[[quoteright:301:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zero_sum_game_cover_4756.jpg]]
A series of books in the so-called Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse. As of the novel ''Literature/ASingularDestiny'', itself following on from the ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny'' trilogy, the political structure of the Franchise/StarTrek galaxy has been shaken up considerably. Six formally non-aligned powers -- the Breen, Gorn, Tholians, Tzenkethi, Kinshaya and half of the Romulans -- have formed an alliance, becoming new interstellar superpower the Typhon Pact. For the first time, [[TheFederation the United Federation of Planets]] is facing a rival with an agenda matching its own - peaceful co-operation between species for mutual benefit. Political tensions are high, and the state of TheFederation now somewhat uncertain.

Full-sized novels:

* ''Zero Sum Game'' (Featuring links to the Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch - focusing on Dr. Bashir - as well as continuing the story of Ezri Dax on the ''Aventine'', as introduced in ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny''. The featured Pact member is the Breen).
* ''Seize the Fire'' (The ''Literature/StarTrekTitan'' entry, also featuring the Gorn).
* ''Rough Beasts of Empire'' (Somewhat part of the Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch - focusing on Sisko - and also continuing the story of Spock on Romulus. Pact members featured are the Tzenkethi and the Romulans).
* ''Paths of Disharmony'' (Features [[Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch Picard's]] ''[[Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch Enterprise]]'', along with Shar from the Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch. It continues the latter series' Andorian arc, and features an important cameo by the Tholians)
* ''Plagues of Night'' (Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch, also Spock on Romulus. Featured Pact members are the Romulans, Breen and Tzenkethi).
* ''Raise the Dawn'' (Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch, featured Pact members are Romulans, Breen and Tzenkethi).
* ''Brinkmanship'' (USS ''Aventine'', [[Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch USS]] ''[[Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch Enterprise]]'', the Tzenkethi, the Ferengi and Cardassians as part of the expanded Khitomer Accords)

Novellas:

* ''The Struggle Within'' (Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch, featured Pact member is the Kinshaya, also featuring Talarians).

Many of the plot arcs from this series continue in ''Literature/StarTrekColdEquations'' and ''Literature/StarTrekTheFall''.

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!!This series contains examples of:

* TheAlliance: The Typhon Pact, and also the expanded Khitomer Accords, after the Ferengi and the Cardassians formally ally with the Federation and Klingons. Members of the Cardassian military and Ferengi Treasury Guard begin serving on Federation ships and outposts.
* AnyoneCanDie: Notably,[[spoiler: Joseph Sisko, Tal'aura and Donatra]] in ''Rough Beasts of Empire'', [[spoiler: Sela, Vaughn and possibly Kira]] in ''Raise the Dawn''. And of course [[spoiler: Deep Space Nine]] in ''Plagues of Night.''
* AppleOfDiscord / ConflictBall: With the apocalyptic Borg threat previously resolved in ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny'', the series basically runs on this.
* {{Arc Welding}}: Apart from Ezri Dax and Sam Bowers, the characters of the Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch were absent from ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny''. ''Star Trek: Typhon Pact'' brings the relaunch story arc forward to ''Destiny's'' aftermath, revealing the actions of many of these characters during the crisis.
** ''Paths of Disharmony'' returns to the Andorian genetics/politics arc from the Relaunch, and explores the effect ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny'' and its aftermath had on the situation. It also makes good use of ideas introduced in ''Literature/StarTrekVanguard'', with the classified records of those novels' events being integral to ''Paths of Disharmony's'' plot.
* ArchEnemy: Politically, President Bacco and Ambassador Tezrene are almost certainly arch enemies by now. In ''Zero Sum Game'', Bacco "wins" the latest political tussle between them (the time before, in ''Literature/ASingularDestiny'', Tezrene came out on top). In ''Paths of Disharmony'', it's once again Tezrene's turn to score, when her people succeed in causing further political chaos in the Federation.
* ArtificialGravity: The Tzenkethi manipulate gravity on a local scale so they can use every surface of a room for work or recreation. They consider using only the floor to be a foolish waste of available space. Also, they're psychologically uncomfortable with open spaces and prefer the sense of enclosement that comes from having workstations on every wall, floor and ceiling.
* AssInAmbassador: Tholian Ambassador Tezrene, as always. She now represents not Tholia specifically but the Typhon Pact in general.
