What Happened After the Dominion War?

[@gmajor1273]

The Dominion war was definitely the most significant event in Star Trek history. They came the closest of any Federation enemies to beating them and Gul Dukat was just one Sisko visit to the wormhole Prophets away from pulling off the ultimate victory. Sisko saved the Federation with multiple well time actions from the initial help he got from the Prophets to working with Garak to trick the Romulans into joining the Federation and Klingon alliance.

[@D.M.S.]

Wolf 359?

[@gmajor1273]

@@D.M.S. Wolf359 was one short live event which resulted in far fewer lives and ships lost before the Federation was able to win than the Dominion war. It last for several years and as the video narrator explained the Federation actually lost member planets like Betazid before the victory was won. And even then the Federation needed a lost of help from the Klingons, Romulans, the Prophets and even the Kardashians after they revolted.

[@matheuscerqueira7952]

Didn't the Romulans get to the Solar system before being stopped by an early Starfleet? Anyway, I believe the first contact was the most significant, but the Dominion war is in the top 10

[@congnghequansuvn474]

In Star trek Discovery ss1 we see Star Fleet almost be defeated by the Klingon and section 31 was there to save the day or may be they who blow up Praxic. Then same thing happened during the Dominion war. And the Dominion will be sunk into civil war as their servants begin to question their godhood for accepting the treaty and the Founder begin to facture into many sub factions. As the two factions that come out of the war on top, the Federation and the Romulan, they are competitors. It may possibly that Section 31 have something to do with the Romulus star go supernova. Normally, the Romulan would have detected the problem for decades.

[@gmajor1273]

@@matheuscerqueira7952 First contact was a short lived single event. The Dominion war lasted for several years with multiple huge battles. It's not even close

[@juniravegaming8564]

Finally done dominion war clarification. Perfect timing since Picard is referenced it

[@matthewdavies2057]

Yes but the Picard founders look like 10lbs of raw liver.

[@FuckThisStupidHandleBullShit]

The big bad in Picarad S3 so far looks to be a changeling Im not 100% sold on this season being good but so far its not bad which is better than anything else as of late Im looking forward to seeing rest of season to see more changelings

[@GermanLeftist]

@@matthewdavies2057 They improved the effects and made them look more gross than what was possible for TV back in the 90s.

[@carlosrivas1629]

@@matthewdavies2057 better CGI? the ooze in the old one looked Cheaper.

[@Bird-Birdy-Love]

@@matthewdavies2057 To be fair while the founders transformative state back in ds9 was revolutionary at the time, its age is starting to show, the modern ones look more organic looking and it is the first upgraded race change that i think actually improves over the original showing. Not like the redesigned tellerite, klingons or future ferengi those things were like blah.

[@andybiz4273]

I was kind of hoping that the Changeling in Picard was in charge of the fleet that the Prophets removed, but then realized that there's not really any way a fleet that size could sneak into the quadrant quietly.

[@matheuscerqueira7952]

This plot point could give 2-3 good episodes

[@NitroDubzzz]

I was kind of hoping Picard would be good but of course it couldn't be because it was produced by untalented vultures

[@dickhardpicard]

@@NitroDubzzz better than anything you put out. Go make your own show. I'm still Canon. Deal with it.

[@snonsig2688]

​@@NitroDubzzz 3rd season is good so far

[@porkcracklins630]

@@NitroDubzzz I've liked it quite a bit. I'd put it ahead of Discovery, Enterprise, and Voyager.

[@SteveBlewett]

A note about Laas. He is likely dead. Odo was used as the original vector for the disease by Section 31 and they linked at times while Odo was unknowingly infected. The disease progresses proportionally to how much shapeshifting and Changeling does.

[@SardonicALLY]

That is very possible. Although, Odo could have sent a broad spectrum message out into the Galaxy informing Laas and other Changelings of the cure. We know Odo is detail oriented and he wouldn't have forgotten Lars.

[@vexile1239]

You encounter Laas in sto

[@Mister_Mag00]

im guessing he is running the rogue faction we just found out about in Picard

[@MrDeadsr]

@@vexile1239 STO isnt cannon. And according to Patrick Steward Picard is set in an alternate universe

[@vexile1239]

@@MrDeadsr sto is its own canon tho

[@loopslytle]

The subtle change in the diplomatic situations in all the mentioned quadrants would be worth further exploration. The Breen were lucky that harsher terms were not placed on them.

[@jeeshadow1]

I dont think anyone knew what to do with the Breen. Just something like "plz go away" sufficied

[@Bird-Birdy-Love]

The Breen only came in the last months of the war so they were not as heavily effected as the other major powers that fought in the war. They mostly just retreated back into their territory and based on what we saw in Lower Decks they are still raiding other planets for conquest much like they did in their old days. It would be interesting to follow them, maybe Lower Decks can use them as the new major enemy power now that the pakleds have pretty much destroyed their homeworld and are less of a threat. ( I do like they used them as the main enemy race in the first 3 seasons liek the kazones were for the first 2 of voyager, as they are such a perfect enemy for the series) But now is the time for higher stakes.

