Cardassian

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Physiology:The Cardassians are a humanoid race. Their ancestral origins are either reptilian or amphibian.

Tall, long-necked, humanoid in appearance, marked by several bony protrusions and ridges: one from the shoulder to under the ears, whose bottom lobes in turn are more pronounced forward to the jawline; and from above the eyes and back over the head to the rear base of the skull, showing through hair. Other ridges run from the nose line to the forehead, and along the chin to define a sharp jawline. The nose is generally unsmooth with a center-line that travel down the bridge of the nose and end underneath

the tip. The nostrils have wo slits, not rounded like humans.Their skin type and hair vary from light purple to a greenish hue and near black. Their complexion ranges from light-brown to beige, some have a grayish pallor. No facial and body hair is apparent.

Their physiology and constitution is much stouter than the human norm. They show immunity to the effects of depressants and anesthetics, neither two-plus bottles of Kanar nor 30cc's of TrIiptacederine has any effect; the latter amount would knock out an Algorian Mammoth.

Language: Kardassi. Universal Translators virtually eliminate most language barriers.

PLANET

Cardassia Prime is the homeworld of the Cardassian civilization. It has a hot climate and is highly industrialized. Cardassia Prime is a Class-M planet, poor in natural resources. Strip-mining and over industrialization has stripped Cardassia of the few natural minerals and ores that it had, forcing the Cardassian people off-world to find the raw materials to maintain and expand their civilization.

Cardassian Controlled Solar Systems

Almatha - Located in the Cardassian demilitarized zone near outpost (perimeter checkpoint) sixty-one.
Valo - On the outskirts of Cardassian territory. Many Bajorans resettled there after the homeworld was annexed. The system contains three class-M planets.
Orias - Under Obsidian Order authority. In DSN episode "The Defiant", an Obsidian 'observer' denied access to a Union warship.
Cuellar - The location of a 'science' station destroyed by the U.S.S. Phoenix. Captain Benjamin Maxwell led the attack. He believed the station to be a military installation. This systems connects into three sectors of Federation space. It is of strategic value to the Cardassians.
Kelrabi - Destination ofa Cardassian supply ship intercepted by the U.S.S. Phoenix and the Enterprise-D in 2367.

PLANETS

Kora II - Where the Cardassian military academy is based.
Cardassia V - Where a Cardassian museum is based.
Cardassia IV - Cardassian labor camp.
Celtris III - Barren, uninhabited, class-M planet. In 2369, Cardassian disinformation that a new 'metagenic weapon'was being developed tricked Starfleet into sending a covert Starfleet team to the planet.
Fahleena III - Planet that the Valerian vessel 'Sherval Das' visited when delivering 'dolamide' to the Cardassians.
Mariah IV - Planet that Valerian vessel 'Sherval Das visited when delivering 'dolamide', a chemical energy source, to the Cardassians.

SOCIETY
Cardassians like orderliness in all things. They prefer things in sets of three.

Cardassians are very protective of their people and territories. They don't involve outsiders in their political affairs, or permit anyone to travel in their space without the express permission of the Cardassian Empire. This rule is enforced by the Union patrol vessels strategically placed at perimeter checkpoints throughout Cardassian space and territories within the demilitarized zone. The Cardassians take a strong offense in others protecting their enemies.

Similar to Humans, Cardassians celebrate birthdays, respect marriage, and use a given name before the family name. Cardassians also respect advanced age as a sign of power and dignity.

FAMILY
Cardassians recognize polygamy as a viable family social structure.
The First wife is chosen for the following: political clout, wealth, intellect, educational training, social status.
The Second wife: the same reason apply, but the importance is less. Since the first marriage is mainly of convenience, the second wife is chosen for her physical attractiveness.

ROLES: Although males dominate society, the females importance is greatly recognized in population growth. Offsprings are important to Cardassian survival so it's not uncommon for a family to have more then seven seven children.

