federation vessels began to withdraw, a Jem'hadar attack ship made a suicide run, impacting the ''Odyssey'' and resulting in the total destruction of both ships. Sisko noted that the attack ship had made the suicidal attack not out of necessity, but to demonstrate "just how far they're willing to go."
 
   
 
[[File:USS Odyssey critically damaged.jpg|thumb|The destruction of the ''Odyssey''.]]
 
[[File:USS Odyssey critically damaged.jpg|thumb|The destruction of the ''Odyssey''.]]
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Although Sisko was retrieved aboard the {{USS|Rio Grande}}, the ''Odyssey'' was lost with all hands while attempting to withdraw when one of the Jem'Hadar ships rammed its [[main deflector]]. Sisko observed that the Jem'Hadar's [[kamikaze]] run was a demonstration of Dominion resolve, rather than tactical necessity. Back on Deep Space 9, Eris was exposed as a Dominion spy by Quark, which also revealed the Jem'Hadar offensive to be a ruse to plant her in Federation territory. Eris promptly beamed away, though not before warning Sisko, ''"You have no idea what's begun here."'' ({{DS9|The Jem'Hadar}})
   
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== Rising tensions ==
Meanwhile, Dominion forces attacked and destroyed several vessels in the Gamma Quadrant, as well as the [[Bajoran]] [[colony]] on [[New Bajor]]. A Jem'hadar soldier, [[Third]] [[Talak'talan]], arrived at Deep Space Nine to deliver news of the attacks, and a warning from the Dominion that the Alpha Quadrant powers were to "stay on your side of the galaxy".
 
 
After the destruction of the ''Odyssey'', Starfleet assigned the {{USS|Defiant|2370}}, a Federation warship originally built to battle the [[Borg]], to [[Deep Space 9]] with orders to seek out the [[Founder]]s and convince them that the Federation posed no threat. The ''Defiant'' was equipped with a [[cloaking device]] loaned by the [[Romulan Star Empire]], in exchange for all intelligence gathered on the Dominion. ({{DS9|The Search, Part I}})
 
[[Eris]], a [[Vorta]], had posed as another captive of the Dominion and accompanied the team's return to the Alpha Quadrant. Eris was exposed a Dominion spy when it was revealed that a collar that she had claimed restrained her telekinetic powers in fact had no capacity to do so. Upon being exposed, the operative was immediately beamed from the station, but not before warning Sisko, "You have no idea what has begun here."
 
 
== Overtures for peace ==
 
After the destruction of the ''Odyssey'', the {{USS|Defiant|2370}}, a Federation warship originally built to battle the [[Borg]], was assigned to [[Deep Space 9]] with orders to seek out the [[Founder]]s and convince them that the Federation posed no threat. The ''Defiant'' was equipped with a [[cloaking device]], loaned by the [[Romulan Star Empire]] for use exclusively on that ship and only when it was in the Gamma Quadrant, in support of the mission. In return, the Federation promised to share all intelligence gathered on the Dominion. ({{DS9|The Search, Part I}})
 
 
The ''Defiant'' located the [[Founder]]s, a race of shape-shifters, though the attempt to make peace was unsuccessful. The Founders were a [[xenophobia|xenophobic]] culture driven by the belief that they could ensure their safety from [[solids]] only through universal conquest. Patient and far-sighted by nature, the Founders had begun establishing diplomatic and military inroads in the Alpha Quadrant in preparation for an invasion.
 
 
== Pre-emptive Strike ==
 
Over the next two years, at least three more Starfleet vessels operating in the Gamma Quadrant were lost: the {{USS|Maryland}}, the {{USS|Proxima}}, and the {{USS|Sarajevo}}. ({{DS9|In Purgatory's Shadow}})
 
 
:''See also: [[Battle of the Omarion Nebula]]''
 
[[File:Cardassian and Romulan fleet.jpg|thumb|150px|The joint Tal Shiar - Obsidian Order fleet]]As the Dominion's hostile intentions became clear, [[Enabran Tain]], former head of the [[Cardassian]] secret service known as the [[Obsidian Order]], came out of retirement to contact the Romulan secret service, the [[Tal Shiar]], and proposed an alliance to destroy the Founders. When the Dominion learned of this, a changeling infiltrator assumed the identity of a Tal Shiar [[colonel]], [[Lovok]], and covertly took control of the project.
 