[@darthcole2584]

The Federation should’ve gone full Sherman on the Breen Confederacy.

[@CraicDealer]

I feel like the Dominion basically won the war. All of their power in their own quadrant remained and all they lost were their gains in the Alpha quadrant and a number of soldiers they didnt care about anyway, while the alpha quadrant was left in ruins

[@joshuahillerup4290]

Although if they had asked Bajor and the Federation to just follow their rules if they want to enter the Gamma Quadrant, I think they could have gotten that agreement much cheaper. They did lose a bunch of Founder lives in the war

[@AttilaDToth]

But they also lost any real advantage of expanding into the alpha quadrant, even if everyone on one side has to rebuild they now have experience fighting and winning against them and their quadrant is still open for federation influence. And since Section 31 proved they could make a weapon that could wipe out the founders, nothing stops them from making another or potentially worse one if deemed needed.

[@mrbojangles8133]

if one made a new show which saw an extra Galactic power having conquered the Dominion the Vorta, Founders and JH being wiped out would be a powerful enemy if they did so in a matter of weeks

[@matheuscerqueira7952]

@@mrbojangles8133 that's such a cheap and overused plot

[@matheuscerqueira7952]

@@joshuahillerup4290 They were technologically slower than the alpha quadrant. The Dominion existed for millenniums and were already slightly behind the Federation. Having such a big long term disadvantage doesn't sit well with control freaks

[@resofactor]

Was good to see Rene contribute to Star Trek:Online content before his passing.

[@Numba003]

Given that this event is sort of the end of the story for the old Trek shows chronologically, I enjoy getting to learn more about where things might've gone from there. Thank you very much for these videos. I love some good Trek lore. God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)

[@Numba003]

@Digitalismuk Do you have any good starting points you might recommend when it comes to the books?

[@kennethstark1117]

Yeeeesss! And now IDW is releasing an official sequel series with Benjamin Sisko! Great content as always!

[@robert23456789]

Who making it and dont upset me by saying that soy boy kruz men is making it

[@MyBrainGlows]

@@robert23456789 soy boy was so 2020 man

[@Sephiroth144]

Official and canon are vastly different, though

[@dickhardpicard]

Sisko? Pfftt I killed his wife.

[@UCannotDefeatMyShmeat]

@@MyBrainGlows how fetch

[@SwaySkits]

The issue with Laas is that since Odo was the unaware carrier of the virus that infected the great link before he met Laas, he was also unaware that he passed it onto Laas. So any link that Laas would have created with the other lost changelings would've been infected as well and eventually die.

[@yaburu]

I doubt someone as detail-oriented as Odo would just casually forget that he linked with Laas and infected him. He likely would have left instructions to somehow get a hold of Laas and let him know what happened. Bashir still had the cure. All Laas would have had to do was go to him.

[@Jedi_Scowen]

​@@yaburu Where would you start looking for Laas? His mistrust of solids would make it almost impossible to find him. Plus there would be a very short time to find him in. Assuming the virus was created to activate at a specific time, it appears to be the case in DS9, Laas would be as ill as Odo and the Great Link is at the end of the Dominion War. The Changlings didn't have long left at that point. An optimistic guess would give Odo and any other Changlings allowed to search for Laas about a year to find him.

[@tyrant-den884]

It's not unreasonable to think that Odo found a way to pass the cire onto them too, it just didn't warrant a full episode.

[@randybaumery-u5r]

@@Jedi_Scowen that's a great point.

[@Bionickpunk]

I am so glad the Dominion has become relevant again in recent Trek media.

[@jorgedavila4920]

That splinter faction is exactly what we seem to be getting in this season of Picard

[@lorekeeperxvii2408]

I really like the progression we see in STO. I may wish that we got more than fighting but those battles do lead to a large portion of the major powers of the entire galaxy working together. I mean while watching ds9 who would have thought that we would have seen the Romulans, Klingons, and the dominion all working together with the federation to save sol. I do feel the game gets the ideals of mutual cooperation right.

[@TurKlack]

Yes, because everyone just happily holds the others hands. STOs Worldbuilding is pathetic, which is a shame, since some of it's stories are decent. I like the Romulan Republic prologue and the Tzenketh as well as the Hurq Stories. Btw, I absolutely *hate* the Iconian War and the Time Travel Story.

[@smartgoku9048]

@@TurKlack to be fair the shit cbs put out in the last few years didn't help and the writing has been improving in sto, all the story up to the iconion war arc is a real slog but at least they haven't quite deleted much content. it's a real pain to find drozana station, nimbus and lost dominion arcs as a federation character.

[@doubt3430]

​@TurKlack most of the time travel stuff is mainly just Daniel's shenanigans The iconian war No shit everyone would work together A hostile race with a Dyson sphere filled to the brink with ships and troops Have been spying on the major powers and determining which races should be exterminated or subjugated With ships and troops that can literally appear Anywhere in the galaxy Yeah of course everyone would work together

[@pvtj0cker]

The worst thing after the Dominion War was the sharp decline in writing quality in the Star Trek universe.

