Cardassia Prime

Lore & Background

The Cardassians were created for Star Trek: The Next Generation's fourth season episode "The Wounded," first screened in January 1991. The script established that the Cardassian Union and the United Federation of Planets had been involved in skirmishes for many years but had signed a peace treaty. The episode featured the first Cardassian character, Gul Macet, played by Marc Alaimo, who later gained a recurring role as Gul Dukat in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

The Cardassians' homeworld was first called "Cardassia" in the two-part sixth season episode "Chain of Command," screened in December 1992, which also introduced the name "Cardassian Union" for their interstellar state. The same episode provided a brief history of the Cardassians and their military government. In the sixth season episode "The Chase," screened in April 1993, it was revealed that humans, Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans are all descended from an ancient species that seeded many planets with life.

Reader's Guide

Cardassia Prime is central to understanding the Cardassian Union's role in Star Trek. The species was introduced in "The Wounded" as antagonists for the USS Enterprise-D crew, because the Borg lacked personality or individuality, hindering interpersonal drama. The Cardassians' design was undertaken by costume designer Bob Blackman and makeup designer Michael Westmore, who sought to give them a "snakelike" appearance with grayish-white skin, ridges on either side of the neck, and a spoon-shaped structure on the forehead.

Rick Sternbach designed their spaceship, the Galor class, starting with an Egyptian ankh shape, with little disruptor pyramids and 'temple' type structures on the ship's backbone. The Cardassians grew into major antagonists throughout Deep Space Nine, with recurring characters including Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) and Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo). Key episodes include "Chain of Command," where Picard was tortured by Gul Madred, and "Duet," which featured a Cardassian believed guilty of war crimes against Bajor.

Origins and Narrative Purpose

The Cardassians were devised in 1991 for Star Trek: The Next Generation's fourth season. The writers introduced them in the episode "The Wounded" as new antagonists for the crew of the USS Enterprise-D to interact with on a personal level, as the Borg lacked personality or individuality, hindering interpersonal drama. The script related that the Cardassian Union and the United Federation of Planets had been involved in skirmishes for many years but had signed a peace treaty. The episode featured the Cardassian Gul Macet, played by Marc Alaimo, who later portrayed Gul Dukat in Deep Space Nine. The Cardassians were central to the two-part sixth season episode "Chain of Command," which included the first mentions that their homeworld was called "Cardassia" and the "Cardassian Union" as the name of their interstellar state.

Visual Aesthetics and Design Philosophy

The design of the Cardassians was undertaken by The Next Generation's costume designer Bob Blackman and makeup designer Michael Westmore. They sought to give the species a 'snakelike' appearance. 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 painting he had seen in a Ventura Boulevard store of a wide-shouldered woman with what looked like a spoon on her forehead. Rick Sternbach designed the Cardassian spaceship in 'The Wounded,' initially proposing a pod-shaped vessel before replacing it with a design resembling a scorpion, then one based on the ankh symbol. Production designer Herman Zimmerman worked on Cardassian architecture, with concepts having some Art Deco influence and based on geometric patterns, including ellipses, angles rather than straight lines, and groups of three.

Key Storylines and Character Development

In the fifth season episode 'Ensign Ro,' the Bajoran species was introduced, explaining that the Cardassians had annexed Bajor 40 years earlier. The Cardassians were central to the two-part sixth season episode 'Chain of Command,' where Picard was apprehended and tortured by Gul Madred. This episode also introduced the Cardassians' hand weapon, described by Sternbach as like a 'copper-colored banana.' In the sixth season episode 'The Chase,' it was revealed that humans, Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans are all descended from an ancient species.

In the seventh season episode 'Journey's End,' it was explained that the treaty between the Federation and the Cardassians left various Federation planets in Cardassian territory. Deep Space Nine introduced several recurring Cardassian characters, including Elim Garak and Gul Dukat, with Dukat negotiating Cardassia's membership in the Dominion and later Damar leading a resistance movement against the Dominion.

Political Structure and Historical Context

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. The Cardassian Union and the United Federation of Planets were involved in skirmishes for many years but signed a peace treaty. The Cardassians annexed the Bajoran homeworld 40 years before the events of 'Ensign Ro,' with many Bajorans fleeing as refugees.

The Cardassians withdrew from Bajor, as first mentioned in 'Chain of Command Part I.' The Obsidian Order, the Cardassian intelligence agency, attacked the Dominion, crippling the power of the Cardassian military dictatorship and allowing a civilian government to take control. Later, Dukat negotiated Cardassia's membership in the Dominion, leading to a war against the Federation. Damar later led a resistance movement against the Dominion with the support of the Federation and Bajorans, restoring Cardassia's independence.