Yes, some Europeans went to their colonies to get rich exploiting natural resources or cheap labor, others went to proselytize their branch of the faith, others went to escape bad situations at home (no weath coming to them as a younger son, or an easier place to get a job, or to forget a bad marriage), or out of a believe that they could bring the colonies better medicine, government, etc. Many people a mixture.
Were the Cardassians on Bajor initially benevolent?
- Thread starter suarezguy
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How many European settlers were there though that really wanted to coexist amicably with the Natives? Even the ones whose only goal was to escape persecution, at best they saw the Natives as an inconvenience and threat.
The settlers vs. natives scenario sort of depends on Cardassians being the ones with the knowhow to cross the ocean. We know Bajorans didn't do that back in the 1500s ("Explorers"), but we have no evidence they didn't do it in the 1900s or the 2200s, and possibly before the Cardassians at that.
A bunch of Cardassians on Bajor might better be likened to a bunch of Powhatan in King James' court, then. But as long as the Powhatan know how to cross the Atlantic on their own, there's nothing much to preclude them from conquering Britain a century later...
Timo Saloniemi
A bunch of Cardassians on Bajor might better be likened to a bunch of Powhatan in King James' court, then. But as long as the Powhatan know how to cross the Atlantic on their own, there's nothing much to preclude them from conquering Britain a century later...
Timo Saloniemi
I'd agree with what. The Cardassians occupied Bajor to economically exploit it and it would be cheaper and easier for them to do that by having the Bajors in the form of the Bajoran Occupational Government to do the governing for themselves. Mostly likely the Cardassians needed a military presence there once the Resistance became too much for the puppet government to handle.
They must have existed, but I'll agree that it probably was a tiny minority. I think a significantly larger group just wanted to be left alone by the natives (as you describe), but perhaps still deluded themselves into believing they were ultimately there to further the Good Cause.
Also, as you are talking about 'Natives' I suppose you are talking about the American continent specifically. I think that history would have been atypical, given that the native population was effectively decimated by disease even before the settler population became somewhat sizeable. In many other countries around the world that became 'colonised' , the local population would be so numerous and well-established that to coexist, perhaps not amicably, but relatively 'peacefully' (even if that meant the continuous threat of oppression) would have been the only realistic option open to the Europeans arriving there. Examples would include the British in India or the Dutch in Indonesia. All they could do fight a few local wars of conquest with their superior weaponry, then set themselves up as the new rulers and exploit the region economically, working together with the local aristocracy and hope no truly massive and unified effort against them ever broke out.
My feeling is that the Cardassion occupation on Bajor would have been more like that (a tiny minority of Cardassians ruling over an alien world, and trying to co-opt as many Bajorans into their service as they could). And once the Bajoran factions really united, it apparently was game over for the Cardassians.
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Bajorans unifying? It doesn't sound like something we would have seen or heard happening. If anything, the collaborating part of the citizenry was getting settled in their way of life; the religious part was starting to think in terms of necessary evil; and the resistance was basically allowed to exist for the political convenience of it, since it helped keep the population disunited (what with largely targeting their compatriots as per "Darkness/Light", just like any good resistance movement in real or fictional history).
Timo Saloniemi
Timo Saloniemi
It isn't known how many of the initial settler communities eventually got subsumed into native societies either through necessity due to being unable to survive on it's own or simply inter-marriage between the two communities.
Good question, in the TNG Chain of Command shares some light on what the Cardassians past was like and this could've made them what they were but I would've love to see it.
It wasn't mentioned regularly, but we did a few nuggets:
(From Accession)
SISKO: Akorem... a great deal has happened while you've been gone. Maybe Major Kira could spend some time filling you in.
AKOREM: Major Kira?
KIRA: That's right.
AKOREM: (confused) Your family would be part of the artist D'jarra.
BASHIR: D'jarra?
KIRA: Bajor used to have a strict caste system... a person's work was dictated by what family they were born into.
AKOREM (with concern) You don't follow your D'jarras anymore?
KIRA: When the Cardassians occupied Bajor we gave up the D'jarras so we could fight them. We all became soldiers.
Akorem can't quite absorb the misfortune that befell his people.
AKOREM: The Cardassians occupied Bajor... ?
KIRA: For over fifty years.
Akorem is a bit disturbed by some of what he's heard.
AKOREM: It seems you're right, Captain... a great deal has happened since I've been gone.
Off Akorem's thoughtful features...
From Emissary:
PICARD: I've come to know the Bajora. I'm one of the strongest proponents for their entry into the Federation.
SISKO: Is it going to happen?
PICARD: Not easily. The ruling parties are at each others throats... factions that were united against the Cardassians have resumed old conflicts...
SISKO: (with an attitude) Sounds like they're not ready.
Picard turns and looks at him sharply.
PICARD: Your job is to do everything short of violating the Prime Directive to make sure they are.
There are probably other examples, but those seem to illustrate the point IMO.
The Cardassian leaders are skilled at propaganda, and don't have a strong relationship with the truth. Taking this into account, that line "The Carfdassians said similar things", seems to indicate that they lied to gain power. I can see some wiggle room to interpret the Cardassians as once being friendly, but I don't think that's what the writers intended.
From Akorem's lines, I don't think that in Akorem's day, the Cardassians were considered a threat. My guess is that the Cardassians were always terrible but they never advertized this to the Bajorans.
From Akorem's lines, I don't think that in Akorem's day, the Cardassians were considered a threat. My guess is that the Cardassians were always terrible but they never advertized this to the Bajorans.