[@Silverswitch1]

The Dominion War took its toll on the Alpha Quadrant. All the good writing resources were used in the War and it will take a long time to recover.

[@rayvenkman2087]

And retcons. Oh, the retcons...

[@kalzonenu]

Bah Enterprise (2001) after the first 5-8 episodes is way better than and characters more rich especially the texican. 😇 Also i would argue that first season and third season of Picard is pretty good althought it might be my member berries. Rest i can agree is pretty shitty especially discovery. 🤮

[@khaluu2000]

Why the mycelium subspace travel…..giving strong distasteful midoclorean vibes…just doesn’t feel the same…

[@usprulse]

Afther the dominion war, the casualties where the writers

[@jacara1981]

We do know from recent Picard episodes that some of the founders have indeed split off and are trying to restart the war.

[@danielboatright8887]

@@danielaramburo7648 Or at least gone into the gamma quadrant and liberated the subject species.

[@AP-jl3rs]

You gotta imagine though, the alpha quadrant struggled to take back their own quadrant by a force that was basically on their own for some time. To assault in the heart of the Dominion would have definitely been a long, drawn-out, and extremely bloody battle

[@voxpopuli7910]

@@AP-jl3rs and probably the dominion would have won in their own territory, if the federation had that hard of a time dealing with a group that was essentially on its own, yeah pretty hard a Federation victory in Dominion space

[@WaveForceful]

@@AP-jl3rs The Dominion were pretty much given a foothold by the Cardassians, without this they would have had to have punched through the wormhole by force against DS9 and the Federation fleet stationed there.

[@ausername7470]

I don't take anything from Picard as Cannon, mainly because those who write the stories don't truly care about the lore of Star Trek.

[@rainer1980]

I've read that Cardassia would with a lot of help from The Federation to rebuild their planet might look something like Japan's change in culture, and booming economy after the U.S. guided it during, and after occupation. The outcome of The Dominion War kind of seems more similar to what happened after The Korean War because North Korea was left intact, the pre-war borders were restored, but neither side really gained anything except stronger, more streamlined militaries.

[@volbound1700]

I am surprised someone didn't go after the Breen. In my follow-up series, I had a rogue Federation fleet defect and start a war and they targeted the Breen for their attack on Earth and for being "traitors".

[@Alteringrealitystudios]

Great choice Rick as usual. I was wondering what had happened after that. I get a few hints from your online gaming vids but thanks for the actual info.

[@casbot71]

What about the Romulan anti Founder technology? The device that prevented Odo from being able to shapeshift and thus caused "issues" when it was bucket time … If that could be extrapolated into a large area field then Founder infiltration would be very difficult.

[@Zennybuddha]

I believe that was Cardassian tech from the Obsidian Order. The changeling impersonating the Tal Shiar guy Lovok was angry that he wasn’t aware of it (first clue for me that he wasn’t really a Romulan). If anyone has that tech now it would be the dominion.

[@casual_polaroid]

Thanks for the great video. I always wondered what happened after the Dominion War. I find that very exciting. That the Dominion had to withdraw completely from the Alpha Quadrant is clear. But was the Federation allowed to fly through the wormhole into the Gamma Quadrant? After all, that is Dominion territory. I also find the topic with Laas very exciting. There are just so many issues with the development after the war. The open theme with the missing Dominion fleet (2800 vessels, wow!) in the wormhole is also great. Man, I love all topics with DS9 and the Dominion.

[@yourseatatthetable]

Easy, they all lived in peace and harmony, meeting twice a month to hold hands and dance around an exotic meadow under a six moon sky. And then...

[@yourseatatthetable]

The Ferengi rose up and bought the universe...

[@michaelmutranowski123]

I like to think that the Vorta that Odo traveled with were Weyoun, Kivan, and Yogrin and that Odo came back to the Alpha Quadrant to bid on Quarks body after Quark's death. Odo then used Quark's remains to clone Quark and uses these clones to fulfill his desires by throwing the clones in prison and/or killing them. We know from that one episode of Star Trek: Voyager that killing holograms on the Holodeck is not the same thing as killing a real flesh and blood being.

[@mc-zy7ju]

Thought Laas would have been unknowingly infected by Odo with the virus and died somewhere else.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

I thought the same

[@matheuscerqueira7952]

Exactly. That's what happened and I won't believe in other versions

[@woogha]

Maybe he survived somehow and that's why some certain changelings look gross, and meaty.

[@keithtorgersen9664]

I also wonder about the other 98 infant changelings who have yet to return

[@woogha]

@@keithtorgersen9664 Odo tried to raise one.

[@jeffreyatlee8785]

Watching this after Picard S03E05 makes it more awesome.

[@firstcynic92]

There was only one loser in the Dominion War, the Cardassians. The Dominion got the Feddies out of their territory. The Klingons got more territory. The Federation got a moral victory. The Romulans got to look good. The Breen kept their isolation.