CHILDREN: One of their greatest characteristics of Cardassians is their devotion to family; caring for parents as well as children. Families of up to four generations under one roof are not uncommon. Children may keep pets. Swearing the truth on the lives of one's children is tantamount to the highest honesty a Cardassian can attest to. Parents are manipulated by state media in the name of their children, and the presumed-guilty justice system aims to impress children against anti-state lawlessness and chaos, inviting some to the courtroom live and others to watch. To abandoned a child, even one thought dead on Bajor, is enough to publicly and privately humiliate a politician and ruin his career. Despite that, true orphans have no status in society and are simply forgotten - especially the half-breed children the Cardassians had with Bajorans.

SKILLS
Another trait is an attention to detail: they taught record-keeping skills to many planets, including Bajor. Cardassians are known for their photographic memory. Their ability to decipher and translate language at a rapid rate is astonishing.

EDUCATION
Children at age 4 are put into intensive mind-training programs. The Cardassian education system is acknowledged as the "unparalleled" educational system of the quadrant. To Cardassians, education is power and joy is vulnerability. Educational attainment is regarded as a major source of social status. The mental training can extend to enough discipline to deflect a Vulcan Mind Meld. Cardassians believe that there is no dilemma that can't be solved with a disciplined mind.

RELIGION
The Cardassians were once a peaceful and spiritual people. But because their planet was resource-poor, starvation and disease were rampant, and people died by the millions. With the rise of the military to power, new territories and technology were acquired by violence, at the cost of millions of lives sacrificed to the war effort.

Captain Edward Jellico has been quoted, "Cardassians are like timberwolves, predators. They're bold in large numbers, and cautious by themselves. They have a distinctive need to establish a dominant position in any social gathering." But not all Cardassians are one-dimensionally evil. Some walk the line between duty, choice, and belief.

GOVERNMENT
Cardassian society is made up of three political parties; civilian (political leaders), Union (military), and Intelligence (Obsidian Order). Presently, the Union and the Obsidian Order coexist as a separate entity. Both answer to the political authority of their 'toper' council, and are allowed to run their own affairs. The Cardassian court system is barbaric by human standards. They boast that their court is the most efficient criminal investigation system in the quadrant. In Cardassia the verdict is always known before the trial begins and it's always the same. The people demand trials. They enjoy watching justice triumph or evil every time. They find it comforting. The Cardassian Empire believes it's good for the populace to see the spectacle of justice. Trials demonstrate the futility of behavior contrary to good order; justice will be done, and lives will be reaffirmed safe and secure. · On Cardassia, all crimes are solved, all criminals are punished. To Cardassians a conviction of a criminal is a salutary experience.

Their reputation for maltreatment of prisoners is well known, but in the world of commerce they are known for paying their bills. Their officials and officers were not above taking bribes from lowly Bajorans.

They may have compulsory military service, at least for males. Women as well as men are allowed to be Gul in ship command. Death services are called "funerals" and they can be public occurrences, especially for major leaders. Military monuments line the planet, with some serving as burial sites.

TECHNOLOGY
Their engineering standards tend to be lower than Starfleet specifications; Deep Space Nine's fusion powerplant design considers a range of 20% in operating efficiency to be within normal. Cardassian genetic engineers are advanced enough to be well-known by their trademark use of monoclonal links in their DNA-building; whether by open exchange, captured record or espionage, the details are easily researched in Federation records.

ARCHITECTURE
The Cardassians are considered to be master architects. They prefer everything in sets of three. Presently, the reason for this preference hasn't been explained. They believe in honesty in design and want to see the columns and beams which make up a structure, rather than disguise them. Hence, the turbolifts are not hidden by doors, they can be seen to actually move up and down with people on them. Also, the Cardassians militaristic views is a major part in their design structure. Platforms are placed in offices, on warships, and stations, raised at the highest level so people would always look up in respect.