** Cardassian Ambassador Detrek in ''Brinkmanship'' blusters, threatens and generally makes the negotiations with the Venetans impossible. [[spoiler: She's just a distraction so that the Cardassians can extract an operative from the Tzenkethi homeworld.]]
* BatmanGambit: In ''Rough Beasts of Empire'', [[spoiler: the Tzenkethi manipulate Romulan politics]] so as to become an unofficial leading power in the Typhon Pact. The Romulans are the most powerful faction, but are currently led by somewhat hawkish leaders; this threatens the galactic stability seemingly desired by the [[spoiler: Tzenkethi]] (at least for the moment). In order to "rein in" the Romulans without drawing attention to themselves or damaging the Romulans' actual strength (which serves the Pact well), they conspire to remove the current Romulan leader and install a Praetor ''they'd'' prefer be in power - all through subtle manipulation (and a few assassinations disguised as natural causes). This gambit is played out as Praetor Tal'aura works on her own; [[spoiler: to reclaim the breakaway worlds of Donatra's Imperial Romulan State by framing Donatra for a supposed attack on Ambassador Spock, then arresting her when she accepts an invite to a diplomatic conference on Romulus]]. The latter gambit is playing into the former, as a reunited Romulan state benefits the Typhon Pact and thus is in the best interests of the [[spoiler: Tzenkethi]].
** However, their plan might be starting to backfire as praetor Tal'aura's sucessor (Gell Kamemor) is trying to build peace with the UFP instead of antagonizing it.
* BelligerentSexualTension: In ''Zero Sum Game'', Ezri invites Bashir into her quarters for dinner. It seems to be going well, with her seeking to make amends for what had went wrong between them. And then she discovers that Julian is seeing Sarina...and suddenly their conversation dissolves into a heated argument, out of the blue....
* {{Brainwashing}}: Tzenkethi who deviate too far from their designated place in society are sent for "Reconditioning". Those who cannot be "fixed" via the [=ReCo=] process are designated as "nulls" and used as the most menial of laborers.
* BullyingADragon: [[spoiler:The Tal Shiar, Breen and Tzenkethi operatives steal technology from the Dominion. Twice.]]
* CallBack / ContinuityNod: A scene in ''Zero Sum Game'', in which President Bacco is confronted by Federation Council members wary of her potentially questionable decisions, announcing their intention to veto a bill only to be outmaneuvered, recalls a scene in ''[[Literature/StarTrekATimeTo A Time to Heal]]'', where then-President Zife faced a similar confrontation. Where Zife deflected criticism by appealing to humanitarian arguments, while actually up to his neck in illegal activities, Bacco attacks with information on the support she has from other councillors, seemingly convinced that she's on the right side of the moral line. As both novels were written by the same author, the similarities between the two scenes are likely entirely deliberate. Whether the Bacco scene serves to reinforce why she's different and better than Zife or hints uncomfortably at the possibility for similarities unless she's careful, is up to the reader.
* CityOfCanals: Utyrak, on the planet Salavat in the Breen Condederacy, as seen in ''Zero Sum Game''. Like all Breen cities it's underground, built on a subterranean canal network.
* DarkIsNotEvil: The Breen salutation "Night and silence protect you", and its reply "may darkness bring you fortune".
* ADayInTheLimelight: Each book focuses on one member (sometimes two) of the titular Typhon Pact, many of them previously somewhat minor players. The only member without a focus was the Kinshaya...until the announcement of a "bonus story" in novella form, which featured them extensively. The same novella took a non-Typhon Pact member, the Talarians, and fleshed them out too.
* DemocracyIsBad: The Tzenkethi have this belief, which is why they're so opposed to the United Federation of Planets. Alizome, a Tzenkethi agent, reflects on the disturbing concept of allowing ''anyone'' a political voice:
-->"Those mediocre and substandard minds - uneducated, self-centred, avaricious, prejudiced, chauvinistically patriotic - would ultimately bring about the downfall of their society".
* DespairEventHorizon: The Andorians reach theirs in this series, now that Andor has been heavily damaged by the Borg, and they learn that the Federation has been sitting for a century on the technology that might have solved their genetic crisis.
* DoubleMeaningTitle: As well as the obvious meaning, ''Zero Sum Game'' is also a reference to "cold war" as well as to the Breen, who are popularly supposed to live in sub-zero temperatures.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: A good explanation of Sela's justification for trying to create the quantum slipstream drive for the Pact, as she can't conceive of the possibility that the Federation won't use it as a first-strike weapon against Romulus because that's what they'd do if the situation was the other way around. In the end, other characters observe that Sela's actions have actually caused more danger for the Pact than if she had done nothing, while the fact that the Federation haven't used the drive against them yet should be a good sign that they never will.
