From the beginning, “Star Trek: Picard” was of course mainly a continuation of “Starship Enterprise: The Next Century”, after all, here we accompany the now aging ex-Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) on a new one space adventure, first with a new crew, now in season 3 in the form of a real revival with his old companions.
But “Picard” isn’t satisfied with that: With the inclusion of the former Borg Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in the main character ensemble, “Star Trek: Voyager” has also been linked since season 1. And the third season “Picard” now draws an even wider arc. So now THE big thread of “Star Trek: Deep Space Ninereview: The Dominion War.
So if you’re unfamiliar with the oft-underrated “Star Trek” series, or if it’s been too long since you last watched it, we’d like to provide at least some context on the intergalactic conflict that underlies the events of the third “Picard” – Relay play an important role. All seven seasons of ‘Deep Space Nine’ are currently streaming on Netflix, Paramount+ and RTL+.
What was the Dominion War?
The Dominion War was one of the most devastating, if not THE most devastating, conflicts in the “Star Trek” universe, claiming millions of lives. Here an alliance of the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and later the Romulan Empire faced the eponymous Dominionwhich was led by the so-called Founders and eventually made common cause with the Cardassians and the warlike Breen.
The founders are the changelings (Changeling in the original), who now also appear prominently in “Star Trek: Picard”, mysterious shapeshifters who can take on the appearance of countless species, but in their original form are a liquid mass and in their home planet merged into what is called the Great Junction, where they share thoughts and information.
Alpha Quadrant vs. Gamma Quadrant
However, the Dominion War did not happen overnight. Before the last eruption in 2373, tensions rose, initially in the form of a Cold War. It all started with the discovery of a stable wormhole near the planet Bajor and the new Federation-controlled outpost Deep Space 9 in 2369 (For a better classification of the whole dates, the third “Picard” season takes place about 30 years after the Dominion War, right at the beginning of the 25th century).
The wormhole represented a unique connection between the Alpha Quadrant of the Milky Way, home of the Federation Alliance, and a far corner of the Gamma Quadrant, home of the Dominion. What was initially seen as an opportunity and also used to establish new trade relationships in previously unreached areas of the galaxy quickly became a problem. Unenthusiastic about the newcomers, the Dominion, driven by a desire to dominate all other civilizations, finally decides to conquer the Alpha Quadrant.
From cold to open war
To this end, changelings are first introduced to the highest ranks of the races in the Alpha Quadrant to destabilize their systems. Soon, however, the disputes became increasingly open. The Federation eventually laid a minefield around the Bajoran wormhole to prevent any further Dominion resupply – to no avail. The Dominion eventually saw the act as a declaration of war and launched a major offensivewhich Deep Space 9 also quickly took over.
Thanks in no small part to the efforts of DS9 Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), the space station was quickly recaptured, but the Federation subsequently suffered several more serious defeats (such as the hostile takeover of Deanna Troi’s home planet Betazed). However, a turning point came when the Romulans, who had been neutral for a long time, agreed to support the Federation and the Klingons in the war.
Federation victory
Thanks to the Romulan fleet, a Founder Virus developed by Federal Intelligence Section 31, and the crumbling alliance with the Cardassians, the Dominion was increasingly cornered. Despite the impending defeat, one of the founders, who is the driving force behind the war effort, still wanted to inflict as many casualties on her enemies as possible.
In the end, however, it was shapeshifter and Deep Space 9 security chief Odo, who had long been unclear about his true parentage (Rene Auberjonois), who, as a link between the two factions, managed to convince the founder of a capitulation – provided that Odo returned to the Great Link and cured his people of that virus.
The Aftermath of the Dominion War
Although the Dominion subsequently withdrew from the Alpha Quadrant, the warring factions have long suffered the terrible effects of the conflict. And the whole thing also has long-lasting consequences for the Dominion, as “Picard” now shows. Here we learn that an anti-peace faction of changelings has split from the Great Link to continue fighting and infiltrating the Federation.
And that’s exactly what they’re looking for now for Picard and his former Enterprise crew. After all, among them is Worf (Michael Dorn), who has a lot of experience in the fight against shapeshifters as a crew member of both the Enterprise and Deep Space 9. And who knows: maybe there will finally be the long-awaited comeback of Sisko, who also fought on the frontline against the Dominion and was mentioned by name in the second season of “Picard”.
The coming weeks will show whether this really happens. New episodes of “Star Trek: Picard” appear every Friday in Germany on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+. Seven episodes are still pending in the current third and final season.