Operation Return Operation Return was the code - name for the combined counter - offensive of Starfleet and Klingon Defense Force fleet s against Jem ' Hadar and Cardassian military forces in the Bajoran sector , launched in mid - 2374 , with the specific aim of recapturing Deep Space 9 and re - establishing control over the Bajoran Wormhole . Despite coming perilously close to defeat , the outnumbered Federation fleet was saved from destruction by a delayed task force of Klingon warship s , resulting in the collapse of the Dominion lines and their subsequent withdrawal . The recapture of Deep Space 9 proved to be an important victory for the Federation Alliance , enabling Starfleet to re - establish its forward operating base for operations in Cardassian space and temporarily setting back Dominion offensive operations . Prelude . In the opening months of the war the Federation suffered an almost unbroken series of defeats at the hands of the Jem ' Hadar , and showed little capability of stopping and turning back the Dominion ' s all - out offensive . In addition , Starfleet ' s few attempts to mount counteroffensives , such as the Seventh Fleet ' s attack on the Tyra system , were met with overwhelming losses . Out of the 112 ships in the Seventh Fleet involved in the battle , only 14 survived the fight at Tyra and made it back to Federation lines . The Federation and her Klingon allies were unquestionably losing the war . The status of Deep Space 9 and the Bajoran wormhole remained the sole positive note for the allies . The automated , self - replicating mine field deployed by the just prior to DS9 ' s capture in 2373 remained intact and proved resistant to the Cardassians ' attempts to destroy it ; this prevented any Jem ' Hadar reinforcements from entering the Alpha Quadrant and joining the conflict . In addition , the massive sabotage inflicted on DS9 as the Federation withdrew ensured that the station itself , known again under its former Cardassian name of Terok Nor , remained vulnerable to attack for several months while the Cardassians made repairs . By the fifth month of fighting , both the Federation and Klingon fleet commanders were facing a crisis : aside from the initial victory at Torros III , ( ) the allies had not won a single major engagement without suffering major losses . Morale among both fleets was at an all - time low , presenting a serious problem for many unit commanders . In particular , the repetitive and unproductive succession of advances and retreats with little material gain was galling to many seasoned veterans of the Cardassian wars . The Cardassians were not idle on Terok Nor during this period ; Glinn Damar , adjutant to Gul Dukat , was in charge of the operation to deactivate and destroy the minefield . Although Damar ' s team had little success in clearing the wormhole , it was considered only a matter of time before a means was found of destroying all of the mines . The Plan . In light of the situation , Captain Benjamin Sisko , commander of Deep Space 9 before its capture and then adjutant to Admiral William Ross , proposed a plan for the allies to launch a major offensive with the goals of recapturing the station , re - securing the wormhole , and forcing the Dominion to divert troops away from other theaters of action closer to the Federation homeworld s . In the plan presented to Starfleet Command , Sisko proposed to assemble a task force composed of elements from the Second , Fifth , and Ninth fleets and reinforced by a large contingent of Klingon warships . Launching from Starbase 375 , the fleet would advance across the Bajoran sector and mount an assault to retake Deep Space 9 from Dominion hands . However , many senior officials in both the Federation and Klingon hierarchies had grave problems with this plan . Sisko ' s plans required that a large number of ships be diverted from several crucial theaters of combat , including the Vulcan border . The Dominion was expected to divert sufficient numbers of ships to counter the Federation advance to DS9 , which would relieve pressure on the remaining forces and slow the Dominion ' s advance into Federation territory , but Admiral Coburn objected to the strategy , fearing that the Dominion might choose to sacrifice Deep Space 9 in favor of launching a full - scale attack on Earth . With Sisko ' s forces advancing towards Bajor , reinforcements would be impossible within an acceptable time limit . Ross informed them that the Third Fleet would protect Earth , but Coburn was still not convinced . Ultimately , Sisko convinced Starfleet Command that the Dominion would not launch a new offensive against Earth . Arguing that it wasn ' t the key to the Alpha Quadrant , and the wormhole was , Sisko pointed out that whoever controlled Deep Space 9 would control