* EvilCounterpart: Although the Breen are a multi-faceted people, as an antagonist culture they serve as this to the Federation. Like the Federation, they draw on multiple races and cultures to form their membership, and no race is legally subordinate to another. However, where the Federation celebrates its diversity and the potential for new perspectives, the Breen fear bias to an extreme degree, and insist on hiding their diversity even as they utilize it. Where the Federation is open and bright, the Breen are secretive, closed-off and embrace the shadows.
* {{Expy}}: Romulan Commander Marius for Commander Tomalak (who's busy elsewhere at present). The writing in ''Zero Sum Game'' even draws attention to the similarity, playing Marius and Captain Dax as a reflection of Tomalak and Captain Picard.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: Thot Keer. It also overlaps slightly with DyingAsYourself, in that in his last seconds he removes his Breen mask to reveal his true face, deliberately dying as a member of his birth race while having "lived a Breen".
* FacelessGoons: {{Justified}}. In ''Zero Sum Game'' the real reason the Breen wear those suits and masks is because they're a confederation of about a dozen species, and the suits make it easier to work together by heading off FantasticRacism as they all appear as Breen to one another.
* FantasticCasteSystem: The Gorn have been given this (as was hinted in earlier Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse works). The Tzenkethi sort of have one, though they don't appreciate the term "caste" being applied by outsiders.
* FantasticRacism:
** Laas the changeling hasn't made much progress in his attitude toward "monoforms", as evident in ''Plagues of Night''. He cares nothing for the political rivalries of the various "solid" species, stating that wars between them would result in less monoforms, leaving the galaxy for those who deserve to have it, namely shapeshifters.
** The Andorian engineer who [[spoiler: planted the bombs that destroyed Deep Space Nine]] accuses the Federation of practicing this towards Andorians, though by that point he's pretty mentally unbalanced.
** The Breen wear full-body suits and masks as a way of {{def|iedTrope}}ying this trope. They're a confederation of about a dozen species (five are named) and the suits make it so that as far as they or anyone else is concerned, they're all Breen.
* FantasticRankSystem:
** Breen ranks include Thot (canonically established), Chot, and Ghoc. They're attached to the front of a Breen's short-hand name, so that the Breen Deshinar Tibbonel, for instance, is known as "Chot Nar".
** Gorn ranks include the ''Ozuk'', and Warrior Caste units are led by a First Myrmidon.
** The Kinshaya ranks translate as Vicar, Deacon, Bishop, Arch-Bishop, etc.
* TheFederation: Besides the obvious, this series establishes the Breen Confederacy to be just that: a confederation of about a dozen different species under a common banner. This neatly explains the sometimes-contradictory {{exposition}} about the Breen in the shows: the weird stories about their physiology come from encounters with vastly different member species.
* FictionalCurrency: The Breen Confederacy's ''Sakto''.
* FictionalPoliticalParty: The Parliament Andoria is split between the Modern Progressives and the Visionists. The novel ''Paths of Disharmony'' also points out some of the flaws in a political system defined by "rival" parties.
* FloatingHeadSyndrome: Most of the covers, with the exception of ''Plagues of Night'' and ''Raise the Dawn'', which instead go for (really quite gorgeous) starship art.
* GeneralRipper: First Myrmidon Gog'resssh, a Gorn command officer of the warrior caste. Driven slowly mad by radiation poisoning, he becomes increasingly brutal and unhinged. He switches between being completely paranoid and strangely trusting, though he's always dangerous.
* GoingNative: Neta Efheny, in ''Brinkmanship'', a Cardassian spy inserted into the Tzenkethi Department of the Outside as a low-grade worker. She comes to prefer the certainty that comes with knowing your place and your function, worrying about nothing but how to perform that function, free from the need to face any of the complications regarding identity or responsibility. She eventually accepts the mind-numbing contentment of a low-grade Tzenkethi and allows herself to be fully subsumed into their society. [[spoiler: But not before handing off critical intel to her superiors through a Tzenkethi intermediary.]]
* GoodHairEvilHair: Apparently, the Cardassians have taken to wearing their hair close-shaven rather than in the traditional slick-backed style we're familiar with from the TV series. This is because that style is associated with the disastrous policies that led to Cardassia's devastation.
