User:Williams/Sandbox/Cardassian

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Cardassian
Survey Data
Star System:	Cardassia
Region:	Cardassian Space
Quadrant:	Alpha Quadrant
First Contact:	pre-2245
Political Information
Affiliation:	Cardassian Union
Capital:	Cardassia Prime
Political System:	Representative Democracy
Biological Information
Type:	Reptilian humanoid
Atmosphere type:	Class-M, hot
Development Stage:	Warp capable
Character:	Disciplined, Prideful, Ruthless, Efficient
Number of Eyes:	2
[ Source ]

The Cardassians are a humanoid species from the Alpha Quadrant. They are native to the planet Cardassia Prime, capital world of the Cardassian Union. Known throughout the Alpha Quadrant for their ruthlessness, the Cardassians became one of the greatest enemies of the United Federation of Planets and Klingon Empire when they joined the Dominion in 2373. Their xenophobic attitude towards other species was well established throughout the quadrant after the Setlik III massacre during the Cardassian War, as well as when their atrocities during the Occupation of Bajor were revealed after their withdrawal in 2369.

Physiology

Cardassians prefer a darker, hotter, and more humid environment than Humans. Like other humanoids, their evolution was influenced by the Ancient humanoids.

Externally, Cardassians were easily recognizable by each having light-grey skin, two thick vertical neck ridges that receded back to the crown of their head and an inverted tear-shaped ridge in the centre of the forehead. The ridge was thickest immediately above the eyes, protecting them and creating an especially deep-set appearance. There was also another inverted tear-shaped ridge feature in the centre of the Cardassian chest.

On Cardassian females, the ridge in the centre of the forehead had a blue colouration, as did the second or third rung down on their neck ridges. This colouration may be a form of cosmetic make up, similar to Henna ink make up and markings. They had straight hair that varied in colour from dark brown to the far more common jet black.

Males typically slicked their hair back, while the women had more varying hairstyles. As with Humans, their hair turned white with age. However some male Cardassians (like Enabran Tain) tended to dye their hair instead of letting it show white. Furthermore, a Cardassian's hearing was not as acute as a Human's.

Cardassian neck ridges were sensitive to touch and massaging them stimulated pleasure. They can also be used to perform something known as the "Cardassian neck trick"

The Cardassians were known for their photographic memories, and some even had the ability to resist a Vulcan mind meld. Medical conditions to which Cardassians were susceptible included the Rudellian plague, Coleibric hemorrhage, Kalla-Nohra Syndrome, Pottrik Syndrome, and Yarim Fel Syndrome.

Chemically, Cardassians had a toxic reaction to cobalt diselenide, but were immune to the toxic effects of trilithium resin.

Like many humanoid species, Cardassians were able to produce offspring with a variety of species, including Bajorans and Kazon. Dukat was known to have two half Bajoran children, including Tora Ziyal and another with Mika. Additionally, Seska had a son with the Kazon Culluh while stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

It is also possible that Humans and Cardassians were able to cross-breed, as Seska nearly convinced Chakotay the child was his. Furthermore, Gilora Rejal was willing to bear Miles O'Brien's children, convinced he wished to pursue a relationship with her.

Society and culture

Enabran Tain, an elderly Cardassian in 2370

Cardassian culture was hierarchical, with the State at the top in public life, and parents within the home. Cardassians value advanced age as a sign of strength, power, and wisdom. In Cardassian culture, the 30th birthday was cause for celebration for a Cardassian, though the government may not have always been so open-minded in its policies. Cardassian architecture often reinforced established hierarchy by placing important individuals in physically high locations. The emphasis on hierarchy, and other factors were fertile ground for intense rivalries between individuals and families. As a result Cardassians were generally suspicious, and regarded those who were not as foolish. The irony in the Human tragedy Julius Caesar was lost on Elim Garak, who thought Caesar a fool for not suspecting that Brutus would betray him. Organian scientists noted that Cardassians in the 22nd century "had compassion" for comrades afflicted with a fatal and contagious disease - but in the end, the Cardassians killed their infected crew members.