[@crownprincesebastianjohano7069]

The Cardassians may have lost 800+ million dead, and Cardassia Prime, Chintaka and Septimus III devastated, but they actually didn't lose any territory by the terms of the Treaty of Bajor, and inherited all that Dominion Tech and an enormous industrial base. After being behind the other powers all this time, they are now effectively caught up, and once they've rebuilt, they are actually much better off than they were. Thanks to the Dominion Tech, plus a deep peak at Federation, Romulan, Klingon and Breen technologies, they no longer need to expand toward Federation space for resources, they can now easily run an export economy with the resources of Cardassian space. There was also no long-term military restrictions on Cardassia, so they would be able to rebuild much of their fleet with new designs and finally become a peer of the other two powers, while devoting their energies to non-fascist, not expansionary pursuits. Basically they can become post-War Japan.

[@funkervogt47]

​@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 I thought Cardassia was resource-poor, which is why they took over Bajor.

[@funkervogt47]

The Breen suffered major losses of ships and troops but gained no territory.

[@firstcynic92]

@@funkervogt47 And lost no territory. And are known for giving the Federation a seriously bloody nose in their attack on Earth. And are responsible for the biggest defeat of Federation and Klingon forces in the war.

[@Svevsky]

the star trek galaxy is pretty sparsely populated though. most non-homeworld colonies in any nation are tiny outposts with sometimes only a few thousand residents. cardassians, like most species in star trek, have the vast majority of their population on their homeworld. so, if you assume that the entire cardassian population would be around 20 billion pre war, losing 800 million is an apocalyptic loss of life that may take centuries to recover from. mind you, our modern estimates of deaths in a nuclear war average on about 300 million deaths, and thats considered an actual end of civilization event

[@GundamFireStorm]

That was my favorite part of STO, the diminion ships coming back and then the new missions into the Gamma quadrant. Very fun! Very replayable! I was actually invested un the game, rather than skip skip skip, spacebar space bar space bar, pick loot, repeat.

[@Bird-Birdy-Love]

Im just finally happy that we are now finally having follow ups to the dominion war. This was one of the major beefs i had with modern trek, how could you proceed with the series going forward without mentioning the biggest event that effected the powersin the alpha and beta quadrant ever? They just treated it like it never happend yet we know that it must have had major effects on it i mean heck Wolf 359 effects are still being felt decades later and that was far smaller in scale than that as it effected not just one power but everything in 3 quadrants of the galaxy. Now we learn that a splinter faction has formed within the Dominion and are hell bent on revenge and this has probably the biggest interesting story i have had in modern trek since the 90's trek era.

[@MaraIndigoJade]

Yeah, it certainly is noticeable in it's absence from PICARD and even LOWER DECKS. I assume, I haven't seen LD but there haven't been any videos online referencing any new details that may have come out in it. The most striking is the latest episode of PICARD (Ep 4 - 'No Win Scenario') where the Titan-A captain, Shaw, reveals he was at WOLF359 when the battle took place and has a major bit of survivors guilt, apparently. Yet, you never hear anyone talking about the friends/family they lost in the Dominion War. I mean, whole lists were released every day/week and posted in DS9 with the dead, as seen on the show! But even though it's closer to PICARDs time than WOLF359, you still don't hear a peep about it. Almost like it's not part of canon they can use for the show. Very strange. There's a LOT of stuff that can be used during the war yet they remain fixed on picking at WOLF359 instead even though we have whole episodes and games based on the battle! (STAR TREK: BORG) Personally, I'd like to know what the Enterprise and crew were doing during the entire war? -For complete transparency (and the record), there IS a PC game that was released in 2001 called 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars' which you can still find here and there. However, beyond the fact that when it released it was so full of bugs and glitches that it was nearly impossible to play until patched (some things never change), I believe a lot of the stuff in the game itself was randomized for gameplay purposes or not considered canon anymore. **shrugs**

[@stevieturner9338]

Thanks again Rick for the informitive video. Really enjoyed it.

[@antarfodoh]

I really enjoyed how things with the Dominion played out in STO!

[@kaitlyn__L]

I’m not sure if it was really necessary to the overall point, but the fact that the Karemma delegation in Lower Decks was the first trade talks with the Dominion since the war backs up the idea that diplomacy has been icy. Also it’s funny how many comments are talking like you don’t know Picard S3 is happening, when I figure you just wrote it that way to acknowledge it without spoiling anyone who hasn’t seen it yet lol

[@hatfield4805]

Another great vid

[@nikkihavers6432]

Why does no one address the fact that Odo linked with Laas after he had been infected by section 31, which means either Laas died from the disease alone, or if he did form his own mini-link that that would have suffered the disease.

[@Tylerpierre99]

The sad thing about Laas is that although he was a xenophobe, he did leave Odo to search for other Changelings. If Laas is infected with the virus, he may pass that onto any of the other 100 Infant Changelings out there that Laas meets, despite the fact that they had nothing to the War or the genocide. Though Laas was a lost cause as far as his ability to trust or care for any solids because he was so prejudiced.

