10 No-Win Scenarios In Star Trek (And How They Were Resolved)
9. Dominion Invasion And Occupation
Scenario: The constant flow of Dominion Warships into the Alpha Quadrant has to be prevented before they outnumber all other powers, but mining the Wormhole will almost definitely lead to war.
Resolution: Captain Sisko is forced to instigate a war with the Dominion and the Cardassian Union, though he was forced into that position by their rising aggression. However, in this situation, he consults with Starfleet and they agree that while the minefield is essential, it is not going to be the only card that they play.
Deep Space Nine, heavily fortified, is tasked with holding an invasion fleet at bay while the Defiant completes the job of securing the Wormhole. Despite heavy damage, they succeed and Sisko immediately orders the Starfleet officers aboard to evacuate the station. While this is a huge blow to morale, he offers a ray of hope. While they were keeping the Dominion and the Cardassians busy, a Federation-Klingon task force crossed into Cardassian space and destroyed one of their shipyards.
Though the war has truly begun, Starfleet was able to show their nerve in the face of overwhelming odds, playing the long game to come out on top.