File:Asha.jpg

Cardassian orphans left on Bajor after the Occupation

Cardassian culture valued family highly as shown in the Cardassian saying "Family is all." Cardassian homes were typically multi-generational and hierarchical, with male and female parents sharing authority. Cardassian culture emphasized family loyalty, whether family loyalty trumped loyalty to the state remains to be seen. Similar to some other cultures, Cardassians placed great value on the continuation of family lines, and as such were pro-natalist, though they were not known for having large numbers of offspring. Sometimes, Cardassian children would visit their parents at work to see what they did, even if their job involved torture. In contrast to the close knit family unit, Cardassian culture did not regard orphans highly, and provided no obvious means of social welfare for them, though adoption was not unheard of. When making a speech, the leader of the Cardassian Union typically uses the send-off "This I vow with my life's blood, for my sons, for all our sons."

Neither of the two Cardassian genders is considered universally dominant over the other, though each tends to be dominant within certain specific fields within their society. Patrician Cardassian males lead a life focused on military and political service, and thus societal advances in technology and engineering have always been spearheaded by Cardassian females. Most Cardassian scientists tend to be females, or as Gilora Rejal put it, "men just don't seem to have a head for this sort of thing...that's why women dominate the sciences." This does not mean that women are relegated to maintaining the Cardassian technological base, as various female ship commanders and political leaders have been observed, such as Gul Ocett and Archon Makbar.

Cardassians enjoyed debate and conversation in general. Cardassian meal time was as much about discussion as it was about eating. They would speak at length about a topic to show their knowledge, avoid saying something incriminating, or to obtain some piece of information from the person they were speaking to. Such was their love of conversation that it played a major role in their courtship. Courtship among Cardassians largely consisted of bitter, ferocious arguing, a fact not remembered by the confrontational Miles O'Brien, who engaged in repeated disputes with his female Cardassian co-worker Gilora Rejal, only to be shocked when it led to her becoming infatuated with him. Pressing the palm of one's hand to another's palm was the equivalent of a kiss on the cheek, as demonstrated by Elim Garak and Tora Ziyal.

The Cardassian design ethic shows a preference for dark colors. Their architecture tends to have things in sets of three, and to have a sense of symmetry. Designs favour trapezoids instead of squares, and ovals instead of circles.

Cardassian engineering standards were usually lower than Starfleet's. When Miles O'Brien ran a diagnostic of Deep Space 9's fusion power plant, it revealed that it was operating at 13% below peak efficiency. The station's computer, still running by Cardassian standards, explained that Cardassian specifications accept operating efficiency within 20%.

Cardassians were well known for genetic engineering, even allowing other galactic powers to study their creations, such as the Federation. To distinguish their creations, they always built distinctive monoclonial links into their DNA.

A year after the conclusion of the Federation-Cardassian War, Worf stated "Cardassians have no honour." Conversely, during the Klingon-Cardassian War, an officer aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey stated that the Cardassians were honourable and formidable warriors in comparison to their Jem'Hadar counterparts.

Cardassians were meticulous record keepers using well-organized files and databases. They instructed many other worlds, including Bajor, in their archival methods. Much like minions of the Dominion, Cardassians were known for their punctuality. Cardassians valued cleanliness, especially from their women.

They were similar to the Romulans in their xenophobic tendencies, and also shared the Romulan belief that there was no such thing as luck. Like the Breen, they treated their prisoners with little tolerance or sympathy, and had no qualms with using torture to extract information. Additionally, they were similar to the Ferengi in that they were known for paying their bills. During the Cardassian's occupation of Bajor, many officers accepted bribes to overlook suspicious activities, for additional food, or for other "favours." To many Alpha Quadrant species, Cardassians were seen as nothing more than arrogant, cruel, cold-blooded killers.