 
Over the course of several months, a fleet of Romulan and Cardassian warships were gathered in the [[Orias system]]. The fleet was small but formidable: its twenty ships were manned by combat veterans, and the Cardassian {{ShipClass|Keldon}} vessels had been upgraded with Romulan cloaking devices and more powerful engines. But when the fleet of twenty Romulan and Cardassian warships arrived at the [[Founders' homeworld]] in the [[Omarion Nebula]], it found the planet deserted. Moments later, the fleet was ambushed by one hundred and fifty Dominion warships emerging from the nebula and was completely wiped out at what became known as the [[Battle of the Omarion Nebula]]. ({{DS9|The Die is Cast}})
 
 
The rout decimated the power of the Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order, previously identified by the Dominion as "ruthless and efficient organizations - a definite threat to us".
 
   
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[[File:Alynna Nechayev and Borath.jpg|thumb|left|Borath appears to collaborate with Admiral [[Alynna Nechayev]] in the Dominion simulation.]]
== Intrigue and Manipulation ==
 
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Soon after contacting the [[Karemma]], an important client species of the Dominion, the ''Defiant'' was captured by the Jem'Hadar. The crew was brought to the [[Founders' homeworld]] in the [[Omarion Nebula]] and subjected to an elaborate simulation by [[Borath]], meant to ascertain how the Alpha Quadrant would react to a Dominion incursion. The Dominion found that establishing a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant, even via ostensibly diplomatic means, would be met by strong resistance including the destruction of the wormhole. The Founders were revealed to be a race of [[Changeling]]s dedicated to imposing order and security through universal conquest. Patient and far-sighted by nature, the Founders had initiated long-term plans to bring the Alpha Quadrant under their control. The ''Defiant'' was permitted to return to Deep Space 9 only through [[Odo]]'s intervention. ({{DS9|The Search, Part II}})
:''See also: [[Klingon-Cardassian War]] and [[Federation-Klingon War (2372-73)]]''
 
Shortly after the Omarion Nebula incident, the Dominion attempted to incite another war between the [[Tzenkethi]] and the Federation by using an [[autonomic systems parasite]] to seize control of the ''Defiant'' and compel the ship to attack the Tzenkethi. However, the parasite was neutralized before this plan could come to fruition. ({{DS9|The Adversary}})
 
   
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The overt Dominion threat seemed to recede in the following months, though the Federation and neighboring powers regarded an invasion as only a matter of time and continued to make war preparations, such as the fortification of Deep Space 9. Starting in mid-2371, a [[wormhole relay station|relay station]] and a series of [[listening post]]s were established in the Gamma Quadrant to give advance warning of a Dominion fleet, though Dominion forces kept their distance. ({{DS9|Visionary|The Way of the Warrior|In Purgatory's Shadow}}) Exploration and trade through the wormhole resumed despite the ever-present danger of Jem'Hadar attacks. ({{DS9|Starship Down}}) Between 2371 and 2373, at least three Federation starships – the {{USS|Maryland}}, the {{USS|Proxima}}, and the {{USS|Sarajevo}} – were lost in the Gamma Quadrant. ({{DS9|In Purgatory's Shadow}})
In early [[2372]], due in part to the losses the Obsidian Order had suffered at the Battle of Omarion Nebula, the organization finally succumbed to the steadily growing power of the Cardassian dissident movement. The civilian [[Detapa Council]] overthrew the [[Cardassian Central Command|Central Command]] and, after 600 years of military rule, the Council became the effective governing authority of the [[Cardassian Union]].
 
   
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== Infiltration and destabilization ==
Believing that the Detapa Council could not have overthrown the military government on its own, the [[Klingon Empire]] claimed that its members had been replaced with changelings, and upon this pretext, launched an invasion of the Cardassian Union.
 
