The subsequent power vacuum left in the absence of the Obsidian Order led to a coup on Cardassia, resulting in the overthrow of the Cardassian Central Command by the Detapa Council.īy manipulating frustrated warrior sentiments in the Klingon Empire, and implanting false information that the Cardassian change of government had been engineered by the Founders, the Dominion was able to trigger the Klingon-Cardassian War. By manipulating a plan originating with Enabran Tain, the Dominion completely destroyed the Obsidian Order and nearly completely destroyed the Tal Shiar at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula in 2371. The Dominion began to infiltrate the Alpha Quadrant with Changelings masquerading as important officials, in an attempt to destabilize the political landscape between the major powers. A Dominion invasion was widely regarded as inevitable, as the Founders were driven by a xenophobic need to exert absolute authority over all other civilizations. A state of cold war rapidly developed thereafter between several of the Alpha Quadrant's major powers and the Dominion. In 2370, first contact was officially made between the Federation and the Dominion, when the Jem'Hadar destroyed the Starfleet vessel USS Odyssey. Heavy, including at least 7 million Cardassian troops and 800 million Cardassian civiliansįollowing initial Alpha Quadrant expeditions into the Gamma Quadrant, rumors began to filter through of a ruthless race of conquerors known only as "The Dominion". Kimara Cretak Letant Velal Shinzon Kira Nerys Damar†įemale Changeling Weyoun 5, 7 and 8† Dukat Damar† ( rebelled) Broca† Gor Pran Raimus ( 2373) Notable commanders William Ross Benjamin Sisko Martok Gowron† Kor† Neral United Federation of Planets Klingon Empire Romulan Star Empire (from 2374) Bajoran Republic (from 2374) Cardassian Liberation Front ( 2375) Cardassian Union (from 2375)ĭominion Cardassian Union (until 2375) Breen Confederacy ( 2375) Son'a Orion Syndicate ( 2373)
It brings the series into peak focus and highlights the themes and compromises that the series has explored since the beginning. “In the Pale Moonlight” is regarded as one of DS9’s finest hours. And finally, he becomes an accessory to the unthinkable… He bribes men to cover the crimes of other men. Through a series of escalating events, Sisko begins to trample over every value he holds dear. One the Romulans learn about this “treachery” they will certainly join the Federation and Klingon alliance. They will fake Cardassian documents that detail the Dominion plan to conquer Romulus. Sisko recruits Garak to assist with his plan. Barring any sort of double cross from the Dominion, the Romulan leadership is content to sit out the war and see how the pieces fall. They have signed a nonaggression treaty with the Dominion in the hopes that the war will exterminate all of their enemies in one fell swoop. The Romulans are a difficult group to sway.
Desperate to turn the tide, Sisko hatches a plan to change the course of history: he will bring the Romulans into the war against the Dominion.
The death toll is rising, and daily casualty reports bring only bad news. The Federation continues to suffer defeat after defeat at the hands of the Jem’Hadar. The war against the Dominion is going poorly. Subscribe to the show with your preferred podcast app and never miss an episode! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More
In this podcast, Wes and Clay discuss the critically acclaimed episode and try to measure the RPM of Gene Roddenberry in his coffin! Plus! The guys talk about the ethics of “the needs of the many”, the joy of seeing a Romulan, and the problems with the final scene! Are the values of the Federation sacrosanct, or must he prove Section 31 correct? The war has taken many lives, and it just might take Sisko’s soul. In “In the Pale Moonlight”, Captain Sisko must decide how far he is willing to go to save the Alpha Quadrant. But the Romulans are hesitant to commit to the war, as they’ve cozied up to the Dominion in the hopes that the war eliminates all of their enemies. One last hope remains: to bring the Romulan Star Empire into the war effort against the Dominion. The Federation is suffering defeat after defeat, and the death toll is rising.