Education

Cardassians considered their educational system to be unparalleled in the Alpha Quadrant, and educational attainment was regarded as a key asset in Cardassian society. Cardassian children were often put into intensive mind training programs from as early as three or four. It is because of these mind training programs that some Cardassians were able to resist a Vulcan mind meld. Cardassians were also trained during this time to have photographic memories. A typical view of how children should be raised was summed up in Dukat's statement "Education is power... joy is vulnerability."

Religion

Ancient Cardassian civilization exhibited vibrant religious practice; its rituals and structure were unknown. During this period prior to the establishment of the modern Cardassian Union, resource shortages, famine, and plague became rampant throughout the homeworld, evidently killing large portions of the population. In order to survive, Cardassian society embraced a totalitarian police-state which would be strong enough to provide for the material needs of its citizens. As the ancient religion was a deviation from utter devotion to the government, the modern Cardassian Union was founded as a non-theistic society where loyalty to the State achieved profound importance.

Modern Cardassians seemed to regard the religions of other galactic species as anachronistic or backward as evidenced by their actions during the Bajoran Occupation, though extenuating circumstances may have played a role in this. During the period in which Cardassia was a member of the Dominion in 2373, most Cardassians did not view the Founders as deities, instead focusing on their physical properties as Shapeshifters. Cardassians did not believe in luck; rather that all outcomes are ultimately determined by the individual's strength or will.

Modern Cardassians exhibited involved funeral practices. Funeral services were open to the entire Cardassian public, especially for memorable figures such as Gul Darhe'el. Cardassian graves are believed to be only in ground burials, and are marked, especially those of high ranking or famous people, such as war heroes or great scientists, with monuments of varying degrees of ornamentation and size. Cardassians considered viewing of their corpses by non-Cardassians taboo. A unique aspect of Cardassian burial practice was known as Shri-tal, when a dying family member passed on all their secrets to their surviving relatives so they could use them against the dying one's enemies.

Philosophy

Cardassian trials are publicly broadcast

The ideal Cardassian life was one of complete loyalty and servitude to the State. The Cardassian government was assumed to be omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent. In a sense, when the Cardassians abandoned their spiritual ways and began their expansion throughout the Alpha Quadrant centuries ago, they simply applied a twisted form of their religion to their political philosophy.

A typical example of the Cardassian approach to life was found in their jurisprudence and criminal trials, in which the verdict was always determined beforehand - guilty - and the purpose of the proceedings was not justice in the Human sense but bringing the offender to recognize the power and benevolence of the State. A trial, therefore, was an opportunity for the state to reveal how someone's guilt was proven by what they considered "the most efficient criminal investigation system in the quadrant". Consequently, charges against the accused were announced at the commencement of the trial itself, the execution date was set in advance and only the offender's spouse as well as the court-assigned nestor and counsel could attend the trial. When Benjamin Sisko once asked Gul Dukat why bother with a trial at all, Dukat responded that the people demanded it as they enjoyed watching "justice triumph over evil". The notion that they might try an innocent man by mistake was foreign to them as they believed in and always operated under the assumption that "Cardassians don't make mistakes". The typical Cardassian approach, therefore, was direct, simple, and ruthless, uncaring about how many aliens – or Cardassians – were trampled in the interests of the state. Cardassians prided themselves on their attention to detail and memories. They had no interest in science for its own worth, and demanded that scientific projects, like everything, serve military benefits.

The Cardassians often viewed themselves as superior to other species and cultures. This belief was summed up by Dukat when he announced Cardassia's membership in the Dominion saying, "The Dominion recognizes us for what we are... the true leaders of the Alpha Quadrant." The Cardassians were particularly adamant that the Bajorans were a weak and inferior race. While stranded on a planet with Benjamin Sisko, Dukat explained how the Cardassians felt about the Bajorans saying, "From the moment we arrived on Bajor, it was clear that we were the superior race. But they couldn't accept that. They wanted to be treated as equals, when they most certainly were not. Militarily, technologically, culturally – we were almost a century ahead of them in every way! We did not choose to be the superior race, fate handed us our role. And it would've been so much easier on everyone if the Bajorans had simply accepted their role." This kind of smug, cruel, arrogant attitude attributed to most Cardassians was even enough to push the Ferengi Quark into helping Major Kira's resistance cell on Terok Nor in 2374.