[@edtierney6076]

Good timing with its reference in Picard S3

[@DavidCodyPeppers.]

I really enjoy your content. Peace! \o/

[@christopherirvin2177]

Interesting timing given Picard session 3 recently dropped.

[@miriamlana833]

I think if the Borg survive their encounter with Species 8472, some day there will be a war between them and the Dominion. If not between Species 8472 and the Dominion.

[@ryank5424]

I personally prefer bajor staying independent but a federation ally. It would also make more sense being only a few years since the occupation.

[@ARCCommanderOrar]

I would love to see a series set in this era

[@darklordmalthric3633]

What about a Klingon series, and maybe an exploration of the beta exploration of the Beta Quadrant

[@revanlord05]

I would love to see a Romulan Series, It's something that needs to be explored, it is said that after the Romulan Star Empire, there were many breakaway states following Hobus Supernova, with the "Romulan Free State" being the more powerful because of the Tal'Shair, An Romulan Series would be perfect on exploring that side. Hell, any series that isn't Starfleet Focused would be welcome.

[@ARCCommanderOrar]

I do agree we need some series with the "bad guys" as the protagonist.

[@darklordmalthric3633]

@@ARCCommanderOrar not all Klingons are bad guys, but a Star Trek series focused on the bad guys would be interesting

[@ARCCommanderOrar]

@@darklordmalthric3633 didn't say they were :) but they are the antagonists in several

[@biggysmith]

this is all well and good but what about quark's short term quarterly gains after the war?!?

[@Т1000-м1и]

Amazing stuff

[@90lancaster]

I hope they add a wildcard factor to ST Picard as otherwise as Ric' points out they are immortals if you know you have more time ahead of you than you have behind (millenia) then you'd be very risk averse and only the collective consciousness aspect of the great link would keep you in moral check. For rogue Changelings I can see a promise of being welcomed back to the great link is a reason they would risk their life for as living without it is a prison sentence not a life... unless they learn to "adapt". which is likely possible as Odo did.

[@TyberiusDe]

I had this on my watch later from when this dropped, and in the meantime all of the card season 3 played, and it would like a word

[@robingrube3495]

i wonder what would happen if ARMUS were to be taken from vagra II by section 31 and poured into the laas link? personally i think would make for an interesting ark in STO. think about it: you and your away team transport to the surface of Orias, only to find that all plant life is corrupted/destroyed, and in the place of the laas link, a jet black lake, and from the center of that lake a humanoid figure slowly rises and walks directly towards you. the figure has an appearance of a inky black human silhouette, nothing can be seen on its face save for a wide sharp toothed grin (think venom but no eyes or spider emblem) and to your horror, you find out that all vorta and jem'hadar formally controlled by the laas link have been transformed into armus infused zombies. armus reveals to you that his ultimate goal is to go to the great link and absorb it, thus transforming himself into a dark god of destruction and chaos. what are your thoughts on my "armus ark" idea?

[@nickmitsialis]

there is a fan 'Y/T Audio drama' that supposes that a Dominion outpost remained on Turkana IV, Tasha Yar's home planet. The residents were happy that the Jem'Hadar put down the violent gangs and preserved order on the planet. It's been unfinished for quite a while but makes for an interesting listen.

[@Svevsky]

the jem'hadar are such a competent police force that they turned space detroit into a functioning civilization

[@nickmitsialis]

@@Svevsky quite! Their standard position was stand down or suffer the consequences

[@BigB14]

A day doesnt seem long enough for a complete withdrawal. Did the writers think that one through?

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

If their "gods" order it, then the Vorta & Jem'Hadar are going to make it happen.

[@d.b.4671]

TV Tropes: Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense Of Scale.

[@Svevsky]

afganistan was pretty quick, but thats usually considered an embarassing failure of planning

[@fumarc4501]

I’m also curious about the Alpha Quadrant’s new mini great Link and how it will develop as time goes on.

[@cleanerben9636]

Everyone made friends and all lived happily ever after!

[@OverG88]

Yeah man. This sort of a childish writing is really grinding my gears sometimes. Dominion was still strong af! It was only Cardassian army that was obliterated. Dominion still had a huge offensive power.

[@doninkansas-jr5yw]

There should be a new DS9 series picking up 20 years after the previous series ended. Bring back a few of the old crew (Kira would be a MUST). There are an endless number of storylines.

[@chissstardestroyer]

It does stand to reason that post Voyager's return from the Delta Quadrant in Star Trek's canon; the Romulan Star Empire swept into the Delta Quadrant and took the Borg completely out of action; as it seems as though that's where they got the resources to set up the scams in the early "Picard" series for one example- plus the Rihannsu Imperium is one *extremely opportunistic* society, as well as incredibly predatory, and the Borg were really on the ropes very soon after Janeway disabled the Borg Transwarp network. *Added* to that, there's "Hugh" and his line about the Borg now being basically slaves to be warehoused, used, or eradicated as their neighbors deem necessary., and the Romulans are quite well known to enslave those they subdue. Plus, we've got the legacy of Commander Shinzon's campaigns, both in the Dominion front *and* apparently his devastation of the Borg Collective as well- prior to his use of a radiological weapon to subjugate the Romulans, a campaign shown clearly canonically in the movie "Nemesis" where his operations go badly off-kilter and he ends up dying due to his operations.

