I think Garak might not have been that critical since he was a nationalist. How many Americans or Canadians deride the occupation of Afghanistan, where thousands of innocent civilians have died -- often in "collateral damage". Behr was trying to criticize all colonialism.
Garak's Thoughts on the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor
- Thread starter Photon
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Huge numbers, actually.
With that, like anything else, you are going to have people that just genuinely don't care. I think Garak just doesn't really care.
While Pres. Bush was still in the Whitehouse, about half of the Democrats. Now that Pres. Obama is in the Whitehouse, it's about half of the Republicans
What You Leave Behind did touch on it a little. "Some will say that we got what we deserved." I think he's talking about the Occupation and joining the Dominion.
^ I don't think even the Bajorans would take much joy in what has happened to Cardassia. The Occupation was brutal, to be sure, but only the most radical of Bajoran terrorists would actually be happy after what has happened since then.
It'd take a sociopathic mindset to actually take pleasure in the destruction of an entire planet, no matter what the inhabitants of that planet once did.
It'd take a sociopathic mindset to actually take pleasure in the destruction of an entire planet, no matter what the inhabitants of that planet once did.
I don't think that reflected his own opinion, though, it was more of a sardonic comment on how others would react to the destruction of Cardassia. He's seen and experienced people's opinions on Cardassia for years, so he can certainly imagine that people probably wouldn't have much simpathy for them after the destruction of their world. I'm sure he's right, and that there were plenty of Bajorans, and others, that were happy to hear about what happened. Besides, we have seen plenty of examples of people rejoicing at mass death here on our own planet, it's not a stretch to imagine that there were people in the Trekverse that thought that Cardassia had it coming.
I found totally appalling what Garak said. The occupation was horrible, no doubt, but a near genocide hardly is "justice". Even if adding other atrocities we might not know about, that's still not justice.
"Well aren't you going to congratulate me, Doctor? My exile is now officially over. I've returned home, or rather what's left of it.
"You know some may say that we've gotten just what we deserved. After all, we're not entirely innocent, are we? And I'm not just speaking about the Bajoran Occupation. No, our whole history has been one of arrogant aggression. We've collaborated with the Dominion, betrayed the entire Alpha Quadrant. Oh, oh there's no doubt about it: we are guilty as charged."
I think he's personally disgusted at his whole race. I don't think he's speaking as if "someone might think that."
True, he may have been disgusted with the actions of his race, but that was more toward the actions undertaken during the Dominion War, and not the Occupation. (I just rewatched the scene, it's admittedly been a while since I'd seen it.) He seemed more upset that Cardassia had caused its own destruction by allying with the Dominion. He was angry at the loss on Prime, and that Cardassia would never again be the Cardassia that he knew. He's frustrated and he's grieving.
Supposedly huge numbers but not enough or not with enough intensity to change the political discourse.
I know that both the Liberal and Conservative parties in Canada supported an occupation that has led to many innocents getting killed, but you don't hear about it on Canada's national news; I hear it on US news like Bill Moyers.
I guess among the public, but not within Congress. Most still support the occupations or are unwilling to deride them much publicly.
You clearly get my point, though.
Wow. I had totally forgotten about that and that episode was so important to me. I do think that, had the Dominion not used the Klingons to attack the Cardassians, then Gul Dukat and those like him might have steered Cardassia in a new pro-Federation direction.
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