Cardassian philosophy typically upheld the idea that the ends justified the means. After unearthing the burial vaults of their ancestors, which were filled with rare artifacts, they sold them to other species to pay for their war efforts as well as to feed the starving population on the homeworld. Additionally, the extraction of Bajor's natural resources was considered an appropriate means to feed Cardassia's population, despite the fact it required the occupation of the Bajoran's homeworld. Furthermore, in an attempt to help the USS Voyager make it back to the Alpha Quadrant safely, Seska (a Cardassian in disguise) was willing to sacrifice a Starfleet replicator to the Kazon-Nistrim in return for their protection, believing that Voyager's quick and safe return home would justify whatever actions were taken to attain that end.

In the aftermath of the Dominion War, and the utter devastation it created for Cardassia, one of the greatest questions facing the Alpha Quadrant was whether Cardassia would remain entrenched in its old, bloody system or if a reform to a more Federation-style democracy was possible.

Citizenry and the State

File:Makbar.jpg

Makbar, Chief Archon

Cardassians gave their first molar to the Bureau of Identification at age ten.

Cardassian society had the most rigid and, to the Federation, incomprehensible of all legal systems. Every suspect was guilty before even appearing in court, their sentence already spelled out – almost always either death or imprisonment in a harsh labour camp. The criminal was given a Conservator, equivalent to a public defender, except that the Conservator was not supposed to win but to prepare the criminal for a moving confession of guilt on the floor of the court. The accused was also permitted an advocate, the Nestor, to advise them during the trial. The Chief Archon, or judge, of the court played to a televised audience, their duty not to judge the prisoner's innocence or guilt, but rather to give an emphatic display of the futility of crime on Cardassia and reinforce the public's trust in the judicial system.

Military

The modern Cardassian Union employed a modern military made up of both males and females. The actual size and percentage of males and females serving was unknown, but it was primarily male. Ordinarily the Cardassian military was a volunteer force, but during emergencies Cardassians could be drafted.

Organization

The Cardassian military normally was administered by the elected Detapa Council. Under the Detapa Council was Cardassian Central Command made up of career military, which often operated autonomously. In 2372, after the destruction of the Obsidian Order the previous year, actions of the Cardassian Dissident movement restored the Detapa Council's authority. During Cardassia's membership in the Dominion, Gul Dukat appointed himself leader of the Cardassian people, eliminating civilian oversight. Under the Central Command were a number of semi-autonomous "Orders" which were roughly similar to a numbered fleet in function. Each order seemed to recruit its own members and while no hierarchy existed some orders were more prestigious than others.

Tactics

The Cardassian military made extensive use of booby traps, especially in retreat and tactical withdrawals. The Cardassian military tended to favour covert action and deception over direct confrontation. During their attempt to take over Minos Korva, they hid several vessels in the McAllister Nebula and waited to see if the Federation would trade the planet for the release of Captain Jean-Luc Picard before striking. During the Klingon-Cardassian War, the Cardassians were able to win many engagements against the Klingons by implementing decoys with sensor ghosts and holo-projections, before striking their confused enemies. When direct confrontation was unavoidable, the Cardassians employed a number of well coordinated fighters in tight formation in order to cover for any relative technological weaknesses. A typical Cardassian plan was complex and was said to consist of a "plan within a plan within a plan leading to a trap."

State intelligence

To ensure that the population remained completely loyal to the State, the Cardassian Obsidian Order – the Union's primary intelligence agency – watched over the people. It was said that a Cardassian citizen could not sit down to a meal without each dish being duly noted and recorded by the Obsidian Order. Like the military, the Obsidian Order was supposed to submit to the Detapa Council, but in practice, the Order had far more authority. Even members of the Cardassian military were not immune to Obsidian Order inquiries. Almost every Cardassian lived in fear of the Order, as its constant surveillance led to the sudden eliminations of numerous "traitors."