the wormhole . If the Federation and Klingons were in control of Deep Space 9 , then the Dominion ' s potential supply line to their home territories in the Gamma Quadrant would be cut off . However , Chancellor Gowron remained unconvinced and refused to release any warships . In response , General Martok and Lt . Commander Worf departed for Qo ' noS for private consultations with Gowron , hoping to convince him to aid the assault . Although Gowron eventually did agree to support the offensive , his delay proved critical to the timing and outcome of the battle . The Resistance . An anti - Dominion resistance cell on the station formed around Major Kira Nerys , who started the cell after Vedek Yassim committed suicide in protest of the Dominion on the promenade , leading Kira to feel she was too complacent in the face of the Dominion occupation of the station . The initial members of the group were Kira , Odo , Jake Sisko , Rom , Leeta , Quark , and in a peripheral way Morn . ( ) Their first act of defiance was the taking of a secret memorandum from Damar that suggested the Dominion poison the last stocks of ketracel - white if new supplies could not be secured . The memorandum was stolen by Rom and placed in front of the barracks of the Jem ' Hadar . Rom also tried to sabotage the station ' s deflector array , which was going to be used to deactivate the minefield , but was caught and sentenced to death . Rom himself expected to be killed shortly after Dukat made a victory speech upon the successful destruction of the minefield . ( ) Rushed Launch . Five days away from the planned launch of the offensive , alarming news arrived at Starbase 375 : the Cardassians had finally devised a practical method of destroying the minefield . Based on information smuggled away from Terok Nor by the resistance operating aboard the station , and relayed by the independent trader Morn , the allies discovered that an advanced antigraviton emitter was in the process of deactivating each mine individually . The process would be complete within three days , at which point Jem ' Hadar reinforcements would be free to pass through the wormhole , which meant utter defeat for both the Federation and the Klingon Empire . Unfortunately , the fleet was not yet fully assembled ; the Ninth Fleet would not arrive in time , and no indication of support had come from the Klingons . With time running out , Starfleet saw no choice but to deploy the ships already assembled and mount a direct assault on Deep Space 9 , hoping to destroy the anti - graviton emitter and keep the minefield intact . Dominion intelligence was not inactive during this time though . Gul Dukat was informed of the disengagement and redeployment of two major fleets , and correctly deduced the fleet ' s target . He ordered that Jem ' Hadar and Cardassian warships be diverted to meet the incoming attack . While Dukat anticipated heavy losses from fighting against the desperate Federation fleet , Weyoun assured him that any losses would be easily replaced by the waiting forces in the Gamma Quadrant . As the Starfleet force approached the Bajoran system , they were confronted by a massive formation of 1254 enemy vessels , outnumbering the Federation fleet by about 2 : 1 . Finding his advance blocked , Sisko ordered the fleet into the Delta Two formation in preparation to attack , then said the following : " " There ' s an old saying , " Fortune favors the bold . " Well , I guess we ' re about to find out . " " The Battle . The Dominion fleet unquestionably had time on its side . With the minefield around the wormhole due to be destroyed within eight hours , Gul Dukat chose to bide his time and establish a static blockade preventing the Federation advance . Starfleet was put at a disadvantage by being forced to take the offensive against a well prepared enemy while seeking a direct approach to Deep Space 9 . Attempting to find a crack in the wall of enemy ships confronting him , Captain Sisko , commanding the fleet from the , held back his and cruiser wings , and instead ordered the attack fighters to probe the Cardassian front lines . The fighter pilots were instructed to ignore the Jem ' Hadar ships in favor of striking the Cardassian ships with pulsed phaser fire , and then to break off and disengage ; Sisko hoped to provoke the Cardassians into giving chase and opening a hole in the formation that Starfleet could exploit . Gul Dukat , commanding the fleet from Terok Nor , recognized Sisko ' s strategy almost immediately . Strictly ordering his commanders to hold position , Dukat patiently watched as his fleet took eight waves of strafing runs against his destroyer s . However , after approximately three hours of standoff bombardment and hit - and - fade attack runs , Dukat decided to toy with Sisko and