[@uttermanbo]

The Dominion would have likely never came to the Alpha Quadrant had The Federation stopped using the wormhole to explore the Gamma Quadrant. They weren't like the Borg. But once they did invade, they hammered the Federation to near submission. Had it not been for the "Evil" Section 31, the Federation would have been brought to heel. Once you subject your people to the horror of war, you have two options. You can surrender, ask for the best terms to save lives. Or you can go full bore until you bring your opponent to surrender. That's not gonna happen without death, destruction, and crossing multiple moral lines. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villian. Remember history is written by the victors. Both sides have children, and are just looking to survive.

[@michaelgatford6194]

Interesting with what you suggested going into Picard Season 3.

[@JCtechwizard]

Small correction: Odo and Laas were part of the hundred, 100 infant changelings sent out by the Founders, not 200.

[@AceofSpadesWTF]

Yes I noticed that as well, glad I wasn't the only one. Great video though, makes me want to give Star Trek Online a go

[@OwenLeBlanc-l7h]

I wouldn't mind seeing a story where the young alpha quadrant link starts a war and the UFP reaches out to the dominion to help stop it to avoid hurting or killing any changlings. It could be a nice development in the story showing the dominion that solids can care about peace with them.

[@Adiddy927]

Think of Cardassia as Japan doing WWII. Probably was the same after Dominion War.

[@robotechsto1984]

Sounds like you haven't seen the latest episodes of Picard, as their is a splinter group of changlings that are trying to re-start the war in the show.

[@jeeshadow1]

I mean he has a review of episode 3 up, so I guess maybe this video was to far in development for him to feel the need to edit it to include the previous episodes?

[@robotechsto1984]

@@jeeshadow1 true

[@Bird-Birdy-Love]

These videos were recorded weeks before their airing, so there was not much to edit the new info, he will probably do an upgraded version after the series ends and we see the outcome of it.

[@casual_polaroid]

please don't get my hopes up that I'll see a Dominion fleet, perhaps hidden in a nebula. Seeing that would be intense for me.

[@ChrundleTGreat]

I have a dealing the “LAAS Link” is what is fighting the Federation in Picard season 3!!

[@AndyHerbert254]

Thank you for not mentioning the mess that was PIC s3's "changelings". If you'd want to consider that canon, the best explanation is that those shapeshifters weren't founder changelings but starfleet had to use what they knew from the changelings to understand them, having encountered so little complete shapeshifters. In only the dumbest fanfiction would the dominion ally with the Borg in a 20 year long campaign to take over starfleet by rewriting the DNA of only young starfleet officers, and then hack every starship because it just so happened starfleet broke principles of independent crews to make some single minded fleet...

[@keithtorgersen9664]

On a random topic, Rick is so consistent with his work, that when Tim occasionally fills in, I’m like what madness is this?? Not that Tim does a bad job at all, just that hearing his voice instead of Rick’s, throws me off.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Tim?

[@keithtorgersen9664]

@@kaitlyn__L He's the guy who comes on really very rarely, I am assuming that it is if Rick is maybe ill or on vacation. But his voice is very different from Rick's so that you can tell it is someone completely different.

[@ozelhassan8576]

I wonder, did you create this episode because of Picard Season 3 episode 4 as there is changelings in that episode, if not well that’s a interesting coincidence.

[@martinbennett8752]

Section 31 was reviled, but the end to the Dominion War came about not because the combined Klingon/UFP/Romulan fleet (with the Cardassians who changed sides) beat their way to Cardassia, since the 'female' changeling had declared that she would make any victory for the opposing forces as bitter as defeat, but because Odo was able to share his experiences/cure for the disease S31 had engineered, and persuade her to end things. (Which I always though was a little anti-climactic). Had S31 NOT given them the disease, it is doubtful that the female would have capitulated simply because Odo had some good (and bad) experiences with the solids. S31 was fulfilling its remit to deal with threats to the UFP, and the Founders purpose for the war was to subjugate the Alpha quadrant, which by the end included the mass extermination of the population of Earth - as well as the mass executions on Cardassia to eradicate ITS population ordered by the Female Changeling. When dealing with an enemy which wants to reduce you to slavery or just kill you it's hard to justify a softly softly approach.

[@1337penguinman]

Notice even Section 31 didn't initiate biological warfare against the Dominion until after the horrors of the Blight had been revealed. Seems to be a kind of poetic justice to me.

[@vincenthickey8622]

Skrreea race wasn't mentioned. I think that was an oversight. The Sanctuary episode was important about how the Federation treats refugees. It was a shame this was one shot and no follow up and what happened to them.

