(by Sorripto)
GEOPHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
PLANETARY SYSTEM
Cardassian Union
PLANET
Cardassia Prime or Cardassia
DESCRIPTION
Cardassia Prime is an industrialized world with a population of roughly seven billion Cardassians. The planet itself is considerably warmer and darker then Earth with a low humidity and overall arid climate, although plant and animal life are very abundant on the surface. Cardassia Prime is laid out with a series of state like regions all built around their own capital like central major industrialized city. The major cities are surrounded by smaller industrialized provinces which are further surrounded by a more industrialized suburb type area. The architecture of Cardassia prime, even in the smaller towns, is predominantly influenced with homage to the deity Galor and a show of industrialized power which the planet prides itself on.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
APPEARANCE
Cardassians are humanoid in form, but have distinctive ridged arches connecting their shoulders to the tops of their necks. They also have ridges on either side of their foreheads, ridges surrounding their eyes, and protrusions on their chins and below their noses. Other then the ridges the predominant feature of Cardassians are their spoon-shaped features starting in the centers of their foreheads and running down the lengths of their noses with a similar larger spoon shaped indent on their chest. The spoon shaped feature on their foreheads is a sort of bellybutton where the umbilical cord was attached during the gestation period. Cardassian skin is tan or gray in color and hair is dark brown or black. Their eye color is usually dark-brown, however a small percentage of the population have blue eyes.
PHYSIOLOGY
The internal structure of the Cardassian body is very similar to that of humans with Cardassians having of a much stronger and more covered internal bone structure. The strongest feature on the Cardassian body is the bone plate and scale ridges on the neck with a broken neck being a nearly unheard of cause of death among Cardassians. The plate like pattern on the Cardassian face, neck, and shoulders is actually a bone like scale that is shed and regrown throughout the Cardassian lifespan. The denser bone structure of the Cardassian skull and inner ear lead Cardassians to have a weaker sense of hearings then humans, although a much higher resistance to loud noises. The Cardassian brain is also considerably stronger and more advanced then that of humans giving Cardassians mental toughness, extreme concentration, and a strong memory with the downside being that Cardassians are more susceptible to genetic mental illness. Internally Cardassians also have a much stronger immune system then that of humans making them considerably more resistant to disease. The Cardassian blood does have a strong weakness to colbalt based poisons and diseases.
The Cardassian lifespan is considerably longer then that of other species with some Cardassians being in the “prime” of their lives for more then a century. The physical development of Cardassians is slower then that of other species with section of Cardassian life, such as childhood and teenage, lasting many years. Due to the war nature of Cardassians with young death being common the actual normal lifespan of a Cardassian is not commonly known.
MATING
Among Cardassians the actual mating ritual is very combative in nature with the Cardassian courting of a potential mate and spouse involving a lot yelling, insults, verbal fighting, and at times even physical violence. These acts of aggression and dispute are seen by courting couples as a sign of knowledge and strength with the more intense the debates the better chance of a strong relationship. With a strong emphasis on the family mates are often for life, although infidelity is found among Cardassian males in positions of power and authority. Cardassian blood is iron based and their DNA is compatible with that of many other species such as Bajorans, Humans, Vulcans, and even Kazon. The physical traits of Cardassians are dominant genes thus leading half Cardassian children to still be predominately Cardassian in appearance.
DIET
Among Cardassians food and eating are very important with the diet being a majority meat and leafy vegetables. Most Cardassian dishes and popular foods are considered vile and even tortuous by other species. In the mornings, Cardassians like to drink hot fish juice, served in a mug and drunk rather than eaten with a spoon despite its jello like consistency. The most popular alcoholic drink on Cardassia is Kanar. Kanar is found in a variety of colors and textures, but due its potent fish like flavor it is very uncommon to find other species drinking it. Popular food dishes include taspar eggs which are almost always served boiled, as most races find it revolting when raw and even more so while still alive moving inside its shell (Live Taspar eggs are often fed to prisoners as a form of torture). Other popular dishes include tojal, zabo meat, and sem'hal stew (often eaten with Yamok sauce). The most famous staple of the Cardassian diet is Larish pie which is most often eaten as a dessert and unlike most Cardassian food Larish pie is very popular with other races, especially among Bajorans.
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
Until Elim Garak lead the introduction of democracy at the end of the Dominion War Cardassian culture was hierarchical, with the State at the top in public life, and parents within the home. Cardassian architecture often reinforced established hierarchy by placing important individuals in physically high locations. The emphasis on hierarchy and other factors have often lead to intense rivalries between individuals and families. Cardassian society values family highly as shown in the Cardassian saying “Family is all”. Cardassian homes were typically multigenerational and hierarchical, with male and female parents sharing equal authority. Cardassian culture emphasized family loyalty, whether family loyalty trumped loyalty to the state remains to be seen. Similar to some other cultures, Cardassians placed great value on the continuation of family lines, and as such were pro-natalist, though they were not known for having large numbers of offspring. In contrast to the close knit family unit, Cardassian society does not regard orphans highly, and provided no obvious means of social welfare for them, though adoption was not unheard of.
Cardassian society generally exhibits little or no gender bias with both men and women able to rise to high ranks in the military and other fields. The exception to that is the scientific community which is with few exceptions all female. Society tends to regard males as scientifically inept leading females in both the job and the household to be the technical experts.