After the Battle of the Omarion Nebula, the Obsidian Order ceased to exist. However, after Cardassia joined the Dominion in 2373. the Order's role was replaced by the Cardassian Intelligence Bureau, which was just as effective. In fact, when Elim Garak attempted to contact some of his contacts on Cardassia Prime in 2374, every one of them was found and killed within one day of speaking to him. Garak called it "a testament to the effectiveness of Dominion security," adding "One should admire such... efficiency."

Government

File:Cardassian Union logo.png

Insignia of the Cardassian Union

The governing body of Cardassia was the Cardassian Union. The elected Detapa Council had ruled for centuries but, over the years, the Council's power was usurped by Cardassian Central Command, the military branch of the government, transforming Cardassia into a police state. By the late 24th century, the Central Command's control was slipping due to civilian protests and the Cardassian dissident movement. The Obsidian Order had been given limited autonomy and thus took a very active role in Cardassians' lives, but it was forbidden from raising an army and its autonomy could be revoked at any time.

The latter half of the century saw significant changes. A secret joint operation between the Obsidian Order and the Romulan Tal Shiar, intended to cripple the Dominion, raised an armada of ships armed with cloaking devices. Led by Enabran Tain, the plan nearly succeeded but had been sabotaged by a Changeling infiltrator. The joint Cardassian-Romulan fleet was utterly destroyed at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula, and the staggering losses suffered by the Order combined with public outcry had caused its downfall.

Without the Obsidian Order to keep the populace in line, the dissident movement eventually succeeded in securing control of the government. A civilian uprising reinstated the power of the Detapa Council, but this drew the attention of the nearby Klingon Empire. Claiming that the Detapa Council was replaced by Changelings, Chancellor Gowron and General Martok (who was himself under the influence of a Changeling infiltrator) initiated the Klingon-Cardassian War in a thinly veiled attempt to seize control of Cardassian territory. The invasion, combined with terrorist pressure from the Maquis in the Demilitarized Zone, resulted in utter chaos. In an attempt to restore Cardassia to its former glory, Dukat secretly negotiated Cardassia's entry into the Dominion.

When Gul Dukat completed negotiations with the Dominion in 2373, the Detapa Council ceased to exist altogether, just as the Obsidian Order had two years prior. Placed as the leader of the Cardassian Union, Gul Dukat had control over the majority of Cardassian affairs. However, he was forced to work under the regulations of the Dominion. During the first three months of the Dominion War, Dukat generally controlled the Cardassian and Dominion fleets, with Weyoun overseeing his decisions. Dukat was able to maintain an equal standing with Weyoun, though both were subjected to the unquestionable orders of the Founders.

Cardassian forces rebel against the Dominion

After Dukat's breakdown into insanity due to the death of his daughter, Tora Ziyal, Damar was placed in command of the Cardassian people. Since the new leader lacked the self-confidence and leadership skills of his former mentor and predecessor, Weyoun was able to take more and more control over the Cardassian people, with Damar becoming little more than a figurehead. Eventually, Damar had absolutely no say in any political decisions. This became blatantly obvious when Weyoun made territorial concessions to the Breen in 2375 in order to convince them to join the Dominion. Eventually, the Cardassians rebelled under Damar's leadership near the end of the Dominion War, allowing the Federation Alliance to gain a decisive advantage during the Battle of Cardassia and eventually win the Dominion War. The political future of Cardassia is left unknown at the end of the war, with the Dominion forced to surrender their governance over them. However, Captain Braxton, a Starfleet officer from the 29th century, refers to a 1996 Los Angeles police officer as a "quasi-Cardassian totalitarian" after being thrown back in time to the 20th century. This would suggest that Cardassia did not abandon its tendency towards an aggressive, militaristic police state by the 29th century.

