posted
So, I'm asking you guys for input / opinions to help shape my story. (You know, the one I've been doing on & off for 5 years - it will get done. Someday.).
Basically I'm looking for your opinions on the post war balance of power in the alpha quadrant. The relative positions of the big 3 allies, the smaller states and the Ferengi, as well as the Cardies and anyone else you may think is relevant.
posted
Well, the way I see it, the Federation and the Romulans will probably lick their wounds. Repair the damage done by the war, the Romulans might even go into isolation again. The Klingons, being a proud warrior race, will probably hide the true effects of the war. The Cardassians will probably try to salvage their planet. The Breen will probably become thugs and go around harassing shipping lanes and the like. The Ferengi will be overjoyed if they're allowed to conduct trade in the Gamma Quadrant, although with Grand Nagus Rom they might actually do some exploring, which would be something entirely new for the Ferengi I'm sure.
Some of the other powers that were mentioned once and never seen again might try to take advantage of the situation. The Tholians, for one. They might start making potshots at the Federation. And those little bugs from "Conspiracy" might come back, as this would be the ideal time to return. After all, the Federation was hit hard, and there might not be enough forces to stop them this time.
------------------ "What happens on the edges of infinity, the never-never land of mathematics?" -Miss Hodgin
In BAAAD shape. They've lost almost half of their fleet, either out-and-out destroyed, or so badly damaged that they're no good until they get 4 months in a repair dry-dock (and there are long waiting lists for those already). Enlistment in Starfleet is down --it's viewed widely as the "military" these days, and support for even scientific-missions is WAAAAY down. Almost everyone has lost a family member or friend in the War, and people are scared of losing more loved ones. I'd guesstimate Federation casualties alone in the several billion range.
The Klingons --
They're about as bad off as the Federation, except, of course, that if ANYTHING, they've got more people wanting into the military. Their infastructure is a bit battered, but they're making great strides into fixing that. Of course, the Federation is helping them rebuild (with what limited resources the Fed. has at the moment). Throughout the Empire, there's a mixed view -- at one hand, there is an elation that the war has been won, by the Klingons of course ("the Federation? Bah! We fought off the Dominion ourselves, they just guarded the supply lines..."). On the other, there is the knowledge that the Dominion hasn't been beaten, and is still a powerful force, albeit on the other side of the Wormhole, so there is a strong push to build the military even bigger and more powerful than before (and then you've got the naysayers who are blaming everything on the Federation for intervening when the Klingons went after Cardassia).
The Romulans --
Hell, who knows? I don't think the War touched their home space that much. They're might be issues with them refusing to relinquish control of planets they've "liberated" (much like the USSR and Western Europe after WWII). I'll let someone else speculate on the Romulans
The Ferengi will profit from the mess, helping to rebuild economies, renting cargo ships, arranging trades (for a 20% commission and all). Especially with Grand Nagus Nog, the Ferengi will begin to become the "Good Samaritans" and not the "Pirates" of the Galaxy. Maybe ...
The Breen have probably retreated into isolation. It's a good bet that the Fed, Romulans, and Klingons, will be keeping a close eye on them, and reacting quickly -- and harshly -- to any Breen attempt to leave their space. They probably escaped the war unscathed except for that (and the ships and troops lost).
The Cardassians have been destroyed. Military rule. In a few years, the Federation will arrange for "free elections", and Cardassia will be ruled again by Cardassians. The colonies will be granted independence, and a Cardassian military force will be severely restricted to a handful of ships for defensive purposes. It's a good bet that the Cardassians will join the Federation and become a shining new member and a steadfast ally.
------------------ Star Trek Gamma Quadrant Average Rated 7.5 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux *** Shop Smart -- Shop "S"-Mart
posted
Maybe more Klingons will follow Worf, becoming security oriented officers. This, also, maybe a chance for 'mousy' Klingons to get out more, by joining Starfleet and going in to the sciences, and possibly command, since they'd have a better chance getting promoted Federation style than Klingon style.
posted
Well, if the situation were going to be shown on TV or in a movie, everything would probably be all happy and normal again in the Federation.
However, if you want to go for how it should be... I think the Feds are likely to overextend themselves. They'll think they can deal just fine w/ the losses they've suffered, and they'll try to act like everything is "happy and normal again". I think this will cause them to become weaker and weaker for quite some time before they finally realize what they're doing wrong. It'll probably take some sort of outside attack (which they will probably survive, but not very well) to make them come to their senses. The most likely source of this attack would probably be the Romulans, who are no doubt going back into isolation to concentrate all their efforts on bringing themselves back up to speed after their losses.
I see two possibilities for the Klingons. Either they'll stay the way they've always been by living off the Feds while they rebuild, or they'll finally have to drop (for the most part) their focus on their military (since they haven't got much of one left). Basically, they'll either stay exactly the same, or change totally. It's really hard to say which...
I don't think the Cardassians are in a position to do much of anything. They're pretty much home-bound for quite a while, so they can rebuild.
I also don't think anyone's going to hear anything at all out of the Breen for quite some time. They were always relatively small-time thugs before and no-one really went out of their way to mess w/ them. Now that they've drawn major attention to themselves and gotten their collective ass kicked, I'm sure they're going to retreat back to their own space and keep quiet, hoping everyone will just forget what happened and not come after them.
------------------ "Yahweh likes to meddle in the affairs of us, as it makes him feel powerful, and he forgets the many years of torment he endured at Supreme Being Secondary School. Many a day would 'Thor - God of Thunder' & 'Mars - God of War' steal Yahweh's lunch money and hang him up by his breeches, all the while belittling Yahweh by insulting his very odd, and non-imposing God name, usually by adding a valley girl accent, and having it come out as 'yeah! way!'." -Ultra Magnus, 15-Dec-2000
posted
Maybe there will be a Breen Demilitarized Zone, or a Breen Neutral Zone.
