View source for Cardassian

{{short description|Fictional extraterrestrial species from Star Trek}}
{{redirect|Cardassians|the ''Star Trek'' episode|Cardassians (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode){{!}}Cardassians (''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode)}}
{{distinguish|Kardashian}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox fictional race
| name               = Cardassian
| image              = Guldukat.jpg
| caption            = [[Gul Dukat]] (portrayed by [[Marc Alaimo]]), a prominent Cardassian character in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''
| series             = [[Star Trek]]
| creator            = [[Jeri Taylor]]
| home_world         = Cardassia Prime
| quadrant           = Alpha
}}

The '''Cardassians''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɑːr|ˈ|d|æ|s|i|ə|n|z}}) are a fictional [[Extraterrestrial life in popular culture|extraterrestrial species]] in the American [[science fiction]] franchise ''[[Star Trek]]''. They were devised in 1991 for the series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' before being used in the subsequent series ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''.

The writers of ''The Next Generation'' introduced the Cardassians for the fourth season episode "[[The Wounded (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The Wounded]]" as new antagonists for the crew of the [[USS Enterprise-D|USS ''Enterprise''-D]] to interact with on a personal level, as the [[Borg (Star Trek)|Borg]] lacked personality or individuality, hindering interpersonal drama.

In the series, set in the 24th century, the Cardassians are presented as living under a military government controlling the Cardassian Union, an interstellar empire occupying other planets, most notably [[Bajor]]. When ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' was launched in 1993, its writers set its events in the vicinity of Bajor in the aftermath of the Cardassian occupation.

The Cardassians grew into major antagonists throughout the series, with several [[recurring character]]s developed, including [[Elim Garak]] ([[Andrew Robinson (actor)|Andrew Robinson]]) and [[Dukat (Star Trek)|Gul Dukat]] ([[Marc Alaimo]]).

==Design==
The design of the Cardassians was undertaken by ''The Next Generation''{{'}}s costume designer Bob Blackman and makeup designer [[Michael Westmore]].{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=152}} They sought to give the species a "snakelike" appearance.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=153}} Cardassians have grayish-white skin, ridges on either side of the neck, and a spoon-shaped structure on the forehead. Westmore was inspired by an [[abstract art|abstract painting]] he had seen in a [[Ventura Boulevard]] store of a wide-shouldered woman with what looked like a spoon on her forehead.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=153}}

[[File:DS9station.jpg|thumb|The space station [[Deep Space Nine (space station)|Deep Space Nine]] was designed as an example of Cardassian architecture]]
[[Rick Sternbach]] designed the Cardassian spaceship in "The Wounded". He initially proposed a pod-shaped vessel, before replacing it with a design resembling a [[scorpion]], then one based on the [[ankh]] symbol.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=153}} Sternbach later noted that "The ''Galor'' class started with an Egyptian ankh, given how [the Cardassians] were like the Pharaohs to the Bajoran slaves, but you don't really see the basic shape unless you look straight down on the vessel. The little disruptor pyramids were a bit more obvious, as were the 'temple' type structures on the ship's backbone, and the sandy yellow shades."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://forgottentrek.com/interview-with-rick-sternbach/|access-date=August 15, 2021|date=July 25, 2007|title=Interview with Rick Sternbach|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802203552/https://forgottentrek.com/interview-with-rick-sternbach/|archive-date=August 2, 2020}}</ref>
Ed Miarecki and Tom Hudson built the model used in "The Wounded" from Sternbach's design.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=153}} In the episode, Cardassian weapons fired a pink discharge, changed to amber in later episodes.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=153}}

Production designer [[Herman F. Zimmerman|Herman Zimmerman]] worked on the Cardassian architecture depicted on the shows.<ref name=":0">{{harvnb|Erdmann|Block|2000|p=56}}</ref> His concept had some [[Art Deco]] influence, and was based on geometric patterns.<ref name=":0" /> Some motifs were ellipses, angles rather than straight lines, and groups of three.<ref name=":0" />