  +
Dominion quiescence however was deceptive, as multiple Changeling agents were insinuating themselves at the highest levels of the Federation, [[Klingon Empire]], and other powers. Although Starfleet and the [[Klingon Defense Force]]s implemented sweeping security procedures to counteract Changeling infiltration, these measures proved ineffective and were easily co-opted by the Changelings. As a result, Alpha Quadrant governments would be repeatedly and often disastrously caught off-guard by Changeling activities during the lead-up to open war. ({{DS9|The Adversary|The Way of the Warrior|Homefront}})
   
  +
[[File:Cardassian and Romulan fleet.jpg|thumb|The Tal Shiar-Obsidian Order fleet passes Deep Space 9.]]
The [[Federation Council]] condemned the invasion. In response, the Klingon Empire withdrew from the [[Khitomer Accords]], ending the peace treaty and alliance between the two powers. The formidable Klingon offensive overwhelmed the Cardassian forces. When Cardassia itself came under fire, Sisko rescued the Cardassian Detapa Council. Claiming the Council had been replaced by changelings, the Klingons demanded their surrender, launching a [[First Battle of Deep Space 9|massive assault]] on Deep Space Nine. Skillful diplomacy backed up by incoming reinforcements enabled Sisko to convince the Klingons to withdraw, but [[Chancellor]] [[Gowron]] vowed to neither "forgive or forget" that the Federation had fired on Klingon forces. ({{DS9|The Way of the Warrior}})
 
  +
The Dominion identified the [[Romulan]] [[Tal Shiar]] and the [[Cardassian]] [[Obsidian Order]], both efficient and ruthless intelligence agencies, as key targets. When they learned that [[Enabran Tain]], former head of Obsidian Order, had proposed a joint plan to the Tal Shiar to cripple the Dominion by wiping out the Founders, they saw their own opportunity to eliminate both organizations in a single stroke. A [[Lovok (Changeling)|Changeling]] assumed the identity of Tal Shiar [[Colonel]] [[Lovok]] and ensured that Tain's plan would be carried out. In late [[2371]], a secretly assembled fleet of 20 Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order [[warship]]s [[orbital bombardment|bombarded]] the Founders' homeworld, only to find the planet deserted and 150 [[Jem'Hadar attack ship]]s lying in wait. [[Battle of the Omarion Nebula|The fleet was annihilated]], decimating the Tal Shiar and eliminating the Obsidian Order altogether. ({{DS9|Improbable Cause|The Die is Cast}})
   
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Shortly after the Omarion Nebula incident, [[Krajensky (Changeling)|another Changeling]] posing as Federation [[Ambassador]] [[Krajensky]] attempted to incite war between the Federation and the [[Tzenkethi]] by seizing control of the [[USS Defiant (2370)|USS ''Defiant'']] and using it to attack the Tzenkethi settlement on [[M'kemas III]]. The ''Defiant'' crew was able to neutralize the Changeling in time to avert war. ({{DS9|The Adversary}})
[[File:USS Lakota fired on by the Defiant.jpg|thumb|150px|The USS Defiant engages the {{USS|Lakota}}.]]
 
Meanwhile, on Earth, paranoia gripped [[Starfleet Command]]. It was believed by some that the Founders had thoroughly infiltrated the Federation government - although the a Founder boasted that there were only three Founders infiltrating Earth. Acting on this intense paranoia, elements within [[Starfleet]] loyal to [[Admiral]] [[Leyton]] attempted a military coup d'etat in mid-[[2372]], but the coup failed when the conspirators were exposed before the Federation Council. ({{DS9|Paradise Lost}})
 