It is very likely that the Romulans are going to argue about the distant systems they liberated, and they'll probably want the Neutral Zone to be abolished, and have free passage to the Wormhole. Maybe there's a new Emperor (or whatever rules the RSE) who is more open to the Vulcan Reunification and treaties with the Federation.
Federation The Federation has suffered heavy losses, also among the civilists after the Jemmies have captured several planets, including Betazed. It just wouldn't be realistic if they were suddenly all happy again. Starfleet will likely become a more militaristic organization than ever. Even more significant, the doctrine that every alien world is the Federation's friend unless they launch an all-out war will be dropped. The Federation won't tolerate any aggressions as they still did in TNG and even DS9 during the two years before the war actually started. In some way the attitude of Adm Leyton finally prevails.
Romulans I think it's most likely they go into isolation again. The events in "Image in the Sand" and "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" as well as the absence of Romulan leaders during many allied briefings show that they still don't want to be a part of it all. They want to pursue their own business. The major problem is that the Romulans still hold some territories they took during the war, like Benzar. I doubt that they will release Benzar.
Klingons Their civilian losses are probably rather few, and their military losses may be regarded as the price of victory. I think they are likely to become stronger than ever and a potential danger to the Federation. On the other hand, the new alliance may have more than only repaired the damage that was done in the brief war a few years before. In particular, they have Chancellor Martok who was a cold warrior in "WOTW" but subsequently became a strong supporter of the alliance with the Federation. Many of his people may follow his example, provided that he manages to get the trust of the major houses.
Cardassians They are defeated much like Germany was after WW II. I expect that the people will succeed in rebuilding their planet, with the help of the Federation. They may become Federation members within a few years. The new Cardassia will probably be a decent and modest member world.
Bajorans They will be able to join the Federation immediately. I don't think that after the massacre on Cardassia and the luck Bajor had in the Dominion war, there will be much left of the former hatred between the two peoples. It's a good time for a new beginning.
Ferengi No matter what they decide to do, they will profit from the situation. I wouldn't expect that Nagus Rom will be able to change the society in a day or so, but he may add one wise Rule of Acquisition saying: "If someone is in need, help him without asking for payment - he may be a future customer".
Breen The Breen certainly have to cope with the consequences of their agression: international isolation and trade sanctions. I don't think that they will really suffer from that, but I agree that there will be a Breen Neutral Zone they are not allowed to pass.
Dominion It is still a question if Odo can change anything in the Geat Link, or if he will become a loyal Founder, full of hatred against the Solids. I actually fear the latter. In this case the Dominion would carry on as usual. We have to take into account that they haven't really lost anything important, except for maybe a thousand starships and a million Jem'Hadar which can be both replaced in no time. The Dominion is still a great threat, and may return any time.
------------------ "Species 5618, human. Warp-capable, origin grid 325, physiology inefficient, below average cranium capacity, minimum redundant systems, limited regenerative abilities." Ex Astris Scientia
posted
I don't think Odo will become a hatemonger, since he was once a 'solid'. He will add a new perspective to the link, especially with his through knowledge of Bajor and the Federation. This time they may heed his 'words' that the Federation isn't the type of solids that they had once been persecuted by eons ago.
posted
With the Dominion, in my own series, I've speculated that although the majority of the Founders have sided with Odo as a leader, a sizeable faction have broken away. So what you've got are Founders willing to learn from mistakes they've made about Solids (learned from Odo and the lessons of the AQ War), and Founders who believe in tradition above what a "newcomer" tells them...
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I believe the Ferengi society is built to accommodate selfishness and a constant struggle for power, so whatever a single leader does cannot be too permanent or too damaging to the society. The Ferengi are opportunists so they *cannot* be conservatives - "change" as such is never going to harm them.
The Breen:
These people seem such a mystery to the Federation that I doubt a Neutral Zone could be established. The Feds probably don't even know where the Breen territory lies! The Cardassians supposedly have an embassy on Breen (apparently, the homeworld) - but then again, Gul Dukat also thought it's bitter cold there, whereas Weyoun denied this. I believe the Breen will remain a complete mystery for quite some time. The Romulans managed that for an entire century!
The Klingons:
Here's another society that must be used to constant changes in the leadership. However, the Empire probably can't accommodate new leaders with radically new thoughts quite as easily as the Ferengi Alliance. Ascension to power is highly formulaic here, and strict following of traditions is important.
Fortunately, Martok sounds like a conservative. And Klingons have agreed to alliances with their friends and even their enemies in the past, so the general grumbling against close ties with the UFP will probably not lead to anything major. An alliance will be forged once again, and probably a rather close one this time.
I wonder if the Kahless clone will get to play a role now. He was opposed to the Klingon-UFP hostility, so he would be a great figurehead for a postwar alliance. We don't know how Martok feels about the clone, but Worf tended to agree with him and can influence Martok. Then again, Worf's opinions have the consistency of the count on a US presidential election.
posted
Is it sure that it was the founder in WOTW? I first thought that too, but for some reason I don't remember changed my mind. How long did Martok say he was in the prisoner camp? It must have been a year and a half or so in this case.
------------------ "Species 5618, human. Warp-capable, origin grid 325, physiology inefficient, below average cranium capacity, minimum redundant systems, limited regenerative abilities." Ex Astris Scientia
posted
"We have to take into account that they haven't really lost anything important, except for maybe a thousand starships and a million Jem'Hadar which can be both replaced in no time."
A 1000 ships and a million Jem Hadar? This is way too much of an underestimate. I think they would've suffered upwards of 30 million losses and at least 10,000 ships. Any comments on this?
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