==Depiction in the shows{{anchor|History}}==
===''Star Trek: The Next Generation''===
===="The Wounded": 1991====

[[File:Cardassian logo plain.png|thumb|The emblem of the Cardassian Union, as devised for ''The Next Generation'']]

The Cardassians were invented by the writers of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' for the show's fourth season episode "[[The Wounded (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The Wounded]]", written by Stuart Charno, Sara Charno, and Cy Chermak, with teleplay by [[Jeri Taylor]]. It was first screened in January 1991.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=152}} The script related that the Cardassian Union and the [[United Federation of Planets]]—of which Earth was a part—were involved in skirmishes for many years but had signed a peace treaty.

It begins with the revelation that the USS ''Phoenix'', a renegade Federation starship under the command of Captain Benjamin Maxwell ([[Bob Gunton]]), has begun attacking Cardassian targets, as Maxwell is convinced the Cardassians are rearming for war against the Federation. The [[USS Enterprise-D|USS ''Enterprise''-D]], captained by [[Jean-Luc Picard]] ([[Patrick Stewart]]), is sent to stop the ''Phoenix'', with the Cardassian Gul Macet ([[Marc Alaimo]]) coming aboard the ''Enterprise'' to assist.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=152}}

Alaimo's appearance as Gul Macet in "The Wounded" made him the second actor, after [[Mark Lenard]], to play three separate alien species in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. In earlier episodes he portrayed an Antican ("[[Lonely Among Us]]") and a Romulan ("[[The Neutral Zone (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The Neutral Zone]]").{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=152}} He later portrayed a human in ''The Next Generation'' episode "[[Time's Arrow (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Time's Arrow]]" before gaining a recurring role as the Cardassian Gul Dukat in ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=152}}

For this episode, several Cardassians were depicted wearing helmets, something never again done in the franchise;{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=153}} Blackman and Westmore's designs also gave Macet facial hair, the only time a Cardassian was shown this way.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=152}}

====Later episodes: 1991–1994====

In the fifth season episode "[[Ensign Ro (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Ensign Ro]]", written by [[Rick Berman]] and [[Michael Piller]] and first screened in October 1991, the [[Bajoran]] species was introduced. It explained that the Cardassians had annexed the Bajoran homeworld, Bajor, 40 years earlier, with many Bajorans fleeing their planet as refugees and often fighting back with militant tactics.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|pp=177–178}} "Ensign Ro" was the first episode where Cardassian warships were introduced as "Galor class" vessels.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=178}} Although it was not intended at the time, the situation between the Cardassians and Bajorans laid the groundwork for the plot of ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=178}}

The Cardassians were central to the two-part sixth season episode "[[Chain of Command (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Chain of Command]]", written by [[Frank Abatemarco]] and screened in December 1992. In them, the Federation has gained intelligence that the Cardassians are developing a genetically engineered virus on an uninhabited planet. Picard is sent to infiltrate and destroy the weapon but is apprehended and tortured by the Cardassian Gul Madred ([[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]]).{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|pp=227–229}}
"Chain of Command Part I" included the first mentions that the Cardassians' homeworld was called "Cardassia", and the "Cardassian Union" as the name of their interstellar state (previously mentioned only as the "Cardassian Empire").{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=229}} "Chain of Command Part{{nbsp}}I" also introduced the news that the Cardassians had withdrawn from Bajor, setting the stage for the events of ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', which began airing a month later.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=228}} The show's designers introduced the Cardassians' hand weapon in this episode, with Sternbach describing it as like a "copper-colored banana".{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=229}} Part Two of "Chain of Command" provided a brief history of the Cardassians and their military government.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=230}}