GOVERNMENT
The Cardassian government historically was broken into three different powers. The Detapa Council controlling the day to day government operations, the Central Command controlling the military, and the Obsidian Order which enforced loyalty to the government. Within the Cardassian government were different bureaus all of whom played a part in controlling the population. This meticulous system has lead to Cardassians being known as the best record keepers in the galaxy. For monitoring all Cardassians are required to give their first molar to the Bureau of Identification at age ten.
Cardassian society had the most rigid and, to the Federation, incomprehensible of all legal systems. Every suspect was guilty before even appearing in court, their sentence already spelled out – almost always either death or imprisonment in a harsh labor camp. The criminal was given a Conservator, equivalent to a public defender, except that the Conservator was not supposed to win but to prepare the criminal for a moving confession of guilt on the floor of the court. The accused was also permitted an advocate, the Nestor, to advise them during the trial. The Chief Archon, or judge, of the court played to a televised audience, their duty not to judge the prisoner's innocence or guilt, but rather to give an emphatic display of the futility of crime on Cardassia and reinforce the public's trust in the judicial system
RELIGION
The central deity in Cardassian culture is the war god Galor. Cardassian religion emphasizes displays of respect towards Galor including building architecture, space ship design, and even the Cardassian logo being an image of Galor’s helmet. The teachings of Galor include emphasis on dominance, racial superiority, and an emphasis on the importance of family.
MYTHS
Mythology is not common on Cardassia since the millennia of accurate record keeping leave little room for stories. The favorite legend told on Cardassia is that of the spoon indent on their forehead. Although known to be like a belly button Cardassian mythology says that indent is where the gods indented their mark to show that Cardassians had reached a higher plain of thought.
RELATIONS TO THE FEDERATION
The date of first contact between the Cardassians and Starfleet is unknown, but is likely to have occurred mid-to-late 22nd Century, as Iloja of Prim lived on Vulcan during that time period. Sometime before 2347 the Cardassians attempted to expand into Federation territory and war broke out, lasting around twenty years. After two decades Federation Captain Edward Jellico led the effots for a peace treaty both sides could agree on. Following the Federation brokered Cardassian withdraw from Bajor, a Federation presence was established aboard Terok Nor, renamed Deep Space Nine, to assist the Bajoran Provisional Government in rebuilding Bajor. Roughly four months later, the Federation-Cardassian borders were redefined, with the two sides buffered by a demilitarized zone. This new treaty gave control of many federation colonies to Cardassia leading to a rebel group known as the Maquis. Following the fall of the Maquis and the end of the Dominion War the Federation became the primary supporter of Cardassia, as the only Alpha Quadrant power to not openly demand punishment for their past actions. Despite a strong alliance there is still an uneasy peace between Cardassia and the Federation with many Federation citizens still bigoted against Cardassians and many Cardassians not trusting of their new human “friends”. There are some pockets of Cardassia that have developed strong ties with the Federaiton culminating in 2405 with Sorripto, son of Dal Riambori being the first Cardassian accepted into Star Fleet Academy.
HISTORY
WARS
- C2317 New Cardassian Union invades and occupies Bajor
- C2347 Cardassia invades Federation space leading to a twenty year war with the Federation
- 2371 Cardassian Obsidian order forms an alliance with the Romulan Tal Shiar and attacks the Dominion Homeworld
- The failed assault leads to the fall of the Obsidian Order
- 2372 With no central intelligence to organize a defense force the Klingon Empire launches an invasion of Cardassian space starting the Cardassian Klingon war
- 2373 Cardassia Prime allies with the Dominion starting the Dominion War in the Alpha Quadrant
EARLY HISTORY
Cardassians were one of four races, along with Klingons, Romulans, and humans, to be developed by an advanced humanoid alien species. Early inhabidants of Cardassia Prime were a peaceful and spiritual people. In the days of the First Hebitian Civilization, the Cardassians collected works of art from all over the Alpha Quadrant and the planet boasted a vast wealth of art and culture; the people were said to have elaborate burial vaults with unimaginable treasures. However, Cardassia's lack of natural resources caused terrible famine, and the Hebitian civilization fell into decay. Its ruins were plundered by starving Cardassians who sought to sell whatever they could to provide for themselves. The Cardassian Central Command soon come to power forming a military dictatorship, building fleets of warships and invading nearby worlds.
MODERN DEVELOPMENT
Between October 2372 and February 2373, with a Dominion attack on Deep Space Nine imminent, Gul Dukat announced the Cardassian Union's entry into the Dominion making himself supreme leader of the Cardassian Union. Gull Dukat’s successor Legate Dumar ending up leading an uprising within Cardassia against the Dominion leading to a Dominion bombardment of Cardassia Prime resulting in the deaths of over 800 million Cardassians. Following the war a development and reconstruction movement began on Cardassia. Cardassia developed a more efficient infrastructure and, under the leadership of Elim Garak, converted much of its government to Democracy.
SPACE EXPLORATION
The first records of space exploration by Cardassian people come from the records of the Hebitian civilization. Acting as explorers and archeologists the Hebitians uses small sub warp
craft to explore the alpha quadrant over many generations.
WARP DEVELOPMENT
The exact date of Cardassian warp development is not known due to gaps in the historical Hebitian records following the revolt on Cardassia Prime. It is believed on Cardassia that the early Hebitians were one of the first warp capable species in the Alpha Quadrant.
FIRST CONTACT
The Hebitian Civilization made contact with many species during their golden age of enlightenment and space exploration however first contact with the modern Cardassian Union, which had become isolationist in order to build an Empire and control its population, occurred during the early 22nd Century when Iloja of Prim met with Federation delegates on Vulcan.
