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Cardassians Return?

diocletian#7546 diocletian Member Posts: 131 Arc User
I have had a strong interest in the Cardassians since their first introduction in TNG. My favorite episodes in DS9 involved the Cardassians in one form or another. Garak, Dukat, and Damar were characters that carried my solid interest all through DS9 and I feel they carried the screen whenever they were on.

Looks like they may be making a return to the new shows? If so, I would find this an interesting development!

https://screenrant.com/star-trek-ds9-cardassians-return-discovery-lower-decks/

Comments

  • legendarylycan#5411 legendarylycan Member Posts: 37,275 Arc User
    Since the end of Deep Space Nine in 1999, there has been very little reference to the Cardassians in other Star Trek media, so their upcoming return is certainly an exciting prospect for fans who have been eager to see more of them.

    Um...what media were they looking at? Cardassians haven't been overly populous in media over the past 25 years, but they haven't exactly been scarce either.​​
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  • phoenixc#0738 phoenixc Member Posts: 5,459 Arc User
    Since the end of Deep Space Nine in 1999, there has been very little reference to the Cardassians in other Star Trek media, so their upcoming return is certainly an exciting prospect for fans who have been eager to see more of them.

    Um...what media were they looking at? Cardassians haven't been overly populous in media over the past 25 years, but they haven't exactly been scarce either.​​

    The last time any of them were in any of the Trek series was around 1997, when Seska bailed out of Voyager and went with the Kazon as far as I know of. Sure, they have been in STO to a small extent and maybe some of the other games, they were probably in some of the older novels that tied in with TNG and DS9, and it is possible one of the fan productions had them back when those existed, but they have not been in the last of the traditional Treks (ENT) or any of the new stuff yet so it has been a while since they have been seen in the source materials to say the least.
  • rattler2rattler2 Member Posts: 57,969 Community Moderator
    Looks like Cardassians will appear in Lower Decks s2, and maybe in Discovery s4. In Discovery we at least see what may be the Federation President, who while mostly appearing human has distinctly Cardassian facial features, which indicate some Cardassian ancestry.
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
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  • phoenixc#0738 phoenixc Member Posts: 5,459 Arc User
    The last time any of them were in any of the Trek series was around 1997, when Seska bailed out of Voyager and went with the Kazon as far as I know of. Sure, they have been in STO to a small extent and maybe some of the other games, they were probably in some of the older novels that tied in with TNG and DS9, and it is possible one of the fan productions had them back when those existed, but they have not been in the last of the traditional Treks (ENT) or any of the new stuff yet so it has been a while since they have been seen in the source materials to say the least.
    Except we saw Cardassians in S3 of Discovery, some were working for the Emerald Chain, and there was one Starfleet captain that was Cardassian also.

    I haven't seen all of third yet. It makes sense though with the probably half-Cardassian in the s4 trailer.
  • smokebaileysmokebailey Member Posts: 4,659 Arc User
    Seen a Cardassian in the lower decks teaser.
    dvZq2Aj.jpg
  • angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,001 Arc User
    I never understood the appeal of Cardassians. They are a national socialistic allegory and yes, not every citizen got along with their government, but wat we see of them is exactly that and it's also what made them popular. But I'm not a big fan of the Dominion either. While I very much like DS9 for it's character development of the main cast, neither the Cardassian-Bajoran nor the Dominion arc are really amongst my favourites.​​
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  • paradox#7391 paradox Member Posts: 1,774 Arc User
    edited April 2021
    angrytarg wrote: »
    I never understood the appeal of Cardassians. They are a national socialistic allegory and yes, not every citizen got along with their government, but wat we see of them is exactly that and it's also what made them popular. But I'm not a big fan of the Dominion either. While I very much like DS9 for it's character development of the main cast, neither the Cardassian-Bajoran nor the Dominion arc are really amongst my favourites.​​