The Cardassians also appeared in the sixth season episode "[[The Chase (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|The Chase]]", written by Joe Menosky and Ronald D. Moore and screened in April 1993, where it is revealed that humans and Cardassians—as well as the [[Klingon]]s and [[Romulan]]s—are all descended from an ancient species who seeded many planets with life.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=243}} In the seventh season episode "[[Journey's End (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Journey's End]]", written by Ronald D. Moore, it is explained that the treaty between the Federation and the Cardassians left various Federation planets in Cardassian territory, and that many of these Federation colonists refused to leave. Their presence and struggle for independence from Cardassian rule was a recurring theme in both ''Deep Space Nine'' and ''Voyager''.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|pp=289–290}} "Journey's End" was the first time Cardassian communicators were shown, affixed to the actors' wrists.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|p=291}} The conflict between the Cardassians and the rebel colonists, known as the [[Maquis (Star Trek)|Maquis]], was again used as the basis for the series' penultimate episode, "[[Preemptive Strike (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Preemptive Strike]]", written by Naren Shankar and René Echevarria and directed by Stewart.{{sfn|Nemecek|1995|pp=296–297}}

===''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''===

[[File:Marc Alaimo (2010).jpg|thumb|right|Marc Alaimo was brought in to play Gul Dukat, a recurring Cardassian character in ''Deep Space Nine''.]]

Launching the new series, ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', was the pilot episode "[[Emissary (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Emissary]]", written by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. Focussing on the aftermath of the Cardassian departure from Bajor, the premise of the series revolves around the Federation taking control of Deep Space Nine, a Cardassian-built space station orbiting Bajor, at the request of the Bajoran provisional government.{{sfn|Erdmann|Block|2000|p=9}}

In "Emissary", the station's new [[Starfleet]] commander, [[Benjamin Sisko]] ([[Avery Brooks]]) is visited by the Cardassian who formerly served as prefect of Bajor, Gul Dukat, played by Marc Alaimo.{{sfn|Erdmann|Block|2000|p=10}} Alaimo had played a different Cardassian character in ''The Next Generation'', but was brought in to replace the actor formerly cast as Dukat, whose performance had dissatisfied the creative team. Ira Behr recalled that "It was either Mike Piller or Rick Berman who finally said, 'Let's get Marc Alaimo,' who had done a bunch of ''TNG'' episodes for them in the past. Marc came in and, of course, he ''was'' Gul Dukat."{{sfn|Erdmann|Block|2000|p=16}} ''Deep Space Nine'' would go on to introduce several more Cardassians as recurring characters, including the exiled spy-turned-tailor [[Elim Garak]], whose mysterious past and moral ambiguity made him one of the franchise's most popular recurring characters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-recurring-characters-ranked/|title=Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Recurring Characters|date=2018-12-28|website=CBR|language=en-US|access-date=2021-02-19}}</ref>

Late in the first season, the show's creative team included another Cardassian-themed episode, "[[Duet (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Duet]]". Written by Lisa Rich and Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci as a [[bottle episode]], it featured the arrest of a Cardassian believed to be guilty of war crimes against Bajor, Aamin Marritza ([[Harris Yulin]]), and the relationship he developed with the station's Bajoran second-in-command, [[Kira Nerys]] ([[Nana Visitor]]).{{sfn|Erdmann|Block|2000|pp=63–64}} The lengthy speech given to Marritza was an early example of what the writers came to call "Cardassian monologues". Behr said, "Cardassians love to speak. Garak loves to speak, Enabran Tain loves to speak. Dukat loves to speak—very slowly—and certainly Marritza loves to speak."{{sfn|Erdmann|Block|2000|p=65}}

