Gamma Quadrant The Gamma Quadrant was the common designation for one - quarter of the Milky Way Galaxy . This quadrant was adjacent to the Alpha Quadrant and to the Delta Quadrant . One - quarter of the galactic core was located in this quadrant . The Denkiri Arm was located in this quadrant . ( ; , " Season 7 ) " History . Vash commented that some of the cultures she had encountered in the Gamma Quadrant had histories spanning millions of years . ( ) It is believed the Hur ' q originated from the quadrant . ( ) Using their system of gateways , the Iconians were able to settle the world of Vandros IV , on the edge of the Gamma Quadrant . ( ) Exploration . The quadrant was first explored by the Federation ' s Quadros - 1 probe in the 22nd century . ( ) A Barzan probe sent through the Barzan wormhole discovered that the Gamma Quadrant terminus was located beyond the Denkiri Arm , a distance that at warp 9 would have taken nearly a century to cover , this later shifted to the Delta Quadrant and the wormhole was discovered to be unstable . ( ) In 2369 , the Bajoran wormhole in the Bajoran system was discovered . This wormhole had a terminus in the Gamma Quadrant that was four light year s from the Idran system . This wormhole linked this quadrant with the Alpha Quadrant . ( ) Tosk , a , came through the Bajoran Wormhole from the Gamma Quadrant and docked at Deep Space 9 on a hunt and was pursed by Hunter s . The Hunters said that the Tosk was bred to be hunted by them and had spent his entire life preparing ; later the Hunters were allowed to resume the hunt and take the Tosk back with them to the Gamma Quadrant after Chief O ' Brien helped the Tosk to escape and return through the Bajoran Wormhole into the Gamma Quadrant . ( ) The archaeologist Vash explored the Gamma Quadrant for two years at the invitation of Q in 2367 . She was found there in 2369 by members of Deep Space 9 ' s crew . ( ; ) Deep Space Nine had the distinction of making first contact with a Gamma Quadrant species known as the Wadi . However , the Wadi showed no interest in formalities and headed straight to Quark ' s . The Ferengi initially saw the Wadi as a potential source of great profit , but when the Wadi Master Surchid Falow started to win at Dabo and went on a winning streak , Quark had one of his waiter s rig the game . The Wadi caught him and forced Quark to play " an honest game " called Chula , using living people as players , but this was revealed later to be only a game and not really dangerous . ( ) Kai Opaka was taken through the Bajoran Wormhole by Benjamin Sisko , where they received a distress signal . They then found a planet with a network of satellite s , one of which was malfunctioning . Their runabout approached the planet and one of the satellites attacked it , forcing them to crash land . Opaka died in the landing , which devastated Kira ; however , her mourning was interrupted by a group of people called the Ennis are who were at war with a group called the Nol - Ennis , both groups were being regenerated by some form of extraterrestrial nanotechnology . The same technology revives the Ennis and Nol - Ennis , but rather than a blessing it is a curse : Both groups were sent to the planet as punishment for centuries of conflict , doomed to die over and over , Kai Opaka accepts that she cannot leave the planet in the Gamma Quadrant and feels called to help the two warring factions learn how to live in peace . ( ) The Vulcan s were at the forefront of the exploration of the Quadrant , beginning only month s after the wormhole was discovered by Benjamin Sisko and Jadzia Dax in 2369 . The Vulcans made many discoveries , including the remains of the Hur ' q race . ( ) The Klingon s showed an interest in exploring the Gamma Quadrant shortly after its discovery by sending their own scout ships to the quadrant . ( ) The was among the first ships to explore the quadrant in an effort to establish colonies on the other side of the wormhole . They also operated freighters to the quadrant . ( ) On the other hand , no Romulan ship had ever been to the Gamma Quadrant until late 2371 during the Tal Shiar ' s abortive attack on the . ( ) The Ferengi saw the Gamma Quadrant as an enormous chance to make a profit and their reputations would be , as Gral put it , " absolutely stainless " . ( ) The Bajoran s also colonized a planet in the Gamma Quadrant , New Bajor , in late 2370 . Unfortunately , the planet was invaded by the Jem ' Hadar , who massacred the population . ( ) The planet Meridian was also located in the Gamma Quadrant , and spends most of its time in another phase of existence , where its people exist only as consciousness , with no physical being . The planet is in this dimension for a very short time . In twelve days it will disappear for sixty years . Each time it returns , the planet will have less time in this universe , and eventually will stop appearing . ( ) The starship Defiant was caught in a type of " quantum bubble " surrounding an inhabited planet . After investigation , it is discovered that the inhabitants are the descendants of the Defiant ' s crew . Generations of descendants have been living on the planet for many years and their own history began when the Defiant tried to escape from the bubble . Instead of passing through its energy barrier , the ship was thrown back in time two centuries and crashed with no hope of contacting the Federation or repairing the ship . Faced with that reality , the small stranded crew of the Defiant ( including Dax , Sisko , O ' Brien , etc . ) decided to remain and establish a society . ( ) The Dominion . The Dominion was established approximately 10 , 000 years prior to 2375 . This galactic power was located between 40 , 000 and 50 , 000 light years from the galactic core in an arm of the galaxy . Other powers have been encountered , but their status with the Dominion was unclear . ( ; , " Season 7 production art " ) In the act directly precipitous to the Dominion War , the Federation mined the entrance to the wormhole ( leading to the Gamma Quadrant ) in 2373 . This cut off access to this quadrant from any Alpha Quadrant powers and prevented Dominion reinforcements from adding to the Dominion War . ( ) Appendices . Background information . In response to inquiries as to why the Federation continued to visit the Gamma Quadrant , Ronald D . Moore stated : Apocrypha . The exploration of the Gamma Quadrant resumes in 2376 , with Elias Vaughn leading the in the " Mission Gamma " miniseries .