The Cardassian mind prefer balance to symmetry; ellipses to circles, angels to straight lines, and hard metallic surfaces and dark colors. Lighting seem to be dim, more dim than human standards. This is accentuated by the use of dark colors in their design. Doors often have slanted lines on them (angular detail)and are trapezoidal in structure. The doors often sound as if they operate by aide of a 'hydraulic' system.

Lakat City - Where a Cardassian amusement center is based. Gul Dukat was going to take his son there for his eleventh birthday.

In the capital, one of the main sites is the Imperial Plaza. Here you can see statues of famous and revered leaders, the newest addition being one to Gul Dukat. In addition, the large viewscreens allow an unhindered view of the public broadcasts by govermental leaders and other notables.

Coming to Cardassia Prime, viewing the ruins of the First Hebitian Civilization is requisite. These archaelogical marvels are scattered across the planet, a legacy of the ancient people of Cardassia and a symbol of ancient glory for the Cardassians. Most of the sites have been disturbed, but it may still be possible to find an intact piece of Jevonite, a rare stone which adorned many artifacts of that era.

The unit of monetary currency used is the lek.

Visitors are reminded that Cardassians are wary of outsiders and do not take kindly to interference.

HISTORY:
First HebitianCivilization: In ancient times Cadassian was home to a splendid civilization whose legendary ruins are still considered some of the most remarkable in the galaxy.

The burial vaults of the Hebitians were uncovered on Cardassia in the late 2160's. The tombs were said to be magnificent and were reputed to have been filled with many jeweled artifacts. When famine and disease struck Cardassia, most of the archeological sites and tombs were plundered by starving Cardassians, as well as by the military, which sought funds for their war against the Federation. The priceless Hebitian artifacts were stolen and sold to finance invasions of alien worlds. Some of Cardassia's ancient artifacts are kept in a vault controlled by the Obsidian Order.

Jevonite: A valuable gemstone found on planet Cardassia. Many of the artifacts discovered in the burial vaults of the First Hebitian Civilaization were manufactured from jevonite. Most of these Jevonite treasures were either stolen or sold by the Cardassian military.

Bajoran Occupation - Located near the Cardassian border, Bajor was claimed as Cardassian territory from about 2328. The Cardassians formally annexed Bajor in 2339, and occupied the planet until 2369, when Bajoran resistance fighters finally drove them away. Upon the departure of the Cardassians, the Bajoran provisional government requested Federation assistance in operating the former Cardassian space station. However, since the discovery of the wormhole, the Cardassians want to reclaim Bajor. The Federation's presence is the only thing preventing them from launching a full-scale invasion. The occupiers of Bajor subjugated the people and mined its resources, annexing it outright some 19 years into its 60-year occupation (beginning 2309) and building Terek Nor, now known as Deep Space Nine, initially as a mining station in 235, perhaps using Romulan technology in some components. They then stripped the surface of Bajor and Deep Space Nine alike in vengeance when they withdrew less than two weeks before stardate 46388, leaving everything from basic systems to religious areas in shambles; some who resisted, including four Promenade merchants, were killed. The Cardassians also stole eight of the nine Bajoran prophets' orbs, causing a great deal of concern and resulting in Kai Opaka to charge the Emmisary, Commander Benjamin Sisko with locating their Celestial Temple before the Cardassians found and destroyed it.

Deep Space Nine - Old Cardassian mining station built in orbit of planet Bajor. Deep Space nine was built in 2351, then abandoned in 2369 when the Cardassians relinquished their claim on Bajor, and retreated from the region.

Bajorans made interstellar contact with Cardassians before they had the capability of spaceflight.

War: Federation/Cardassian border wars was reported to have taken place from 2355 to 2367. In 2367, a historic peace treaty established a fragile peace between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. Starfleet Captain Edward Jellico was partially credited for the negotiations. Among other things, the treaty provided that captives of either government would be allowed to see a representative from a neutral planet following their incarceration.