   
  +
The fall of the Obsidian Order enabled the [[Cardassian dissident movement]] to topple the [[Cardassian Central Command|Central Command]] in early [[2372]], restoring the authority of the civilian [[Detapa Council]] and giving the Dominion another opportunity. A [[Martok (Changeling)|Changeling]] assuming the identity of [[General]] [[Martok]] convinced [[Chancellor]] [[Gowron]] that the Cardassian revolution was a Dominion plot, and that the Klingons must conquer the [[Cardassian Union]] to ensure their security. When the [[Federation Council]] inevitably condemned the unprovoked invasion, Gowron withdrew from the [[Khitomer Accords]] in response. Thus the Dominion shattered the [[Federation-Klingon Alliance]], the main base of military power in the quadrant. ({{DS9|The Way of the Warrior}})
In [[2373]], tensions between the Federation and Klingons erupted into [[Federation-Klingon War (2372-73)|war]], over the issue of the [[Archanis sector]], a dispute that had been outstanding for nearly a century. After learning from [[Deep Space 9]] [[security chief]] [[Odo]] that [[Chancellor]] [[Gowron]] was possibly a Changeling infiltrator, Starfleet dispatched a team led by [[Captain]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] to expose the changeling.
 
   
  +
[[File:Martok attacks Kodrak.jpg|thumb|left|General Martok is exposed as a Changeling.]]
As it turned out, it was not Gowron, but his trusted advisor [[General]] [[Martok]], who had been replaced with a changeling, and that the [[Martok (Changeling)|impostor]] had used his position to influence Gowron to invade Cardassia and withdraw from the [[Khitomer Accords]]. After the impostor was killed, Gowron declared a cease-fire and agreed to renew peaceful negotiations with with the Federation, although occasional skirmishes continued until the Khitomer Accords were reinstated later that year. ({{DS9|Apocalypse Rising|Nor the Battle to the Strong|By Inferno's Light}})
 
  +
Captain [[Benjamin Sisko]] managed to preserve the Cardassian state by sheltering the Detapa Council on Deep Space 9 and [[First Battle of Deep Space 9|withstanding the subsequent Klingon siege]]. ({{DS9|The Way of the Warrior}}) Nevertheless, the ensuing [[Klingon-Cardassian War]] devastated the Cardassian Union. ({{DS9|Return to Grace}}) The Martok Changeling proceeded to convince Gowron to lay a revanchist claim to the Federation [[Archanis sector]] in late [[2372]]. Although Starfleet managed to expose Martok as a Changeling and secure a ceasefire with the Klingons in early [[2373]], tensions between the two former allies again erupted into [[Federation-Klingon War (2372-73)|open war]] later that year. ({{DS9|Apocalypse Rising|Nor the Battle to the Strong}})
   
 
[[File:USS Lakota fired on by the Defiant.jpg|thumb|The USS ''Defiant'' engages the {{USS|Lakota}}, crewed by Leyton loyalists.]]
== Dominion Foothold ==
 
  +
Meanwhile, paranoia on [[Earth]] reached a fever pitch, especially after a Changeling bombed the [[Antwerp Conference]] in mid-2372. [[Admiral]] [[Leyton]], long convinced that [[Federation President]] [[Jaresh-Inyo]] was ill-prepared to face the Dominion threat, attempted a military ''[[coup d'etat]]'' with a cadre of loyal Starfleet officers and the unwitting collusion of [[Starfleet Academy]]'s [[Red Squad]]. In fact, there were only four Changelings on Earth and all evidence of an impending Dominion attack – including a planetary blackout – had been fabricated by Leyton as a pretext for seizing control. The USS ''Defiant'' reached Earth with evidence of Leyton's conspiracy, thwarting the ''coup'' and averting civil war. ({{DS9|Homefront|Paradise Lost}})
Dominion fortification of Cardassian space, combined with the securing of non-aggression treaties with notable powers such as the [[Miradorn]], [[Tholian]]s, [[Bajor]]ans, and most importantly the [[Romulan]]s, had firmly established Dominion power in the Alpha Quadrant.
 