deliberately break the stalemate . Ordering six attack fighter squadron s to break formation and chase the Federation fighters , he carefully opened a hole in his lines , with a large contingent of destroyers standing by to outflank and trap Sisko ' s forces as they advanced to take advantage of the gap . As Dukat had similarly recognized his strategy , Captain Sisko also immediately saw the nature of the trap . However , because time was in critically short supply , Sisko decided to play along with Dukat and take the bait . Detailing two " Galaxy " - wings to engage the " Galor " s , Sisko ordered the rest of the fleet to launch a full - scale attack on the Dominion ' s center and punch through the blockade . " Anyone who gets through , " Sisko said , " doesn ' t stop until they reach Deep Space 9 . " At this point , the battle quickly degenerated into a melee as the Starfleet ships closed to point - blank range with the Dominion forces . With ships so widely dispersed among the Dominion fleet , inter - ship coordination became more difficult . When the Dominion ships started jamming comm frequencies , cutting off starships ' contact with each other , the melee dissolved into a total free - for - all , with every ship fighting practically on its own , or at most in twos and threes . For Starfleet , it was very quickly becoming a losing battle . Unable to concentrate their attack on specific points in the enemy fleet , the Dominion ' s superior firepower gradually wore down the swifter but less powerful Starfleet vessels . Many of the older and starships were lost in this phase of the battle , overwhelmed by incoming fire from all sides . After nearly two hours of sustained close - range combat , the battle was nearly hopeless , with the " Defiant " itself near destruction , when a large force of Klingon warships decloaked and slammed into the Dominion ' s starboard flank . General Martok and Commander Worf had finally convinced Chancellor Gowron to lend his support . The additional firepower of attack cruisers and venerable Birds - of - Prey finally tipped the balance in the allies ' favor . Many Dominion craft were destroyed during Martok ' s flank attack , opening a hole in the Dominion lines . Due to this , the " Defiant " managed to slip past a formation of Jem ' Hadar attack cruisers and escape the battlefield , speeding towards Deep Space 9 at maximum warp . Gul Dukat chose not to order a pursuit of the " Defiant " , relying instead on the station ' s defenses to destroy the ship as it approached . Meanwhile , the Dominion lines were beginning to crumble as they were outflanked by the Klingon forces . Dukat chose to have his forces continue fighting , anticipating the destruction of the minefield and the imminent arrival of several thousand Jem ' Hadar warships . He believed that any ship lost in the battle would be compensated by those warships ' arrival . After Rom ' s attempt to sabotage the deflector array , Damar arrested the entire resistance group , except Quark , and put them in the station ' s brig . Eventually , Quark and Tora Ziyal released the group from the station ' s brig . Just after their release , Kira and Rom were in a running shootout to the station ' s weapon control area . When they were pinned down by the Jem ' Hadar , Odo and a Bajoran security team helped them . When the last mine ' s self - replication unit was deactivated , Terok Nor immediately destroyed the minefield , eliminating the only impediment to ultimate Dominion victory in a spectacular explosion , just seconds before the " Defiant " arrived . With practically no options left , Captain Sisko ordered the " Defiant " to enter the wormhole for a hopeless , last - ditch stand against the incoming enemy forces . On the station , Rom had disabled the weapons systems , although he was , by a matter of a couple of seconds , too late to stop the destruction of the minefield . In the wormhole , though , an incredible turn of events occurred , one that could be considered nothing short of a miracle . The Bajoran Prophet s , the inhabitants of the wormhole , spoke to Captain Sisko – their . Though enigmatic , the Prophets indicated that they did not wish Sisko to sacrifice his life . Arguing that the approaching Dominion fleet constituted a threat to Bajor , whose people worshipped them as gods , Sisko convinced the noncorporeal being s to intervene , though according to the Prophets a penance would be exacted from Sisko in the future . Moments later , as the " Defiant " and the Dominion fleet prepared to open fire on each other , all of the 2800 Dominion ships simply disappeared . When the " Defiant " exited the wormhole alone , the Dominion leaders were first perplexed , then alarmed . Their monitoring outposts in the Gamma Quadrant confirmed that the fleet