Federation Politics

24th century

Gamma Quadrant

• Bajoran Wormhole discovered May 2369, opening a pathway for Starfleet to begin exploration into the Gamma Quadrant
• Early contacts with wormhole-local civilizations — the Wadi, the Hunters, the Rakhari — largely neutral to negative (DS9: "Move Along Home", "Captive Pursuit", "Vortex")
• First rumors of the Dominion reached the Alpha Quadrant through Ferengi economic outreach c.April 2370 (DS9: "Rules of Acquisition")
• Diplomatic outreach to Gamma Quadrant begins to cultivate allies 2370-2373, most prominently the Paradan rebellion (DS9: "Whispers", "Facets", "Homefront", "Nor the Battle to the Strong", "You Are Cordially Invited")
  • Efforts include providing Federation world Draylon II as land for the Skrreean diaspora following a failure to arrange settlement on Bajor (DS9: "Sanctuary")
• Dominion efforts against the Federation (along with neighboring powers) begin about the same era, including multiple attempts to encourage both external and internal conflicts (DS9: "The Adversary", "The Way of the Warrior", "Broken Link", "Homefront")
• A significant portion of Federation political figures begin to speak out against exploration of and communication with the Gamma Quadrant to avoid further antagonizing the Dominion (DS9 Novel: Rising Son)
  • Such positions often include the mistaken belief that wormhole-local space was claimed by the Dominion rather than simply near it (DS9 Novel: Rising Son)
  • However, that point was often countered through the examples of Dominion expansion towards the wormhole (such as via the T-Rogoran or the assault on the Teplans) coupled with the Founders' innate xenophobia and desire to dominate and the above-mentioned actions already taken against the Federation and the Klingon Empire (DS9: "Sanctuary", "The Quickening")