* GrapplingHookPistol: In ''Zero Sum Game'', Bashir and Sarina Douglas have "bolt-launchers" which resemble tiny harpoon-guns trailing monofilament wire. They can also be set for zero-recoil for use in space, although at one point Bashir intentionally ''doesn't'' do this to use it as a low-power personal thruster.
* GreenEyedMonster: The Breen envy the Romulans' leading position as most powerful Pact member. They therefore spend as much time trying to wrest the dominant position within the Pact from the Romulans as they do plotting against the Federation. And since they do the latter almost constantly lately...
* HeelFaceTurn: Apparently, [[spoiler: some of the Ascendants (see ''Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch''). Raiq herself is studying on Bajor as of ''Rough Beasts Of Empire'']].
* HeroAntagonist: Thot Keer, the Breen shipyard manager in ''Zero Sum Game''. His work crews are developing a prototype starship using stolen Federation technology, and the protagonist's mission is to destroy both prototype and shipyard. Keer is certainly not a villain though; he is merely a patriot who takes pride in his work, and displays great bravery and (for want of a better term) humanity throughout the novel.
** Praetor Gell Kamemor may be a Romulan patriot opposed to the Federation politically, but adamantly disagrees with the notion of Romulan superiority that the [[StateSec Tal Shiar]] and most of the Romulan military believe in. She would rather resolve the conflict with the Federation in the diplomatic arena than on a battlefield. All of her scenes in the series show her as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure compared to the previous cadre of conniving and backstabbing Romulan politicians.
* HoldYourHippogriffs: "Permit me to make my meaning as clear as crysmetal".
* HufflepuffHouse: The Kinshaya, who have important roles in two e-book novellas (''The Struggle Within'' and ''The Stuff of Dreams'') but rarely show up in the full-length novels. It may have something to do with their being the only Typhon Pact member not to be canonically established on screen (they're an invention of the literature).
* ImAHumanitarian: Dr. Ree makes the joke that gives this trope its name. Also, the Gorn under Gog'resssh briefly and half-jokingly suggest they could eat the Starfleet crew for provisions. Of course, Gog'resssh's crew are insane by this point.
* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Bashir notes that [[spoiler:most of the Federation were unaware of the existence of the Shedai metagenome in the first place, and of the few who did even fewer of them knew that it might have some way of helping the Andorians, so the Andorians were not deliberately neglected]].
* InnocentAliens: The Venetans in ''Brinkmanship''. They're almost completely unable to handle the shifty politics and misdirection of the major galactic powers, with their leading citizen becoming literally ill from stress when confronted with realities like espionage.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Eklanir th'Gahryn reflects on the value of these in ''Paths of Disharmony''. In particular, his friendship with his much younger aide ch'Drena is highly important to him.
* KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect: The Talarian genders have very different social roles, and are liable to underplay the importance of the other gender's work. Given that politics and leadership is a male role, this is most notable and extreme when the male government neglects their people's feminine sphere, leading to unrest in ''The Struggle Within''.
** The Gorn seem to have shades of the same problem; emphasizing the warrior component of their culture and disregarding the equally important non-military aspects. In their case, rather than a gender division it's a matter of caste; the Technologist caste appears to be looked down on by the warriors. As an interesting extension of the idea, the Political Caste seems to have such fear of the warriors' tendency to promote themselves above other Gorn that they've deliberately undercut their power by giving them only a single breeding world.
* LeaveBehindAPistol: [[spoiler: Sela]] is given a choice between drinking a bowl of fast-acting poison or be branded a traitor and face [[spoiler: extradition to Earth for her role in betraying the Praetor and almost touching off war with the Federation]]. As the Praetor walks away from the cell, she hears the bowl clatter to the floor.
* LightIsNotGood: The Tzenkethi, who glow with a beautiful light that is considered strikingly beautiful by most other species. They're actually very manipulative, though, and the clearest villains of ''Rough Beasts of Empire''.
* LiteraryAllusionTitle:
** ''Seize the Fire'' comes from "The Tyger" by Creator/WilliamBlake.
** Played with in David R. George III's books, ''Rough Beasts of Empire'', ''Plagues of Night'' and ''Raise the Dawn'', which all open with the passage of poetry the title comes from, only they're InUniverse quotes: a Romulan poet in the first book and K. C. Hunter from "Far Beyond the Stars" in the duology. However the titles of the internal sections are all genuine allusions: in ''Rough Beasts'' they're from Gerard Manley Hopkins, and both books in the duology ShoutOutToShakespeare (''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' and ''Theatre/TheTempest'' respectively).
