Star Trek: Picard should bring back the Dominion from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — as allies, not enemies. The Star Trek franchise is finally exploring the future of the Federation. Star Trek: Picard is set towards the end of the 24th century, and its first season focused upon the consequences of the Romulan supernova seen in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie. Star Trek: Discovery season 3 will go even further forward, to the 32nd Century.

Naturally, these creative decisions have left viewers eager to learn more about the state of the galaxy in these various time periods. There's particular interest in Star Trek: Picard, where the Federation is still recognizable — even if it did lose its way somewhat due to Romulan infiltrators. Star Trek: Picard season 1 focused on the Romulans and a colony of ex-Borg, but what has happened to other key races?

It would be particularly interesting to see what has happened to the Dominion, the villains of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Dominion War. Back in February, Star Trek: Picard showrunner Michael Chabon indicated that the Federation's recent history had been dictated by a one-two punch — the Dominion War followed by the Romulan supernova. "There was a crisis 15 years ago," he observed on social media (via ComicBook.com), "in the wake of the costly Dominion War and the Romulan emergency, which had a negative impact on the lives of many people, including most of our principal characters, in one way or another, during which Starfleet (and by extension the Federation) did not acquit itself well — in Picard's eyes." It's interesting to note he linked these two events, suggesting neither should be viewed in isolation. The Dominion War seems to have weakened the Federation, leaving it war-weary and increasingly insular, leading to its actions during the Romulan crisis. Indeed, this probably explains why Picard encountered so much hostility towards Romulus; they were resented because of their supposed neutrality in the Dominion War, which was belied by their willingness to ignore Dominion ships flying through Romulan space.


So what has happened between the Federation and the Dominion in the years since? The question is especially pressing given the Dominion are, in theory, a whole lot closer to home than the likes of the Borg; the wormhole still exists in the Bajoran system, meaning there is a direct route to them. The Federation cannot simply ignore their old enemies, and yet renewed war does not appear to have broken out, suggesting either a mutual decision to ignore one another, or some sort of rapprochement.

The latter would be more appropriate. Star Trek is an optimistic franchise, and redemption has always been core to its overarching narrative. Thus the Federation has always had a habit of gradually turning enemies into allies, and even member-states, as seen most notably with the Klingons. Hopefully that pattern will be repeated with the Dominion — and Star Trek: Picard season 2 will be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate it.