   
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By mid-[[2373]], the Alpha Quadrant powers had been sapped by two years of conflict. Starfleet determined that its strength had been depleted to the point that there was no possibility of defeating the Dominion. When a large Dominion fleet was discovered hiding inside a [[nebula]] near the wormhole, Starfleet enacted a contingency plan to seal the wormhole using [[phase-conjugate graviton beam]]s. Again, the Dominion turned this plan to its advantage – a [[Julian Bashir (Changeling)|Changeling]] posing as Doctor [[Julian Bashir]] sabotaged the beams to strengthen the wormhole instead, rendering it invulnerable to even [[trilithium]] explosives. With their lifeline to the Gamma Quadrant secured at last, the Dominion could fulfill its goal of launching a full-scale incursion into the Alpha Quadrant. ({{DS9|In Purgatory's Shadow|By Inferno's Light}})
In mid-2373, the Dominion gained a physical foothold in the Alpha Quadrant by way of an alliance with Gul [[Dukat]], who, leveraging the prestige he had gained through his rescue of the Detapa Council and courageous one-ship war against the Klingon Empire, assumed leadership of the Cardassian Union.
 
   
 
== Dominion foothold ==
[[File:Dominion invasion.jpg|thumb|150px|The Dominion invades the Alpha Quadrant.]]
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[[File:Dominion invasion.jpg|thumb|The Dominion invades the Alpha Quadrant.]]
The Dominion began sending fleets of warships and supply vessels through the [[Bajoran wormhole]] to aid their new Cardassian allies. The Dominion supported a Cardassian offensive into the [[Demilitarized Zone]], wiping out the [[Maquis]], and forced the Klingons to withdraw from Cardassian space. In response, Chancellor Gowron renewed the Khitomer Accords, establishing the the Federation-Klingon alliance as the only remaining force capable of opposing the Dominion. ({{DS9|By Inferno's Light}})
 
  +
Unexpectedly, the first wave of Jem'Hadar warships entering the Alpha Quadrant headed for Cardassian space. [[Gul]] [[Dukat]] announced that he had secretly negotiated the entry of the Cardassian Union into the Dominion, with himself as the new Cardassian leader. The Cardassian people, having suffered greatly and endured repeated humiliation at the hands of the Klingons and the [[Maquis]], by and large embraced the Dominion. In three days, the Jem'Hadar forced the Klingons into general retreat and massacred the Maquis within the [[Demilitarized Zone]]. ({{DS9|By Inferno's Light|Blaze of Glory|The Changing Face of Evil}})
   
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Believing a Dominion attack to be imminent, Sisko convinced Gowron to revive the Khitomer Accords. Starfleet and Klingon forces prepared to make a united stand at Deep Space 9, surprisingly joined by Romulan forces. The Dominion opted for a more devious approach – the Bashir Changeling attempted to induce the [[Bajoran sun]] to [[supernova]], which would have wiped out Deep Space 9 and all three fleets at once. The USS ''Defiant'' prevented the Changeling from carrying out his mission, delaying the war for the time being. ({{DS9|By Inferno's Light}})
[[File:Second Fleet.jpg|thumb|150px|The [[Second Fleet]] prepares for war.]]
 
With additional Dominion forces continuing to arrive through the wormhole, the Federation recognized the need to act. Unwilling to sanction a preemptive strike, the Federation decided to mine the entrance of the Bajoran wormhole, preventing further Dominion reinforcements from arriving.
 
   
  +
Having established a firm power base in the Alpha Quadrant, the Dominion began sending weekly convoys of warships, troops, and supplies to Cardassian space. The Dominion also began reaching out diplomatically to isolate the Federation and the Klingons, signing [[nonaggression pact]]s with the [[Miradorn]], the [[Tholian]]s, the [[Bajoran]]s, and most significantly the [[Romulan]]s. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}}) Hostilities along the Cardassian border escalated, with the {{USS|Tian An Men}} and the {{IKS|B'Moth}} among the casualties. ({{DS9|Soldiers of the Empire|In the Cards}}) With their strategic situation steadily deteriorating, Starfleet resolved to halt the flow of Dominion reinforcements by blocking the entrance to the wormhole with [[self-replicating mine]]s. Despite subsequent posturing between Sisko and [[Weyoun]], both sides knew this act would lead directly to war. While Deep Space 9 [[Second Battle of Deep Space 9|held back the Dominion attack]] long enough to activate the minefield, a Federation-Klingon [[task force]] advanced into Cardassian space and destroyed the Dominion [[shipyard]]s at [[Torros III]].
The Dominion's pre-eminent representative, the [[Vorta]] [[Weyoun]], arrived at Deep Space Nine to issue an ultimatum: if the Federation did not remove the mines, the Dominion would seize the station. When the ultimatum was refused, a Dominion/Cardassian fleet launched a "costly" offensive that nonetheless succeeded in capturing Deep Space Nine. Meanwhile, a [[Treaty of Alliance|Federation-Klingon alliance]] [[task force]] had destroyed the Dominion [[shipyard]]s at [[Torros III]].
 
