$$Minor "Image in the Sand" and "Shadows and Symbols" (early season seven) spoilers follow$$

(GA means 'General Audience' and therefore no major spoilers, unless you're really behind.)

Now, I may have typed this up for no reason since my quantum mechanics and many-worlds theory-related stuff may be a tad out of date, but feel free to nitpick any flaws here.

Consider this: In "Emissary", the Prophets did not recognise the Sisko. They didn't understand linear time. They didn't live outside their little world. Then they meet Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko. Sisko teaches them all this.

Fair enough? They're an enlightened race now. They've come out of their proverbial shell after sending orbs out being their only form of communication for some time.

Next, we travel to "Profit Motive": They interfere with a society. Well, they're surely no introverts anymore!

In the sixth season's "Sacrifice of Angels", Sisko convinces the Prophets to interfere. (I suppose they learned from "Profit Motive" that interfering is bad. ) They stop the Dominion fleet of close to three thousand ships. Fair enough.

In the seventh season openers, we learn (along with Sisko) that the good captain was created by a Prophet taking Sisko's mother's place and ensuring he existed. Wait one minute. Behr, you're telling us that...? Hmm.

Well, let's look at this objectively: Sisko had to be created by the Prophets to exist since Sarah (his real mother, the one the Prophet "guided") never liked Joseph Sisko (his father) anyway. Therefore we have to assume they never would have gotten together.

So... Sisko had to tell the Prophets about linear time or else he never would have existed. Interesting idea, but improbable, because as we understand time now, causality paradoxes are impossible without branching into many-worlds-interpretation quantum mechanics. Many-worlds Quantum Mechanics cannot be proven to be factual or even probable.

Have I lost anyone yet?

Well, questions later.

So we can establish that Sisko had to exist to tell the Prophets about his form of existance or else he never would have existed. Good.

So.. what happens if Sisko died at Wolf 359? Or if he had left Starfleet like he considered doing after the Borg attack and the loss of his wife?

Simple: He never existed. He dies before "Emissary", and he therefore never existed, right? Strange paradox to be sure.

So, in one timeline, the Wormhole may never have been discovered (although it's likely Jadzia would have found it herself after some time). And if it was at some point, the Bajorans would have been wiped out along with most opf tghe Alpha Quadrant since the 2700 Dominion ships would have gotten through in "Sacrifice of Angels". In fact, without Sisko bribing Quark in "Emissary", Rom would probably never have stayed around and come up with the cloaked, self-replicating mines, dooming the Federation from the beginning.

That was Timeline A.

This is Timeline B: Timeline B branches off from Timeline A once Sisko meets the Prophets. Boom! All of history is changed in this reality. Sisko exists, and we see the series as it is. The Federation is saved from the 2700 ships, etc.

DS9 as a series is a reult of two different timelines, one brachning off the other and forming a second reality where the series as we know it is capable of existing.

Now I want to see an episode in which we see Timeline A of DS9. That would be interesting for something, in my opinion.

Now, that's all interesting, but here's my point: DS9 as a series, as we understand time, cannot happen.

Just a quick commentary. Well, quickish.

Oh, and one more question: Which one of these timelines is Voyager set in? There's evidence. Now go prove it.

In "Caretaker", Voyager docks at DS9 before setting out to find the Maquis raiders. In one scene, we see Harry in the bar, thinking about getting something from Quark.

In "Emissary", Sisko bribes Quark to stay on the station -- therefore, if Quark is on the station in "Caretaker", he must be on the station in "Emissary", and stay after that episode.

And Vortex thinks just like me!

There's also another bit that could be taken as evidence. Two actually, both season four.

------------------
Doctor: "Run along. I'll reattach any severed limbs. Just don't misplace them." (Voyager: "The Killing Game")

I want to try a timeline...hopefully it will fit in better with the Prophet's POV.

Now: The Prophets exist in an eternal now, with no concept of past or future.

Emmisary: Sisko makes contact with the Prophets and explains the concept of linear time.

Then: The Prophets, gifted with a sense of understanding of linear time and the beings that inhabit it, decide to intervene on Bajor. They send Orbs, start a religion, send prophecies, arrange for Sisko's birth, etc.

No beginning, no end. The Emmisary isn't just a representative of the Prophets. He is essentially their creator.

From the Prophet's take on events, The Sisko is first on the timeline, with everything else following that. Now, Sisko can die before then in our timeline, but not theirs...so which is correct? Remember, time is relative.

------------------
"They don�t call it show business for nothing. This is an ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly town in many, many ways. But big f*cking deal. Big business is ugly. The world is ugly. Our job is to make our little piece of it better. Whenever you get into the general, it�s not going to be all beer and Skittles and Christmas trees."
-Ira Stephen Behr on the Moore fiasco

And I always knew there was something about Ira Behr...

------------------
Nice place to live now son
Where ya gonna run?
Understand where we're coming from;
Put down the gun.

------------------
HMS White Star (your local friendly agent of Chaos:-) )

**********

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch...

My take on it is that Sisko meets the Prophets in 'Emissary', which is their first taste of life outside the Celestial Temple.(that sounds WAY better than "wormhole", I don't care what anyone says)

Point to note: I'm telling this from the Prophets point of view.

THEN, they have Sisko thundering through the Celestial Temple in 'Sacrifice of Angels', where they realise they cannot let him die. And NOW they decide to begin interfering with "corporeal matters". They now destroy the Dominions fleet within the Celestial Temple, then continue to get themselves involved in "corporeal matters".
Now they start sending out Orbs, and start treating certain Bajorans to insights of the future, including that fella from 'Accession', whom they kept as a future "test" for Sisko, along with discovering B'Halla. They then look through Time, and realise that to ensure Sisko exists, they must possess his mother to make sure that the impregnation goes through as planned.

I haven't delved into the always fascinating notion of "What if...?", because if I did, I'd be here till Tuesday.
As our Taoiseach says, "Dat's dat, den."

(I just got my exam results back. 3 1st Class Honours out of 3! Congratulate me. Now.)

------------------
Nice place to live now son
Where ya gonna run?
Understand where we're coming from;
Put down the gun.