The Dominion was a major interstellar state in the Gamma Quadrant. Technologically advanced and millennia old, the Dominion was founded under the absolute rule of a group of Changelings known as the Founders, whose will was carried out by the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar. The Dominion was dedicated to imposing the Founders' vision of "order" upon the universe, i.e. bringing all other civilizations under its control.
According to Weyoun 4, the Dominion "has endured for two thousand years", i.e., since the 4th century. Later, in 2375, Weyoun 8 stated "the Dominion has never surrendered in battle since its founding 10,000 years ago." It was established by Changelings, who sought to protect themselves against persecution by the solids via totalitarian control. Becoming known as the Founders, the Changelings used advanced genetic engineering to create two servant races, the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar. On behalf of the Founders, these two species began expanding Dominion territory through diplomacy and military conquest. By the mid-24th century, the Dominion had conquered hundreds of species. (DS9: "The Search, Part II", "To the Death", "Treachery, Faith and the Great River", "The Dogs of War")
In the 2370s, the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole brought the Dominion into contact with civilizations in the Alpha Quadrant. After learning that Starfleet would destroy the wormhole in the event of a direct Dominion incursion, the Founders initiated long-term plans to weaken and subvert the Alpha Quadrant. (DS9: "The Search, Part II", "The Adversary") In 2373, the Dominion was able to secure both the wormhole passage and a power base in the Alpha Quadrant, through the absorption of the Cardassian Union. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light") By the end of the year, open war erupted between the Dominion and a joint opposition consisting of the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. (DS9: "Call to Arms")
The Dominion made rapid gains in the opening months of the war, beginning with the siege of Deep Space 9 and the wormhole. (DS9: "Call to Arms", "A Time to Stand") However, it was dealt a major setback in mid-2374, when Starfleet and Klingon forces retook Deep Space 9 and prevented the Dominion from obtaining reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels") Also in that year, the Romulan Star Empire joined the war against the Dominion. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight") Despite various reversals and an eleventh-hour alliance with the Breen Confederacy, by late 2375, the Dominion verged on defeat and was additionally beset by a Cardassian uprising. The war ended when the Female Changeling agreed to surrender, in exchange for a cure to a morphogenic virus afflicting the Great Link. (DS9: "Strange Bedfellows", "The Changing Face of Evil", "Tacking Into the Wind", "What You Leave Behind")
Government
The Dominion was organized under a strict hierarchy, with the Founders at the top, then the Vorta as administrators, and the Jem'Hadar as soldiers next. This arrangement was referred to as "the order of things" and deviation from it was punishable by death. (DS9: "To the Death", "Rocks and Shoals") The Founders held ultimate authority and their decisions could not be questioned under any circumstances. However, the Founders were largely apathetic towards the affairs of solids and were content to leave the administration of the Dominion to the Vorta. (DS9: "The Search, Part II") The Vorta commanded the Jem'Hadar and disseminated ketracel-white crucial for their survival. (DS9: "To the Death")
Members
Below the Founders, Vorta, and Jem'Hadar, the Dominion included numerous subjugated "member" races. These species were expected to obey the orders of the Vorta administrators. Disobedience would be punished by massive Jem'Hadar reprisals. (DS9: "The Search, Part I")
Known member species included:
Cardassians (2373–2375)
Karemma
T-Rogorans (conquered 2370)
Yaderans (homeworld annexed 2340)
In the 2370s, the Dosi and the Son'a were economically affiliated with the Dominion. (DS9: "Rules of Acquisition", "Starship Down", "Penumbra") In late 2375, the Dominion signed an alliance with the Breen Confederacy. (DS9: "Strange Bedfellows") While the Teplans were punished by the Dominion for their resistance in the mid-22nd century, their political status as of the 24th century is unknown. (DS9: "The Quickening")
In "Rules of Acquisition", Quark states "He [Zek] never wanted to do business with the Dosi. He just wanted to use them to get to a more important member of the Dominion." Although we cannot be certain, this might indicate that the Dosi are a member of the Dominion themselves, albeit a less important one.
Societ
The Founders were rarely encountered by their subjects, leading them to be regarded as myths or gods. The Vorta and the Jem'Hadar were both engineered to worship the Founders; indeed, they believed that their lives belonged to the Founders, rather than themselves. (DS9: "Rocks and Shoals", "Treachery, Faith and the Great River")
The Karemma were an important commercial power within the Dominion, and constructed weapons for the Dominion military. (DS9: "Starship Down")
The language of the Dominion was known as Dominionese. (DS9: "Statistical Probabilities") The Dominion judicial system made use of courts, but charges and subsequent trials were often merely for show. Enemies of the Dominion were often put on trial for various charges which "hardly mattered", since the goal of the trial was to convict and execute the offender while merely giving a facade of legal framework. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels")
Although the Dominion might seem monolithic and united, there were some internal pressures, mostly between the Vorta and Jem'Hadar. The two servant races of the Founders regarded one another with barely disguised contempt, and a delicate balance existed between Jem'Hadar troops and their Vorta overseers. Their shared loyalty and obedience to the Founders kept them nominally at peace, but often, it was only the Vorta's control of ketracel-white that kept them alive, and even then, this form of control has been known to fail; Jem'Hadar killing their Vorta was rare, but not unheard of. Vorta and Jem'Hadar tried to maintain the appearance of unity, but this varied between individuals; some Vorta, such as Keevan, behaved in a false paternal fashion to their troops, while others, like Weyoun 4, were visibly disinterested in the Jem'Hadar's welfare. (DS9: "To the Death", "Rocks and Shoals")
Philosophy
The philosophy of the Dominion was divided into three distinct groups, each with notably differing outlooks and aspects. The perspective of the Founders, or the Changelings, with whom ultimately rested the control over the Dominion, was formed from their history of persecution at the hands of non-shapeshifting lifeforms they thereafter termed "Solids". To that end, the priority of the Founders was the survival of their own species, by any means necessary. They had no interest in matters such as Klingon honor, the Federation's goal of peaceful exploration, Ferengi material success, or objections made by opposing groups regarding their methods of self-preservation. (DS9: "The Search, Part II") Their philosophy is to dominate everything that can be dominated and destroying all that cannot; the Founders were, in essence, driven by an urge to "impose order on a chaotic universe."
