Production facilities for ketracel white are a target for the Federation, because the Dominion needs it to keep the Jem'Hadar under control.
Was there a canon reason given as to why the Dominion doesn't simply replicate it?
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3I believe it's cause only the Founder's know how to make it, thus furthering the dependence on them by the Jem'Hadar.– PiousVenomCommented Jun 27, 2017 at 15:58
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2If it were possible to replicate ketracel white at scale, one of the Alpha Quadrant powers would have done so in order to break the Dominion's hold over the Jem'Hadar. Whether that would have worked is unclear to me (the Jem'Hadar seem very attached to the Founders and might have rejected any such effort out of hand), but one of (Romulans, Klingons, Federation, Cardassians) would have tried it at some point, because it's too obvious to ignore.– KevinCommented Jun 27, 2017 at 23:34
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"Founders" (get rid of the apostrophe).– Ham SandwichCommented Jun 28, 2017 at 0:52
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2 Answers
In the season three episode "The Abandoned", DS9 crew tried to analyze ketracel white but the computer could make no sense of it. Odo explicitly stated that the drug cannot be replicated.
answered Jun 28, 2017 at 0:30
Fundamentally, it was a matter of control. Ketracel White was manufactured at specific facilities and given by the founder to the Vorta, who then issued it to the Jem'Hadar. Allowing the Vorta, or the Jem'Hadar, to have the capability to replicate the drug would reduce the ability to be able to control both societies.
The Son'a at one point produced Ketracel White, presumably at the behest of the Founders since one of the Weyoun clones ordered forces to protect the facility.
The Son'a had a ketracel-white facility in an outpost on Devos II. The Federation became aware of its presence later in 2375, forcing Weyoun and Damar to divert warships from pursuit of the USS Defiant to the facility to protect it. (DS9: "Penumbra")
Lastly, it is possible that Ketracel White cannot be replicated at all, especially if it's a particularly complex chemical.
If the object desired contained a certain degree of complexity in its molecular structure, it could not be replicated
answered Jun 27, 2017 at 16:16
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1There didn't appear to be nearly enough Founders in the Alpha quadrant to have run even one facility. I think they trusted the Vorta enough to let them run the facilities. The Vorta were definitely not controlled through the White. Commented Jun 27, 2017 at 16:20
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@Quasi_Stomach Weren't they? If supply of the White were cut off, who would the Jem'Hadar turn on? The founders, or the Vorta? If the Vorta don't do what the Founders tell them to, the Founders can simply cut off the supply of White, at which point any Jem'Hadar underneath those Vorta would go nuts and start killing them. After the Jem'Hadar deal with the Vorta, the Founders send in someone new to command them, with a fresh supply of White. In the end, both species are ultimately controlled by the White.– Steve-OCommented Jun 27, 2017 at 17:08
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@Steve-O While I don't disagree with your reasoning, it does seem quite a stretch to apply such broad speculation without examples from the "cannon". Are there any such examples in the series'? Commented Jun 27, 2017 at 17:42