   
The [[Dominion War]] had begun.
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The [[Dominion War]] had begun. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
   
 
{{Federation wars}}
 
{{Federation wars}}

Revision as of 06:53, 20 September 2014

The Dominion cold war was an unofficial term for the period from the initial contact between the United Federation of Planets and the Dominion in late 2370 to the onset of the Dominion War in late 2373. During this time, the Founders of the Dominion infiltrated the various powers of the Alpha Quadrant to sow distrust and conflict and pave the way for a full-scale invasion. On the other side, the Alpha Quadrant powers strove to prepare for a cataclysmic war they believed to be inevitable.

First contact

With the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole in 2369, starships from the Alpha Quadrant began exploring the Gamma Quadrant. Rumors were soon heard of a great Gamma Quadrant power known as the Dominion. (DS9: "Rules of Acquisition") The Dominion collected extensive intelligence on the Alpha Quadrant but did not initiate official contact until late 2370, when Jem'Hadar forces attacked a number of ships and colonies in the Gamma Quadrant, including the Bajoran colony on New Bajor. On Deep Space 9, Third Talak'talan delivered news of the attacks, along with an ultimatum that the Dominion would no longer tolerate Alpha Quadrant encroachments into "Dominion territory", i.e. the other side of the wormhole.

USS Odyssey firing phasers

The Odyssey fires on a Jem'Hadar attack ship.

At the same time, Commander Benjamin Sisko and Quark had been detained by the Jem'Hadar alongside the Vorta Eris, who claimed to be a refugee from a Dominion conquest of Kurill Prime. Starfleet dispatched the Galaxy-class starship USS Odyssey, supported by the runabouts USS Mekong and USS Orinoco, to the Gamma Quadrant to assess the Dominion threat and recover Sisko. The Starfleet force was intercepted by three Jem'Hadar attack ships and found themselves outmatched, as the Jem'Hadar ships utilized phased polaron beams that were completely unimpeded by the shields of the Starfleet vessels.

USS Odyssey critically damaged

The destruction of the Odyssey.

Although Sisko was retrieved aboard the USS Rio Grande, the Odyssey was lost with all hands while attempting to withdraw when one of the Jem'Hadar ships rammed its main deflector. Sisko observed that the Jem'Hadar's kamikaze run was a demonstration of Dominion resolve, rather than tactical necessity. Back on Deep Space 9, Eris was exposed as a Dominion spy by Quark, which also revealed the Jem'Hadar offensive to be a ruse to plant her in Federation territory. Eris promptly beamed away, though not before warning Sisko, "You have no idea what's begun here." (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar")

Rising tensions

After the destruction of the Odyssey, Starfleet assigned the USS Defiant, a Federation warship originally built to battle the Borg, to Deep Space 9 with orders to seek out the Founders and convince them that the Federation posed no threat. The Defiant was equipped with a cloaking device loaned by the Romulan Star Empire, in exchange for all intelligence gathered on the Dominion. (DS9: "The Search, Part I")

Alynna Nechayev and Borath

Borath appears to collaborate with Admiral Alynna Nechayev in the Dominion simulation.