had entered the wormhole , but there was no sign of them exiting , and no sign that they were still in the wormhole . To the Dominion and the Cardassians , it appeared that the one Starfleet ship had somehow annihilated their entire armada . The bad news only got worse for the Dominion as , back at the main battle zone , a group of 200 allied ships broke past the Dominion lines and headed toward the station , while the " Defiant " opened fire . Stunned by the sudden turn of events and unable to fire even on the " Defiant " because of Rom ' s too - late sabotage earlier , the Female Changeling ordered an evacuation of the station and a retreat of all Dominion forces in the Alpha Quadrant to Cardassian territory . Dukat in a near cataclysmic shock at the impossible reversal , was dealt further blows when his half - Bajoran daughter , Tora Ziyal , confessed that she had released the members of the resistance from their holding cells and had had then helped them sabotage the station . This confession led to her being shot by Damar as a traitor . Devastated , Dukat stayed behind on the station with his dying daughter , in the process of a total mental breakdown . With the station lost , the remaining Dominion forces in the battle zone turned in full retreat back to Cardassian space , bringing the battle to a quick conclusion . Aftermath . The importance of Operation Return to the outcome of the war could not be underestimated . Had the Dominion established a reliable supply line through the Bajoran wormhole , they would have had a secure industrial base from which to send an enormous number of warships and Jem ' Hadar that was virtually guaranteed to overwhelm the Federation Alliance . The battle itself was a major strategic and morale success for the Alliance , as they now had control over the wormhole and Dominion reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant were cut off indefinitely ; the Bajoran wormhole would remain closed to Dominion traffic for the remainder of the war . The Dominion , represented by Weyoun and Damar , actually engaged in peace talks after this defeat , though those talks were ultimately intended to regain a star system necessary for the production of ketracel - white . Soon after this , the Dominion recovered and launched new offensives into Federation territory , attacking worlds such as , Benzar and Betazed . As a result of the events during the Dominion withdrawal from the station , Damar became leader of the Cardassian Union , replacing Dukat . Throughout 2374 and 2375 , Damar became increasingly frustrated with Dominion policy , eventually starting the Cardassian Rebellion and ultimately ensuring the Federation Alliance ' s victory in the Battle of Cardassia . ( ) For his crucial role in leading the attack , Benjamin Sisko was awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor . ( ) Starships present . The following is a partial list of the Federation Alliance starships present at the battle . As well as : Appendices . Background information . The name Operation Return comes from the " " . Apocrypha . In the 2003 novel " Unity " , the Jem ' Hadar soldiers , who were aboard the starships the Prophets made disappear , attack a Queen parasitic being who enters the Celestial Temple . The non - canon 2010 MMO videogame " Star Trek Online " also posits a possible fate for the Dominion reinforcements eliminated by the Prophets at Sisko ' s behest . In the mission series " The 2800 " ( referring to the number of ships in the reinforcement fleet ) , it is revealed that the Prophets did not destroy the Dominion ships , but instead relocate them nearly 40 years into the future , to the year 2409 ( the timeframe of " Star Trek Online " ) . Unaware of their temporal displacement and the end of the war , the Jem ' Hadar fleet exited the wormhole on the Alpha quadrant side , and attacked Deep Space 9 , forcing Starfleet and Klingon forces to evacuate to Bajor . In the game , players would be assigned to infiltrate the wormhole in a shuttle to contact the present - day Dominion in the Gamma quadrant , who would agree to withdraw the time - displaced fleet occupying Deep Space 9 in exchange for the release of the Female Changeling from the Federation prison " Facility 4028 " . Unfortunately , despite the demands of the Founder , the Jem ' Hadar commander Kar ' ukan refused to relinquish the station without a fight . Starfleet and the KDF were forced to deploy their fleets to retake the station by force , and successfully did so , with the assistance of players who infiltrated the station via EV suit spacewalking . It was during this storyline that the Andorian captain was promoted from the to command of the " Odyssey " - class , successor to the , captained by Data following the retirement of Jean - Luc Picard .