[@chrisstetsko5020]

You completely left out all of the events of STP:S3 with the renegade Changelings forming a devil's bargain with the surviving Borg. But I agree too, I would like to see the Laas and the 200 story in canon as that never was fully explored.

[@Sheepy19801]

I didn't like DS9 until Worf joined, now I consider it the best Star Trek

[@casbot71]

The other question is what happened to the Cardassians (in their territory)? The Cardassian "Empire" is broken and vulnerable, their best option would be to become a Federation 'vassal' and try to eventually join the Federation. That would provide them protection and much needed help in rebuilding. To stand by themselves, right next to the Kligons, would not be a smart move. And with most of their military and government wiped out by the Dominion in the last hours of the war, they would have had a major internal shift in their power structure - it had just been systematically eliminated!!

[@JubeiKibagamiFez]

I wonder if The Dominion actually want a peaceful relationship with The UFP or the Alpha Quadrant..... Everyone knows the old saying, "Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer."

[@iHusk]

"Well you see son there's this thing called Thalaron Radiation..."

[@generichardson4771]

in the final episode sisko gives his approval as the emmisary for bajor to join UFP

[@lyianx]

i think S3 Picard is going to add.. or change alot of what you said about what they are doing now.

[@ldl1477]

An alpha + gamma quadrant teamup Vs the Borg would be kinda nifty.

[@charlestownsend9280]

I actually like the idea that bajor remains independent but has very close ties to the federation, sort of the Sweden or Norway to the EU. With the federation being trading partners and helping with any issues related to the wormhole and cardassians. Maybe they join at some point in the future when it's more necessary but so soon after occupation they want to be independent for a bit and provee themselves before joining the federation.

[@GermanLeftist]

Sweden is an EU member.

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

Sweden is an EU member and is joining NATO.

[@enisra_bowman]

@@michaelgreenwood3413 and the primary reason Norway isn't in the EU is because of the Oil Speaking of the EU, we see how reeeally well it goes for some hypocritical Islanders, spoiler, not very much

[@STNuevo]

Based on Memory Alpha, Odo was infected with the morphogenic virus at 2372 and he met Laas at 2375.

[@locker1325]

Fantastic summary of events since the war. I didn't particularly like DS 9 but I still hung on every word.

[@eddiehancockii]

Picard may pick up on some of this. Spoiler alert, it's definitely being "hinted at"...... i think there definitely could be an update on this video soon.

[@Rasc0117]

Do you have a video on the lost 2800 Dominion warships in your Star Trek Online playlist?

[@thecynicaloptimist1884]

When I was doing fan-fics of what I'd do for a post-Dominion War show, I had these ideas: The United Federation of Planets was shaken up. Starfleet became far more militarised and even divided its fleet into three blocks: science vessels, multipurpose vessels, and combat vessels. It would have had to have done so to guarantee that worlds like Betazed and Benzar would remain in the Federation, since they would now be questioning whether to secede and maintain neutrality to guarantee their security if another major war broke out. So the Federation would have to be dealing with potential secessionists on worlds occupied during the war. It's still a utopia, but it's now a utopia with teeth. The Romulan Star Empire would have undergone gradual but wide-reaching change. Remus enthusiastically supported the war (think Shinzon) in the hopes it would gain them more equality (similar to India in WW1 with Britain), but ultimately did not, resulting in simmering resentment. Spock's reunification movement would have gained power as veterans returning from the war with a newfound respect for their Federation and Klingon allies started questioning whether their policy of hostility was really worth it. This would have led to division in Romulan society; with Remans, Spock's reunification movement, and war veterans on one side, and traditionalist elements on the other. The Klingon Empire would have been severely battered. Martok would have led a massive restoration of Klingon society which began to value all classes of society, similar to the Meiji Restoration of Japan. It simply could no longer afford to be warrior-driven. There would now be different castes to society that held equal standing in the Klingon High Council. It would have also had to deal with many internal rebellions from worlds which saw their chance to assert independence in the face of a weakened Klingon fleet. The Cardassian Union would have been the worst hit. They would be occupied after the war _a la_ Germany after WW2. Like Germany, the Allied forces would have poured a lot of resources into rebuilding Cardassia as a reliable ally moving forward, with the Federation & Klingons working to outmanoeuvre the Romulans. Maybe also the Ferengi Alliance would have gained inroads here too, helping to rebuild Cardassia's economy but with Ferengi mercantile influence in their society now. A peaceful civilian government would have taken control, and a treaty with the Federation would have been signed. The Federation would become a mediator between the Cardassians and the Klingons, essentially.

[@joshuariddensdale2126]

If you haven't already, you should read the Typhon Pact and The Fall arcs of the post-Nemesis novels. Some of what you say actually happens to an extent. The Federation does shift from exploration to military actions following the Borg Invasion arc. It's only after tensions with the Typhon Pact cool down does Starfleet resume exploration missions. After Shinzon's death, the Romulan Empire splits in two. Donatra convinces half the empire to secede and form the Imperial Romulan State, while Tal'Aura succeeds Shinzon as ruler of the Romulan Star Empire. Andor secedes from the Federation as a result of vital genetics data being deliberately withheld from them. Only after Bashir goes behind the Federation's back and gives them the data do they re-join the Federation.