* ManipulativeBastard: Alizome the Tzenkethi agent, in both ''Rough Beasts of Empire'' and ''Brinkmanship''. The Tzenkethi in general are the Manipulative Bastard of the Typhon Pact (the Tholians might give them a run for their money sometimes, but the Tzenkethi take the trophy).
* {{Microts}}: Tzenkethi "Skyturn" and "Twin-month".
* MilitaryMaverick: Romulan Commander Marius, definitely. His apparent rival Captain Dax is often this as well.
* MyGreatestFailure: Ro sees [[spoiler: the destruction of Deep Space Nine]] as hers, despite saving over 5500 lives.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero. Starfleet's decision to classify [[spoiler: the Shedai metagenome following the events of ''Star Trek: Vanguard'' a century ago. This comes back to bite them in the ass when the Tholians reveal its existence to the Andorians and that the Federation has been sitting on it throughout the Andorians' genetic crisis. It's the tipping point that leads to Andoria's secession from the Federation.]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Depressed and weary after a difficult mission, Julian Bashir cynically ponders how the Federation and the more militant members of the Pact are both acting out of fear and concern for their security and power, and wonders if they're really so different. Then he corrects his thinking, reminding himself that the Federation doesn't seek out conflict, prefers diplomacy to hostility and doesn't seek to usurp other races' territory or resources. In other words, even if the current motives are the same in some respects, he's wrong to suggest the Federation isn't very different from, say, the Tzenkethi or the Tholians.
* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: The Federation is now ''not'' the local superpower, nor is it the only nation working to bring mutually beneficial unity to the worlds of the galaxy.
** On a far lesser note, Spock's Reunification Movement [[spoiler: is now legal, and he has a full visitor's pass to any Romulan world]].
*** By ''Plagues of Night'', Spock realizes that [[spoiler: his role in Reunification is now ending, as his protégés take over.]]
** As of ''Paths of Disharmony,'' [[spoiler: Andor has seceded from the Federation]]!
** And as of ''Plagues of Night'' and ''Raise the Dawn'' [[spoiler:Deep Space Nine is destroyed and the Bajoran Wormhole is closed/collapsed.]]
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: As of ''Paths of Disharmony'', a vocal minority of Andorians have come to view the Federation as essentially an oppressive force manipulating Andor for its own ends at the expense of the planet's own national and cultural identity. This is the motivation behind the WellIntentionedExtremist who serves as the novel's primary antagonist. The idea is encouraged by [[spoiler: the Tholians]], who arrange to drop a proverbial bombshell at just the right (wrong) time.
* OneFederationLimit: The series finishes fleshing out the major nations of Local Space, and indeed there are no duplicates, either in the name of the nation or its leader.
** United Federation of Planets: led by the President
** Klingon Empire: led by the Chancellor
** Cardassian Union: led by the Castellan
** Ferengi Alliance: led by the Grand Nagus
** Talarian Republic: led by the Commander-in-Chief
** Romulan Star Empire: led by the Praetor
** Breen Confederacy: led by the Domo
** Tzenkethi Coalition: led by the Autarch
** Gorn Hegemony: led by the Imperator
** Tholian Assembly: led by the High Magistrates of the Ruling Conclave
** Holy Order of the Kinshaya: led by the Pontifex Maxima.
* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: The home and office of the Tzenkethi Autarch is inside a building with a flexible and highly changable structural design. To access the house requires contemplation of mathematical principles and aesthetics, to puzzle out the likely position of concealed openings. Agents of the Autarch are therefore tested every time they report to the building, and must demonstrate their worth by finding a way inside.
* OrderVersusChaos: Important to the Tzenkethi view of the universe; they very definitely represent order. Everyone in Tzenkethi society knows their place, being ranked by exact occupational duties and proficiency level. Chaos is anathema, and the sprawling mass of the Federation and its democratic government is considered a threat and seemingly a very real evil.
* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: The Kinshaya.
* PatrioticFervor: On Andor, among several groups advocating the planet's withdrawal from the Federation in favour of more directly Andor-centric politics. Others fear that Andorian national/cultural identity is being destroyed by influence from offworlders.
