If Damar hadn't died....

[Sisko4Life]

Damar's character development throughout the last season to me was one of the remarkable stories in DS9.. going from an average officer with no confidence to lead to a living legend among Cardassians. The thing I always pondered over though was what happens to Cardassia post-war if Damar was never killed? I assume when he was killed they just went back to their own shabby state with crappy relations with the rest of the quadrant. But with Damar leading the "new" Cardassia I think there could have been potential for them to have a trusting neutrality / peace with the Federation, or potentially even an alliance. Damar mentioned a few times that "Cardassia will not forget the Federation's generosity." Normally, I would look at his buddy Rusot and the rest of the Cardassians as taking the Federation's generosity for granted but I think Kira really opened Damar's eyes to the irony of the whole situation. The Dominion is to Cardassia what Cardassia was to Bajor and he really reacted personally when they slaughtered his family. Of course, lets not forget that this whole story arc could just have been just Damar's textbook nationalism and no genuwine change at all (as Chakotay said, a Scorpion is still a Scorpion)....

Thoughts? Comments?

Side note: Do any non-canon novel's address this?

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I think that there's a good risk it would be the opposite--better relations under someone else's leadership, but bad relations under Damar who, for all his growth would not (in my opinion) have what it takes to lead Cardassia through political change. He only understood force, not politics, as evidenced by his inability to control his mouth. I think Damar could've functioned in a government role--maybe as head of the military--but as Cardassia's most powerful person? Not so sure.

 

[Jono]

I think the Federation would have found it harder to work with a Damar lead post-war Cardassia because of his role during the war. He was most likely complicit in handing Cardassia over to the Dominion in the first place not to mention he was at Cardassia's head for around a year and a half. Planets that had been touched by the war would probably want him arrested and charged with war crimes or punished in some way.

Then there the Cardassians themselves. You have to wonder how thankful they would be to Damar after his action led to the Dominion trying to wipe them all out and that the situation wouldn't have happened if Damar wasn't involved in handing Cardassia to the Dominion. There would be some that would also want him punished/dead. So with these possibly pressures internally and externally it wouldn't be easy for Damar to lead.

 

[Supernuke]

You have to wonder how thankful they would be to Damar after his action led to the Dominion trying to wipe them all out and that the situation wouldn't have happened if Damar wasn't involved in handing Cardassia to the Dominion.

You are right people might blame him, but it was really Dukat who did this. Damar had little choice in the matter at the time when the Cardassians joined the Dominion.

 

[G2309]

I think that there's a good risk it would be the opposite--better relations under someone else's leadership, but bad relations under Damar who, for all his growth would not (in my opinion) have what it takes to lead Cardassia through political change. He only understood force, not politics, as evidenced by his inability to control his mouth. I think Damar could've functioned in a government role--maybe as head of the military--but as Cardassia's most powerful person? Not so sure.

I agree but i think he'd have the sense not to take leadership. It would be like just befre the klingons invaded with a civilian government. Damar was a good military leader but that doesn't mean he'd make a good prime minister.

 

[Jono]

You have to wonder how thankful they would be to Damar after his action led to the Dominion trying to wipe them all out and that the situation wouldn't have happened if Damar wasn't involved in handing Cardassia to the Dominion.

You are right people might blame him, but it was really Dukat who did this. Damar had little choice in the matter at the time when the Cardassians joined the Dominion.

Dukat was gone and when people want someone to blame proximity is more than enough.

 

[G2309]

You have to wonder how thankful they would be to Damar after his action led to the Dominion trying to wipe them all out and that the situation wouldn't have happened if Damar wasn't involved in handing Cardassia to the Dominion.

You are right people might blame him, but it was really Dukat who did this. Damar had little choice in the matter at the time when the Cardassians joined the Dominion.

Dukat was gone and when people want someone to blame proximity is more than enough.

Perhaps because of the bombing of cardassia, they blame him for letting that appen. If it hadn't of happened he'd probably been seen as a hero as the people would want a figure of hope.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

As it is, I think the fact that he's dead would allow the Cardassians to consider him a hero. He did the right thing in the end--but justice was satisfied with his death.

 

[Tulaberry whine]

I doubt the Federation and its allies or Cardassians themselves would have wanted the former leader of the Cardassian/Dominion forces leading Cardassia after the war - way too much baggage there.

 

[arch101]

Damar would have had to go. I assume the Allies (Fed, Klingon, Rom) would have demanded a "de-Nazification" of the Cardassian government. Anyone involved with the old regime, regardless of their actions late in the war, wouldn't have been allowed to participate. There was precedent in WWII where some German commanders who weren't involved in any way with the atrocities actually aided in bringing the war to a stop after Hitler killed himself. Some on both sides thought these men might be useful in forming an interim leadership, but, in light of the atrocities, they all eventually had to go. Some were tried and got light sentences, some were released but not allowed to participate in politics.