    The Appeal is mostly because Cardassians are basically Romulans 2.0, they had a spy network, they had a secret police, they're sneaky, arrogant, nationalistic and had slaves (Bajorans) like the Romulans, just be glad that the Cardies didn't force the Bajorans to live underground as dilithium miners.
  • phoenixc#0738 phoenixc Member Posts: 5,459 Arc User
    edited April 2021
    angrytarg wrote: »
    I never understood the appeal of Cardassians. They are a national socialistic allegory and yes, not every citizen got along with their government, but wat we see of them is exactly that and it's also what made them popular. But I'm not a big fan of the Dominion either. While I very much like DS9 for it's character development of the main cast, neither the Cardassian-Bajoran nor the Dominion arc are really amongst my favourites.​​

    I think it is mainly the social flux and underground elements. They are not good to actually live in, but they are prime story material and most roleplaying game characters are typical fictional personalities with all the hooks and troubles that entails rather than direct avatars of the player themselves (though of course a lot of people just play the mechanics of the game without any roleplay too).

    Societies in flux like the Cardassians, the Dominion, the TOS Romulans, and the current Republic Romulans (the TNG ones were static and boring for the most part) are less staid, more full of surprises and drama, and overall just more fertile ground for the "hero with a dark past" style that is quite popular in fiction.

    Take urban fantasy for example, quite often the main character will be a free-thinking rebel that is in/comes from a rigidly hierarchical society like werewolf, vampire, angel, demon, or whatever, is secretly from an 'enemy' faction or has some kind of outlawed power (or occasionally the lack of a required power) that they have to keep hidden to avoid persecution, prison, execution, or the like. Rarely are they really are just an average person from a free society with nothing but mundane everyday concerns who just happens to get into some kind of trouble, though they often start out thinking they are before the nearly inevitable reveals that they are actually one of the other types above.

    At this point, the Cardassians, the Dominion, and the Romulans are all just emerging from their own dark, authoritarian pasts and their cultures are still finding their new footing. That kind of story appeals to a lot of people, especially since there is always a struggle (often 'underground') between proponents of the new vs the holdouts of the old ways. Its a classic setup, it is really what the Arthurian stories are all about for instance.

    I have been thinking of doing a Cardassian agent similar to Seska, but instead of doubling down on the nastiness like she did, goes native instead and embraces the new ways on her return to Cardassian society. I might still do that one as a Delta before the recruitment ends but I have not gotten around to it yet especially since getting a Cardassian ship anytime soon is rather problematic and I would prefer she start with it rather than getting it after she hits endgame.

    I already have several "TOS era" Romulans and one who was Tal Shiar but reluctantly joined with D'tan and the Republic when ran across too much proof to deny the corruption in her own organization any longer, among others (I play Romulan more than the others), along with a number of Vorta. The background story editor is one of the nice things about STO.
  • diocletian#7546 diocletian Member Posts: 131 Arc User

    I think it is mainly the social flux and underground elements. They are not good to actually live in, but they are prime story material and most roleplaying game characters are typical fictional personalities with all the hooks and troubles that entails rather than direct avatars of the player themselves (though of course a lot of people just play the mechanics of the game without any roleplay too).

    Societies in flux like the Cardassians, the Dominion, the TOS Romulans, and the current Republic Romulans (the TNG ones were static and boring for the most part) are less staid, more full of surprises and drama, and overall just more fertile ground for the "hero with a dark past" style that is quite popular in fiction.


    Well said and I agree with you in your points. I roleplay with all my characters and have a back story for each. My Cardassian is making his way in the post Dominion War reality. Feeling the effort effects of the loss in the war coming to grips with the brutal past of the Cardassian Union. He has a T6 Keldon (from "Plain and Simple bundle") and carries himself with the motivation of restoring Cardassian prosperity, without the militaristic brutality.

    I have a TOS themed Romulan also. He comes forward to the 25c seeing a very different world. Angered that his noble Star Navy have become dominated by the Tal Shiar and lost all sense of service for the benefit of Romulan society. He is also a bit skeptical of D'Tan's Republic movement, but sees it as a much better option than the Tal Shiar. He is working to rebuild Romulan society and hopes to play his part to restore the Romulan Star Navy to the honorable service it once was in the 23c. He wears his 23c uniform with great pride and hopes it can reflect and example of honorable service once again.
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