Dominion (Star Trek)

In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Dominion is a Gamma Quadrant state, consisting of many different races. They are commanded by The Founders, who are shape-shifters[?]. They made official First Contact with the Federation in 2370 when Commander Sisko[?] of Deep Space 9[?] was captured, and the main ship of the rescue party, the Galaxy-class USS Odyssey, was destroyed by Dominion forces. Open hostilites began in late 2373 when the Dominion moved on strategic outpost Deep Space 9, while the Federation and Klingons simultaneously invaded and destroyed a Dominion ship yard; this was the start of the 2-year Dominion War. After an initial tit-for-tat, the Federation and allies began to loose heavily until a major assault force was organized to retake Deep Space 9. This force was met just outside the Bajor system by Dominion fleet twice its size; the resultant battle is known as the Battle of Bajor and was portrayed in the Star Trek: Deep Space 9 episode "Sacrifice of Angels". After the major upset of Federation victory at Bajor, the war was again more tit-for-tat, with a successful Dominion invasion of Betazed and a successful Federation/Klingon/Romulan invasion of Chin'toka. The war finally ended in late 2375 when Federation, Klingon, and Romulan forces overwhelmed the Dominion and their allies near Cardassia Prime. Important races in the Dominion are the Vorta[?], the negotiators, and the Jem'Hadar[?], the soldiers.

The Dominion threat in the Alpha Quadrant came to full force when Gul Dukat[?] announced the Cardassians' alliance, giving the Dominion a strong foothold in the quadrant. This threat was met by an alliance between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, who were eventually joined by the Romulans. The war eventually came to head, however, when the Cardassians, upset with their position in the Dominion, began to rebel shortly after the Breen allied with the Dominion. The Dominion was finally defeated when, during a final onslaught by the Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance, the Cardassian fleet turned and assisted in the assault on Cardassia[?].