* PleaseSelectNewCityName: In ''Plagues of Night'', the Romulan schoolteacher and Reunificationist, Corthin, speaks about the various name changes inflicted on the Romulan capital. During her childhood, the name changed from Val'danadex Trel to Dartha to Ki Baratan, depending on the whims of successive governments.
** This is a nod to the pre-continuity novels, where no one could stick to using just one name for the Romulan capital.
* PungeonMaster: T'Ryssa, as usual. The highlight this time round is her referring to Kinshaya engaging in non-violent protests as "hippie-griffs" (Kinshaya being the ''Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse'''s OurGryphonsAreDifferent race).
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Gell Kamemor, who becomes important in ''Rough Beasts of Empire'' and ''Plagues of Night'' / ''Raise the Dawn''. She's an EnsembleDarkhorse originally introduced in ''Serpents Among the Ruins'', a novel of ''Literature/StarTrekTheLostEra''.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Discussed at some length in ''Seize the Fire'', and also played with when the reptilian Gorn show similar revulsion to mammals.
-->"Mammals. Why did it have to be mammals?"
* {{Revision}}: ''Zero Sum Game'' tackles the ContinuitySnarl various sources have turned the Breen into (Do they really need cold temperatures to survive? If not, why do they always wear environmental suits described as having refrigeration properties? How humanoid are they under the suits? Are they invulnerable to telepathy or not?) and comes up with the simple explanation that there's more than one species in the Breen Confederacy.
* SelectiveObliviousness: In ''Raise the Dawn'', when Bashir confronts [[spoiler:Andorian ensign th'Shant, responsible for planting the bombs that destroyed Deep Space Nine, he swiftly realises that th'Shant is basically ignoring any evidence that contradicts his idea that the Federation are prejudiced against Andorians]].
* SpaceColdWar: There are now two rival political blocs in local space, the Typhon Pact and the nations of the Khitomer Accords. Several books, most notably ''Zero Sum Game'' and ''Plagues of Night'', deal with tensions stemming from threats to the balance of power between them.
** ''Brinkmanship'' may take it the furthest yet, as in some respects the situation in Venetan space is the two powers' very own Cuban Missile Crisis.
* SpaceStation: Typhon I.
** And [[spoiler: the new Deep Space Nine.]]
* StealthInSpace: The Romulans have successfully installed phase-cloak capacity on their ships, allowing them to move through solid matter as well as conceal themselves from other vessels. The Warbird ''Dekkona'' uses the technology to successfully infiltrate the Sol system and extract a Breen spy from a Starfleet shipyard.
** And then it's used to [[spoiler: infiltrate Dominion space and steal components needed for the Typhon Pact's quantum slipstream project. Twice.]]
* TeamSwitzerland: The Boslic, ruled by the Triumvirate of Cort, are chosen to host a conference between the heads of state of the various major powers because everyone knows they're dedicated to political neutrality.
* TeethClenchedTeamWork: The Pact was thrown together rather quickly, and the member nations aren't always the best at actually working together.
* {{Terraform}}: In ''Seize the Fire''.
* ThrownOutTheAirlock: The Gorn Hegemony is shown to practice this as a form of execution. The prisoner is entitled to an official trial, but that doesn't stop some commanders spacing traitors there and then. In ''Seize the Fire'', the Gorn technologist S'syrixx is thrown out the airlock, having been found guilty of sabotage.
* VillainTeamUp: Essentially the idea behind the series, only with a twist. The nations which form the Pact were historically antagonistic, often to each other as well as to the Federation. Their outlook is changing, but to what degree and how far will it take them? A "cold war" situation has developed, but the agendas of all the players are still somewhat unclear, and whether the Pact takes an openly aggressive stance towards the Federation depends on which members gain the most influence. The Tholians, at least, are out for blood, whether the rest of the Pact follows their lead or reins them in is anyone's guess.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Eklanir th'Gahryn, leader of the Andorian ''Treishya'' separatist movement.
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: The Tholians blame the Federation for Tholian raids on Federation allies, insisting that the Federation is at fault for provoking the Tholians. Bacco notes that this is "just Tholians being Tholians".
* WickedCultured: The Cardassian intelligence agency has adopted this as their distinguishing characteristic. Dax even notes that they're playing it up in an effort to be more like Garak, the eventual "winner" of the Obsidian Order's lengthy game.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: This comes up with the Andorian ''Treishya'' terrorists, though it's pointed out how absurd it is to suggest Andorians are in need of "freedom fighters".

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