At first I thought Phlox was going to be Cardassian or maybe a related culture. They have a similar look. I like Cardassians, but I didn't have to see a first contact.
Agreed. Besides, non-canon novels written in the last five to ten years have Cardassian first contact happening during the Harriman/Enterprise-B era at the start of the 24th century, around the time the empire conquers Bajor. There are no indications the Federation knew about or had contact with Cardassia prior to the early 24th century so I doubt that was the case. I always assumed Cardassian first contact was an event that happened a generation or two before the start of TNG anyways.
Enterprise should have gone on longer. 1 Cardassian episode and one Borg episode would have been good before the show ended.
They already did a Borg episode in season 2. I would have liked to have seen what the Reeves-Stevenses came up with in their Borg Queen origin they pitched had it been made, though. On topic, it probably be a good idea to introduce the Cardassians on Enterprise. The episodes with the Borg, Ferengi and the Naussicans were pushing it enough as is.
That would be however total violation of any continuity that Borg queen clearly wasn´t human. Alongside maybe the Flint idea, I´m actually glad this one hasn´t been made.
But as mentioned before,there was a Cardassian living on Vulcan in the 22nd or Early 23rd Century, as established in DS9. That would count as some sort of contact.
As others have said, I'd like to have seen them in passing, but not a Cardie-centred episode as such. It would be pushing it too far. The Ferengi (being too far away from their homeworld as I see it, since it must be rather close to Bajor/Cardassia) were well enough, thanks.
Yeah, but that's conjecturally more of a Vulcan first contact. Maybe they were the only Federation species who really knew anything about them until after the Kirk era was over. And maybe that one Cardassian living on Vulcan was just a lone individual who didn't bring any others with him.
I'm not saying it was an offical First Contact with trumpets and banners. Just that there is a Cardassian on Vulcan that the ENT crew could have met.
I think it's just fun that we can conjecture like this...that the Beebs and Paramount left some doors and windows open in spite of 700+ TV episodes and movies to allow for wiggle room and wonderment about who-met-whom-and-when. Helps keep the franchise vigorous and the fanbase mentally active.
I think the third season episode "Damage" would've been cool if the aliens ENT encountered had been Cardassians instead of Illyrians. They already had Casey Biggs so I think it would've been a nice ironic twist that humans were the bad guys on our first contact with the Cardassians.
A very interesting thought. If ENT had done that more often, the show would've been something it wasn't, for the most part -- daring. -- RR
Yes, I had a similar thought. It would have been intriguing to see the Cardassians in a different role... and not as universal space thugs, as they were usually portrayed (save some exceptions, mind you). Anyway, it was great hearing Damar's voice again. I always liked him.
Cardassian good guys certainly were few and far between in the other spinoffs. Just a handful of rogue officers and political dissidents on DS9 and that's about it. Even the Ferengi...who started out as little more than one-dimensional, creepy little villians obsessed with money on TNG...ended up a much more textured race and society than the Cardies.
meeting the cardassian poet might have been interesting since it would show a different aspect of to them. and i cant remember but during this time,, isnt it before the military take over of cardassia so you might get a glimpse of totally different carddassian that what was shown on ds9. as for betazaid it would have been more sense since it is supposed to be prerry close to earth. as for observer effect it is one of my fav episodes. and it has something that is hinted at within errand of mercy. , , ,, , , , , , , , ,, that the organians will play with memories of people to hide their true nature/. spock was pretty puzzled about the contradictions from the earlier surveys of the planet ruins and what was actually present.
"Observer Effect" is a nice lead-in to "Errand of Mercy" more than a century later, but it makes one wonder why it takes the Organians another 110-odd years to decide to make another contact with humans. I guess to each species their own.
Susanna Thompson's Queen wasn't human, but Alice Krige's could have been. She never said which species she was. And you couldn't tell by looking at her, since there was so much Borg tech grafted onto her body. If... Spoiler: Borg Krige played a human Starfleet medtech who was assimilated , it wouldn't violate continuity. Maybe the Order knew about Iloja's exile and tolerated it (perhaps even ordered it). As long as he's on Vulcan, he's no threat to Cardassia.
I suppose the Organians decided to keep to themselves until the Federation-Klingon border disputes dragged their system into the mess. Then they forced a confrontation in part to protect their own interests.