2397

2397 Timeline: Shadows of the Culling

2397 — The Culling’s Twentieth Anniversary

• On the twentieth anniversary of the Culling, Prime orders a brutal escalation of The Offering, increasing the selection from 200 individuals to 1,000.
• Dominion broadcasts frame the increase as a necessary act of remembrance and loyalty, claiming the occupied worlds must repay the Founders for the crimes of Section 31 and the Federation.
• DPI agents sweep through Earth, Betazed, Andoria, Tellar, Bajor, Vulcan, Trill, and Rigel, seizing citizens under heavy Jem’Hadar guard.
• Families already scarred by the Culling and earlier Offerings are torn apart again, turning the anniversary into a fresh wave of grief, rage, and fear.
• Protests erupt across multiple occupied worlds, especially on Betazed, Andoria, and Earth, but most are crushed before they can become organised uprisings.
• Prime presents the crackdown as proof of Dominion strength, but the Founders on Earth and Cardassia Prime privately fear the escalation is pushing neutral populations toward rebellion.

2397 — Rumours of War

• Dominion fleet movements increase near the Romulan border, fuelling rumours that Prime is preparing a major offensive against the Romulan Star Empire.
• DPI propaganda brands the Romulans as traitors, saboteurs, and enemies of peace, citing Tal’Shiar interference, the destruction of Romulus, and suspected Lantern cooperation.
• Sela and the Tal’Shiar prepare for possible invasion, using the threat to tighten Romulan military control and silence internal rivals.
• Among the Remans, Shinzon uses the crisis to strengthen his following, arguing that Romulan leaders will sacrifice Reman lives again if war comes.
• The Lantern Network watches the border closely, unsure whether the Dominion is truly preparing for war or using the threat to justify wider repression.

2397 — The Lanterns Answer

• Through hidden channels, Riker condemns the expanded Offering and warns Lantern cells that Prime may be preparing to sacrifice whole populations to preserve Dominion control.
• Troi helps coordinate support for Betazoid and refugee networks traumatised by the anniversary crackdowns, while also advising Lantern cells on resisting DPI coercion tactics.
• Lantern-linked routes prioritise extraction attempts for those marked by The Offering, though many rescues fail under intensified Dominion security.
• Voyager remains concealed but provides intelligence on Dominion fleet movements, helping the Lanterns track whether the Romulan offensive is real.
• Kira and Odo help Bajoran cells avoid open revolt, fearing Prime will use any uprising as justification for another religious purge.
• By the end of 2397, the Alpha Quadrant is braced between two horrors: the Dominion’s annual sacrifice of its subjects, and the growing fear that Prime is preparing for a war that could consume what remains.