Soon after contacting the Karemma, an important client species of the Dominion, the Defiant was captured by the Jem'Hadar. The crew was brought to the Founders' homeworld in the Omarion Nebula and subjected to an elaborate simulation by Borath, meant to ascertain how the Alpha Quadrant would react to a Dominion incursion. The Dominion found that establishing a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant, even via ostensibly diplomatic means, would be met by strong resistance including the destruction of the wormhole. The Founders were revealed to be a race of Changelings dedicated to imposing order and security through universal conquest. Patient and far-sighted by nature, the Founders had initiated long-term plans to bring the Alpha Quadrant under their control. The Defiant was permitted to return to Deep Space 9 only through Odo's intervention. (DS9: "The Search, Part II")

The overt Dominion threat seemed to recede in the following months, though the Federation and neighboring powers regarded an invasion as only a matter of time and continued to make war preparations, such as the fortification of Deep Space 9. Starting in mid-2371, a relay station and a series of listening posts were established in the Gamma Quadrant to give advance warning of a Dominion fleet, though Dominion forces kept their distance. (DS9: "Visionary", "The Way of the Warrior", "In Purgatory's Shadow") Exploration and trade through the wormhole resumed despite the ever-present danger of Jem'Hadar attacks. (DS9: "Starship Down") Between 2371 and 2373, at least three Federation starships – the USS Maryland, the USS Proxima, and the USS Sarajevo – were lost in the Gamma Quadrant. (DS9: "In Purgatory's Shadow")

Infiltration and destabilization

Dominion quiescence however was deceptive, as multiple Changeling agents were insinuating themselves at the highest levels of the Federation, Klingon Empire, and other powers. Although Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Forces implemented sweeping security procedures to counteract Changeling infiltration, these measures proved ineffective and were easily co-opted by the Changelings. As a result, Alpha Quadrant governments would be repeatedly and often disastrously caught off-guard by Changeling activities during the lead-up to open war. (DS9: "The Adversary", "The Way of the Warrior", "Homefront")

Cardassian and Romulan fleet

The Tal Shiar-Obsidian Order fleet passes Deep Space 9.

The Dominion identified the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order, both efficient and ruthless intelligence agencies, as key targets. When they learned that Enabran Tain, former head of Obsidian Order, had proposed a joint plan to the Tal Shiar to cripple the Dominion by wiping out the Founders, they saw their own opportunity to eliminate both organizations in a single stroke. A Changeling assumed the identity of Tal Shiar Colonel Lovok and ensured that Tain's plan would be carried out. In late 2371, a secretly assembled fleet of 20 Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order warships bombarded the Founders' homeworld, only to find the planet deserted and 150 Jem'Hadar attack ships lying in wait. The fleet was annihilated, decimating the Tal Shiar and eliminating the Obsidian Order altogether. (DS9: "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast")

Shortly after the Omarion Nebula incident, another Changeling posing as Federation Ambassador Krajensky attempted to incite war between the Federation and the Tzenkethi by seizing control of the USS Defiant and using it to attack the Tzenkethi settlement on M'kemas III. The Defiant crew was able to neutralize the Changeling in time to avert war. (DS9: "The Adversary")

The fall of the Obsidian Order enabled the Cardassian dissident movement to topple the Central Command in early 2372, restoring the authority of the civilian Detapa Council and giving the Dominion another opportunity. A Changeling assuming the identity of General Martok convinced Chancellor Gowron that the Cardassian revolution was a Dominion plot, and that the Klingons must conquer the Cardassian Union to ensure their security. When the Federation Council inevitably condemned the unprovoked invasion, Gowron withdrew from the Khitomer Accords in response. Thus the Dominion shattered the Federation-Klingon Alliance, the main base of military power in the quadrant. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior")

Martok attacks Kodrak

General Martok is exposed as a Changeling.