Over the course of ''Deep Space Nine'', the Cardassians' internal politics and their relationships with the Federation and Bajor go through many upheavals. In early seasons, the Cardassians maintain a shaky alliance with the Federation, which comes to their defense against attacks from the Maquis and the Klingons. An ill-advised attack by the Obsidian Order, the Cardassian intelligence agency, against the alien empire known as the [[Dominion (Star Trek)|Dominion]] cripples the power of the Cardassian military dictatorship and allows a civilian government to take control. Later in the series, Dukat negotiates Cardassia's membership in the Dominion in exchange for his own appointment as ruler of Cardassia, leading to a war against the Federation. When Dominion rule becomes too oppressive for the Cardassians, Dukat's successor [[Corat Damar|Damar]] leads a resistance movement against the Dominion with the support of the Federation and Bajorans, restoring Cardassia's independence. However, during the final battle of the war, the Dominion leader ordered a genocidal retaliation for the Cardassian resistance. Although this was ended, at least eight hundred million people were killed and Elim Garak lamented that their freedom had come at the cost of much of Cardassia's rich culture, best people and greatest minds, leaving the Cardassians facing a dire reconstruction effort.

== Cardassian history ==
Within the ''Star Trek'' [[fictional universe]], the Cardassians were once a "peaceful people with a rich spiritual life".<ref name="GAG">George A. Gonzalez, ''Star Trek and the Politics of Globalism'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)</ref> However, during this period they also suffered from [[Epidemic|disease]] and [[famine]].<ref name="GAG" /> [[Nationalism|Nationalistic]] fervour grew and a [[military dictatorship]] was established, under which the citizens became prosperous.<ref name="GAG" /> The Obsidian Order, an [[intelligence agency]]<ref name="DS9C">Terry J. Erdmann with Paula M. Block, ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion'' (New York: [[Pocket Books]], 2000)</ref> and [[internal security]] [[police]] force, kept the population under [[surveillance]].<ref name="STE">Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, Debbie Mirek, ''The Star Trek Encyclopedia'' (New York: [[Pocket Books]], 1999)</ref> The Cardassians became [[Imperialism|imperialistic]], waging war with other races and [[Military occupation|occupying]] their territory to exploit resources.<ref name="GAG" /> The Cardassian [[empire]] is known as the Cardassian Union.<ref name="ABC">Alex Burston-Chorowicz, 'Engage!: Captain Picard, Federationism and U.S. Foreign Policy in the Emerging Post-Cold War World' in Peter W. Lee (ed.), ''Exploring Picard's Galaxy'' (McFarland and Company, 2018)</ref>

=== Occupation of Bajor ===
In 2328, the Cardassians invaded [[Bajoran|Bajor]], occupying it for forty years, during which time they forced many Bajorans into [[slave labor]], using them in their various [[mining]] operations.<ref name="STE" /> This forced many Bajorans to flee and live in [[refugee camp]]s away from Cardassian domination,<ref name="ABC" /><ref>"[[Ensign Ro (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Ensign Ro]]". ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''. Season Five.</ref> while other Bajorans became involved in the [[resistance movement]], engaged in [[guerrilla warfare]] organising [[Terrorism|terrorist]] attacks against Cardassian targets.<ref name="STE" /><ref name="ABC" />

The [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] would not intervene in the situation, due to [[Prime Directive]] considerations.<ref name="ABC" /><ref>Judith Reeves-Stevens and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, ''The Making of Star Trek, Deep Space Nine'' (New York: [[Pocket Books]], 1994)</ref>

In 2369, the Bajoran resistance forced the Cardassians off Bajor, after which the Bajoran [[Bajoran#Provisional Government|Provisional Government]] invited the [[United Federation of Planets]] to set up base on the former Cardassian mining station of Terok Nor, renaming it [[Deep Space Nine (space station)|Deep Space Nine]].<ref name="STE" />

=== Dominion War ===
{{Main|Dominion War}}
During the Dominion War, the Cardassian Union joined the [[Dominion (Star Trek)|Dominion]] in opposition to the Federation alliance, taking a main role below the Dominion's rulers, the [[Changeling (Star Trek)|Founders]].<ref name="DS9C" /> They were supplanted by the [[Breen (Star Trek)|Breen Confederacy]] and, after some of their territory was promised to the Breen, the Cardassians rebelled against the Dominion, and were instrumental in defeating the Dominion and ending the war.<ref name="DS9C" /> It was a [[Bajoran]], Colonel [[Kira Nerys]] of the [[Bajoran#Bajoran Militia|Bajoran Militia]], who trained the Cardassians in guerrilla warfare to defeat their own occupiers.<ref name="DS9C" />

