Cardassians in new Trek shows
- Thread starter GulBahana
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Would anyone happen to have a link or screenshot of this map?
I suppose they could do a show about the frantic post-Dominion war Cardassian rebuilding effort, aided by the Federation. ('Keeping up with the Cardassians.')
The Cardassians are essentially TOS Klingons.
There's some danger here. The Klingons were a great adversary (cunning, crafty, but with some twisted sense of honor) till TNG and other Berman-era series ruined them into belching, drunk, honor-obsessed caricatures.
That might happen to the Cardassians too, if they were re-introduced.
Never found the TOS Klingons to be all that honorable, twisted or otherwise. The honor thing was pure TNG.
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More TOS films, and TNG to an extreme.
Meant TNG. Edited.
The TOS Klingons are essentially the "Red Scare" 60s version/perception of the Soviet Union, positioned as an equal threat to the Federation.
The TNG/DS9 Cardassians are basically the 90s reassessment of the Soviet Union after its collapse. The Cardassians are doing their best to match pace and project the image of being a major power equal to the Federation, but they're not.
The Cardassians are dangerous and a strategic problem for the Federation, but in the end they're a resource poor society that was getting by through exploiting others through military occupation, and being sneaky and ruthless. Just like how the Soviet Union could not keep up with the US when it came to the Moon landing or fielding more and more advanced weaponry in the Cold War, eventually the pressures of overextending their military, fighting the Maquis in the Demilitarized Zone, and finally the Klingon invasion were just too much.
Beyond that, I think the society of the Cardassians during the TNG-era seems like a mix of Stalinism (i.e., the entire society is centered around family, duty, and the glorification of the state), and some of the paternalistic "white man's burden" ideas associated with European colonialism.
In Gul Dukat's lament about how he was not appreciated by the Bajorans as their "liberator," those scenes take on the dimension of an abusive father upset of how his "children" can't recognize his greatness and innate right to rule. If you compare that sentiment to those who historically defended the generational rule of the British Raj, or rationalized actions like the murdering of unarmed men, women, and children at the Amritsar Massacre as "necessary" for order and civilization, then it sounds a lot like the Cardassians.
Search for Spock gives the Klingons feudalism, and then Ron Moore added on the concept of a culture based in the idea of honor, but not exactly the practice of it. The Klingons use "honor" as a rationalization to exploit others so they can think the people had it coming when they drink blood wine and sing about it later.
Of all the Klingons we've met over the years, I think I can count on two hands the Klingon characters that seem like decent people. And even though I love Kor as a character, dude was ready to commit multiple war crimes on Organia. Ezri is right when she damns the entire society as allowing corruption at the highest levels while claiming to cherish honor.
AFIAK, the first full blooded, non-holographic Cardassian in newer Star Trek was in the latest episode of Lower Decks. That might have been the first since DS9, even. Kinda weird we went though so many other races before them.
From what I saw, the map shows that the Cardassian Union is still very much a distinct political power.
Having said that, it also said (spoilers) was a distinct power, and we know from Lower Decks that might not be the case. So that might have to be disregarded.
I'm in the minority (I think) in that I'd like to save some stuff from the TNG era for the TNG or later eras. I'd buy Cardassians being well known and interacted with in the late TMP era (say sometime near or just after the Khitomer accords), but not in Pike's era. It just seems too early to me. Of course, that's just my opinion.
As for the Klingons, let me just reiterate. The only TRUE Klingons are John M. Ford Klingons.
As for the Klingons, let me just reiterate. The only TRUE Klingons are John M. Ford Klingons.
You do indeed recall correctly. Rillak had Human, Bajoran and Cardassian heritage.
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