Captain Benjamin Sisko managed to preserve the Cardassian state by sheltering the Detapa Council on Deep Space 9 and withstanding the subsequent Klingon siege. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior") Nevertheless, the ensuing Klingon-Cardassian War devastated the Cardassian Union. (DS9: "Return to Grace") The Martok Changeling proceeded to convince Gowron to lay a revanchist claim to the Federation Archanis sector in late 2372. Although Starfleet managed to expose Martok as a Changeling and secure a ceasefire with the Klingons in early 2373, tensions between the two former allies again erupted into open war later that year. (DS9: "Apocalypse Rising", "Nor the Battle to the Strong")

USS Lakota fired on by the Defiant

The USS Defiant engages the USS Lakota, crewed by Leyton loyalists.

Meanwhile, paranoia on Earth reached a fever pitch, especially after a Changeling bombed the Antwerp Conference in mid-2372. Admiral Leyton, long convinced that Federation President Jaresh-Inyo was ill-prepared to face the Dominion threat, attempted a military coup d'etat with a cadre of loyal Starfleet officers and the unwitting collusion of Starfleet Academy's Red Squad. In fact, there were only four Changelings on Earth and all evidence of an impending Dominion attack – including a planetary blackout – had been fabricated by Leyton as a pretext for seizing control. The USS Defiant reached Earth with evidence of Leyton's conspiracy, thwarting the coup and averting civil war. (DS9: "Homefront", "Paradise Lost")

By mid-2373, the Alpha Quadrant powers had been sapped by two years of conflict. Starfleet determined that its strength had been depleted to the point that there was no possibility of defeating the Dominion. When a large Dominion fleet was discovered hiding inside a nebula near the wormhole, Starfleet enacted a contingency plan to seal the wormhole using phase-conjugate graviton beams. Again, the Dominion turned this plan to its advantage – a Changeling posing as Doctor Julian Bashir sabotaged the beams to strengthen the wormhole instead, rendering it invulnerable to even trilithium explosives. With their lifeline to the Gamma Quadrant secured at last, the Dominion could fulfill its goal of launching a full-scale incursion into the Alpha Quadrant. (DS9: "In Purgatory's Shadow", "By Inferno's Light")

Dominion foothold

Dominion invasion

The Dominion invades the Alpha Quadrant.

Unexpectedly, the first wave of Jem'Hadar warships entering the Alpha Quadrant headed for Cardassian space. Gul Dukat announced that he had secretly negotiated the entry of the Cardassian Union into the Dominion, with himself as the new Cardassian leader. The Cardassian people, having suffered greatly and endured repeated humiliation at the hands of the Klingons and the Maquis, by and large embraced the Dominion. In three days, the Jem'Hadar forced the Klingons into general retreat and massacred the Maquis within the Demilitarized Zone. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light", "Blaze of Glory", "The Changing Face of Evil")

Believing a Dominion attack to be imminent, Sisko convinced Gowron to revive the Khitomer Accords. Starfleet and Klingon forces prepared to make a united stand at Deep Space 9, surprisingly joined by Romulan forces. The Dominion opted for a more devious approach – the Bashir Changeling attempted to induce the Bajoran sun to supernova, which would have wiped out Deep Space 9 and all three fleets at once. The USS Defiant prevented the Changeling from carrying out his mission, delaying the war for the time being. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light")

Having established a firm power base in the Alpha Quadrant, the Dominion began sending weekly convoys of warships, troops, and supplies to Cardassian space. The Dominion also began reaching out diplomatically to isolate the Federation and the Klingons, signing nonaggression pacts with the Miradorn, the Tholians, the Bajorans, and most significantly the Romulans. (DS9: "Call to Arms") Hostilities along the Cardassian border escalated, with the USS Tian An Men and the IKS B'Moth among the casualties. (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire", "In the Cards") With their strategic situation steadily deteriorating, Starfleet resolved to halt the flow of Dominion reinforcements by blocking the entrance to the wormhole with self-replicating mines. Despite subsequent posturing between Sisko and Weyoun, both sides knew this act would lead directly to war. While Deep Space 9 held back the Dominion attack long enough to activate the minefield, a Federation-Klingon task force advanced into Cardassian space and destroyed the Dominion shipyards at Torros III.

The Dominion War had begun. (DS9: "Call to Arms")