[@Mentatskillz]

What happened after is that the writing and competent studios gave up on Star Trek.

[@paradoxstate5018]

I've often thought there must be powers in the Gamma Quadrant that make the Dominion pause otherwise they would own it, like in the Apha, Beta Quadrants and the Delta Quadrant no one single power holds sway though I'd argue the Borg almost did in the Delta Quadrant

[@ryanarment5393]

The dominion seemed to come out of the war on top. They only lost their alpha quadrant gains, military resources that were manufactured primarily in the alpha quadrant, and only had one leader surrender herself to be tried. Their original territory was left in tact, they suffered no loss to their infrastructure, and their political structure remained. The alpha quadrant powers suffered huge losses in life, and resources. The entire political landscape of every political power was altered, the cardassians were reduced from a powerful empire to a single world whose population was drastically reduced. Even the federation was destabilized to an extent.

[@tyrant-den884]

Isn't that exactly what happened in Picard?

[@Marconius-SPQR]

Would have loved to see Admiral Marcus' ship 'Vengance' jump into the scrum. 😁👍

[@pcheintz7264]

Always wondered what would have happened had the founders encountered the commaloid species, the one from Star Trek VI, the changeling Kirk encountered at the Klingon prison planet of Rura Pente.

[@haroldchase4120]

Welp given the reveal In Picard I’d say the founders are quietly in a Civil War

[@raybarry4307]

I'd love to sit across from Jean-Luc and politely & Silently watch him explain again how Star Fleet Isn't a "military organization" You're on JLP, have at it. You have my full attention.

[@tomaszwitkowski9507]

So, basically, return of Voyager is end of canonical Star Trek history. Everything else is jar jar abrams', bad reboot's and kurzguy's bad fanfic.

[@Rorschachqp]

I mean, yeah, pretty much.

[@ImYourOverlord]

Precisely.

[@stevengalloway8052]

Odo also provides a sort of balance to the whole thing... 🤔

[@Nerad137]

"They had made many enemies and it wasn't like they could just turn the other cheek and disband their military." Star trek still makin that subtle social commentary.

[@victorcerqueira7253]

You're missing the shapeshifter on Discovery in the future

[@oculosprudentium8486]

On a side note, I'm still always left wondering why the main decks of the Federation ships are so thin, only having just maybe 3 or 4 decks. In my opinion they should be at least 10 to 20 decks deep/tall as you can then carry more crew and have more spaces for other things and labs and also have more cargo spaces and shuttles. Also who says that the Federation starships can't run passenger services as well. In an earlier KZbin video of the blue prints of the Enterprise D, it showed it had massive floor spaces and empty spaces, so why not utilize them more efficiently and add more floors, shuttles and cargo spaces.

[@davidwheeler7895]

Great video, but I have one question. Lars linked with Odo so why didn't he get sick and spread it to the other changelings that he linked with?

[@McbrideStudios]

I never understood why the federation decised to build a race of robotic workers instead of just building automated ship yards or a giant replicator.

[@carloschristanio4709]

Poor writing

[@jmd1743]

If we were to get a new star trek series about the changelings then I would prefer something like 8:30 and not the Dominion war 2 because I never really liked the idea of shows trying to cash in on nostalgia. I would rather explore new concepts. Look at the Star Gate Series and their Ori faction, it's basically a catholic Goa'uld faction. A good idea for a new Star Gate series would instead be the disclosure of the Star Gate program to Earth's societies with the intention of opening up colonies. I actually think that such a idea would solve a lot of the real life mental health problems we see today by giving anyone with a pulse a purpose in life that isn't a 9-5 wage slave life style for the next 40 years. The problem with Stargate is that the good guys became too powerful and any serious nerf to that power would take such disbelief which also leads to a difficulty of what do you with the next series once those OP abilities were restored as well as strengthened. Not even in Star Trek could the federation travel to another galaxy within a few hours like they can in Stargate: Atlantis.

[@Jeff-dp1uo]

Are the new changelings part of the 100 that were sent out with Odo

[@badwolfgooddog7979]

What if the rebel faction of the changelings have joined forces with the pah wraiths (the rebel faction of the wormhole aliens)

[@blacktronpavel]

No follow up from Picard Season 3?

[@justinhammer3196]

Now that the good Borg have joined the Federation ala Picard season 2 Star Fleet should be set.

[@GreyhawkGrognard]

Did they ever explain why Laz didn't have the same virus that Odo gave the female Founder? He was presumably infected when he and Odo linked.

[@colin8696908]

Holy crap, they made a book about the battle for betazed.

[@Kian2002]

I would thought Laas dead from the Section 31 disease implanted in Odo when they linked unless that visit to Starfleet medical was long afterwards?