== Reception ==
In 2017, ''[[Den of Geek]]'' ranked Cardassians the 4th best aliens of the ''Star Trek'' franchise, behind the Borg but ahead of the Bajorans.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-10-12|title=Star Trek: The 50 Best Alien Races|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-trek-the-50-best-alien-races/|access-date=2021-03-01|website=Den of Geek|language=en-US}}</ref>

Some of the top-rated television episodes featuring Cardassians in ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' include "Improbable Cause", which features an intriguing story centered on Garak, and also "Duet".<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Aaron|last1=Couch|first2=Graeme|last2=McMillan|date=2016-09-22|title='Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' — The 20 Greatest Episodes|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/star-trek-deep-space-nine-930878/|access-date=2021-05-05|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}}</ref>

==In cosmology==

[[File:Star Trek (8413848603).jpg|thumb|right|A [[cosplay]]er dressed as a Cardassian in a Starfleet uniform]]

In [[cosmology]], the concept "Cardassian expansion" is a term used for a modification to the [[Friedmann equations]]. It is named after the fictional ''Star Trek'' race by the original authors, [[Katherine Freese]] and Matthew Lewis.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Freese | first1 = K. | last2 = Lewis | first2 = M. | doi = 10.1016/S0370-2693(02)02122-6 | title = Cardassian expansion: A model in which the universe is flat, matter dominated, and accelerating | journal = Physics Letters B | volume = 540 | pages = 1–8 | year = 2002 | issue = 1–2 | arxiv = astro-ph/0201229 | bibcode = 2002PhLB..540....1F | s2cid = 118980118 }}</ref> In their 2002 paper (which has been cited more than 330 times<ref>{{Cite journal|publisher=[[Harvard University]]|url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-ref_query?bibcode=2002PhLB..540....1F&amp;refs=CITATIONS&amp;db_key=AST |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701154702/http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-ref_query?bibcode=2002PhLB..540....1F&amp;refs=CITATIONS&amp;db_key=AST |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 1, 2012 |title=Citations for 2002PhLB..540....1F from the ADS Databases|bibcode = 2002PhLB..540....1F| last1=Freese | first1=Katherine | last2=Lewis | first2=Matthew | journal=Physics Letters B | year=2002 | volume=540 | issue=1–2 | page=1 | doi=10.1016/S0370-2693(02)02122-6 | arxiv=astro-ph/0201229 | s2cid=118980118 }}</ref>), a footnote on the "Cardassian term" states: "<sup>2</sup> The name Cardassian refers to a humanoid race in ''Star Trek'' whose goal is to take over the universe, i.e., accelerated expansion. This race looks foreign to us and yet is made entirely of matter."

==See also==

* ''[[The Star Trek Encyclopedia]]''

==References==
===Footnotes===

{{Reflist|25em}}

===Bibliography===

{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Erdmann |first1=Terry J. |last2=Block |first2=Paula M. |year=2000 |title=Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion |publisher=Pocket Books |location=New York |isbn=9780671501068 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kDe3VS07YSMC}}
* {{cite book |last=Nemecek |first=Larry |year=1995 |title=The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion |edition=revised |publisher=Pocket Books |location=New York |isbn=9780671883409 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/startreknextgene00neme_0 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==

{{Memory Alpha}}

{{Star Trek Cardassian stories}}
{{Star Trek}}
{{Star Trek: Deep Space Nine}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Star Trek species]]
[[Category:Fictional reptilians]]
[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1991]]

[[de:Völker und Gruppierungen im Star-Trek-Universum#Cardassianer]]