The Best of 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' - The Dominion War

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I have always loved what the Star Trek universe has stood for when it comes to where we are as a culture and where we could go. The idea of a planet free of war, famine and quite frankly hatred is an alluring one for certain. Yet I have always appreciated Trek's darker side when it manages to appear.  

I think that despite the wonder of a peaceful world and a Federation of planets that just so happens to look great on film, in reality there are always human elements in our society that feel their idea is better than those around them, and while that may be an article unto itself, it's relevant for today's blog in the respect that we don't always see eye to eye and when it comes to the 24th Century and this storied franchise, there are some species that have no love for the Federation and its ideals and that led to something Trek fans had never seen before...war. Yes we as fans had heard about it. We know the Federation and the Romulans went at it at some point along with other species, but we never saw all out war in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants until the Dominion arrived in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

For those who missed out, the Dominion was in a nutshell, ruthless. A race led by shape shifting changelings who would stop at nothing for complete and utter power over any species they encountered. They believed that solid body species were inferior in every way and with their endless armies of genetically engineered warriors known as the Jem'Hadar they came calling in the Alpha Quadrant and it led to all out war.  

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The Dominion War became a prevalent story line in Deep Space Nine for the last two years of the show and it was nothing short of brutal. It saw the death of Jadzia Dax and countless other Starfleet personnel as war ravaged the Federation. Heck there was even a point where Starfleet Command was attacked by the Breen near the end of the series.  

But what made this to me, one of the best parts of the Star Trek legacy is simple. It challenged everything that the Federation stood for. There was treachery. There was bloodshed and tough decisions that had to be made in a time when peace and diplomacy had worked so well. The characters were challenged on levels I had never seen before in the Trek universe and it was nothing short of incredible because the Federation found a way endure when it seemed unlikely that Starfleet would be able survive an enemy this powerful. 

Case in point, the opening six episodes of Season Six. Which saw Sisko and his crew fighting the war on the front lines and this story arc included a powerful two part finale wherein Starfleet suffered major losses in jaw dropping combat that saw proud and beautiful Federation ships burning in space. But what mattered most to me, was the fact that some of the best stories in the series came out of the war and while it offended some fans of the show, I'm glad it happened. It was a fine reminder that evil does exist and is out there and sometimes, people have no choice but to take a stand, and that's a damn positive message to find in such a dark and brutal war.  

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