Emblem of the Dominion.
- For the mirror universe counterpart, see Founders (mirror).
The Founders are a group of Changelings who reside in the Gamma Quadrant. They founded and rule the Dominion in the guise of gods to the Jem'Hadar and the Vorta. (DS9 episodes: "The Jem'Hadar", "The Search, Part I", "The Search, Part II")
During the earlier stages of the Dominion, one member of the Great Link that assumed the shape of a female individual launched a secret effort to transform a peaceful species known as the Hur'q into soldiers that would serve the dream that 'she' had for an interstellar empire. Believing the Hur'q were perfect candidates because of their strength, she was able to extract a vital fungus from their ecosystem so that the species were dependent on her. This Founder kept her work hidden from the remainder of the Link, which remained ignorant to how their people were responsible when the Hur'q regressed to mindless monsters. Despite this failure, the fungus provided inspiration for the creation of the Jem'Hadar, who were engineered to be reliant on a substance called ketracel-white. This design faced opposition from some Founder who discovered the intentions of their fellow Changeling. Unwilling to accept a Dominion that was built on slaves, these members of Link attempted to depose 'her' and expose the conspiracy but were eliminated before this could be fulfilled. Such an act was a violation of the most sacred law of the Link - "that no Changeling shall even harm another" - but the greater majority of the Founder were unaware of this. (STO mission: "Tenebris Torquent")
The Founders did not possess a concept of ally or treaties. In their mind, there was only a master or a slave; if one was not a master, one was a slave.
During their scouting of the Alpha Quadrant in their attempt to bring order to that region of space, the Founders showed an interest in the Klingon Empire. They saw the Klingon warrior society as the Alpha Quadrant's equivalent of the Jem'Hadar and, thus, the best material to be converted into servants in the Dominion. (DS9 novel: Vengeance)
External link[]
- Founders article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