The Cardassians attitude against aliens were brought to light during repeated attacks against former Federation colonist. Currently, they attempt to force the colonist to relinquish their property to the Cardassian Empire. But the colonist refuse so they formed a terrorist group called the Maquis to defend against Cardassian sneak raids

Obsidian Order : Cardassia's intelligence agency, the Obsidian Order, is an elite organization five centuries into its operation. The prime objectives of the Order is to amass information about enemy powers and sabotage any activity not favorable to the Cardassian government.
Such activities demand agents of the Order to be skilled in espionage, sabotage,and assassination. Another trait requisite of all agents is a smooth tongue, useful in delivering bald-faced lies with conviction. Shadowy and covert as the Order is, their agents do not cooperate with other branches of the government, almost always choosing to work alone. However, the talents of the operatives within the Order are quite considerable, with a single agent able to infiltrate and collapse a government into anarchy in short notice.

Cardassians believe that knowledge is power. Lack of it warrants mistakes and failures due to ignorance. The Obsidian Order strongly believes in this doctrine, and makes it their business to know everything and anything. It is therefor reasonable to conclude that all mistakes are avoidable, therefor no agent of the Order is permitted to make a mistake, which would invariably result in dreaded consequences. The Obsidian Order expects nothing more than complete loyalty to the cause of the Order, whose demands and existence will always take precedence to personal morality or beliefs. Though in law the Order reports to the Central Command, and later the civilian Depata Council, in practice, the Order usually works without the knowledge of the government. It is their supposed superiority, the conviction that the government of the Cardassian Union will lead the empire to collapse has prompted independent actions leading finally to the fiery death of the Order.

When the Federation made contact with the Dominion's Jem'Hadar and Vortas, the Order was alarmed by the reports of the Gamma Quadrant empire. Believing correctly that the Dominion was a grave threat to Cardassia, the Order took things into their own hands. Along with the support of their Romulan counterparts, the Tal Shiar, the Obsidian Order planned a preemptive strike on the head of the Dominion, the Founders, confident the Dominion will weaken with their leaders eradicated. A combined fleet of some 50 Romulan and Cardassian vessels carried out the cooperative military strike in 2372. Their presence was detected by Deep Space Nine sensors when they decloaked and sailed past the Bajoran Wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. When informed about the situation, the governments of both the Cardassian Union and Romulan Empire denied any knowledge of the joint venture. Yet, they refused to recall their vessels, choosing rather to sit back and await the results.

The campaign proved to be disastrous, and ended with the obliteration of the fleet. 150 Jem'Hadar ships ambushed the unwary warbirds and overwhelmed the attackers within minutes. The best agents of both sides died in this battle, terminating the existence of the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order. The abrupt end of the Order had an unforseen consequence. Underground dissent of the military government that had been increasing in volume over the years seized the opportunity to overthrow the Central Command. A new civilian government of elected officials, the Depata Council, was instated, finally giving the Cardassian Union a democratic government. However, the Council had barely been in power when Cardassia joined the Dominion, once again plunging Cardassia into authoritarian rule. POWs from the disastrous campaign against the Dominion were released as a good-will gesture, among them many members of the now defunct Obsidian Order.

Peace: On stardate 47751.2, Vice-Admiral Alynna Nechayev, informed Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise-D, the treaty between Cardassia and the Federation has been been finalized after three years of negotiations. The Federation and Cardassia established a demilitarized zone between the Cardassian and Federation borders. Several planets from both governments have been relinguished and reclaimed under a Federation and Cardassian territory. Several colonies argued against the plan and refused to leave their homes in face of Cardassian jurisdiction.

The fragile peace between Cardassia and the Federation is weakened due to the repeated skirmishes between the Maquis and Cardassian renegades.

Once the Founders declared their dominance in the Alpha Quadrant, the Cardassians opted to side with the Dominion. The resulting collaboration resulted in the vast destruction of cities and high death toll among the Cardassian people. Disease and plague swept the planet when the planets infrastructure was destroyed by the bombing and the war. Now Cardassia is seeking to rebuild its once former glory.