Star Trek: Shaping a Cardassian - Among the Dragons

[Gul Re'jal]

I was really touched by Tavor's willingness to give up something he loves--perhaps even for life--not to mention essentially "waste" rations for two meals, to avoid offending Amrita's gods.

I think that in spite of her assurances, he worries that his eating zobar mean might be a problem for her, so he prefers an "easy" way.

An observation about Kapoor's duties as an eresh...sometimes it seems to me that Cardassian rigidity goes to almost stupid extremes, and this is an example.

Yes, it is. Rules are rules, no matter how ridiculous they can sometimes be.

Given that situation, I'm actually surprised Amrita didn't snap when she found out what that puzzle really was. It could so easily have come off as one more incident of being patronized and being treated like she was stupid. (I also couldn't read Tavor's tone when he was giving the instructions...how did you imagine him sounding?)

I imagined him speaking in a neutral tone. Like a teacher explaining things. He didn't want to sound patronising, but he also didn't want to be "friendly," not to give her an impression that he would make it easier for her.

He would speak the same way to anyone else, when introducing the game. To every child, since the game is on that level.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I think that in spite of her assurances, he worries that his eating zobar mean might be a problem for her, so he prefers an "easy" way.

It seemed more meaningful to me than mere conflict avoidance, though.

An observation about Kapoor's duties as an eresh...sometimes it seems to me that Cardassian rigidity goes to almost stupid extremes, and this is an example.

Yes, it is. Rules are rules, no matter how ridiculous they can sometimes be.

Here is how Gul Berat would feel:

I'm not sure if my Cardassians would've gone quite as far as yours in that case.

I do think, though, that they were sticklers for engineering procedures. But given that my Cardassians' technology is something I write kind of like Soviet military technology, I know there are tricks some engineers have up their sleeves that they never let their guls see--or if their guls are supportive, things they never let inspectors see. (In fact, I remember in the novel I got Berat from, that was indeed the case! Berat in particular strikes me as someone who would use those kinds of tricks and maybe even get a kick out of it, if the trick got good results for his ship.) I am not sure all of my Cardassians are afraid to be inventive. Some are...they just know when is the right time to hide it.

I imagined him speaking in a neutral tone. Like a teacher explaining things. He didn't want to sound patronising, but he also didn't want to be "friendly," not to give her an impression that he would make it easier for her.

I'm not sure why, but to me he actually sounded harsh.

 

[Gul Re'jal]

It seemed more meaningful to me than mere conflict avoidance, though.

I'm sure there was more to it than even he can tell
He loves her and would do everything to make her happy and to make sure he doesn't make her unhappy.

I'm not sure why, but to me he actually sounded harsh.

Dry, perhaps, but I didn't hear him speaking harsh. He wasn't barking orders, but explaining things.

Now, to think of it, no one really knows how to explain that game to an adult, because the first time you're explained, you're three years old and proper language is adopted. So, in a way, every Cardassians knows the rules "since forever," and they don't really know how to explain the game to an adult Tavor certainly didn't want to sound like talking to a small child.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I would imagine only those who specialize in education of those with disabilities would know how to explain it to an adult. Or if Cardassian teachers were sent to culturally "assimilate" the Federation colonists.

Oh, and from the dialogue I had gotten the idea from the way it was written that it was in kind of a "barking orders" tone, which kind of took me aback. But I suppose that without a description of it, and the last thing Kapoor described being the way she was treated by Zamarran, I heard Tavor as sounding the same.