4.0 Introduction

The Alpha Quadrant, whose central meridian conventionally runs through Earth's solar system, is dominated along the Alpha-Beta border by the United Federation of Planets and is home to powers such as the Cardassian Union, Ferengi Alliance, Tholian Assembly, and the Bajoran Wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant.

Familiar landmarks of the Alpha Quadrant seen from an unfamiliar perspective: the San Francisco region on Earth (including Starfleet Headquarters and Starfleet Academy), shown on a Cardassian tactical map intercepted by allied forces shortly after the Breen attack on Earth in 2375.

Continuation of the Cardassian tactical map, showing Earth and surrounding orbital rings against the stars.

That the central meridian dividing the Milky Way Galaxy falls through Earth's solar system is just a conceit of the mapmaker's art; it could as easily have been drawn through the homeworlds of any of the great powers that make up the Alpha Quadrant, including the Cardassian Union, the Ferengi Alliance, the Tholian Assembly, the Breen Confederacy, the Talarians, or the Tzenkethi.

(Ancient astronomers on Bajor were convinced that B'hava'el itself was the center of the galaxy.) Today, the well-explored region along the Alpha-Beta quadrant border continues to be dominated by the United Federation of Planets, with its diverse cultures and stellar landmarks. But perhaps the most unique landmark in the quadrant is the Bajoran Wormhole, a stable passageway that extends some 70,000 light-years to the far side of the Gamma Quadrant.