When the Borg was the penultimate force of evil, at least their efforts were random. The Dominion, for whatever reason, exacts cruelty. They really have nothing to fear from the galaxy but when offended, "punish" those who offend them. They are anything but random. It would be like killing off all the cats in our world for no reason other than watching them die. Julian comes to a world where this ugly force has put a curse on the people. They contract a plague that they are born with, live with, and then die, Not in a simple way, but rather in agony. Bashir's efforts involve his best technology and it fails, until there is a ray of hope. This is an incredibly moving piece. For a kind of parallel, try reading or watching "Children of Men."
Review of The Quickening