The Founders' extreme longevity (indeed, practical immortality) has provided them with a uniquely long viewpoint. As the genetically-engineered and highly intelligent Jack described: the Dominion does not adjust its strategies based on what has occurred within the past week or even year, but is concerned instead with what the universe will look like centuries or more forward. This perspective was evident in the Dominion War, where the strategy was to engage in a long-term war of attrition, counting on superior construction methods and their ability to breed Jem'Hadar, rather than risk everything on one battle. (DS9: "Statistical Probabilities")
Apart from the Changelings' metamorphic abilities, the most distinguishing ability of their species is "linking" – the physical and mental connection of multiple Changelings. The species seems to exist in a collective union called The Great Link for much of their life span, producing a strongly anti-individualist perspective. Consequently, the Founders seem to be a remarkably unified, even monolithic, species. Their most sacred axiom: "No Changeling has ever harmed another" reflects both this and their obsession with physical security. Disagreement between the Founders, however, is not unheard of, as illustrated by the (at least initial) lack of consensus over how to deal with Odo after he murdered another changeling. (DS9: "Broken Link")
The Changelings genetically modified the Vorta to serve them in various roles. They have also genetically-engineered the Jem'Hadar to serve as their soldiers. Each group of Jem'Hadar is closely controlled by the Vorta. The Jem'Hadar enforce the will of the Founders, fight in wars to expand the Dominion, protect the Vorta and the Founders, etc. Both races are engineered to worship the Founders as their gods.
Military
A Dominion strategy frequently used was to not use its military might during initial contacts, but rather, to take over via influence and espionage. While Jem'Hadar fighters destroyed the USS Odyssey as a show of force, the Dominion used its vast influential and espionage tactics to destabilize the Alpha Quadrant. For example, the Dominion precipitated a war between the Cardassian Union and the Klingon Empire, and then struck an alliance with the Cardassian Union, knowing full well they would accept due to their dire state, so that the Dominion could gain support and a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant before deploying its military power. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar", "The Way of the Warrior", "By Inferno's Light")
The Dominion was founded on the principle of control, with the intent being to neutralize any potential threat to the Founders by whatever means necessary. In cases involving cooperative species such as the Karemma, the extent of Dominion interference was fairly minimal and restricted to material support. However, if the target species was or became less cooperative, the Jem'Hadar were dispatched to wipe out any opposition. The fear of massive Jem'Hadar reprisals was enough to keep most planets in line. For a prospective member, at first contact the Dominion may have appeared helpful, or even benevolent. A typical Dominion strategy was to make concessions in the short term for an advantage in the longer term, which may have been centuries in advance. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "Statistical Probabilities")
Technology
By the time of the Dominion War, Dominion technology appeared to have significantly outpaced that of most Alpha Quadrant species.
Instead of phased energy or disruptor beams, Jem'Hadar rifles emitted powerful polaron beams. They had a side effect of acting as an anticoagulant in some humanoids, thereby impeding the natural wound healing process. (DS9: "The Ship")
Similarly, Dominion warships displayed more impressive firepower than their Alpha Quadrant counterparts. Phased polaron beams were mounted on all Jem'Hadar attack ships. These initially cut through Federation shielding without effort; however, the DS9 crew subsequently managed to adapt their shields to withstand Dominion weapons for short periods. By the time of the Dominion invasion of the Alpha Quadrant, Federation shields had no more difficulty withstanding polaron weaponry than any other energy weapon. The Breen also wielded a huge advantage on the battlefield with an energy dissipating weapon, which was capable of disabling Federation and Romulan vessels with a single shot. Effective countermeasures were eventually developed by Starfleet engineers. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar", "Call to Arms", "The Dogs of War")
Dominion transporters utilized transponders, which enabled them to transport individuals across distances as far as three light years. (DS9: "Covenant")
Dominion warp capability was less advanced when compared to most major Alpha Quadrant species. A Dominion fighter was capable of at least warp 7 and a battle cruiser was capable of at least warp 4.7. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar", "Valiant")
While some Dominion technology was in many ways more advanced than that of the Federation, the Vorta Keevan once lamented that Starfleet engineers were famed for being able to "turn rocks into replicators". (DS9: "Rocks and Shoals") At least some Dominion technology was manufactured by Dominion member species; it is known, for example, that at least one type of torpedo carried on board Jem'Hadar attack vessels was sold to the Dominion by the Karemma, a Dominion member. (DS9: "Starship Down") The Jem'Hadar did, however, seem capable of performing not only some minor and emergency repairs, but also understanding complex engineering on even Starfleet vessels. (DS9: "One Little Ship")
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