Jem'Hadar attack ship
| Founded | circa 7600 B.C. |
|---|---|
| Founder | The Founders |
| Home world | Kurill Prime, Gamma Quadrant |
| Official language(s) | Dominionese, (see Universal translator) |
| Currency | Isik |
| Affiliation | Vorta Jem'Hadar |
In the Star Trek universe, the Dominion is an interstellar state and military superpower from the Gamma Quadrant, composed of hundreds of dominated alien species. The Dominion is commanded by the Founders, a race of shapeshifters responsible for both the creation of the Dominion and all strategic decisions undertaken throughout its history. The Dominion is administered by the Vorta, clones specifically genetically engineered by the Founders to act as field commanders, administrators, scientists, and diplomats. The Jem'Hadar, also engineered by the Founders, are the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy during the Dominion's height.
The Dominion first appeared in Season 2, episode 26 "The Jem'Hadar" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and unsuccessfully waged war on the United Federation of Planets after silently annexing Cardassia in the Alpha Quadrant.
The Dominion incorporated a vast number of planets, and their resident species, into its military and civilian ranks, including:
Little is revealed regarding the Dominion's inner workings, other than the fact that the Jem'Hadar and Vorta fulfill the main military and administrative roles respectively.
The Dominion was established over two thousand years before the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, by the Changelings, a race of liquid life forms capable of shapeshifting, as a means of defending themselves against the widespread persecution they faced from humanoid races (whom they called "solids"). These Changelings genetically engineered a series of 'slave races' to act as the footsoldiers of their new empire, and were dubbed the Founders by their new creations.
The Dominion was unknown to the Alpha Quadrant powers until the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole in 2369, which facilitated exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. In 2370, Jem'Hadar troops annihilated numerous Bajoran and Federation colonies and ships in the Gamma Quadrant and captured Commander Benjamin Sisko, as the Dominion demanded the Federation stay on their side of the "anomaly". The lead Federation starship, the USS Odyssey, was destroyed by a kamikaze attack after the Federation rescued Sisko, as the Dominion demonstrated not only an ability to penetrate shielding, but a fanatical devotion to their cause as the suicide attack was made on a retreating ship, solely to drive the point home to the Federation. As a result of this incident the Federation pulled the USS Defiant out of storage (which was originally designed to combat the Borg), complete with a Romulan cloaking device, and began preparations for a drastic increase in Deep Space Nine's defensive capabilities.
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