Technology

In 2367, Cardassian technology was notably inferior to that of the Federation. A Cardassian warship was easily destroyed by the USS Phoenix, even when the warship had the ability to penetrate the Phoenix's shields. Cardassians on board the USS ''Enterprise''-D made several comments about the superiority of Federation technology, notably the ship's transporter technology, as well as the vessel's sensors, which were able to detect the classification of Cardassian ships at long ranges, an ability that Cardassian sensors did not have. At this time, Cardassians did possess the ability to mask the contents of their supply ships from the ''Enterprise'''s scans.

A Cardassian warship destroying Federation fighters

Nevertheless, the Cardassians were formidable opponents. While their shield technology matched unfavourably against both Federation and Klingon weapons, Cardassian weapons were quite capable in their own terms. All Cardassian warships generally relied upon a single large, powerful forward facing phaser/disruptor-style weapon, similar to Klingon and Romulan ship design philosophy. In battle, Cardassian ships had also been seen to employ missile weaponry like photon torpedoes.

The bulk of the Cardassian military consisted of Galor-class ships, which were outclassed by Galaxy- and Nebula-class Federation ships, though they had little trouble dealing with Miranda- or Excelsior-class vessels. Furthermore, despite the Federation's superior vessels, the Federation-Cardassian War saw a stalemate between the two powers for a prolonged period of time. Admiral Haden told Picard "the Federation is not prepared for a new sustained conflict" with the Cardassians, revealing that, despite the technological advantage the Federation had, the Cardassians were an even match for the interstellar organization.

During the Klingon-Cardassian War, the Klingons had rendered considerable damages to the Cardassian military due to their sudden, unprovoked invasion. Nevertheless, the Cardassians were able to sustain a stalemate after the invasion blunted. Compensating for their ships' relative weaknesses, the Cardassians were able to win many engagements by employing unique tactics (see above).

By the late 24th century, the Cardassians used beritium, dolamide, kelindide, rhodinium and uridium in the construction of their ships and military equipment.

History

Main article: See Cardassian history

In its ancient history, before Cardassia became a military dictatorship, the Cardassian society was known as the Hebitians. It was home to fine art and beautiful architecture. Once the Hebitian civilization fell into decay from lack of natural resources, millions of Cardassians were starving and the planet was subjected to utter chaos. Though the Hebitian society and way of life eventually became extinct, the remaining Cardassians turned to the military to solve their problems. This began the Cardassian policy of expansion into the Milky Way Galaxy, to provide the much-needed natural resources to sustain its population.

Cardassians were capable of interstellar travel by the middle of the 22nd century. At some point before 2154, Organian scientists observed a Cardassian starship crew that had been infected by a silicon-based virus found on the surface of an M-class planet.

See also: Occupation of Bajor

Cardassia Prime lies in ruins

During the 24th century, Cardassians were involved in three cataclysmic wars. The first major war was with the Federation in the mid-24th century, which ended in a turbulent peace treaty. A second war broke out when the Klingon Empire launched an unprovoked and unjustified invasion into Cardassian territory after a successful rebellion had overthrown the military's rule. The Klingons believed the coup to be a result of Changeling infiltration, and therefore attempted to take over the Cardassian Union. The coup was in fact successful due to the collapse of the Obsidian Order after the Battle of the Omarion Nebula. This war devastated Cardassian infrastructure, with a great loss of life and territory.

The third and largest of these conflicts was the Dominion War. In order to drive out the Klingons from their territory, destroy the Maquis in the Demilitarized Zone and regain Cardassia's status in the Alpha Quadrant, Gul Dukat signed a treaty making Cardassia a member of the Dominion. Cardassian and Dominion forces proceeded to push the Klingon fleet out of Cardassian territory and wipe out the entire Maquis movement within a few days.

While initially the alliance with the Dominion seemed to be beneficial to Cardassia, in the long run it resulted in an exponential loss of life. Near the end of the Dominion War, Cardassia Prime was struck by Jem'Hadar raids and orbital bombardment from the Dominion and Breen forces in orbit of the planet, which attempted to wipe out the Cardassian species entirely for their betrayal. Nearly 1 billion Cardassians were killed in a few short hours.